Presented by:
Cobretti D. Williams, Coordinator of Integrity
Formation Programs
MJ Jones, Asst. Resident Director for Murphy
Apartments & Chardin
What would you
do?
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Revisit foundational social justice
definitions and meanings
Identify and discuss barriers and
motivations to interrupting oppressive
language and behavior
Brainstorm and share experiences about
interrupting oppressive language and
behavior
Apply prior knowledge and new
learnings to complete a case study
 Remember, 100%
competency is nonexistent – we are always learning
 Dialogue, not lecture
 Use “I” Statements
 Assume positive intent
 Be cautious of triggers
 Be patient
 Notice who is (and is not) in the room
 Lean into the discomfort (safety vs.
comfort)
 Oppressive
language and behavior is an
equal opportunity phenomenon*
 Oppressive behavior is continuous in
nature, intentional and unintentional
 Communities of Practice have strong
influence
• Cycle of Socialization (Harro, 2008)
 Bystander Effect/Intervention
 “You, me, and we”
 Privilege
operates on personal,
interpersonal, cultural, and institutional
levels and gives advantages, favors, and
benefits to members of dominant groups
at the expense of members of target
groups. (Ex. White people; Able-bodied
people; Heterosexuals; Males; Christians;
 Middle or owning class people; etc.)
A
system that maintains advantage and
disadvantage based on stereotyped social
group memberships. Oppression can manifest
through:
• Individual Acts of Prejudice, Ignorance, Hatred
(intentional and unintentional)
• Institutional Policy, Practice, Norms (intentional and
unintentional)
• Cultural Assumptions, Norms, Practices (intentional
and unintentional)
 Microaggressions
are “brief and
commonplace daily verbal, behavioral
and environmental indignities, whether
intentional or unintentional, that
communicate hostile, derogatory or
negative (racial) slights and insults that
potentially have harmful or unpleasant
psychological impact on the target
person or group.” (Solorzano, Ceja, &
Yosso, 2000)
Example
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“I am not homophobic - I
have gay friends, and I
love Project Runway!”
“She's so independent,
you wouldn't even know
she's in a wheelchair!”
Implicit Message
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I am immune to
homophobia because I
have LGBT friends
and/or I associate with
mainstream stereotypes
of queerness
Wheelchair users are
unable to be
independent
Sue, Derald Wing. 2007. “Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life:
Implications for Clinical Practice.” American Psychologist . 271- 286.
 Statements, behaviors, and
attitudes
(intentional and unintentional) that
provoke an immediate mental, emotional,
and/or physiological negative response
 We
all experience these differently
 Most
of us do not wake up plotting to
oppress or offend one another – we can
assume positive intentions.
• However, we can still impact others in a hurtful or
negative way without meaning to.
 Cobretti
didn’t mean to step on my foot,
and that’s nice and everything, but my
foot still hurts regardless!
EVERYDAY LANGUAGE AND ITS
MEANINGS
Gay
Fat
Retarded
Lame
Ghetto
Crazy
Gypped
 Creates
more safe and welcoming
communities
 Encourages dialogue and furthers
education and awareness
 Silence in oppressive situations
condones behavior and allows the cycle
of oppression to continue
 More likely than not, someone else is
thinking it!
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I don’t want to be labeled “too sensitive” or as having
“no sense of humor”
I don’t want to hurt the other person’s feelings – what
if they didn’t mean it?
I don’t know what to say, and I don’t want to make the
situation worse!
Power dynamics, relationships, and cultural
differences
Low expectations – What’s the point?
No one else around me is intervening (Bystander
effect)
Triggers – I’m going to say the wrong thing if I
respond while I’m angry/upset
Others?
PAIR & SHARE
Can you think of a time where you interrupted oppressive behavior? What was
effective and what could you have done better?
Can you think of a time you let oppressive behavior go on? What held you
back?
 B.A.R. (Breathe,
acknowledge, and
then respond)
1. BREATHE - Take a deep breath or two. It is the
most natural way to calm you down
2. ACKNOWLEDGE – Acknowledge what the
person is saying either through active
listening or asking clarifying questions
3. RESPOND – Respond, don’t react.
 Speak
from personal experience
 Ask clarifying questions
 Know your motivation and objective
when interrupting
 Don’t lecture, dialogue
 Share new information & knowledge
 Demonstrate patience
 B.A.R. (Breathe,
acknowledge, and
then respond)
1. BREATHE - Take a deep breath or two. It is the
most natural way to calm you down
2. ACKNOWLEDGE – Acknowledge what the
person is saying either through active
listening or asking clarifying questions
3. RESPOND – Respond, don’t react.
 We
are always speaking from our own
identities - privileged and marginalized - when
interrupting (self-awareness is critical)
 Sometimes the group targeted by the behavior
or language is not present – what are the
benefits of interrupting regardless?
 Privilege can be used to interrupt oppressive
behavior – but balance between
acknowledging oppressive behavior and
taking someone’s voice away
When someone shares with you that you
have offended them, it can bring up
feelings of guilt, shame and upset.
Strategies:
 Breathe, acknowledge, and respond
 Avoid becoming defensive
 Keep intent vs. impact in mind
 Apologize, forgive yourself, and move
forward with continuing to educate
yourself
 The
phrases “you’re such a fag” and "you’re
such a retard" are casually used by several
members of your community towards other
community members and frequently appear
written on dry erase boards throughout the
community. Several other community
members have expressed discomfort about
the use of such offensive language and have
begun isolating themselves from the rest of
the community and have suggested an
interest in moving should the behavior
continue.

At a recent program, the RA noticed several
community members making fun of an
international student because of her expression
of the English language, her accent and making
insulting comments about her traditional cultural
manner of dress. In addition, when speaking with
the student several community members speak
in elevated tones and assume a mocking accent
of their own. The international student has not
expressed an awareness of the issue or any
concern, but other members of the community
are beginning to engage in the same behavior.
 Peers
in one of your classes constantly
engage in the telling of jokes that have
been deemed as inappropriate, insulting
and motivated by bias towards racial
minorities, members of the LGBT
community and people with physical
disabilities. When confronted, they
suggest they are just joking and people
need to relax and lighten up. “Who
cares?”
 You
and a friend enter a busy restaurant
off campus and stand in line behind two
individuals, one who has Down’s
syndrome and the other who is in a
wheelchair. Several minutes pass before
the waiter approaches you. Although the
other two individuals have been waiting
for longer, the waiter offers to seat you
first.
What are some ways to be proactive about interrupting
oppression?
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It starts with yourself – self awareness of your
identities (privileged, marginalized, and border)
Educational poster or bulletin board campaigns
around identity topics
Attending on-campus events to begin or further your
own awareness around oppression(i.e. the recent
Campus Climate forums)
Social programs and dialogue circles (i.e. “coming
out” panels; DCs around current events)
Becoming involved in the community outside of SU to
help further educate self and others
Others?
 Don’t
wait for someone else to jump in when
you witness oppressive behavior in your
community!
 Mistakes can and will be made along the
way and are part of the learning process
 There
are always going to be people who
don’t care in this world! (Ignorance is
bliss for some)

BUT – There are also plenty of people who are willing to learn
and be challenged
 Others?
EXAMEN:
What is one new thing I took away from tonight’s activities?
What is one question that still remains for me?
How can I think about and apply these concepts outside of my
leadership role?