Real Talk: Mapping our Identities Through Personal Narrative | Diana Moreno | TEDxUF

Summary

The speaker recounts her journey from Ecuador to the U.S., highlighting the stark contrast between her expectations and the reality of racial and social identity in her new home. She emphasizes the transformative power of storytelling and dialogue in understanding and embracing diverse identities. As an educator, she fosters open conversations among college students about identity and social issues, using ground rules to encourage vulnerability and active listening. The goal is to cultivate global citizens who are aware of their interconnectedness and the collective nature of societal issues.

Takeaways

• 🏡 The speaker moved from Ecuador to the United States as a child, expecting a life like in 'Full House', but faced unexpected challenges due to her race and immigration status.
• 🌟 She was a bright child and a leader in Ecuador, but in the US, her new environment led to her being underestimated by teachers.
• 🌧 The speaker felt lost and stereotyped in her new home, comparing it to being dropped in the woods with a blindfold and no map.
• 🗣️ She learned to navigate her new identity by listening to stereotypes and media representations, which were limited and often problematic.
• 🌈 The power of storytelling and listening to others' stories became her compass, helping her understand her identities and find her place.
• 🎓 In college, she found community and empowerment through the feminist movement, which used 'Consciousness raising' to connect personal experiences to collective issues.
• 🤝 The speaker emphasizes the importance of dialogue and connection across differences, which can lead to solidarity and a broader understanding of social issues.
• 👩‍🏫 Now as an educator, she creates spaces for college students to explore their identities and social issues through facilitated conversations.
• 📋 She uses ground rules like 'Step Up, Step Back' and 'Call In, Don't Call Out' to foster an environment of respect, vulnerability, and learning.
• 🌍 The ultimate goal is to prepare students to be global citizens who understand the interconnectedness of liberation and the importance of dialogue across differences.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial perception of moving to the United States?

The speaker initially perceived moving to the United States as an exciting opportunity, associating it with the glamorous life depicted in TV shows like 'Full House' and living in beautiful Victorian homes.

How did the speaker's experiences in the United States differ from her expectations?

The speaker's experiences in the United States were marked by challenges related to her skin color, accent, and immigration status, which led to her being underestimated by her new teachers, contrary to her initial expectations of a bright and trouble-free life.

What did the speaker feel upon realizing the stereotypes and limited representation of her identity in the media?

The speaker felt a sense of being lost and not understood, as the stereotypes and limited representation in the media did not accurately reflect her experiences or identity.

How did the speaker navigate her new social identities in the United States?

The speaker navigated her new social identities by listening to her surroundings, learning which identities were punishable or worth hiding, and through self-reflection and conversations.

What role did storytelling play in the speaker's journey of self-discovery?

Storytelling played a crucial role in the speaker's journey of self-discovery by allowing her to connect with others, validate her experiences, and understand that her problems were collective rather than individual.

What is the concept of 'Consciousness raising' as mentioned in the script?

Consciousness raising is an organizing strategy adopted from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, where speaking one's truth and listening to others' experiences helps make connections, validate experiences, and recognize collective issues.

Why did the speaker transition from activism with a megaphone to facilitating conversations in a classroom?

The speaker transitioned to facilitate conversations in a classroom to help students understand their identities and social issues through dialogue, which she found to be a powerful tool for personal growth and social change.

What are the ground rules the speaker establishes for dialogue in her classroom?

The ground rules include agreeing on expectations, flexibility, stepping up or stepping back based on one's identity and privilege, calling each other in instead of calling out, owning one's words and their impact, and actively listening.

Why is it important to 'call in' rather than 'call out' during conversations, according to the speaker?

Calling in is important because it encourages dialogue and learning rather than shutting it down, allowing for an educational opportunity to understand and address problematic statements or behaviors.

How does the speaker define active listening in the context of her classroom discussions?

Active listening, as defined by the speaker, involves genuinely seeking to understand another person's perspective, listening to understand rather than just preparing a response.

What is the ultimate goal of the dialogue and learning environment the speaker creates in her classroom?

The ultimate goal is to prepare students to be successful global citizens who are conscious of each other's humanity, understand the power of their voice, and the importance of listening to others, recognizing that individual liberation is connected to collective liberation.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Identity and Stereotypes

The speaker recounts their childhood move from Ecuador to the United States, expecting a life akin to 'Full House.' However, they faced challenges due to their skin color, accent, and immigrant status, which led to misconceptions about their intelligence. The new environment felt like being lost without a map, prompting the speaker to rely on stereotypes and media representations to navigate their identity. The speaker emphasizes the importance of storytelling as a tool for self-discovery and understanding, which they learned through their involvement in the feminist movement. They describe 'Consciousness raising,' a strategy adopted from the Civil Rights Movement, as a way to connect personal experiences to collective issues, fostering solidarity and a broader social and political awareness.

05:00

🗣️ Facilitating Dialogue and Ground Rules

The speaker, now a college educator, discusses strategies for facilitating dialogue among students about identity and social issues. They emphasize the importance of creating a safe space for open and honest conversation, which requires vulnerability, honesty, and courage. The speaker outlines 'ground rules' to foster this dialogue, including establishing group agreements, flexibility to adapt as conversations evolve, and the importance of active listening. They introduce the concept of 'Step Up, Step Back,' encouraging participants to either increase or decrease their participation based on their level of privilege or representation. The speaker also addresses how to handle disagreements or offensive comments through 'calling in' rather than 'calling out,' promoting educational opportunities and personal growth. They stress the need for participants to own their impact and to educate themselves on any harm they may have caused.

10:02

🌐 Preparing for Global Citizenship

The speaker argues for the importance of preparing students to be global citizens who are aware of and can work across differences. They refute the notion that such dialogues are merely coddling students, asserting that the goal is to empower a generation that understands the interconnectedness of liberation. The speaker believes in the necessity of confronting issues like racism, misogyny, and queerphobia, and the importance of recognizing one's own privilege. They aim to create an environment where students can learn from each other's experiences, fostering a sense of global community and the understanding that individual success is tied to collective well-being.

Keywords

💡Identity

Identity in the context of the video refers to the aspects of one's self that are shaped by various social, cultural, and personal factors. It is central to the video's theme as the speaker discusses how her identities were perceived differently when she moved to a new country. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding one's own identity and how it can change based on societal perceptions and stereotypes.

💡Privilege

Privilege is the unearned benefits or advantages that some individuals or groups possess due to societal structures. In the video, the speaker reflects on the identities that afford her privilege and those that do not. The concept is used to illustrate the power dynamics and inequalities that exist in society, and how acknowledging privilege can lead to a more equitable dialogue.

💡Stereotypes

Stereotypes are oversimplified and generalized beliefs about a particular group of people. The video discusses how stereotypes influenced the speaker's experience and how they limited her representation in the media. Stereotypes are highlighted as a barrier to understanding and embracing the complexity of individual identities.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling is the act of sharing personal narratives or experiences. The video emphasizes the power of storytelling as a tool for self-discovery and connection with others. The speaker shares how storytelling helped her navigate her identities and find her place in a new cultural context, as well as how it can be a catalyst for social change.

💡Feminist Movement

The Feminist Movement is a social and political movement that advocates for gender equality and women's rights. In the video, the speaker's involvement in the feminist movement is pivotal to her understanding of identity and social issues. It is where she learns about consciousness raising, a strategy that emphasizes the importance of sharing and listening to personal experiences to build solidarity.

💡Consciousness Raising

Consciousness Raising is a strategy used in social movements to foster awareness and understanding of shared issues. The video describes how this approach, adopted from the Civil Rights Movement, involves open dialogue about personal experiences to reveal commonalities and collective problems. It is a key method for the speaker in facilitating conversations about identity and social issues.

💡Solidarity

Solidarity is the unity and agreement among individuals or groups based on shared interests, objectives, or sympathies. The video speaks to the importance of solidarity in recognizing and addressing the interconnectedness of personal and collective struggles. It is a concept that emerges from the shared storytelling and dialogue in the feminist movement.

💡Vulnerability

Vulnerability is the state of being open to attack or damage but also refers to the willingness to show one's true feelings or experiences. In the video, vulnerability is presented as a necessary component of deep and meaningful dialogue. It is through vulnerability that individuals can connect authentically and challenge societal norms.

💡Active Listening

Active Listening is the practice of fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and then remembering what is being said. The video stresses the importance of active listening in facilitating dialogue across differences. It is described as seeking to understand another's perspective, which is crucial for creating an environment where all voices can be heard and respected.

💡Discomfort

Discomfort in the video refers to the unease or challenge that arises when confronting new ideas or perspectives that differ from one's own. The speaker encourages embracing discomfort as a means to grow and learn, arguing that it is through such challenges that individuals can unlearn biases and develop a more inclusive understanding of the world.

💡Global Citizenship

Global Citizenship is the idea of being part of a global community and recognizing the interdependence of people across the world. The video discusses the importance of preparing students to be global citizens who can work across differences. This concept is tied to the broader theme of understanding and respecting diverse identities as a means to foster a more connected and empathetic world.

Highlights

The speaker reminisces about moving from Ecuador to the United States at age 11, expecting a life like 'Full House' but facing unexpected challenges.

The initial expectation of an upper middle class existence with no racial tensions was quickly dispelled upon moving to the US.

The speaker's teachers underestimated her intelligence due to her skin color, accent, and immigration status.

The realization that social identities can change dramatically in a new environment was a significant shock.

The metaphor of being dropped in the woods with a blindfold and no map illustrates the disorientation of the speaker's new life.

The importance of listening to one's surroundings and media representation in understanding one's identity is emphasized.

The speaker learned which of her identities were 'punishable' and which might be worth hiding.

Self-reflection and conversations led to the understanding of identities that afford privilege and safety.

The power of storytelling and listening to others' stories was discovered through involvement in the feminist movement.

Consciousness raising, an organizing strategy from the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, is introduced.

The realization that individual problems are often collective was a powerful moment in the feminist organizing meeting.

The speaker's work with college students involves facilitated conversations around identity and social issues.

The necessity for creating an environment that promotes dialogue and vulnerability among diverse groups is discussed.

Ground rules for dialogue are introduced, including the agreement on expectations and flexibility.

The 'Step Up, Step Back' rule encourages equitable participation in discussions based on privilege and representation.

The concept of 'calling in' rather than 'calling out' to maintain dialogue and educate is explained.

Owning up to the impact of one's words and actions, even if unintentionally harmful, is crucial for growth.

Active listening is emphasized as a key component of effective dialogue.

Discomfort in conversations is necessary for challenging preconceived notions and learning from different experiences.

The speaker's goal is to empower a generation conscious of each other's humanity through dialogue.

The importance of understanding that liberation is interconnected and not an individualistic pursuit is highlighted.

Transcripts

[Music]

when I was 11 years old my family

decided to move from Kito Ecuador's

bustling Capital City to a sleepy little

town in Central Florida I remember to

this day the dayi Papi came to pick me

up from school and very casually asked

me what I thought about moving to Los

estos unidos are you kidding me I

thought the place where DJ Tanner lives

in those gorgeous Victorian homes duh I

thought it would fit right in I mean I

was a pretty bright kid president of my

sixth grade class hula hoop Champion not

to brag or

anything um but you know I whenever we

moved to the states even though I

thought this bright kid right here would

have a life that looked like a episode

of Full House with the golden retriever

an upper middle class existence with no

racial tensions among friends or

neighbors what what I actually found out

is that there was something about the

color of my skin my accent and my

immigration status that led my new

teachers to believe that I wasn't very

bright who the hell was I in this new

world why didn't anybody bother to

explain how my social identities would

change so dramatically in my new home

kind of felt like being dropped off in

the middle of the woods with a blindfold

and no map so in order to find my way

and figure out where I was I had to

listen to my

surroundings of course that usually

showed up in the form of stereotypes or

the narrow representation of people who

looked like me in the media back in the

early 2000s that looked like

JLo Gypsy from Gilmore Girls I don't

know if she was even at next but it was

pretty limited and of course then

there's what I learned from my family

and my community

so pretty quickly I learned which of my

identities not back to that one which of

my identities were punishable right

which which of my identities were

perhaps even worth

hiding later on with lots of

self-reflection and through

conversations I also learned that I

embody lots of identities that I don't

even have to think about because they

afford me lots of privilege and a sense

of safety simply because they're

considered the

norm in this long journey back to myself

I found that the most reliable and

efficient Compass was really the power

of of Storytelling and and the power of

listening to the sto stories of others

and the way that I learned about the

power of story was actually through my

involvement in the feminist movement I

remember as a college student being

invited to a feminist organizing meeting

and I was ready to go I had my megaphone

I had my markers I was ready to make

some signs I was ready for an action but

instead I actually walked into a room

full of women who sat around around and

we talked about our lived experiences

and how they related to a particular

topic later I actually found out this

approach is called Consciousness raising

and it's a organizing strategy that the

feminist movement adopted from the Civil

Rights Movement of the

1960s the IDE the idea here is that by

speaking your truth and listening to the

truth of others you're actually making

connections and validating your own

experience while figuring out that those

ex those problems that you thought were

individual problems they're not

individual but Collective so it was very

powerful for me to realize in that room

full of women that I'm not the only one

who feels overlooked or silence and

male-dominated

spaces but in those spaces of dialogue

and connection I was also able to hear

from women whose experiences were

different from mine and who did not

share the same identities as I it

created a space for solidarity their

issues became my issues for the first

time I saw my existence in in the larger

social and political context and it made

me feel

grounded of course recently I traded my

megaphone in for the classroom now I

work with lots of college students

helping them figure themselves out

through this sort of facilitated

conversations around identity and social

issues usually we expect for kids to

have to do that on their own right by

bumping into circumstances experiences

or people that are either going to

reinforce or punish them depending on

what identities they hold so you have

queer children in latinx households who

learn pretty early on that masculinity

is at the top of the gender hierarchy

and to hide any inclination towards the

feminine or you have upper middle class

children who see themselves reflected in

their neighborhoods in their schools on

television and they might assume hey

nobody has to worry about paying the

bills on time or getting that second job

to pay for

tuition so these are snapshots of

reality that usually form a pretty

unreliable and incomplete map that

really don't allow us to know exactly

where we stand and where our peers

stand so we come together in a group

full of people from diverse backgrounds

to begin to unravel those multiple and

complicated layers of identity that make

us who we

are all right I'm not going to lie to

you this is a pretty powerful process

but it also requires a lot of

vulnerability a lot of honesty and a lot

of

Courage but let's get down to business

how do I get a bunch of 18 to 21 year

olds to sit around and share their

deepest and most personal stories in a

room full of their

peers I'll tell you

how free

pizza n I'm just kidding I'm just

kidding my students are back there

saying like she never brought pizza for

us what are you talking about no

actually the way we set up this magical

sounding plays is pretty straightforward

we got to create expectations that are

going to promote this type of dialogue

and and really encourage

vulnerability I'll call them ground

rules and there's only a couple

conditions to make them work first they

got to be agreed upon by the group we

have to come to a collective decision on

what what they will

be secondly they got to be flexible so

we can add to them take away or edit

them as the conversation develops and as

we see fit but usually in my experience

they end up looking a little something

like

this first we we got to agree on

expectations because when we come into a

room with a group that has very

different experiences from our own but

we know that we're there for the same

reason we know that we're there to delve

deep into identity and talk about social

issues that matter to us well then it's

much easier for us to develop trust it's

much easier for us to give openness and

to receive that openness and to address

any issues that might

arise of course we also want to ask our

participants to be aware of how they

show up how do they take up space in the

room right and we use this little rule

called Step Up step back so for example

if you're someone like me who does not

mind raising their hands and always

participating and you're just ready to

go you're an extrovert or if you have

identities that are privileged or belong

to a dominant group what we ask you to

challenge yourself step back maybe take

some moments to listen conversely if

you're more in the introverted side of

things if you're a little shy or if you

hold identities that have been

historically under represented well we

ask you to step up challenge yourself to

really have your voice heard that way

we're modeling an equitable environment

in which all voices can be

honored of course in that room full of

people that are different somebody's

bound to say something you disagree with

right somebody's bound to maybe say

something that is even considered

problematic or offensive so how do we

keep each other accountable well we ask

for folks to call each other in in

instead of calling each other out now

why is that I know that calling out is

sort of this natural response to hearing

something problematic but it really

shuts down dialogue alog together and it

really is not it fails to give us that

educational opportunity that we're

looking for right so what's the

difference how do we call someone in

instead of calling them out well for

example if someone says something that I

hear pretty commonly hey I don't see

color right I can respond by saying you

know color blindness is actually a form

of racism that perpetuates white

supremacy I could I could do that or I

could say something a little bit like so

I'm wondering where you learn that from

could you speak a little bit more about

you know where that comes from because

as a person of color actually my race

and ethnicity are a pretty important

part of my identity and they're a

positive part of my identity So when you

say something like you don't see color

it kind of makes me feel like maybe you

don't see my experiences you see the

difference

there of course um if you do say

something that is harmful or hurtful to

someone we got to make sure that we own

up to it so we have to own not just the

intention of our words but also the

impact that they might have on someone

how does that happen well if we

acknowledge that the words or actions

that we might have done have been

hurtful that's the first step

acknowledging accepting and of course

educating ourselves on what it is that

we might have done wrong now we don't

want to put the educate the labor of

educating you back on the person that

you might have hurt right so we want to

make sure that we're responsible for

educating ourselves and then of course

doing better next time that's the most

important part but none of these rules

are really going to work if we don't use

that Golden Rule of conversation and

dialogue which is to actively

listen what does it look like to listen

actively instead of just kind of hearing

what someone has to say well the easiest

way to describe it is really to try to

genuinely seek to understand someone

else's perspective listening to

understand not just to respond to what a

person's saying pretty simple right well

actually it takes a lot of practice but

it really can change the nature of the

dialogue and really deepen it last but

not least and this one might sound a

little bit weird to

you we have to not just accept but

welcome discomfort in our conversations

now I can already hear my mommy I Miha

what are you going to talk about what

who are you going to make uncomfortable

this time right

cuz we've been conditioned to not really

talk about controversial topics to maybe

prioritize people's Comforts over

meaning in a

conversation but if we're going to

challenge preconceived notions if we are

going to actually learn from people

whose lived experiences are vastly

different from our own we got to give

ourselves room to be a little

uncomfortable because it's uncomfortable

to acknowledge and accept that our

knowledge is partial we don't know

everything and we have to unlearn some

of the things that we've learned in

order to learn what what was

right so this type of approach really

creates the dialogue where connections

can happen where people can learn about

themselves and each other in a space

that is

brave now these are by no means a

comprehensive list of rules right but

maybe they can get you started and

creating the types of environments in

which dialogue across difference can

actually take

place but so what I mean isn't this just

another way to call botle or snowflake

little Millennials into this bubble that

doesn't even mirror real life I mean why

are we teaching them to sit around and

talk about their

feelings well I'll tell you why it's my

job to make sure that my students are

successful citizens of the world right

and that means preparing them for this

world this diverse and Ever Changing

Global

community in my field we call this

learning to work across difference and

usually followed by all this fun

buzzword like creating young adults that

are ready for the global economy or

creating Global Citizens and yes of

course I want to make sure that these

conversations are going to allow my

students to be able to lead people from

diverse backgrounds I know that being

culturally competent is going to make

them great doctors lawyers Educators

legislators let's hope

right but I'm going to be real with

y'all I don't do this to make students

more competitive in today's global

economy or even to make our University

more globally renowned don't tell them I

said

that I'm in the business of creating

this type of learning environments

because I think we're in pretty dire

need of a generation who is conscious of

each other's

Humanity when we facilitate dialogue

across identities that focus on social

issues we're taking the blindfold off to

see ourselves and each other and to know

know that we are connected and you know

what it's not easy to share experiences

and to confront issues like racism

misogyny or

queerphobia it's not easy to confront

our own

privilege but we're not coddling we're

empowering a new generation of students

who will understand the power of their

voice and of listening to the voices of

others so that they may understand that

our Liberation is intrinsically

connected to the liberation of

others