[Lace Watkins]

https://laceonrace.com/2022/02/01/welcome-to-the-good-place/

Welcome to The Good Place

Discussion

[Christin Spoolstra]

So excited to dive into this as a community! I’ll read carefully through the three texts, taking notes, and come back to address the queries

[Rebecca McClinton]

Chewing on the ways morality and activism are linked, I am thinking of a tree metaphor I learned where our roots represent where we’ve come from, nurture, nature, the soup we’ve grown up in, then from that the trunk that is morals/values, and then the branches goals/actions. I’m thinking how activism (branches) comes from my morals and values (trunk) and how my morals relate to what I tend to in my soul (soil)…what I surround myself with, such as communities as these. I didn’t choose the soup I grew up in, but now I choose every bit of what I surround myself with, what I take in, and from whence come my values/morals, and subsequent activism. Not sure I’m saying all that cogently, but that’s what I’m thinking on so far, and heading to check out the first linked article. To answer the first query, yes, I think morals and ethics are fundamental to thinking about racial justice because the morals and ethics are the why behind the work, both the motivator and the ingredients essential to sustaining the work.Chewing on the ways morality and activism are linked, I am thinking of a tree metaphor I learned where our roots represent where we’ve come from, nurture, nature, the soup we’ve grown up in, then from that the trunk that is morals/values, and then the branches goals/actions. I’m thinking how activism (branches) comes from my morals and values (trunk) and how my morals relate to what I tend to in my soul (soil)…what I surround myself with, such as communities as these. I didn’t choose the soup I grew up in, but now I choose every bit of what I surround myself with, what I take in, and from whence come my values/morals, and subsequent activism. Not sure I’m saying all that cogently, but that’s what I’m thinking on so far, and heading to check out the first linked article. To answer the first query, yes, I think morals and ethics are fundamental to thinking about racial justice because the morals and ethics are the why behind the work, both the motivator and the ingredients essential to sustaining the work.

[Kelsi Watters]

From
my perspective, I would equate supererogatory acts ′moral acts that are good
but do not have to be performed′ with white supremacy, whereas African morals
seem !be more in alignment with an anti-racist mindset. Here is why: a
supererogatory approach !moral standards, most -monly seen in Western white
culture, would say that we do not have !speak out against racism or share our
resources with those in need, so bravo and extra cookies to us if we do. That
approach encourages white supremacy and white saviorism because it centers on
the good white person who performed a good moral act, and, once again, Black
and brown people are not seen and heard nor is it acknowledged that white
supremacy caused the harm that made the act necessary in the first place. In
African morals, however, it would be one’s duty !speak out against injustices
and !share one’s resources because of our universal human kinship. No one is
seen as extraordinary and the focus remains on the collective good, the needs
of all people, rather than on individual rights or merits.

[Rebecca McClinton]

I’m going to use your comments as sub-threads to answer the questions, Kelsi Watters, I hope that’s ok! I appreciate your breaking them down for us. So far I’ve read the first article on African Ethics and a first (but brisk) read of the Indigenous one (will return to that one more thoroughly. Though shorter there’s so much in there!). I like your reflections about supererogatory acts being analogous with white supremacy. I really liked how the African Ethics article spoke to how it’s our actions that speak to and create our character. I can SAY who I am all I want but if I’m not DOING who I am, it’s fodder. I also love and am inspired by the humanistic focus ‘if the common good is achieved the individual good is achieved’ with the focus on all of humanity’s welfare instead of the individual. That relates so much to the North Star and the work we do here. Relating that to the Indigenous article what comes to mind is their pointing out how white people/culture is all about walling things out (I own this property/house, thing) and how much that walls and separates things out rather than invites them in, a lose-lose strategy an certainly not relational.I’m going to use your comments as sub-threads to answer the questions, Kelsi Watters, I hope that’s ok! I appreciate your breaking them down for us. So far I’ve read the first article on African Ethics and a first (but brisk) read of the Indigenous one (will return to that one more thoroughly. Though shorter there’s so much in there!). I like your reflections about supererogatory acts being analogous with white supremacy. I really liked how the African Ethics article spoke to how it’s our actions that speak to and create our character. I can SAY who I am all I want but if I’m not DOING who I am, it’s fodder. I also love and am inspired by the humanistic focus ‘if the common good is achieved the individual good is achieved’ with the focus on all of humanity’s welfare instead of the individual. That relates so much to the North Star and the work we do here. Relating that to the Indigenous article what comes to mind is their pointing out how white people/culture is all about walling things out (I own this property/house, thing) and how much that walls and separates things out rather than invites them in, a lose-lose strategy an certainly not relational.

[Kelsi Watters]

Query
1: Yes. I like this approach of looking at different moral and ethical
frameworks from different ′often unheard′ cultural perspectives because I think
there are some moral frameworks that are more in alignment with antiracist
mindset/praxis/Northstar whereas others are not ′see my other comment about
supererogatory morals = white supremacy mindset whereas African morals are more
in alignment with antiracist mindset′. So, yes, I think that looking at ethical
and moral approaches is essential in racial justice because one’s moral and
ethical -pass ultimately impacts the way they think about and navigate racial
justice.

[Rebecca McClinton]

Since first reading these articles I’ve found them on my mind a lot, thinking how differently SO many things (everything really) would be if we followed the African or Indigenous Ethics these articles introduced. I’ve been thinking about how whyte cultural ethics intentionally wall off and out (literally by walls, systemically, on so many levels). What a shift this would be. I’m excited to learn more, promote more, and work to live out more of what I’m learning here.

[Kelsi Watters]

Query 2: Rules are laws created by outside ′often hierarchical′ powers. According !the document on African morals, morals are principles relating to beliefs, character, and conduct and ethics are the interpretation of morals. African and indigenous moral/ethical framework is based on common humanity, collective/good, kinship, based on universalprinciples universalprincr than individual rights. African ethics emphasizes duty, indigenous morals emphasize honor and respect, but they are both strikingly different from white culture which emphasizes individual rights as well as hierarchy – rules, laws, etc.

Query 3: The fact that these belief systems do not perfectly overlap, I think creates potentiY more health because if they did overlap, then there would be no recognition of or celebration of each unique culture, the unique lived experiences and backgrounds of each culture. If there was -plete overlap between the universal values, then it would be one more place where the dominant culture would take credit for all the values whereas other cultures ′sch as African and indigenous′ would be unseen. I noticed that in the third text, on universal values from the perspective of Western psychology, that they did not include any indigenous belief systems. I’m not certain whether any African perspectives were included since the scan did not -every out particularly well on my equipment. They did acknowledge that the ”list” of universal values was not exhaustive and not inclusive of all perspectives, but I am curious as !why certain perspectives were not included.

Query 4: On one hand, the fact that African and
indigenous perspectives are largely ignored makes me angry, as well as feeling
galvanized – to be constantly vigilant of when these perspectives are being
excluded, WHY they are being excluded, and to do my part to bring !the
forefront the voices and perspectives that are drowned out or ignored. Why is
it that something said “a non-dominant culture person ′for example, BIPOC′ is
invalidated, but when the same exact thing is said, or often appropriated, by a
dominant culture person (white, able-bodied, straight, etc.) it su.enly gains
value and credibility? At the same time, I have to hold myself accountable for
the ways in which I have excluded other cultural perspectives, which for me,
would involve not recognizing perspectives that are excluded or not challenging
the lack of inclusivity. So why are these perspectives often fetishized,
demonized, or otherwise minimized? Because white supremacy sees anything that
is not part of the dominant culture as deviant from the norm, therefore the
response is bound !be harmful. And, whether or not it is intentional, it is another
way of power and control.

[Rebecca McClinton]

Query 2, What are the differences between rules, morals, and ethics? in relation to rules and laws, the only thing I might add to what Kelsi covers here is what I learned this week re: something Lace shared by Lerone Bennett about freedom and how the western world defines freedom as ‘freedom from’, therefore the rules and laws, morals, all of the above reflect that, rather than a more inclusive definition of freedom meaning transcendence above/beyond. That takes community, something whyte individualism knows nothing about.

Query 3, What’s <em style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px;”>your ‘why’?: Oof, this is such a big question. A lot of my ‘why’ originally came from what I grew up with the first couple decades of my <font face=”inherit”>life which </font>revolved<font face=”inherit”> around </font>particular<font face=”inherit”> spiritual and political morals and values. I questioned those and departed from a lot of them by the end of my 20’s and early 30’s and began discovering my own moral and ethics. My why then and now continues to form and has </font>become<font face=”inherit”> much more collective with a focus on equity, but I have discovered there are more and more layers to that I have yet to uncover, areas of my life that don’t reflect what I say are my morals/values and need rooted out. </font>

<font face=”inherit”>Query 4, ‘On the ‘platonic ideal’ of shared values: I agree that there is, as stated in ‘Universal Values’ that there is a limited universality as well as significant overlap between and among belief systems–but the respective Venn diagrams do not overlap to become a perfect circle, and that’s a good thing. Why do I think that creates (potentially) more health than dissonance? I think the way that potentially creates more health than dissonance since more voices and values are included. The more included the more it represents the collective voice than the individual voice or one(s) interpreting those individual voices (eg: </font>academia for example).

[Kelsi Watters]

Query 5: How is activism a moral act, or set of acts? In areas such as social justice in general, and racial justice in particular, is conviction ever enough?

This question feels more difficult !answer when sidering the diffwithing perspectives on what constitutes a moral act. Also, it depends on how we define activism. If activism is seen as a choice, then it would not be moral according !the African perspective, in which one’s morals are grounded in duty. From the indigenous perspective, activism might be considered moral if one made a choice !be involved in activism either out of respect !their fellow human beings, or out of their own inner shame ′since they believe the strongest moral compass is within′. From either of those perspectives, activism driven by superficial acts or influence from outside forces, would not be moral; to be considered moral it would have to -every from one’s sense of duty ′African′ or inner guide of honor, respect, or shame ′indigenous′. The superficial social justice, and particularly racial justice activism, seen so often in white people, might be more in alignment with supererogatory morals. Lastly, no, I would say conviction is never enough because conviction is the inner belief, but morals and ethics also involve how we act on those beliefs or convictions.

Query 6: Truthfully, it would be hard to have a conversation about this without a shared language or ethos – or, at the very least, a conversation where everyone commits to intentionally being inclusive of all the perspectives on the table. Otherwise, the conversation would probably look like nobody hearing and/or understanding one another, the dominant culture being the loudest voice in the room, drowning out other perspectives, and defining what is the norm for everyone.

Query 7: when doing racial justice work, our
praxis is influenced “our own moral compass. However, when the central focus of
what we do is !lessen and mitigate harm !Black and brown people, it forces me
!de-center myself, !look beyond my own perspective !the shared values and ethos
of this space.

[Rebecca McClinton]

Query 5, why’re these ethics mostly ignored?: My short answer here is because of the economic constructs of racism. It would mean the sharing of resources, ideas, values. It would be the end of hoarding mentalities, something white western ideals don’t want to face, address, and root out. To personalize, I know it’s the soup I swim in too, and still too often still defer to thinking of my own needs over others. I would say I don’t do that overtly, but I do still spend a fair bit of brain space thinking about how things impact or affect me, for example.

Query 6, How is activism a moral act? Is conviction ever enough? No, conviction, or being a ‘well read anti-racist’ is not good enough if my action steps aren’t backing that learning and those values and morals. Conviction (and sometimes the more of it) can all to easily be a way of distancing myself from the actual action if I’m not careful.

Query 7, Can we even begin to come to the table for this discussion before first having a shared ethos and language? This is a tricky one. I think wrapping in other voices is what the relational ethics here is all about, but in service to the North Star values we hold here, so then from that stance we do very much have a shared ethos and language, so maybe in a way it’s a both/and. It’s not a one and done.

Query 8, How does our North Star fit in with all of this? I’m thinking about how our North Star reflects each of these Indigenous and African values shared…the focus on building up society by focusing on the safety and well being of those most in danger and most violated.

[Emily Holzknecht]

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