By SHANNON O. WELLS
Examples of disconcerting incidents fueled by racial intolerance can be easily found: Looking out the window, walking down the street, or via a ubiquitous flow of news and social media. But when any race-based public argument, court decision, shooting or standoff with law enforcement is resolved — or at least exits the media cycle — the underlying causes usually remain unaddressed.
Few recognize this as acutely as Ron Idoko, who, as associate director of Pitt’s Center on Race and Social Problems, is continuing a long-fought mission to scrutinize racism beyond the blaring headlines and enticing news links.
“Most people tend to think of racism in a very limited fashion, as explicit acts of hatred or prejudice. That’s just a very small aspect of racism when you think about it on a systemic level,” he says. “We really need to understand how racism works as a system — of structured policies, practices, cultural norms — all these sort of reinforcing factors that produce racial group inequity. And that is primarily sustained and driven by implicit bias.”
And while thinking kind, inclusive thoughts is admirable, positive change requires real effort and action.
“The fact is most of us — because we’re not socialized to understand how racism works — are socialized to unknowingly perpetuate it, because we live in a society where racism is the status quo,” he adds. “So, if you’re not working to actively disrupt the status quo, in many ways you fall victim to just perpetuating it — to keep it going.”
A new documentary film, "Illuminating the Vaccine for Racism," addresses this and the many conundrums related to racial injustice and intolerance while exploring opportunities to become a more proactive, socially responsible citizen. The film, which will premiere from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 25 in the Frick Fine Arts Building, was created by members of the Racial Equity Consciousness Institute, which Idoko founded in 2021.
In addition to a film screening, the event will include a panel discussion with Idoko and a variety of Pitt community “changemakers,” along with a catered reception.
The Center on Race and Social Problems’ website describes “Illuminating the Vaccine” as capturing the “experiences and perspectives of Pitt community members participating in the RECI training as they navigate important conversations about race, racism and what it truly means to be an antiracist.”
Open, honest dialogue
As Idoko explains, creating change starts with a clear understanding of systemic racism. “I think the biggest area of opportunity for anyone who wishes to see a better world is to really ask yourself, ‘How well do you understand the problem?’” he says. “Because if you don’t really understand the problem very well, then chances are you’re not going to be in a very effective position to help contribute to the solution, or at least contribute to the outcomes you wish to see.”
Talking sincerely about race and racism, Idoko observes, is often accompanied by anxiety and fear of stepping on someone else’s toes.
“Most of us are socialized to not feel like we can talk about it very well, and that anxiety leads us to feel like we don’t know enough or we’re going to say the wrong thing, or we might upset somebody or might upset ourselves in the process,” he says. “Learning how to address and overcome that anxiety so that we can have more meaningful and constructive dialogue on how systemic racism pervades throughout society and how we work to effectively address it is key — and that was what we were able to accomplish in bringing people together, and what we captured on film.”
The film’s promotional trailer features an array of students and faculty members who have taken part in Racial Equity Consciousness Institute training reflecting on how they’ve benefitted from the cohorts, learning more about themselves as well as others.
“What you’ll see (is) a lot of folks sharing very openly about their perspectives on race and racism, reflecting how they’ve been socialized around the topic … how they want to be better positioned to be an agent of change, how they want to be more active in dismantling racism and its impacts in their communities,” Idoko says. “It really starts with our ability to have dialogue, to be honest with ourselves on how (racism) works in our environment” with the goal of building “new systems, new structures, that actually produce and sustain equitable outcomes.”
The ability to be vulnerable, open and honest with each other “is key in this space,” he says of the institute’s modules, which provide a guided, structured framework to help “navigate the complexities of those conversations,” placing people in a position to “be mindful of and address our own biases.
“That puts us in the best position to really understand that the work of achieving an equitable and just society requires all of us to be able to talk to each other about what that world looks like, and to talk about the barriers. And that’s the focus of what we do, and that’s what we achieved (with the film).”
A broader audience
Idoko acknowledges that while social media and 24-hour news channels magnify racial divides around the world, they also present a distorted view of what’s happening in most people’s day-to-day lives.
“I think the vast majority of people in this world want to live in peace and want to be able to connect with each other and have good experiences and interactions with other human beings,” he says. “To the extent that sometimes you can hop online and be exposed to a lot of nasty, hateful stuff that might influence your opinion, all you need to do sometimes is just go take a walk, go to the park. You see most people just trying to enjoy their life, most people just trying to maintain a happy living.
“So we just need to be not so overwhelmed by what we see online and then somehow think it is reflective of the rest of the world.”
As a regular facilitator of meaningful discussions on race, Idoko is familiar with the thoughts and feelings expressed in “Illuminating the Vaccine for Racism.” That doesn’t make him any less moved by the film’s content and message.
“(It) was very affirming to see people willing to engage openly, and particularly with cameras on them,” he says. “That is another element that I’ve thought about the film: It’s one thing to have an open conversation amongst the 30 to 40 people that you might not know very well. It’s another to have a conversation, to have cameras on you and to still be very open and thoughtful, reflective and vulnerable.”
Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.
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