The Race, Power and Privilege Action Learning Set invites you to awaken or re-awaken your engagement with anti-racism and to define and be part of change.

When George Floyd was murdered on 25th May 2020, I was defined as ‘extremely clinically vulnerable’ and was ‘shielding’ away from the world, my work as a consultant in low and middle income countries felt uncertain and I was horrified at how so many people watched George Floyd’s life be taken from him as if it was a form of entertainment. And then, the uprising began. It was as if the world was awaking, stretching, yawning and opening their eyes to the truth that not all lives matter until Black lives’ matter. At the same time, I had just joined an Interesting Women Action Learning Set, facilitated by Janice McNamara an alumnus of Action Learning Associates . I used my opportunity as a presenter to reflect on who I would be in a post-Covid world and the interconnectedness of changed work and personal identities. Gecas (1982) argues that “Identity refers to the various meanings attached to oneself by self and others” (Ibarra and Petriglieri 2010: 11) based on social roles, group memberships, personal traits and conduct. My identity, my social roles, group memberships, traits and conduct as a Strong Black Woman had been dented by the government-imposed ‘extremely clinically vulnerable’ label and the rising Black Lives Matter movement made me restless. I was involved in establishing a BLM task group within a consultancy group I am part of. I had given a personal testimony in another workplace and saw that whilst there was a desire to learn and do the right thing, there was also a squeamishness about talking frankly about race. In July 2020, I joined Action Learning Associates’ Virtual Action Learning Set Facilitator Course. I had just completed my MSc in Coaching and Mentoring, was doing an increasing amount of online facilitation. I had enjoyed being an Action Learning Set (ALS) participant so thought this could be my lock-down project and a key to different work opportunities. As the training progressed, I began to see the potential for ALSs as a safe space to hold frank conversations about race which provide a structure to move beyond talking about race to making commitments to act towards a more racially just world. Between October 2020 and January 2021 I ran a series of 6 ALSs on Race, Power and Privilege for child protection and safeguarding consultants to see if ALSs could indeed contribute to changes in ways of working which shift power towards increased racial equity. These sessions contributed to my Reflective Learning Log and ILM accreditation achieved through Action Learning Associates. The ALS was well received. Each set member identified personal and professional opportunities to do something which contributes to increased racial justice. A formal follow-up session was held to reflect on the ALS process and celebrate the progress each person was making. The group has evolved to a self-sustaining group to share resources, ask questions, share challenges and honour the changes being made. At the end of the ALSs Corinne Davey, Director GCPS Consulting, provided this feedback: "Angie’s facilitation of the ALS really created the space for us as individuals and as a set to move our thinking and action forward. The ALS process helped us examine what we thought we could do and pushed us to consider what we perhaps thought we couldn’t do! I found it one of the most transformative processes I’ve been through and within a safe space that feels supportive as well as providing the necessary challenge to help us make change." The word transformative jumped out at me and I remembered Mezirow’s ten phases of transformative learning (2009) (see image). In looking again at Mezirow’s (2009) transformative learning theory I began to see potential answers to the efficacy of the ALSs. Mezirow describes ‘transformative learning’ as the transformation of problematic frames of reference making them more open to change and generating new and helpful beliefs and opinions. Transformative learning changes the whole individual (or identity) through critical self-reflection and participation in discourse to evaluate underlying problematic beliefs which create new insights, understandings and actions. I believe the Race, Power and Privilege Action Learning Sets provide opportunities for transformative learning: Disorientating dilemma The death of George Floyd, the acknowledgement of personal and structural racism (Eddi-Lodge, 2018) acts as a disorientating dilemma for those who chose to join the Race, Power and Privilege ALS. Self-examination The sets offer a safe space for self-examination by the presenter, the listeners, and indeed me as the facilitator. Critical assessment of assumptions Members critically assess the racialised assumptions of power. Recognition that one’s discontent and process of transformation is shared Members normalise the feelings of discomfort generated by reflecting on race as part of the process of transformation. Exploration of options for new roles, relationships and actions- The sets provide a venue to think about how best to do things differently. Planning a course of action Members identify and commit to actions. Acquiring knowledge and skills for implementing one’s plan Each ALS ends with the sharing of ‘gifts’ where listeners give the presenter feedback, or resources which supports the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Provisional trying of new roles Members use their roles in the sets as presenter and listener to practice new ways of working, new roles, to test out ideas, experiment with, and experience new roles. Building competence and self-confidence in new roles and relationships The check-in at the start of each ALS enables members to share their experiences of trying out their new roles in the world and workplace. The recognition and celebration of these changes is confidence and competence building. A reintegration into one's life on the basis of conditions dictated by one's new perspective The new awareness and new patterns of behaviour become more ingrained into members’ behaviours and actions and they learn to act in a new more racially aware way. One year on from the murder of George Floyd, I am about to run more Race, Power and Privilege Action Learning Sets. I will be more conscious of the transformative learning these offer as racialised oppression is disrupted set member by set member. References Eddi-Lodge R (2018), Why I am no longer talking to white people about race, expanded edition, London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Ibarra H, Petriglieri J L, (2010), ‘Identity work and play’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 23 Iss: 1 pp. 10 – 25 Mezirow J (2009 ) Transformative Learning Theory in Mezirow J, Taylor EW and Associates (eds) Practice Insights from Community, Workplace, and Higher Education, 1st edition, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Join a Race, Power and Privilege Action Learning Sets click contact me below:

Facilitator Reflections and Actions

Reflections on childhood racism