Racism and Open Space

[Birgitt Williams]

Hi Nancie,
I agree with Patrick in that Open Space is not a movement and that what
really matters is contact, genuine contact, one being with another. As soon
as we have labels, we have restraints.Labels sometimes, though, help to
develop our consciousness about what is acceptable and what is not, and is
an ingredient challenging us to transform, transcend, create new. Sounds to
me like you have a lot of passion to do just that. And I encourage you to
follow what is stirring in your heart.

I have facilitated many Open Space events. Many have had beautiful mixes of
people, real cultural and racial diversity. One event in particular had 52
different cultural groups. Someone said it was like the United Nations. Many
have been trained in facilitating Open Space. Whether they are making money
at it or not, I've never asked.

I concur with your observations that many social activist movements in North
America end up with mostly white people. So, here is my most recent story. I
hope it helps. On this past weekend I facilitated an Open Space Technology
meeting to do with a social issue. The community representation was
great--meaning that instead of a disproportionate number of agencies to the
people who the services were to be provided for, the majority were the
people. 1 % though, were non-white. just as you say. For me, the good good
news is that the people themselves identified as one of their topics that
they would not move forward in their planning until they could figure out
how to address/involve the total cultural diversity and socio economic
diversity of the community. The invitations had been clear, distributed in
many languages, in print and in every way that the planning group could
think of getting word out. And still the diversity had not come out to the
meeting. And the people NOTICED. And are saying it is not okay and they will
reach out and reach out until they figure out how to make contact, interact
with each other, and work together. This was a top vote getter in the
convergence process and was the predominant passionate outcome of the
meeting. There will be more meetings, more open spaces that emerge from this
initial one. In my experience, and with the will of the people from the
first one, they will find a way to be sure there is a diverse mix of people
at these future planning meetings. They have clearly said they will not move
forward until there is. I believe that through the freedom, allowing and
choice made available through Open Space Technology, we have outcomes like
this. I don't know of another way of holding a meeting that would have had
this emerge from the people in the strong passionate way that it did.

Kindest regards,
Birgitt

Birgitt Williams
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of biver
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2000 10:09 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Racism and Open Space


Hi folks!

I'm new to Open Space and have been exploring it as a way to build
university-community relationships.  This has given me the opportunity and
the
necessity to take a serious look at racism and the way it is affecting us -
in terms
of who has power, how service systems ultimately breed dependency,
debilitating
affects of the criminal justice system, just to name a few things.  I'm also
new to
understanding the construct of institutionalized racism in the US.  So I've
been
thinking about the role Open Space does/could play in all of this.  I can
see how
open space can provide a way out of our racist constructs in that - it
breaks down
power.  Anyone willing to take personal responsibility can have power.  But
where
I'm wondering about the limitations includes that many of the groups that we
collectively work with are doing open space within their own boxes - that
is, Public
health is still public health talking about how they can do health to poor
communities rather than inviting those directly affected to participate in
the open
space.  This is clearly a limitation.... not sure what to do with it and
what it
means for open space collectively...

I'm also wondering if there are any people of color out there in open space
land
benefitting from the monetary fruits and labor of open space.  And if not,
why not?
As this has been my year to begin to become more politically and socially
aware, I
can't help but notice that in the United States the environmental movement,
the
spirituality/new age movement, the sustainability movement, and community
service
movement include mostly white people.  Is the Open Space movement the same
way?
This book that I'm reading called Undoing Racism says that until we "undo
racism"
that everything else that we do will be for the benefit of white people.
That was
obviously true with the women's movement - we should have called it the
white
women's movement.  I am also noticing the community service movement
includes a
majority of white people - incidently doing service mostly for people of
color.  Is
the Open Space movement capable of taking us out of the boxes that we're
doing open
space in - you know what I'm saying??  Can Open Space move the movement
beyond
racism as well as the limiting organizations/business we're working with?

I would be very receptive to some dialogue about this.  Open Space and
Racism seem
to be the focal points of my research that I'm wrapping up and can't help
but
question things....  And it seems like an important thing to question...


Nancie T. Biver
National Service Fellow
America's Promise and Higher Education
nbiver at mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu
www.tulane.edu/~amerprom
504-862-8000 x1538
New Orleans, LA

"There are those who see the world as it is and ask, Why?  And there are
those who
see the world as it could be and ask, Why not?"  -George Bernard Shaw