Towards Becoming an Anti-Racist Organization: Checking Our Biases
February 3, 2025
Goosefoot recently held a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion workshop led by Jeff Natter for our board and staff. Jeff focused on how we are all made of a patchwork of identities which, in different situations, can confer us with either power (by belonging to the majority or having a position of authority) or a sense of otherness (by feeling different, separate, or "lesser than").
Most people assign a whole host of associations to someone upon first seeing them. We may make judgments about the person’s education, ethics, intelligence, and life experiences; we may make assumptions about what their needs are.
Jeff explained that all of us do this unconsciously; it’s how the human mind is structured. It takes careful intention, practice, and constant learning to move beyond knee-jerk unconscious processing to ensure we’re treating everyone with care, respect, and empathy.
As a way to bring greater awareness to these projections, biases and associations, he introduced us to “You Can’t Ask That,” a show produced in Australia that features a different marginalized group each episode answering anonymous questions from the public—questions many may be curious about but are inappropriate and often unkind to ask an acquaintance or random person on the street. The participants’ willingness to be open and candid means that those viewing the show can learn from real people living these different identities and can get a better perspective on why their biases can be so off-base and amend them moving forward.
If you’re interested in checking out “You Can’t Ask That,” you can view full episodes on Netflix and clips like the ones below on YouTube.
You Can’t Ask That: African Australians answer ‘Is racism really that bad?’
You Can’t Ask That: Transgender
You Can’t Ask That: We asked Muslims “Why are you bringing Islam here?”
Jeff Natter has worked for over 30 years in the equity and social justice arena, as director of organizations focusing on healthy equity programs for underserved communities. On Whidbey, he serves on several boards such as the Whidbey Community Foundation, South Whidbey Pride, and frequently participates in the Island Shakespeare Festival.
February is Black History Month. We’d like to take a moment to shout out Pamoja Place, an organization dedicated to growing community and a sense of belonging for BIPOC individuals on Whidbey Island. Join them for their second annual Black History Month celebration on Saturday, February 22.
