The past nearly two years have been difficult, terrible, and tragic in too many ways. As positive psychology practitioners, we look for opportunities to make the world better, be it in the wake of COVID or acts of hate. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others, at the hands of police, highlighted for everyone in America and around the world what so many Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have experienced for centuries: Racism and inequities traumatize and kill. Graduates of the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program at the University of Pennsylvania cannot end the pain. But we can recognize the suffering and work to change the world in positive ways. 

For me and many other MAPP alumni, getting it right means aspiring to humility and listening to perspectives outside our bubbles. In that spirit, one initiative that grew organically from the tragic Spring of 2020 was the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Book Group, co-created by more than 60 MAPP graduates, to expand our cultural awareness and competencies. 

In May 2020, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, MAPP alumni on the UPenn MAPP Alumni & Friends Facebook group expressed interest in reading Robin DiAngelo’s book White Fragility. Leora Rifkin (C’16) and I coordinated this effort, and participants broke into 11 small reading discussion groups. Everyone started with the same material. In addition to White Fragility, participants read Peggy Macintosh’s essay “White Privilege: The Invisible Backpack” and the introduction to The New York Times series 1619 Project. One year on, the small groups continue to meet, and the whole group meets two to three times a year to discuss readings and learnings. Earlier this year, a whole-group meeting was a discussion of our individual and group intentions in 2021.

Subsequently, each small group determined its own course forward. In my group, we read and discussed Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste, and next we plan to read Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong. Other groups have read My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem and The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias by Dolly Chugh. Still other groups have listened to podcasts like Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us and 1619 and watched movies such as 13th and Loving. Books, podcasts, and movies all serve as doorways to deeper learning and discussions. 

The experience has been enriching. Participant Sharon Danzger (C’18) shared, “My involvement in the book group provided a safe space to explore implicit bias and systemic racism. It motivated me to read and learn more and has given me the confidence to start having open conversations with friends, colleagues, and clients.” 

Rephael Houston (C’19) spoke about The Person You Mean to Be, one of the books his group read: “I really liked how the book challenged the reader to look at their own participation in oppressive systems. We’re all imperfect but ideally we’re trying to get better. The book’s all about being a work in process.”

Being a work in progress, as Brené Brown so often emphasizes, requires effort, bravery, and discomfort. Many of us want to say the right thing, not ruffle feathers, and not be called out. But this desire for safety does not serve to bring about positive change. Brené Brown provides more guidance here: “We’re not here to be right; we’re here to get it right.”

My own DEI work is inspired by James Baldwin. He was once asked what he thought about "The Negro Problem" in America. He responded that there was no Negro problem; there was a White problem. It was, after all, White enslavement, Jim Crow, and racism that immiserated BIPOC Americans. As a White person, I am either actively dismantling systemic racism or I'm allowing it to continue. This group is one way that I can work with others like me who benefit from the current system of White-centered culture to co-create a diverse, equitable and inclusive America and world by changing how I see and think about the world.

If you’re interested in joining a book group, reach out to Leora Rifkin or me. We’ll do our best to find a reading group in or close to your time zone. 

*Henry’s email: henry@henryedwardsauthor.com

*Leora’s email: leora@mightyquestions.com

References:

Bondy, F. (1997). The Negro problem: A conversation with James Baldwin. Transition, (75/76), 82.

Brown, B. (Host).  (2020, January 13). Unlocking us [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://brenebrown.com/podcast/introducing-unlocking-us/

Chugh, D. (2018). The person you mean to be: How good people fight bias. New York, US-NY: HarperBusiness.

DuVernay, A. (Director). (2016). 13th [Film]. Netflix. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8

DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism. Beacon Press.

Hannah-Jones, N., in Elliott, M., Hughes, J., Silverstein, J., New York Times Company., & Smithsonian Institution. (2019). The 1619 project: New York Times magazine, August 18, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html

Hannah-Jones, N. (Host). (2019, August 23; updated 2021, January 28). 1619 [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/podcasts/1619-slavery-anniversary.html

Hong, C. P. (2020). Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning. One World.

McIntosh, P. (1995). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible backpack. Women: images and realities: A multicultural anthology, 264-267.

Menakem, R. (2021). My grandmother's hands: Racialized trauma and the pathway to mending our hearts and bodies. Penguin UK.

Nichols, J. (Director). (2016). Loving [Film]. Big Beach and Raindog Films.

Wilkerson, I. (2020). Caste (Oprah's Book Club): The origins of our discontents. Random House.

About the Author: Henry Edwards is an educator, author and activist. In his work and writing, he promotes a realistic—and optimistic—view of the world and our future based on broad positive trends. Henry is an assistant instructor at MAPP and a teacher at The New School of Northern Virginia, where he leads the school's Wellness programs. Henry is active in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work, and he recently led the formation of the MAPP Alumni Association's DEI committee. You can find out more about Henry at https://www.henryedwardsauthor.com/