Jews Talk Racial Justice - S2E13: Recovering from Mistakes, Recovering Trust
QUICK EPISODE OVERVIEW
April and Tracie unpack the idea that "publicly addressing an organization's mistakes does more harm than good." Though there are some who would advise against drawing attention to past mistakes, April and Tracie argue that accountability and honesty are the only way to create and maintain trust.
Heads Up! We are taking some time off in the month of May 2021. You'll be able to enjoy reprises of our favorite episodes every Thursday in May. New content will resume in June.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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1. April and Tracie start the podcast with naming the belief held by some that to admit mistakes is to admit weakness. Do you believe this is true? Why or why not?
2. Tracie notes that it is the standard operating procedure for many organizations to not publicly admit to committing the harm that April describes, especially to Jews of Color. Rather, they opt to not say anything. Do the organizations you are a part of operate in this way?
3.April reminds us that we must take effective action over a long period of time to see larger cultural change. It doesn’t happen overnight, especially because there are members in our community who do not go with what experts tell us the path forward is. Can you think of situations like this where an organization or community you were a part of had slower progress because of this stubbornness and arrogance of the powerful but ill-informed? Are there times you may have been this person?
4. April uses a trauma-informed lens when looking at the harm done by institutional mistakes and how similar framings of acknowledgement and creating distance, can help heal. Can you think of an example from your life or your organization where this was the case? What was it? Is there a current harm being done that this could be applied?
5. Tracie points out the common refrain of not wanting to draw attention to a mistake, an example being a typo in a marketing email. However, she points out the difference between a typo and harm done. How does this framing help you understand this idea of acknowledging our mistakes?
6.Tracie cites a past teaching she learned that “relationships move at the speed of trust. What is an example of this from your life? When has a relationship with someone been hindered due to the lack of acknowledgement of past harm?
7. April discusses the unique impacts that each individual in an organization may have on a members experience and the often disproportionate response given to certain privileged members over others when harm has been done. When has this happened in the life of your organization?
8. April offers an example of what to say to individuals who have been harmed by the community. If you were harmed and someone said this to you, would it help? What would you add?
9. Tracie reminds us that there are people in our community to whom the act of even acknowledging past mistakes and holding themselves accountable to members of color, that it would make her want to support that organization more. When have you worried more about backlash and not given space for the opportunity for deepened community and allyship?
10. April and Tracie use the example of the US Air Force general publicly acknowledging past mistakes. After watching the video, what did you think? What stands out?
INSIGHTS FROM THIS EPISODE
“The sooner you can take accountability and live into that institutional self-awareness and honesty and courage, the more rapidly you may start to see meaningful shifts and changes that say something along the lines of ‘we are really doubling down and committing around this issue.’”
“By owning it, you aren’t owned by it. The more you can start to create distance from it while also acknowledging that it happened, the further that you are cementing that that’s not where you are now.”
“There is an impulse to not want to draw more attention to it, ‘cause maybe some people didn’t notice it. But the thing is, we’re not talking about typos; we’re talking about harm.”
“Be as specific as possible in acknowledging the wrongs and saying, “here is what we are doing, and here’s the commitment we are making, and here’s what we are going to say publicly” just as you would do with other groups to whom you are accountable.”
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS?
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