A diversity workshop designed to facilitate multiculturalism within groups.

OVERVIEW

Note: The names of the church and all individuals mentioned have been changed in order to protect confidentiality, however the facts cited below are true. The background story helps to explain the need for diversity workshops within any growing group.

The ABC Church was founded 70 years ago by a small group of recent immigrants from Barbados. Having come to America in search of a better life for themselves and their families, many of them settled in the Boston area, working as domestics and factory workers. During the week, they dealt with the harsh reality of trying to make a living; on the weekends, they sought the church as a place of refuge. Desiring to maintain the style and traditions of the worship they experienced "back home," they began to meet in the home of one of the members. As the church grew, they moved to small rented spaces, eventually purchasing the building where they currently worship.

For the first 50 years of their existence, the church family grew very slowly, with new members either coming directly from Barbados or being of Bajan descent. The worship style reflected their Caribbean roots, and there was a definite family atmosphere. During the 1970s, the church experienced more rapid growth and, for the first time, there was diversity among the membership. However, this was not racial or ethnic diversity—the new members were still Caribbean, just from different islands. Jamaicans and Trinidadians were now among the numbers. This change happened almost without notice, since the basic worship style remained the same. The common struggle of living in America bound the worshippers together.

In the late 1980s things began to change. The first white person became a member of the church. Patricia was a friend of one of the members who came to church one night; she accepted the faith during that visit. The church literally "nurtured" this new babe; her presence did not seem awkward or strange to the membership, and for many years, she remained the only white member of the church. During this same time, a Hispanic family and 2 Liberian families also became part of the congregation.

After a change in the Pastorate in 1995, the church experienced rapid growth, and with this growth came much more racial and ethnic diversity. Brazilians, Portuguese, Chinese, Nigerians, Caucasians, Puerto Ricans were all welcomed. There is no explanation for how or why this diversity occurred; people were just drawn to the church. And once they came, they found a welcoming atmosphere.

Initially, even with the addition of new members of different backgrounds, the leadership remained completely African American. However, as the new members became settled into the church, their gifts and talents have been recognized, and they now hold prominent positions within the church as ministry leaders, musicians, and worship leaders.

From the outside looking in, this church is a model for how to build a diverse group of any kind. But it is important to remember that this was not necessarily something that the ABC church set out to do. After all, worshipping together for 2 hours on a Sunday morning does not eliminate the possibility of racism and prejudice existing among the membership. In the words of Perkins and Rice in More Than Equals, this church seems to have achieved integration, but not necessarily reconciliation. In order to address these issues, it would be a good idea for leadership team of the church to participate in a one-day diversity workshop. The following workshop could be modified to meet the needs of any group seeking diversity training.

GROUP PRESENTATIONWORKSHOP OUTLINE

At the end of the training session, the participants will:

• Understand the value of diversity and racial reconciliation.
• Have a fuller understanding of the many dimensions of diversity.
• Recognize our own filters, beliefs, values, and stereotypes.
• Examine how we reinforce behaviors and beliefs that devalue others.
• Begin to build a common ground by recognizing and valuing both our differences and our similarities.

AGENDA AND OUTLINE

  Thank participants for coming. Stress importance of this workshop to the group. Introduce facilitator.   Review workshop agenda. Have participants break into small groups to record their wishes and worries for the day, using the alphabet. Ask each group to develop a story using the words they’ve just brainstormed. With the group, develop ground rules for the day (e.g., confidentiality, honesty, timeliness).   The church at Antioch. The Good Samaritan. Philip and Stephen. Peter.   Ask the participants to come up with as many scriptures—or other sources—as they can that address the issue of diversity or racial reconciliation. Have the participants read the reasons aloud. Record key phrases on a flip chart. Review the flip chart and ask the participants the following questions: What do you think the scriptures (or other sources) are saying about diversity? Are these messages still relevant today? If not, why not? Do you see areas in this group where we could make improvements in order to live up to these principles? What can you as an individual do to make a difference?     Now that we have established the importance of addressing diversity and racial reconciliation, we can begin to establish a definition of diversity. Ask the group: What is diversity? What are all the things that make us similar and different? Record these answers on a flip chart, and ask each person to pick the five dimensions of diversity that have had the most profound effect on their life. Ask volunteers to share their lists and discuss how these things have shaped them. Define diversity as "All the ways in which we differ." Stress that diversity is not just about race. We are all unique individuals and we all have value. Ask the participants to think about what the group would be like if everybody were like them. (Hopefally, this will elicit an humorous response.)     The purpose of this module is to build awareness of our personalities and how they impact how we interact with others. Lead the group in the "Find the Fs" activity. Distribute the following paragraph on a slip of paper to each participant: (use a font that lines up the letters as evenly as possible. Filters and Stereotypes (1:00 p.m.)Lunch (12:00 p.m.) Encourage the participants to sit with people that they don’t know well.Defining Diversity (11:00 a.m.)Break (10:45 a.m.)Scripture Mania (If in a secular group, call this part Defending Diversity) (10:15 a.m.)Models of Racial Reconciliation (9:45 a.m.) (The following models are biblically based; seek other secular ones as is appropriate to your group.)Agenda/Expectations/ABC Exercise/Ground rules (9:15 a.m.)

Welcome (approx. 9:00 a.m.)

FAIRNESS IS THE FINAL RESULT OF YEARS OF EFFECTIVE EFFORT COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF DIVERSITY

• Ask participants to read it and make sure they understand it. Then ask them to read it again and to count the total number of the letter Fs they see on their paper, and keep that number to themselves. They should not say it out loud. Only give them one minute to do this. Ask if they are sure, then give them 30 more seconds to double check their total.
• Ask participants to raise their hands when you call out the total number of Fs that they see on their paper. Start with 1 and count up to 10 Fs. (There are really a total of 9 Fs).
• People will raise their hands for 6, 7,8, and 9 Fs. Act confused, ask them to count again. Some people with change their count. Give them one more chance. Finally, tell them there are 9.

Ask the following to the entire group:

• Ask the group: What happened? What explains this? Participants will likely say that they missed the small words, like "OF." They will use adjectives like "unimportant," "meaningless," and "trivial" to describe "OF." Some will say they missed "OF" because the "F" in "OF" sounds like a "v" ("Different than the other Fs!"). Others will say that they were taught to not look at "OF." Others say that they were distracted by the content of the paragraph.
• Ask those who saw 6 Fs: Were you sure about the number you found? What did you think when you saw others raise their hands for 7, 8, or 9? How did you explain it to yourself? There tend to be three explanations: I must have missed something (I’m wrong, they’re right); I know there are 6 Fs—they miscounted (I’m right, they’re wrong); I know I have 6, but maybe they have different papers (We’re both right).
• Everyone saw all the Fs, so why were some Fs invisible?
• What does this have to do with diversity? Why would we use this activity in a diversity workshop?
• Are there different groups of people in society that are treated like Fs? Are some people defined as more important than others, and they become disregarded or even invisible?
• Ask the people who saw 7 or 8 what happened for them. Even though they noticed almost all of them, they still made mistakes and didn’t see them all. We all miss things even when we are looking for them. In light of diversity, even when we work hard to expand our awareness, we may still not see the full picture. There is always more to learn.
• Did you continue to look for 10? Why?
• Discuss how certain people were about how many Fs they saw, and how difficult it was to change their views. How do we react when people tell us that there are more Fs than we think there are? Some are open, while others become defensive and disregard the new information. Make the analogy to how the opinions and perceptions of women and people of color are often trivialized and ignored.
• How do you respond when others point out Fs to you that you have missed?
• Did anyone deliberately miss or disregard the Fs? In fact, people were actively looking for them, but the omissions still occur. Use this to discuss the difference between intent and impact. It may have been an accident or an unintentional offense, but we are still responsible for our behavior—especially once new Fs in any situation have been pointed out to us.
• Finally ask, What are the implications for our group? And who are the little Fs?
• Class Divided Video (2:00 p.m.)
  • Give background of film referring to Jane Eliot and her class.
  • Show "blue eyes privileged" section of video; stop the tape.
  • In small groups, ask participants to discuss the impact of stereotypic thinking, including:
    • privileges/opportunities of the blue-eyed;
    • unwritten rules;
    • postures or behaviors that reinforce the status quo.
  • Show the rest of the video.
  • Divide groups into triads to discuss:
    • Who wears the collars in our church? In our community?
    • What are the unwritten rules of conduct within our church?

  Ask the group to brainstorm two lists: Actions that the group can take to make sure that each member feels valued and appreciated. Actions that individuals can take to do the same.   Divide the large group into small groups of four. Ask them to record words that describe how the workshop has influenced their thinking, using the letters D I V E R S I T Y as a guide. Closing Remarks (out by 4:00 p.m.)Closing Exercise (3:30 p.m.)

Strategies for Change (3:00 p.m.)