Racism and Open Space

[biver]

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