[Music] diversity teach me i teach you like university hi i'm judy blair and i am an anti-racism consultant specializing in working with white folks and i'm also part of the team at diverse city and i'm excited to be bringing you this video series in this series we're taking a look at 15 different aspects of white supremacy culture now when i use the words white supremacy in this context i am not talking about white supremacists proud boys white nationalists i am talking about white supremacy as an idea that whiteness is the ideal it is the norm it is the default it is what is assumed in our society the 15 aspects that we're discussing in this video series come from a list published in 1999 by tama okun an anti-racist trainer and activist the list itself is the culmination of work by multiple people including tema but also kenneth jones daniel buford james williams sharon martinez and others over the past two decades this list has served as a useful framework for recognizing disrupting and dismantling white supremacy in our day-to-day lives i want to be really clear here the values and norms this video series is addressing are not exclusive to western white culture they're not inherently bad or good they are just often invisible ways of being that are part of our socialization if we want to create a more just and equitable world we have to interrogate these values when we notice them coming up checking to see if an alternate way of being might provide better more equitable results a word of caution too these norms should not be taken as a checklist of behaviors to eliminate with the alternatives enshrined as the cure for all that ails us critical analysis and weighing of these norms when they crop up is vital there is no shortcut to uprooting white supremacy each video in this series focuses on one aspect from the list and today's aspect is objectivity so objectivity is kind of a myth no one is truly objective in their outlook right we all bring our life experiences our [Music] background the ways in which we were brought up we all our identities all of that stuff comes with us it cannot be separated from how we understand and see the world but objectivity makes us think that there is a way to see the world that is true that is just an overarching trueness and what that often leads to is an invalidation of other viewpoints if someone's experience doesn't match yours what does that mean for objectivity in addition objectivity can result in folks discounting emotion the idea that we need to be logical about everything that when emotion is involved it is therefore invalid our decisions made under uh emotional influence are invalid and that's just not true emotions are a part of us they're as much a part of us as our thoughts or the ways that our body parts move together they're here and so what we have to do is realize that everyone is bringing their own stuff to the table and that's fine it's not a problem in fact it's a benefit right we've heard the research that shows that diversity of experience results in better products better service all sorts of things for the business bottom line but also it just enriches our lives that diversity of experience makes us more interesting people more empathetic more open and more able to understand what other people are doing and saying and why they may be doing and saying the things that they are so if you're seeing something being presented as an objective viewpoint take a moment and ask is it i mean maybe it is but ask the [Music] i'll learn question diversity teach me