Let's Get Uncomfortable - Series of 3
Let's Get Uncomfortable - Series of 3
Racism is everybody’s problem. For too long, the responsibility to understand and dismantle racism has fallen on communities of color. That ends now. White people need to do more of their own learning, growing, and dismantling. We want to help, so we created a 3-part series of conversations that bring together communities to talk about racism, being anti-racist, and what we can do right now, today to make the future better.
Conversation Series Overview:
Let’s Get Uncomfortable, LEVEL 1 is a ‘first step’ space to get people (particularly white people) to talk about racism and how we share the responsibility to work for change. Our facilitators are trained improvisers who encourage an improv mindset through the skills of listening first, being curious and harnessing our imaginations.
Let’s Get More Uncomfortable, LEVEL 1.5 takes the conversation farther, and pushes participants to confront their own biases and privileges, honestly. Having attended a previous “Let’s Get Uncomfortable” session is not required, but attendees should be prepared to talk openly about their own past shortcomings on race and reflect on the ways they benefit from a white-centered society.
How to Be a Better Ally is a training that provides tools to identify the racism participants see in their communities, to better understand the traits and tactics of a constructive ally, and to practice promoting safe environments for all.
Conversation Series Overview:
Let’s Get Uncomfortable is a supportive space to get people (particularly white people) to talk about racism and how we share the responsibility to work for change. Our facilitators are trained improvisers who encourage an improv mindset through the skills of listening first, being curious and harnessing our imaginations.
Level 1.5 (now 60% more uncomfortable) takes the conversation farther, and pushes participants to confront their own biases and privileges, honestly. Having attended a previous “Let’s Get Uncomfortable” session is not required to sign up, but attendees should be prepared to talk openly about their own past shortcomings on race, reflect on the ways they benefit from a white-centered society, and what sacrifices or changes they are willing to make to address these issues.
Both of these gatherings are structured as follows:
• Sessions begin with a list of agreements to encourage participants to be brave, respectful, and introspective.
• Attendees warm up together briefly and then go into small groups of 5-6.
• Facilitators have a set of three questions to guide the conversation on participants’ relationship to race and journey toward being anti-racist.
• Small group dialogue lasts 45-60 minutes. Total experience is 90 minutes.
• These ‘starter’ conversations hosted by white teaching artists. For too long folks have expected people of color to do all the work in this space. For too long, many white people have shirked their responsibility of learning about racism and talking about anti-racism with white peers.
Let’s Get Uncomfortable: How to Be a Better Ally is a training that provides tools to identify the racism participants see in their communities, to better understand the traits and tactics of a constructive ally, and to practice promoting safe environments for all. This training includes:
• Facilitated small group discussions.
• Self-reflection exercises.
• Practice scenarios in which participants get to coach our actors through difficult interactions.
• 90 minutes - 2 hours.
• This training was developed and is led by Duck Washington, a Black performer with Danger Boat Productions. We intentionally include both BIPOC and white facilitators and actors to help represent real-world situations.
Delivery format: For local groups, we can sometimes offer socially distanced gatherings, weather permitting. Most sessions are taking place online, via Zoom, and we will work with you to make the decision and handle logistics.
Fees: Our cost to run the first two types of gatherings starts at $600, and cost for How to Be a Better Ally training starts at $1000/10 participants. Some groups sponsor all or part of this fee. For individual participants we offer this on a pay-what-you-can basis whenever possible.
