The Color Of Fear

Posted By admin  On 17.08.21

'The Color of Fear'Project

at The College of NewJersey

a packet forfacilitators
Return to TheColor of Fear at TCNJ Homepage

  1. Introduction
  2. Background on 'The Color ofFear'
  3. Biography of PeggyMcIntosh
  4. Diversity Workshops


    5. FacilitationGuidelines

    Working with ChallengingSituations

    Sample Workshop

    Serial Testimony

  5. Bibliography
  6. Readings

Color Of Fear (7) 6min 2017 7+ A man coming out of a downtown restaurant at night is followed by a man of color, raising fear and tension in the mind of the man being followed, who however, is pleasantly surprised at the end to find out the reality! The film tries to convey the message that 'No truth is bigger than Humanity'! Lessons from the Color of Fear Jamie P. Ross Portland State University, rossj@pdx.edu Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Communication Technology and New Media Commons, and the Philosophy Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Citation Details Jamie P.

Community Ethic Against RacismWebsite:http://www.tcnj.edu/~kpearson/color/color.html

Packet assembled by Janet Gray,PatriceColeman-Boatwright, Kim Pearson, and Connie Titone as members of the'Colorof Fear' Committee. This is the second edition, printed August 24, 2000.For masters of revised editions to copy and distribute, please contactJanet Gray, gray@tcnj.edu.

I. Introduction: 'The Colorof Fear' at TCNJ

On October 24 and 25, 2000, PeggyMcIntoshand Victor Lewis will visit TCNJ to speak and conduct workshops on systemsof privilege. In preparation for their visit, we are scheduling showingsof 'The Color of Fear,' a film which documents a weekend-long conversationabout race among eight men. Peggy McIntosh is an influential andgroundbreakingscholar in the study of privilege (see her biography in brief, page 4);Victor Lewis will become familiar to TCNJ audiences as a participant inthe weekend captured in the film. Made in 1994 by filmmaker/communitytherapistLee Mun Wah, 'The Color of Fear' has proven an effective instrument foropening discussion of race and privilege in a variety of settings,includingTCNJ.

'The Color of Fear' Committee aimsto contribute to the 2000-01 campus theme, 'Race, Power, and Privilege:Local and Global Perspectives.' Our project is also one of a number ofcoordinated initiatives serving the College’s long-range goals fordiversityby developing resources for inclusive pedagogy, curriculum development,and institutional change. We hope that the Color of Fear Project will helpto raise awareness about racism, foster a community ethic against racism,and build community leadership in the promotion of socialjustice.

The purpose of this packet is toencourageTCNJ community members to arrange additional showings of 'The Color ofFear' for students, staff, and faculty. The contents offer support forprospective facilitators and point toward connections between the filmand academic course work.

As Roberto Almanzan, a participantin the film, writes in 'Background on ‘The Color of Fear’' (see p. 3),most viewers have strong reactions. The racially mixed group of men inthe film tackles topics about which there is often silence. The men speakabout their ethnic identities and about their experiences with racism fromwhites and among minorities. One of the white men, David Christensen,becomesa focus of the discussion as the other group members respond to his claimsthat racism does not exist in his area, that people of color take racismtoo seriously, that the others should simply stand on their own groundas white men do. With help from Gordon Clay, another white participant,the men of color struggle to make David—and white viewers—hear them: Donot dismiss our experience. Understand yourself as a white person,not just as a 'person' or an 'American.' Support one another in opposingracism.

Peggy McIntosh recommends showing theninety-minute film in a two-and-a-half-hour workshop, using a techniquecalled Serial Testimony, which allows everyone to speak while the otherparticipants listen, suspending their reactions. (See p. 9 for adescriptionof this technique.) Participants respond to three questions: With whomdid you identify most strongly in the video? What is difficult abouttalkingabout race? What moment in the film is most memorable for you, and whatdid it teach you?

Beyond the workshop format, the filmis rich with material for courses in a variety of disciplines. One couldlook closely at the social and psychological dynamics of the group’sinteraction,and ask, for example, what to make of David Christensen’s change at theend. Or one could explore how race and privilege inflect withphilosophicalthemes, such as authenticity, and sacred processes, such as transformationand connection with the past. The men offer contrasting informaldefinitionsof cultural difference (history and artifacts versus taste, smell, feel,see); what are the implications of each definition? The film showsprivilegeto be an epistemological problem, a resistance to knowing the livedexperienceof others, and suggests that trauma shapes that resistance. As theyexplaintheir experience, the men of color make references to historical events(the conquest of Mexico, forced miscegenation in slavery, the internmentof Japanese Americans during World War II) and to the history of ideas(liberty, democracy, individualism); a class could explore thesehistories.Or one could raise the question of what it means to be an historical agentengaged in present efforts to transform systems of race and privilege—asare the men in 'The Color of Fear,' and as we are.

II. Background on 'The Colorof Fear'

Roberto Almanzan

In the documentary film 'The Colorof Fear,' a group of men at a weekend retreat engage in an open and candiddialogue on race and ethnicity. The filmmaker, Lee Mun Wah, a ChineseAmericancommunity therapist, gathered a group of eight men, myself among them,who were willing to spend a weekend in an honest and unconstraineddiscussionabout our experiences, beliefs and values related to race, color,ethnicityand culture. We met at a house belonging to a friend of the filmmaker.The house was about ten miles outside of Ukiah, a small rural town inNorthernCalifornia. Two of the men were African American, two were LatinoAmerican,two were Asian American and two were European American or white. Lee MunWah functioned as the facilitator for the weekend.

Often, those who see the film wonderhow the participants were chosen for this project. Mun Wah, as a communitytherapist, had been working with various men’s groups and consequentlyhad a wide circle of connections. From this pool, he picked men he thoughtcould be honest, open and expressive on race and ethnicity issues whilebeing filmed. With a few exceptions, the men did not know each otherbeforeattending the retreat. To show that all Asians, Blacks or Whites do notthink alike and are diverse, two men from each ethnic/racial group wereincluded. The number of participants was kept small to increase groupsafetyand intimacy and to give each person an opportunity to express himselffully.

The dialogue during the weekend wasspontaneous and intense. I did not know that Mun Wah as the facilitatorhad prepared a list of about twenty questions to stimulate our dialogue.It did not matter because once he asked his first question about how weidentified ethnically or racially, we never stopped talking. Fear, tears,rage, frustration and confusion filled the room as each of us revealedhow we had been impacted by racism and our coping strategies. Slowly,hesitatingly,we also talked about the prejudice we’ve experienced and seen directedat our own ethnic group by other people of color. We saw that through nofault of our own, all of us have internalized messages that devalue peopleof color and that portray White people as more intelligent, able, moraland credible. Becoming aware of this can often precipitate anxiety andpersonal discomfort in people but it is fundamentally a healing experiencethat opens new vistas and possibilities. By the end of the weekend, bytalking openly, listening intently and reflecting on each other’sexperiences,we all came to a deep understanding of, connection to and epathy with eachother.

Most people who view this film aredeeply moved. Long after it is over, they continue to talk with each otherabout the feelings, thoughts and memories the video stirred in them. Thedialogue in the video—real, arousing and eventually hopeful—is an exampleof the national dialogue we all need to have on race andethnicity.

III. Biography of PeggyMcIntosh

Peggy McIntosh, Ph.D., the AssociateDirector of the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, is thefounder and co-director of the National S.E.E.D. (Seeking EducationalEquityand Diversity) Project on Inclusive Curriculum. A renowned lecturer, sheconsults with higher education institutions throughout the United Statesand abroad on creating multicultural and gender-fair curricula. Aninfluentialwriter on women's studies, curriculum change, and systems of privilege,she has taught at Harvard University, Trinity College (Washington, DC),and the University of Durham (England), among otherinstitutions.

'White Privilege: Unpacking theInvisibleKnapsack,' one of Dr. McIntosh’s most frequently cited articles, isincludedin this packet (following page 11).

IV. DiversityWorkshops*

Facilitation guidelines

The role of the facilitator is tocreatean atmosphere where everyone can express their thoughts and feelings, andlisten to and learn from the different perspectives offered by eachparticipant.Facilitators are also responsible for helping to clarify discussion goalsand for maintaining a safe, respectful group process. What follows areguidelines that help create such an atmosphere.

  • Whenever possible, work with at leasttwo facilitators. One co-facilitator can focus on emotional responses orgroup process while the other is paying attention to content andactivities.Working in pairs also helps to train new facilitators by partneringnoviceswith those more experienced. Also, make every effort to have the pair offacilitators racially mixed. This will help participants in mixed groupsfeel safe about speaking from their own racial perspectives. Ideally, italso models trust and cooperation between races.
  • Be prepared! Acquaint yourselffully with the workshop material, and anticipate how the participants willreact.
  • Know your audience and yourself.Do you understand your own biases, the cultural/community norms, how youraudience sees the world?
  • Plan your agenda. (See 'SampleWorkshop Outline,' p. 7.)
  • Acknowledge to yourself and to theparticipantsthat getting the most out of this kind of workshop means takingrisks.Be brave!
  • To help participants not to feeloverwhelmedor discouraged by the issues, it’s important to help them frame theissues in a personal context. Emphasize that any effort at change ismeaningful and that what may be easy for one participant may be risky foranother.
  • Set ground rules. This includesrespecting time limitations (you will never have enough time) andasking the group to make the following agreements:
Listen to each other withrespect.

Speak about your own thoughts,reactions,feelings, and experiences, not those of others.

Do not debate someone else’sexperience;do not argue with their statements.

  • Allow for moments ofsilence.

Working with challengingsituations

Racism is often difficult to talkabout.It elicits strong feelings and very different perspectives. The followingare suggestions for ways to respond effectively to situations that mightoccur in workshops on race.

Arguments: Interrupt theargumentand take this opportunity to point out that differences of opinion comeout of different life experiences and represent what we mean by'diversity.'Remind the group participants about the ground rules they agreed upon.Then move on.

Dominating the discussion:Interveneand point out that the discussion should benefit from the input of manypeople. Mention that any discussion about differences is most valuablewhen many perspectives are involved.

One-sided discussions: If yousense that there are opposing views that could benefit the discussion butthat participants are reluctant to express, welcome them to speak bymakinga comment that introduces the opposing view. You might begin by saying,'I could really see how someone might feel that . . . .'

Speech-making: Try not to allowparticipants to ramble or preach to the rest of the group. You might guideparticipants, for example, by directing them to focus on what they havelearned from the workshop experience itself.

Emotional outbursts: Allow theparticipant to express him or herself, then validate what has been saidby restating what you heard.

Difficult questions or comments(contributed by Hugh Vasquez): Before conducting a workshop, think aboutwhat kinds of responses from participants might be difficult for you. Thefollowing are examples of comments that may (or may not) be challengingto facilitators; use them to stimulate your thinking about what statementsyou might find difficult and how you would respond.

'This makes me realize we haven’tcome very far in this society . . . all the work done in the civil rightsdays was a waste.'The

'I’m so tired of hearing about howbad people of color have it.'

'This workshop is too focused on whitepeople, it’s always the white people who have to change—what about racismfrom people of color toward whites?'

'I agree with the white students whosaid they should not be held responsible for what their grandparents did—Ishould not be blamed for the past either.'

'This brought back painful memoriesof being taught that I (as a person of color) was not goodenough.'

'I could have heard the point betterif he/she hadn’t been so angry—if he/she would just say it differently,then I could hear it.'

'I think we all just need to overlookour differences and just treat each other like humanbeings.'

Sample workshopoutline

Variations on the following formatfor presenting 'The Color of Fear,' based on Peggy McIntosh’srecommendations,have been used successfully in a variety of settings. Facilitators maywant to vary the format for their purposes. The questions posed toparticipants,for example, could be fine-tuned for specific settings, or a follow-upsession could be planned for discussion of other questions.

The crucial feature of the format weoffer here is that it allows all participants to speak and listen to oneanother’s responses to the video. This format takes about two and a halfhours. The video is shown in three half-hour segments, and the remaininghour allows short breaks for participants to reflect on and speak abouttheir responses. 'Serial testimony,' an effective technique for bringingforward divergent viewpoints, is described on page 9.

  1. Welcome and Introduction (15min.)


    2. Introduce the purposes of theworkshopand the video. You may want to use a warm-up exercise to help theparticipantsbecome engaged with one another and with the topic. (See, as an example,'Colloquialisms' on page 8.)

  2. Video—'The Color of Fear,' Part I (30min.)
  3. Reflection (5 min.)
Participants write their responsesto the question: With whom do you most identify in the video?Why?V. 'The Color of Fear,' Part II (30min.)
  1. Serial Testimony (20min.)
What’s scary or hard about talking aboutrace?After writing about this question,participants speak in turn as the others listen. (For this stage,facilitatorsmay wish to break the participants into small groups.)VII. 'The Color of Fear,' Part III (30min.)

VIII. Serial Testimony (20min.)

What was a moment in the film thatyou won’t forget, and why? What did that moment teach you?

Participants write about thisquestion,then speak in turn as the other participants listen.

Colloquialisms: A Warm-UpExercise

P. Coleman-Boatwright

J. Boatwright

Colloquialism: a local or regionaldialect expression.
The Color Of FearProcess

Individuals in the group are eachgivenan index card.

Each person is asked to write aphrase,expression, slang, or tradition that is unique to theirethnic/racial/culturalbackground. They are also informed that these cards will be collected andshared with the group.

Cards are collected by the facilitatorand randomly read aloud (or cards can be exchanged within the group andread aloud). Number of cards read aloud may vary depending upon the timeavailable.

Individuals are asked to identifytheirterm after each is read, and explain the significance tothem.

Example: 'High Yaller'—a fair-skinnedAfrican American.

Time frames

Six minutes to individually think ofand write down a statement.

Ten minutes (or more) to sharestatementswith the group.

Serial Testimony

Testimony: bearing witness, givingevidence; speaking the truth of one’s experience and perspective; bearingresponsibility for one’s own truth.This group activity is very simple inconcept: the facilitator poses a question, and each participant speaksin turn without reaction from other group members. Under other names(Quakerdialogue, Claremont dialogue), this technique has been used for manyyears,particularly in settings (such as international relations institutes)wherethe participants’ views may diverge so radically that they have difficultyhearing each other.

This technique does not aim to solvelarge problems or create intimacy among participants. In small, cohesivegroups that already have a high degree of trust and agreement, thefacilitatormay wish to use discussion rather than serial testimony. The strength ofthis method is that it challenges participants to speak their own truthwhile protecting individuals from becoming the focus of discussion. Byproviding the opportunity for everyone to hear a wide diversity ofperspectives,serial testimony can be remarkably effective in building participants’mutual respect.

As simple as this technique is, tomany participants it will feel unnatural, especially in settings wherethey are accustomed to discussion. The facilitator must carefully preparethe group in advance. Ask the participants to honor the following groundrules:

  • Listen to each other with respect,withoutinterrupting to comment or ask questions.
  • Speak about your own thoughts, reactions,feelings, and experiences, not those of others.
  • During your turn, do not comment on whatothers have said before you.
You might tell the group that they willprobably have strong reactions to the process; ask them to hold onto andreflect on their thoughts and feelings. Assure them that there will beample opportunity to continue the dialogue in othersettings.

Move systematically through the roomrather than asking for volunteers to speak. You may want to use a TalkingStick (see below) to reinforce the ground rules. Allow people to pass ifthey wish to do so; return to those who pass after everyone else hasspokento see if they now wish to speak. If someone speaks out of turn, thefacilitatorshould gently but firmly restate the ground rules; otherwise, thefacilitator,too, should refrain from comment.

Closing serial testimony may be donein several ways:

A minute (or more) ofsilence

A minute (or more) for participantsto write their reactions

A few minutes of debriefing about theexperience or open discussion in response to an overall question aboutthe workshop

Talking Stick

Using any item available—a marker,paper cup, or rolled up piece of paper—establish the rule thatparticipantsspeak only when they have this object in their hand. After one personspeaks,the item gets passed to the next person.

V. Bibliography

The Color Of Fear Plot

The following is a preliminary (andvery partial) list of monographs and essay collections recommended fortheir relevance to the issues raised in 'The Color of Fear.' Please sendany additional recommendations to gray@tcnj.edufor inclusion in future editions of this packet.

Adams, Maurianne, Lee Anne Bell,and Pat Griffin, eds. Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice: ASourcebook.Routledge, 1997.

Aguirre, Adalberto, Jr., and DavidV. Baker, eds. Structured Inequality in the United States: Discussionson the Continuing Significance of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender.Prentice-Hall,2000.

Crenshaw, Kimberle, Neil Gotanda,GarryPeller, Kendall Thomas, eds. Critical Race Theory : The Key Writingsthat Formed the Movement. New Press, 1996.

Delgado, Richard, and Jean Stefancic,eds. Critical White Studies: Looking Behind the Mirror. TempleUniversityPress, 1997.

Delgado, Richard, and Jean Stefancic,eds. Critical Race Theory : The Cutting Edge. Temple UniversityPress, 2000.

Fine, Michelle, Lois Weis, Linda C.Powell, and L. Mun Wong, eds. Off White: Readings on Race, Power, andSociety. Routledge, 1997.

Frankenberg, Ruth. The SocialConstructionof Whiteness: White Women, Race Matters. Minnesota,1993.

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of theOppressed.Continuum, 2000. (New edition of the classic text on inclusivepedagogy.)

Funderburg, Lise. Black, White,Other: Biracial Americans Talk about Race and Identity. William Morrowand Co., 1994.

Hutado, Aida. The Color ofPrivilege:Three Blasphemies on Race and Feminism. University of Michigan Press,1999.

Jacobson, Matthew Frye. Whitenessof a Different Color: European Immigrants and the Alchemy of Race.Harvard University Press, 1998.

Kincheloe, Joe, and Shirley Steinberg,eds. White Reign: Deploying Whiteness in America. St. Martin’sPress,2000.

McCarthy, Cameron, and WarrenCrichlow,eds. Race, Identity and Representation in Education. Routledge,1993.

Minnich, Elizabeth. TransformingKnowledge. Temple University Press, 1991.

Segrest, Mab. Memoir of a RaceTraitor.South End Press, 1994.

The Color Of Fear

Shor, Ira. Freire for theClassroom.Heinemann, 1987.

Smith, Lillian. Killers of theDream.W.W. Norton, 1994.

Sollors, Werner. Beyond Ethnicity:Consent and Descent in American Culture. Oxford University Press,1986.

Color of Fear Discussion - Whites For Racial Equity “The Color of Fear” is a film about the pain and anguish that racism has caused in the lives of 8 North American men of Asian, European, Latino,...

Takaki, Ronald. Iron Cages : Raceand Culture in Nineteenth-Century America. Reprint ed., OxfordUniversityPress, 2000.

Wink, Joan. Critical Pedagogy:Notesfrom the Real World. 2nd edition. Longman,2000.

Community Ethic Against RacismWebsiteThe color of fear lee mun wah

http://www.tcnj.edu/~kpearson/color/color.html

This website, mounted by Kim Pearson, offers links to resources forinclusive pedagogy and curriculum. We envision it as a seed for acampus-wideinternet resource on diversity.

VI. Readings

The Color Of Fear Summary

Peggy McIntosh, 'White Privilege:Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.'

The Color Of Fear Summary

A longer version of thisgroundbreakingessay, titled 'White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account ofComing to See Correspondences Through Work in Women’s Studies,' appearsin several anthologies, including Race, Class, and Gender: AnAnthology,edited by Margaret L. Andersen and Patricia Hill Collins (3rded., Wadsworth, 1997 ).

'The Construct We Call ‘Race’'(excerpt).www.afn.org/~dks/race/index.html.

MichaelRobertson, 'A Newer White Consciousness,'from Unbound.

The Color Of Fear 1

Beverly Daniel Tatum, 'Teaching WhiteStudents about Racism: The Search for White Allies and the Restorationof Hope,' from Teachers College Record 95:1 (Summer1991).

Connie Titone, 'Educating the WhiteTeacher as Ally,' from White Reign: Deploying Whiteness in America,edited by Joe Kincheloe, Shirley Steinberg, Nelson Rodriguez, and RonaldChennault (St. Martin’s Press, 1998).

Kathleen Manning and PatriceColeman-Boatwright,'Student Affairs Initiatives Toward a Multicultural University,' fromJournalof College Student Development 32 (July 1991).

John A. Powell andS. P. Udayakumar,'Race, Poverty, and Globalization,' Poverty and Race Research ActionCouncil, May-June 2000.

The Color Of Fear Vimeo

The film shown in class, The Color of Fear, featured a focus group of men representing multicultural America, who held an open and often frank discussion of racial issues in the United States. Among the many topics and issues mentioned included the notion of White over Black, or persons of color. Closely related to this is White Supremacy and White Privilege. Other things mentioned by the participants include: being invisible, disregarded, ignored, that minorities held themselves back from progress, and color-blindness to name but a few. In the interest of previewing the content of this course, what was it about the film that got your initial attention, revealed something new in the discussion of race and racism, or made you think closer about everyday events in your personal experience?

The Color Of Fear Youtube


Reflecting back on the movie and the end of the quarter and all the things I have learned through out, the part of the film that got my initial attention was David. To me he summed up the saying “ignorance is bliss”. He seemed to come from a world where in his mind, equal opportunity was everywhere and he felt very strong about the best person for the job should be the one that gets it based on qualifications not skin color. In actuality, the world outside his own small town was quite the opposite. Minorities that he would consider a friend and look at the same as he would a white person where getting treated bad in some cases and would have to deal with the “white man” always trying to get him down. Working in a job that is culturally diverse, what made me think closer about my everyday events is that how good it is to be able to live in an environment where I don’t have to worry about the color of my skin being a hindrance or a negative effect on me being able to perform my job or even getting...