[Street] On the question of Outreach...and Inreach

Brian K bdubkwob at gmail.com
Fri Dec 23 19:39:20 EST 2011


Hey folks,

Here's a piece of wisdom from a Native American elder who is active in the
anti-oppression working group. I think this is a powerful observation and
captures something that I have been struggling with for years as an
activist but never put my finger on it. Basically: whatever we do to reach
OUT to new and diverse communities to join our movement is not going to
change the composition of our movement if we don't also fight to create
space IN-side our movement for those newer or more-diverse folks to feel
comfortable and be welcomed and be 'in the lead' too.

I share this insight because it is one that I am still working to
understand and apply. For example, I have come to realize that some of the
spaces that are male-dominated that I have been in are that way not because
we planned it that way, or because we didn't 'reach out' to people who were
not men, but because we don't create enough space IN our meetings (through
progressive stack, encouraging women to facilitate and lead meetings,
listening before speaking and being conscious of who has already spoken,
and various other anti-oppresive measures). I imagine that spaces which are
really anti-oppressive internally don't have to do as much 'targeted
outreach' because the communities who would be targeted for it would
already feel comfortable and/or welcome at the table such that extra
outreach wouldn't be needed, or could be undertaken by folks who are in and
of that community and represented at the table already.

So I'll say that I've come to realize that as a man, for example, I need to
combat sexism, chauvinism, machismo, and male supremacy inside our
meetings, actions, and interactions MUCH more actively. What about you?

I know that email is not the best venue for thinking about or discussing
this type of thing, but I think Clyde's message is powerful and should at
least recieve a wider audience.
And besides, it is better to think and reflect a little bit before any New
Years resolutions are made, as opposed to afterwards.  Right? =)

Okay I'm really gonna stop thinking about Occupy during my winter vacation.
Seriously.

Cheers and semi-silly solidarity from afar,
Brian

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Clyde Grubbs <cegrubbs at mac.com>
Date: Fri, Dec 16, 2011 at 9:12 PM
Subject: Outreach and Inreach
To: check_your_privilege_ob at googlegroups.com


Hi all,

I have heard some talk around the Occupy movement about "outreach" to
People of Color Communities.

As many of you know, I have spend some decades as an Unitarian Universalist
congregational minister, mostly with congregations that had a goal of
becoming more multicultural and anti oppressive.

In that work we learned to use the words outreach and inreach to identify
to two different aspects of including new people in the congregation.

1.  Outreach includes banners, signage, advertising, and mailings. It
includes speakers going out an talking up the congregation.  It also
included being involved in the community at large as a anti oppressive
congregation.  It includes word of mouth from folks in the community that
this group is for real.

2. Inreach includes making sure that when new people come into the
community they feel welcomed and experience the congregation as having
something to offer them. It also means not oppressing them.

In my experience, relative to welcoming People of Color many congregations
have more problems with Inreach, and they can do all the work of Outreach
over and over and still not be a safe or inclusive space because the
congregation reflects dominant culture ways of being (albeit with a liberal
civil rights veneer.)

Unitarian Universalist congregations began conscious work to become more
welcoming to gays, and lesbians (now GBLTQ communities) and over a lot of
years the intentionality has made a difference in "Inreach" to non
heterosexist communities.  Therefore I believe that work can be done and is
being done to become intentionally inclusive of non dominant cultures and
become affirmatively multicultural.

Like congregations many people come spontaneously to Occupy Movements.  I
have had several conversations with Native Americans (aka Indigenous folk)
and they feel attracted to vision and energy of protest and feel turned off
by the dominant culture presumptions.  Yet Occupy activists want to do
"outreach" to indigenous communities and do outreach to People of Color
communities.  What is that all about?  Is there an assumption that People
of Color don't know about the Occupy Movement and need to know (and then we
will be delighted?)

Somehow we need to communicate that the problem of building an inclusive
Occupy Movement isn't solved with Outreach that isn't accompanied by
Inreach, my getting the house in order.

or to put it simple and brash.

How to get more "American Indians?"  Convince the Occupy Movement to stop
acting White. Get good word of mouth in the Native community that this
movement is for real.

Wado,

Clyde







Clyde Grubbs, 626/319-9738
cegrubbs at mac.com
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