[un]phased podcast

When is it appropriate to talk about racism with children? Is talking about racial injustice divisive? Shaunna and Lisa are tackling these questions and more this week, as they discuss this type of coded language in DEI work.

The history, and the way that it is taught in North America especially, has been shaped through the lens of whiteness. The full story of our history has not been told, because the ones that have been telling the stories, writing the text books, and teaching our children have predominantly been white folks creating a narrative that centres whiteness. Those that feel that the truth about our history of slavery, racism, and oppression is too divisive view these others narratives as implicating white people as the villians.

But what do folks really mean when they say “divisive”? Lisa and Shaunna explain that perhaps this is a coded way for those folks to indicate that, as white people, they do not want to be held accountable for things that happened in the past. They may be unwilling to face the discomfort that comes with facing this history, and use coded language as a distraction from actually doing the work to change how we shape our historical narrative. It is important that those of us who are engaged in this work start to swim against the current of coded language and behaviors that try to depict telling a fuller story of history as divisive.

Mother’s Day in the United States is approaching, but Shaunna and Lisa aren’t quite sure what to make of it. Such topics are never as simple as they seem. Shaunna is not saying that we should completely obliterate the holiday itself, especially as a Mom. Lisa has the double whammy of considering both Mother’s Day in the UK and the U.S., which isn’t particularly pleasant. Shaunna and Lisa weigh the challenges of the annual holiday by examining who is considered a mother, the complicated origins of Mother’s Day (including boycotts, walk outs, and the sanatorium), and the commercialization of the holiday within the endurance sport community.

7 Things You Don’t Know About Mother’s Day Dark History

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/150507-mothers-day-history-holidays-anna-jarvis

How Mother’s Day Came to Be

https://www.almanac.com/content/history-mothers-day

The affect of the COVID-19 pandemic on mothers' mental health

https://today.yougov.com/topics/education/articles-reports/2021/03/04/coronavirus-impact-on-mothers-mental-health

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Ever heard of the term “manspreading”? It refers to when men -- on public transportation or in other spaces -- sit with legs wide apart, usually covering more than one seat. Yes, men literally take up too much space in many settings. (We haven’t even talked about triathlon transition areas yet!) Shaunna and Lisa discuss the idea of White DEI Professionals and help them to think critically about “white-spreading” -- how can one authentically serve as a White DEI professional without taking up too much space?

During this episode, Shaunna and Lisa discuss how a White DEI professional must move very differently from other oppressed groups in similar roles to be successful in their work. Humility is foundational. Yet, White DEI professionals will need to think about strategy, such as intentional collaborations, earning credibility in various ways, navigating perceptions of white savior complex, and knowing when to talk less and listen more.

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Participation in endurance sport can be enjoyed at any age. This is one of the wonderful things about our sport; connections can be created across generations as we make our way from the start to the finish line. It is important to recognize however, that this generational distribution also comes with challenges. Varying perspectives, communication styles, and levels of personal development all create unique needs for every generation and the individuals within it. This week Shaunna and Lisa discuss how leaders in triathlon and endurance sport can consider the varying needs of athletes across all generations that participate in our events, training groups, or triathlon clubs. We must consider how we can make all generations feel more welcome and accepted in our sport so that triathlon can continue to grow and thrive with each generation to come.

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This week on the podcast Shaunna and Lisa are joined by a special guest, Dr. Nicole Bailey. Dr. Bailey is a community based social worker with a PhD in Counseling Psychology who specializes in working with the BIPOC & LGBTQ+ communities. She is also an avid triathlete, and recognizes the important role that participation in endurance sport can play in improving and maintaining our mental health.

Engaging in DEI work often takes a toll on our mental health; as a result, engaging in physical activity and healthy movement is an important part of a holistic approach to maintaining our psychological and emotional wellbeing. Dr. Bailey highlights the importance of creating safe spaces in endurance sport for all folx to show up, be, and feel exactly who they are. As we begin to return to sport it’s crucial that coaches, triathlon club leaders, and other leaders in the endurance sport community build a re-entry plan that addresses the unique needs of all athletes and meets folks where they are.

As athletes, it is easy for us to compare ourselves to where we used to be in terms of our fitness, run paces, or watts on the bike. Dr. Bailey reminds us that it is important to find the joy in participating in our sport and acknowledge that it is something that we do to bring health and happiness into our lives. Dr. Bailey also gives us her advice on what to look for if you are seeking help from a mental health professional as an endurance athlete.

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As we learn, our thoughts and needs evolve. Simultaneously, technology, laws, and the cultural landscape around us also changes. In the midst of all this change, it's important to ask ourselves how the focus of our DEI work needs to change and evolve, too. DEI work is an ongoing process; we will always have areas of growth. This week, Shaunna and Lisa address new DEI areas, trends, and directions on the horizon for 2021.

One such area is the regular acknowledgement of the intersectionality of our identities. The concept is used more and more frequently in endurance sport and in ways that five years ago many of us may not have understood. Identities do not exist in silos, and they are far more than just the sum of their parts. They intersect to create complex and nuanced experiences for people and are in constant flux dependent on context. Therefore, this “messiness” of our identities makes it challenging to fit all folks into the rigid and structured system of endurance sport. As members of the endurance sport community, it’s important we push for change to create rules and policies that reflect the reality that life, identities, and what it means to be inclusive are not static premises. We have to be nimble to continually advance.

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This week on the show Lisa and Shaunna take a deep dive into Dr. Barnor Hesse’s 8 White Identities. This theory is important as it comes from a person of color critiquing white folks, which is an anomaly. The white identities outlined in the theory exist on a scale of one to eight. The theories span from “White Supremacist” to “White Abolitionist.”

Shaunna and Lisa dissect each of these identity “categories” and explain what they might look like in a practical sense. They also discuss whether white identity development is linear as this theory supposes, the level of discomfort that comes with each white identity, and the idea that white privilege may be the root of all eight of Hesse’s identities.

Ultimately, White people have to ask themselves how uncomfortable we are willing to become in order to work towards moral grounds and racial justice. It is important for White folks to continue to reflect and self-examine which of the White identities might best describe them in order to understand the continued work they need to do. It’s easy to rank yourself higher than you are (see episode 2: Nice White Triathletes!). So, honesty with yourself is really crucial.

You can view one of several graphics of the “8 White Identities” by Dr. Barnor Hesse here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBDfDbipjdm/?hl=en

Read Madeline Price’s One Woman Project blog where she discusses the 8 White Identities here: https://www.onewomanproject.org/activism/2021/1/25/i-was-a-white-feminist-heres-how-im-learning-to-be-an-intersectional-feminist-white-traitor-and-abolitionist

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“Do you feel like you fit in?” Well, maybe we’re getting a substandard question because we’re asking the wrong question. During Episode 28, Shaunna and Lisa dive into the notion of “fit versus add” starting with Oprah’s recent interview of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

What does it mean to fit into a system versus adding to a system? As co-hosts, Shaunna and Lisa feel strongly that diversity adds great benefits to a system, but we also realize that many organizations are simply stating their beliefs with very few actions to match. There are many systems (such as the British Monarchy) that have no interest in diversity at all. The Royal Family is an entire system that has prided itself on NOT added, therefore -- we watched with no surprise, simply listening for new articulations of a familiar refrain. Maintenance of the status quo has become the essence of who they are and history hijacks any opportunity to ensure that different folks are included. In fact, exclusion can become a family business...THE actual business itself.

In endurance sport, many organizations have suggested that they do not want to perpetuate the status quo. Given that, we want to shine a light on the use of a person not “fitting” as a means of exclusion. Organizations are simply not willing to pay the cost -- in money, time, human resources, or space -- to ensure that historically-excluded groups are now firmly included. Yes, it is countercultural, but not all culture is life-giving, inclusive, or sound.

Similar to Prince Harry’s sentiments, Shaunna and Lisa don’t understand why endurance sport doesn’t take the great opportunity to get to know the needs of current underrepresented athletes and attract more oppressed groups to our communities. Such communities may not need endurance sport, but we surely need their talents, abilities, and perspectives in our athletic community. Listen in and let us know what you think about “Fit versus Add”.

Watch Purl here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6uuIHpFkuo

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Language is powerful. What we say and hear shapes our reality, affecting how we view others and view ourselves. When we hear or say things enough times, those words, labels, and concepts can become our truth. This week on the podcast, Shaunna and Lisa remind those in the endurance sport community why our language choices are so important, and why we must consider how our language affects others.

Language can reinforce disempowering beliefs. This is especially salient in the triathlon community; how we talk about ourselves and others in terms of body image, athleticism, or even the race categories athletes assign themselves can affect what participants in our sport believe. Our language can cause folks to feel othered if they are outside of what society has labeled as “normal,” and this othering through language can reinforce disempowering beliefs in all of us.

Shaunna and Lisa encourage us to question and push back against everyday speech and the labeling we take for granted because “everybody says it.” As an endurance sport community, we have to break down the archetype of who a “normal” athlete is or what an “athletic” body looks like by thinking more carefully about our language choices. Words have power and they do shape how we understand our sense of self and belonging in endurance sport.

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Racism doesn’t just occur in the physical world; it is also reflected in the digital world in words, images, groups, and even emojis and GIFs. While these images and caricatures may seem benign, their use is likened to a digital version of Black Face, and can be deeply hurtful and offensive to folks of color. Shaunna and Lisa explain their use by white folks as “trying on” different races as a way to represent extreme joy or frustration in online communications. Using images or GIFs of people of color as a way to express a white person’s extreme emotion is dehumanizing and a slippery slope towards cultural appropriation.

Endurance athletes, like everyone else, are accountable for the things they say online. Even if they are “saying” them with images or emojis. 2020 saw a wave of endurance sport companies making statements about standing up against racial injustice and inequality, but it is now time for them to put those words into action, and hold their employees and athletes accountable. We are all part of the race conversation. We have to be open to correction, education, and change over time, and learn to think, act, speak, and use our emojis more responsibly.

For more on this topic:

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/digital-blackface-reaction-gifs

https://www.aquickbrownfox.com/blog/2020/11/15/representation-matters-but-it-is-not-enough

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