I am having trouble getting the below comment (novella?) to post where it is supposed to be, so I am putting it here for safekeeping. I wrote it in response to Eli Gerzon's post Welcoming Diversity at Unschooling Conferences. My comment is supposed to be in the context of Eli's post, and I'm a little worried that taken alone it will seem a dismissal of the possibility of discrimination in the community. That is not my intent at all. Please also read Eli's post linked above and the other comments there.
Good topic! The issue of discrimination and/or elitism in the community comes up periodically on various message boards. What's interesting is that the people who feel excluded are a diverse group. I am in no way denying the existence of racism--people who suggest that our society is now colorblind are just, well, wrong, and either naive or downright stupid--but it seems there are always people who feel excluded at conferences, regardless of the color of their skin.
From what I can intuit, some of this has to do with their encounters with groups of people who (1) seem to already know each other, and (2) seem to be closed to newcomers. I firmly believe that the reality is not what it appears: those apparently close friendships might have been formed yesterday, and the people in them might actually be (probably are) completely open to forming more and more and more friendships.
Another part seems to be the expectation that one carries into the conference. Some people go in expecting to find high school-like cliques, so that's what they find. I suggest going into the conference expecting to find people who are *thrilled* to meet you. You will!
Also, remember that most people have their own little pockets of shyness or distraction. That woman who didn't smile back at you might be tracking down her kids for dinner, she might have a bad headache, or she might be in an overstimulation daze. The one who seems reluctant to talk to you might simply be intimidated by your awesomeness--and that is not a joke! One year at LIFE is Good I hesitated to talk to a woman because she had rockin' pink hair and seemed too cool for me. "I'm too boring for her," said the nasty little voice in my head, and I listened to it! It wasn't until months later that we became friends, and I realized what I had projected onto this perfectly nice, accepting, open lady.
As for race... Sometimes (maybe not in either of your examples) it's not discrimination but white guilt! I am sometimes so conscious of what minority groups have suffered that I am a bumbling idiot for the first few minutes after meeting a person of color. That I was not directly involved in the injustices doesn't seem to matter; my tongue is crippled anyway. And if those first few minutes are the *only* minutes of our acquaintance... Oy.
So, what's my point? I don't know. LOL. I guess it's just that understanding and awareness and reaching out might need to go both ways.
For LIFE is Good, Mary Gold has taken some distinct steps to try to make sure everyone feels welcomed and included. She and Colleen Paeff have set up a buddy program for newbies, and we're going to have some roving "ambassadors," people who are easily identifiable as folks to talk to if you're feeling alone. (There has been talk of neon-lighted bras, but I'm thinking crazy hats or something instead.) I think things like this can help a lot, with awareness and friendliness and patience taking us the rest of the way.
Traveling, sleeping
2 hours ago
23 comments:
Sigh! I guess I'll hafta work on my own lengthy post on this topic. Briefly here, I'd comment that Eli may be discussing a worthwhile topic but his argument is completely fallacious. He's basically using a dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter and abusus non tollit usum. You probably want me to put that in English, don'tcha? Ok, example: I once heard a Black teenager call a Black adult "nigger." Therefore, all Black teenagers are racists.
If ya wanna convince me to your way of thinking, ya gotta do better than that. I'm as sensitive to racism as the next guy, and maybe moreso than most, having lived in Jim Crow times and been active in the Civil Rights movement. I agree that racism is a long way from dead in our society. However, if we're gonna discuss it, let's do it intelligently and rigorously.
I appreciated what you said about "white guilt". I've always (for as long as I can remember anyway - back into childhood) been hyper-sensitive to racial and cultural differences or prejudices to the point where I'm over-aware of every move I make or word I say, not wanting to further any discrimination unwittingly. It's rather aggravating and leaves me bumbling or awkward and probably looking exactly how I'm afraid of appearing in the first place!
I know when I attended my first conference I went in with the expectation that everyone was loving and accepting but maybe a bit "better" than I was...so I was both excited and nervous, wanting to connect but afraid of judgment. But I met absolutely no judgment. Words and advice make more sense when you can hear the compassion and support in a person's voice (that you miss in written word in groups or elsewhere online). We were overwhelmed with people and didn't meet many on a personal level, but we were also overwhelmed with acceptance and appreciation for difference. I tend to hold back in new situations while I take it all in and I wasn't seen as stand-offish. Likewise, Justin is very quiet at first but was accepted just as he is. And when we were ready to reach out, we were welcomed warmly.
It breaks my heart to think someone - for any reason - failed to feel that same acceptance or failed to reach out when they wanted to connect. It's certainly something to be aware of, as conference organizers OR attendees, but putting blame on any one person or group of people or all people doesn't help. Awareness, not blame fixes things.
Looking forward to your posted comments on this topic Frank.
I have lots and nothing to say....remaining silent while I process....
Hmm... I read Eli's post. Neither example seems indicative of racism to me and it's quite a stretch really.
Is it really so awful that someone assumed Erika was the little boy's mom? How is that racism? I'm not seeing it. I've had people assume that other children were mine, I could HARDLY blame racism.
I'd also like to point out, that just because we are all unschoolers does not mean that we are trusting of everyone we meet. It's late and I'm not sure how to explain that any better but just because the woman was not willing to help the other person out but racism is an awfully big accusation to put on her.
I have also heard that some aren't always feeling welcome at conferences and admittedly, the NEUC conference has a very different, almost *tougher* feel to it. (East Coast! Think Boston... New York) The east coast isn't as friendly as the west coast by nature. (IMO) It's not wrong, just how it is I guess.
Heather, those comments may be considered by some to be coastist :)
Is it okay for unschooling conferences and gatherings to be made up of 99 percent people who appear to be white or identify as white? What about 95 percent? Or 90 percent? I don't think it is.
Unschooling, as a philosophy and ideology, is supposed to be best for everyone, not just some people who have certain characteristics. So, why would these conferences be heavily weighted with white folks?
There are a lot of reasons for this, so I'm asking rhetorically. However, I think it's really important that unschooling conferences start making an effort to confront racism directly in order to make sure these conferences are as multicultural as possible. Maybe we need to put together an explicitly multicultural unschooling conference in order to help raise awareness of the fact that other conferences are not multicultural?!? I don't know, what do you think?
By the way, I think the efforts made by the LIFE is Good conference are a great start.
"Is it okay for unschooling conferences and gatherings to be made up of 99 percent people who appear to be white or identify as white?"
Conferences are going to reflect the demographics of their customers. For those variety of reasons you mention, the homeschooling community (of which the unschooling community is a subset) is largely white. Racism is one of the reasons for that. However, racism is NOT the reason that conferences are attended mostly by whites. At all. I know the organizers of all the major unschooling conferences and NOT ONE of these fine, dedicated, welcoming people is a racist. They are the ones who process the registration forms, and EVERYBODY WHO REGISTERS GETS TO COME. That is equal opportunity at its finest.
I know racism exists, and I have friends who have experienced moments of racism at conferences. But those same friends are also surrounded by love and acceptance in the unschooling community, and looked upon as respected unschooling mentors. Those racist moments are not the whole picture.
Conferences can provide a venue for raising awareness of race issues, and for making sure people in minority groups know they are welcome even though we're a largely white, hetero community. But conferences cannot fix the varied sociopolitical cultures that mean that most homeschoolers are white.
Frank's additional comments on this are here.
i love what you say about expectations Ronnie. so often, our expectations become self-fulfilling prophesies. i also *really* relate to your words (in Frank's post) about diversity reflecting demographics, and not racism, and your words here that "most people have their own little pockets of shyness or distraction".
for me, i feel very shy and hesitant until i know people pretty darn well. i'm working to be more outgoing, yet it doesn't come easily or naturally to me. when i let myself be stuck in my own limitations, my reticence says something about me; not about others. (but yea.. it would be hard for them to know that. sigh.)
an exception for me is that i can more easily come out of my shell if i'm in a role of hostess or coordinator. (one of my hats in life has been coordinating disability conferences.) when i have a "job" to do, somehow, that supersedes my shyness. this is why i purposely submitted some fun shop ideas for Life is Good ~ forcing myself to be more out there in a way by having a job to do. (hmm. i should remember to volunteer too.)
in my work coordinating disability conferences and disability events and services, it was a challenge to build more diversity, so that lack doesn't seem unique to the unschooling community. one *possible* reason that disability diversity is a challenge might be that integration has been a significant focus in disability advocacy. there's been a lot of work to challenge the concept that "separate but equal" isn't actual equality. with the disability advocacy work having such a strong focus in that direction, and with homeschooling still being the exception rather than the rule, and with unschooling being even more of an exception, it might be that people with disabilities are currently in a trend towards integration into schools. perhaps that will shift as they experience school situations that don't fit their needs. thus, it's always useful to keep planting seeds! i am not in a position to know if adequate disability support is available at unschooling conferences ~ i.e. accessibility, diversity training of hotel staff, conference materials available in alternate formats, etc. yet, even if there are lacks in those areas, i would not assume there are anti-disability sentiments; just that the attendance and planning thus far is reflective of the current demographics.
about ethnic diversity... the disability community i worked with had a hard time building more ethnic diversity, usually as a result of cultural perspectives ~ in particular, Hispanic and Native American communities seemed to have a strong sense of family in a way that reflects "we take care of our own". that perspective continues to be a challenge in the disability services communities ~ it's a delicate balance to share about the services that are available and encourage people to use them, while also conveying in ways that reflect respect of the cultural family paradigms, so people don't feel like the offer of services is somehow implying they need help that they don't want, or that their care of their own family members is somehow inadequate. i'm not in the unschooling outreach loop, yet i wouldn't be surprised if ethnic diversity is similarly challenging in this arena as it seemed to be in the disability community.
and ack. i ran out of room.
for me, a different direction about inclusion and homeschooling outreach comes from my own issues... when i was new-ish to homeschooling and even newer to unschooling, i was so awed by the amazing joy and "success" of unschooling that it was hard to hold it in. my initial reasons for homeschooling grew and grew and it was hard not to feel like this is the "right" choice, not just for me, but for everyone. and as unschooling grew to be more than just an educational choice for us, to be a life philosophy, and as we saw more and more benefits from this choice, it was hard not to feel like everyone "should" adopt an unschooling education and life philosophy. intellectually, i know that each person and family needs to choose what fits them, and i try to remind myself that we're all on a continuum in our journeys, i probably need to own that i *do* think this is a "better" choice... . in admitting that to myself, i hope i am more aware of the likelihood that my words may sound biased and possibly imply criticism of other choices, so that i can try to minimize that in my communications. i don't believe this concept is unique to me, yet i don't think it is a source of exclusion in homeschooling lists or conferences ~ in those arenas, we're usually preaching to the choir. yet if i want to plant unschooling seeds beyond my existing circles, i can probably be more effective by not gushing about the wonders of my choice, and not saying or implying "shoulds", but by conveying support of other people's choices while also educating about homeschooling as one of many options available to them ~ extending a bridge of support and/or understanding of others' choices as my doorway to sharing other options.
for me, politics might be a harder aspect of inclusion, yet i'm probably in my own way. i'm fiscally conservative and socially waaay liberal. it does seem that unschooling demographics reflect a liberal majority. for me, i want the same things as most liberals; i just have different ideas about effective ways to get there. it can be hard to feel that my political views would be accepted or supported in unschooling circles. as with unschooling as a life philosophy, it seems politics may be an area where people often do believe their way is "better" ~ otherwise, why would we choose the politics we choose? yet in politics as well as unschooling philosophy, i try to build bridges based on common ground, and from there, i might have connection at a level that enables effective communication even in areas where politics might differ. it's been useful to remind myself that i have never actually been excluded based on my politics. if there's distance, it's based on my own (so far ungrounded) shyness and/or fears; not based on any actual exclusion or discrimination. as with disabilities and race, i suspect that politics in the unschooling community simply reflects existing demographics; not exclusion.
for me, although discrimination does exist in some people and situations in life, my own experience continues to reflect your words that understanding and awareness and reaching out might need to go both ways. for me, usually, i'm the one standing in my own sunshine ~ "Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine." now, to get out of my own way... !
Hi,
I have left comments in two different places where this conversation is taking place and I thought that I would the comments that I made here too.
Sorry if this is a repeat for you.
Speaking as a Black person who is interested in unschooling, attends unschooling conferences all over the country and has experienced several very awkward moments as an unschooler of color at those conferences, I really wish that we could discuss those awkward moments and how we can lessen their occurrence in the future rather than getting sidetracked by all of the other points that seem to come up anytime the subject of race comes up.
The incident that I spoke about in my talk several years ago(where a AA boy was not believed when he said I was not his mother), was/is disturbing to me for several reasons.
First, because Unschooling for me is all about trust and this child was not trusted - to participate in the activity without permission from a parent(which is unheard of at all of the unschooling conferences that I have attended), and then to not be trusted about who his mom is!
Remember, he was told by the adults present that I must be his mother and was only believed that I wasn't his mom when I said I wasn't. And yes I'll say it here, I seriously doubt that your child would have been questioned and disbelieved by strangers if she had said that some random white person was not her parent!
Second, it bothers me because it seems that a lot of the uncomfortable feelings that unschooling families of color feel when they attend gatherings/conferences of unschoolers are presumed to be "their problems", things that they should deal with on their own without including the larger community.
And while it is true that there are AA/Black Un/Homeschooling groups online and in real life(we even host annual family camping vacations), the groups were formed to combat some of the isolation and separateness that is felt when you are an minority within a minority and to date, there has not been conference held specifically for unschoolers of color. Perhaps it is something that needs to be explored.
As to my own family's experiences at our conferences, we have always felt welcomed, have made many good friends and really look forward to our "vacations" with like-minded folks. And because of that, we would like to make sure that many other families like ours see and experience the richness that the gatherings have to offer.
Oh, one more thing, by speaking out about what disappointed him about our group/family/gatherings, Eli was trying to work out/understand what felt wrong to him about some things he witnessed. I don't think that he was saying that the conference organizers or the attendees were excluding anyone from their events.
-= Eli was trying to work out/understand what felt wrong to him about some things he witnessed. -=-
Erika, he hasn't witnessed anything. He saw some photos of teens.
-=Is it okay for unschooling conferences and gatherings to be made up of 99 percent people who appear to be white or identify as white? What about 95 percent? Or 90 percent? I don't think it is. -=-
But it doesn't really matter what you think is okay. Anyone can go to conferences.
Also, elsewhere in the where you have to go to track down who Jason is, he wants conferences to pay his way, and other people's way. Unschoolers who run conferences aren't making money. They're doing something out of the generous love of their hearts.
So Jason's been around unschooling for a few months, because he's unemployeed (sorry for that, but it wasn't a job he left in order to unschool; unschooling is a byproduct), and hasn't deschooled, and hasn't helped anyone unschool, and has come to tell us all we're evil and wrong.
I just don't like it.
I'm not here to tell you all that you are evil and wrong, as Sandra suggests. Like lynellex, I too have had difficulty with diversity in other groups. I apologize if my comment seemed to accuse folks of being racist or attack people's integrity. That was not my intention.
I think lynellex's description of wanting to share unschooling with everyone is exactly the way I'm feeling. To me, unschooling is a way of learning that is natural for humans. So I questioned (not in the best way, I admit and I apologize for that) why it seemed to me that only white humans benefited from sharing their experiences at unschooling conferences. I also agree that "i can probably be more effective by not gushing about the wonders of my choice, and not saying or implying "shoulds", but by conveying support of other people's choices while also educating about homeschooling as one of many options available to them ~ extending a bridge of support and/or understanding of others' choices as my doorway to sharing other options."
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack is where I'm getting my viewpoint on white privilege and institutional oppression.
Ultimately, I bring all this up, not to show how you all are evil and wrong, like Sandra suggests, but because I know it's possible to make changes to the way conferences are organized, or where conferences are held, or how people find out about these conferences, or the timing of conferences, or many other factors that might make it or break it for someone deciding to attend. If we can make changes so that we can include as many people as possible in these conferences, wouldn't that be something positive?
Even though I haven't been to one of these conferences, I can tell from the info on the Internet that they're wonderful! My intention is to help start a dialogue and help organizer if possible so we can work on sharing this wonderful experience with more people.
Thank you all for your comments and willingness to discuss this issue further ... and for being open about your unschooling experiences so that others, like me, may learn more. I write this with much respect and love and look forward to more discussion.
Jason,
I have too much to say, so let me sum it up in an aphorism:
Your mouth is writing checks your ass can't cash.
You are Johhny-come-lately, with no experience in any aspect of anything you're talking about, offering to fix the "failures" of people who've invested huge amounts of time, effort, and their own money to make these conferences as open and welcoming as possible.
It's insulting.
You've never even been to a conference but you can tell from some photos you saw on the net that they're anti-multicultural. That's impressive.
You *know* it's possible to improve conferences. Really? All that philosophical angst about embedded cultural bias and your best suggestions are simplistic crap: change the time, change how they're advertised, blah, blah. You say that "we" could make changes to get more people to attend conferences.
Howzabout this, then: You put on a conference and show the previous lame-ass racist conference organizers how to do it right.
JasonD said "So I questioned (not in the best way, I admit and I apologize for that) why it seemed to me that only white humans benefited from sharing their experiences at unschooling conferences."
It looks like what you want is more multicultural speakers and leaders at unschooling conferences. Is that right? If the panelists and keynote speakers were all (or mostly) of color, then the color of attendees wouldn't feel so biased.
My take on this:
Please, PLEASE, to anyone organizing conferences, choose your speakers based on their solid ideas about unschooling, and not based on their race. I would be equally ecstatic listening to unschoolers of any color, as long as they were pointing me toward living joyfully and trusting the natural learning process in my children.
Frank, I think you're insulted from this paragraph from my most recent comment:
"Ultimately, I bring all this up, ..."
If this is causing the insulting feelings that seem to suggest that I'm "offering to fix the "failures" of people who've invested huge amounts of time, effort, and their own money to make these conferences as open and welcoming as possible," then I apologize as that was certainly not my intention when writing that paragraph.
"You've never even been to a conference but you can tell from some photos you saw on the net that they're anti-multicultural." I can tell that the pictures are not multicultural, not that the conferences or the organizers or other unschoolers are "anti-multicultural." Obviously, if it turns out that my observation based on the pictures is incorrect and the conferences are not overwhelmingly made up of white people, then I would ask, why isn't that reflected in the pictures?
"You *know* it's possible to improve conferences." Yes. I'm the kind of person that believes it's always possible to make improvements.
"You say that "we" could make changes to get more people to attend conferences." I'm including myself in that "we." If I were helping to organize these conferences, I would struggle as hard as anyone else might struggle in order to work on creating a more multicultural space. I don't have the answers. I don't even have a whole lot of experience working in multicultural groups. But, I believe this is possible and important for us to think about and discuss.
Did you read the paper on White Privilege that I pointed to in my comment? What did you think about it?
I'm sorry for responding to individual quotes from your comment like this, but I want to make sure I'm answering your questions and speaking to the issues you bring up.
Sally asks, "It looks like what you want is more multicultural speakers and leaders at unschooling conferences. Is that right?"
Not necessarily, although, that MIGHT BE one of the "many other factors that might make it or break it for someone deciding to attend" that I mentioned in my comment above. I write MIGHT BE because I do not have the answer. I see what I THINK might be a problem and am hoping all of us can work on figuring out if it is a problem and working together in order to fix it if it is.
But no, I don't feel that if the speakers were mostly people of color that that alone would automatically make conferences feel more multicultural. Like, if the speakers where people of color but the attendees were still mostly white, I'd still wonder why that is.
My intention is not to jump in and force what I see as a problem on others, though, so if you and others are okay with the way things are, then I'll accept that.
Also, as lynellex points out, there are many other ways for folks to potentially feel left out. Access for all kinds of disabilities is one way, class is another, age another, and so is sexual orientation. Race is not the only way, it's the way I noticed based on a loose and unscientific observation of the conference pictures found on the Internet.
I don't really know where to go from here, though. It seems I've offended many people in bringing up my observation. It feels like relationships might already be harmed from this so I'm not sure if I'll be able to fit into national unschooling conferences. It all feels so awkward. I was really looking forward to meeting everyone, but is it safe for me and my family to go now? I feel like I might be attacked or ignored, neither outcome leading to a particularly good conference experience. All I can think of to do is to continue expressing that I want to help and not hurt and that I have love at the base of all that I've written so far.
Jason, until you have attended a conference, please stop using my blog to say that the conferences are not multicultural. The conferences reflect the demographics of the homeschooling community, which is 90% white. But that does not mean that the participants are not from diverse cultures, and it doesn't tell you anything about the culture of the unschooling community itself.
Minority participation in homeschooling will increase. In the meantime, each relationship my kids have with a black family, or an Asian family, or a mixed-race family, or a family where both parents are the same sex, takes place in a culture where those families are treated with love and acceptance and an attitude, which I find priceless, that these differences are all just part of the human package.
Jason, it feels a little out of place for me to respond, but i'll jump in anyway.
perhaps i missed some posts. i see how people may feel insulted, yet your words have not conveyed that way to me. from my experience, it can be hard to put tons of time and work into something to make it a wonderful inclusive event, and then have input or inquiries about whether i've done enough to address or accomplish x,y,z. i imagine that could feel even harder if the person's inquiry isn't based on having been there in person, and is based just on photos.
in that sense, with hindsight, i wonder if volunteering to help organize or promote or help at a conference might be a more effective avenue to learn about what outreach has been done, while also enabling people to offer their own ideas that might extend outreach.
that said, it seems to me that asking about conference diversity efforts is still a fair question. it just might be more palatable coming from someone who has attended a conference in person and in a style of how can i help? (vs. what have you done?) and still, even with communication style differences and lack of the benefits of hindsight in advance (what's up with that?!), your inquiry didn't feel insulting to me.
an odd pondering (because i do that sort of thing)... i wonder if it would feel different if you were an unschooling teenager making this inquiry. for me, feelings are often based on my stories in my head about someone's words and/or my guess about their intent. and for me, even with communication style differences, it seems easier for me to feel hurt, criticized, critical, or insulted with other adults than with kids. with kids, it's so much easier for me to assume that their words, well-stated or not, are more likely to be curiosity than criticism. (i really need to get better at taking that approach with adults too ~ it enables me to address the curiosity aspect by getting right to the issue.)
i don't know if it works that way for others too ~ where perhaps there'd be less negative feelings if this same situation and question came from a 16 year old...? that's rhetorical, since i can't actually know the answer there, yet perhaps with a teen, people might feel it less as criticism, and more as an education/sharing opportunity...? coming from a sharing perspective, perhaps it would be easy to simply share about the inclusive outreach efforts that *have* been done, and possibly share that photos may or may not be representative of conference attendee diversity ~ sharing that sometimes photos are more reflective of who had a camera and when, which attendees were present during times someone was taking photos, and which attendees were comfortable having their pictures taken. and perhaps asking the teen what ideas he/she has for more inclusive outreach, and offering an opportunity for the teen to be involved in some way in planning the next conference...
anyway, i've rambled... what was my point?! just.... no insult taken by me.
This is not a conversation I would normally jump in on, especially not at this point. However, this conversation has taken place in three different places between Jason and other seasoned unschoolers. Myself included. His questions have been answered over and over again, yet he refuses to accept the answers as given and continues to pick apart a problem that does not exist. I don't believe he ever wanted answers in the first place, he wanted an excuse to say "oh poor me" I can never attend a conference and feel welcome. Now he *CAN* say "see??? these conferences *ARE* unwelcoming".
Also, I happened upon a different conversation where Jason wanted to know if their were any wealthy unschoolers, stated that wealthy people were part of the problem, and that he would like the wealthy to pay his way to conferences.
@Jason
Funny, I know a wealthy unschooling family or two, but why on earth you think they should pay your way to a conference is beyond me.
It's not a charity. It's a lifestyle. There are plenty of FREE ways to learn about unschooling and plenty of people out there to contact.
Unschooling conferences do not teach multiculturalism. They teach unschooling and multiculturalism is MORE than welcome. Any issues that arise will dealt with as and if they happen.
However, your language and your behavior is more divisive then anyone I have ever met at a conference or any feeling I have ever felt at a conference.
That's my ten cents.
Lynelle, we're offended by the assumptions in Jason's posts:
"However, I think it's really important that unschooling conferences start making an effort to confront racism directly..."
Assumes no efforts have been made.
"...to help raise awareness of the fact that other conferences are not multicultural"
Assumes and SAYS the other conferences are not multicultural.
"I know it's possible to make changes to the way conferences are organized, or where conferences are held, or how people find out about these conferences, or the timing of conferences, or many other factors that might make it or break it for someone deciding to attend."
Assumes people like Kelly, Mary, Flo, Kathryn, Anne, Faith, and so on haven't been incredibly creative and flexible and inviting already. Plus, each of the conferences associated with the women I just listed takes place in a different part of the country at a different time of year.
I believe 100% that Jason's intent is positive here. But his assumptions pack some pretty weighty accusations against people in the community who have, as Frank said, "invested huge amounts of time, effort, and their own money to make these conferences as open and welcoming as possible."
(hoping this only comes thru once; it seemed to glitch in posting, so i re-did it. apologies in advance if it duplicates.)
Hi Ronnie,
i truly do see how those statements imply those assumptions, thus my comment that it would be hard to put tons of time and work into something to make it a wonderful inclusive event, and then have input or inquiries about whether i've done enough to address or accomplish x,y,z. harder still if the person's inquiry isn't based on having been there in person, and is based just on photos.
it's hard to know how to interpret "multicultural". i have seen evidence of significant cultural diversity in homeschooling events i have attended. yet if the inquiry is really about ethnic diversity, it seems that the unschooling community itself says that it lacks the ethnic diversity we'd wish for. Jason's words might simply be echoing that ~ that sentiment might be common ground between Jason and the unschoolers ~ each wishing for more ethnic diversity. your words that current lack is a result of current demographics, not discrimination or a wish to exclude anyone seems to address that aspect.
if i take the words that it's possible to make changes that may enable more diversity at face value, without assuming criticism of current people and events, it seems like it might reflect just a basic concept that there's always room to learn... that each conference provides ideas about what people might want to do more of, or do differently, or new outreach or accessibility ideas come up that might make future conferences even more awesome. acknowledging ongoing opportunities to grow, learn, and improve doesn't necessarily mean that the current ways are bad or inadequate ~ it could just be about the way that life and our own curiosities and motivations enable ongoing growth that may lead to more improvements, diversity, and awesome-ness.
i missed any comments about who should pay for people to attend, yet that seems like a separate topic... people might or might not know that conferences like this rarely make a profit, and often they barely break even, and yet they *still* often offer scholarships. beyond that... we *are* each free to find the rich person of our choice and request that the person cover our family's registration and see how that goes for us.
i may differ on whether the quoted statements reflect actual assumptions, or just lead to very logical implications. in working with people with various disabilities, it seems that disability or not, more often than i realized, style differences that really really imply something to many people may not actually reflect an individual's assumptions. thus, trying not to assume, except assuming the best (which is waay easier for me with teens than with adults) may enable me to address the question, regardless of whether the implications or assumptions i see are accurate.
that said... not having found or read all of Jason's posts, i might have missed posts where his words may have confirmed some assumptions, so there may be more accuracy in the assumptions than i would know. so although i think my points generically may have merit, i may be operating from more ignorance than is wise. so, i'll bow out now.
piles of thank you's to the many conference organizers and speakers! i know it's long and hard work to coordinate these events. i've been privileged to attend quite a few homeschooling and unschooling conferences and loved and learned from each one. *thank you*!!!
Wow LOTS of great comments you're getting on this post, Ronnie. Here's my take:
As a newbie unschooler, I sometimes admit to being a major blockhead and an idiot at some conferences. I know... hard to believe, itn't it? (Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration.) But people have been very welcoming and overlooked my blunderings very kindly. Social outings being one of my most difficult subjects in and out of school. :) People have been helpful even beyond being understanding. It's more than kindness really. Maybe I've been lucky.
There was a time when I wondered (as have many others) if unschooling weren't intolerant of religion. Maybe not many unschoolers find it acceptable, and I am finally to the point that I get that (duh me). People are different! Oh my goodness! They don't necessarily share the same preferences. I've compared such preferences to sexual orientation because religion is the default culture for some people and I think it's a valid comparison.
But are unschooling conferences exclusive gatherings? They have been at times, sometimes for specific reasons but none for reasons of race or, more accurately, ethnicity. If anything, it seems that unschooling conferences welcome cultural diversity of many kinds. That doesn't mean that there are no racist people attending such conferences.
I'm sure the following have simultaneously attended:
Feminism, new feminism, anti-feminism, etc.
Chavinism, anti-chavinism, etc.
Gays, anti-gays, gay-activists/supporters, etc.
(So-called) disabilities, [insert other (so-called) disorder], perfect(?), etc.
Pro-choice, anti-abortion, etc.
Caucasian (or mostly Caucasian), [insert any other designation], etc.
American, [insert any other nationality], etc.
[insert political party], apolitical, anarchism, etc.
pro-American, anti-American, [insert nationalism or anationalism], etc.
Religion [insert any other worldview], etc.
Evolution, creationism, etc.
Did I miss any touchy categories?
Then there are other not so touchy categories that people can get ticked off about. The best word to take into an unschooling conference is probably ETC. (And if that doesn't work, just take Exedrin.)
This has been my attempt to lighten up a rather heavy subject with some light bits of extremism here and there. My experience has been that unschoolers who organize and most who attend conferences are pretty incredibly inclusive. Shoot! *I'm* --more-- inclusive due to the influence of unschoolers.
I'd like to add something else too. No one is required to be an unschooling expert when offering an activity as a way to pay through a scholarship. Anyone can pick something they think conference goers will gravitate to and apply for scholarships. It isn't that arcane a process and it's also pretty open. MANY people at conferences camp at a nearby campground and attend the conferences scheduled during warmer months.
Go for it!
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