Jews Talk Racial Justice - S2E8: BOTH a lot to learn AND something to contribute
QUICK EPISODE OVERVIEW
April and Tracie continue to flesh out some of the key obstacles from their flip the script resource with the help of a question from a listener. One of the limiting beliefs that shows up in racial justice work is the sense that you've learned a lot, but not enough to take action. April and Tracie dig into this notion and give some suggestions for ways to productively hold the both / and of having a lot to learn AND having being able to humbly and meaningfully contribute.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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Tracie and April open the exposing naming limiting beliefs and barriers that many of us experience, perhaps we don’t know enough and/or perhaps you know a lot but feel you don’t have credentials to take action. Have you had these beliefs before? What came up for you when they did? What was the situation?
April reminds us that the closer we get to a place of being able to understand there are things we don’t and cannot know, that we are closer to the space from which we should be acting. How does this land with you? What wisdom is found in knowing that we don’t know everything?
April talks about the importance of being accountable to folks you are in community with or with leaders within the racial justice movement. Whose visions of the world are you accountable to? How do you hold yourself accountable to them?
April invokes the name of famed Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and points out that he was much more agitational than some of how his teachings have been passed down to us. What do you know of Rabbi Heschel? How have you come to learn his teachings?
Tracie closes by bringing us back to thinking on the problematic “Mighty Mouse” savior complex. When have you adopted this mindset or seen it play out? How can we avoid this pitfall?
INSIGHTS FROM THIS EPISODE
“Follow the lead of those who are closest to the issue and therefore, closest to the solution.”
“If you feel daunted by all the things you still don’t yet know, I think you’re getting ready to be able to take action because you understand that there’s a lot you don’t know.”
“Once you understand you need to do your work and that you need to be in relationship, whether personally or through community organizations, that’s a good place to start.”
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS?
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