Hi Nancie, I agree with Patrick in that Open Space is not a movement and that what really matters is contact, genuine contact, one being with another. As soon as we have labels, we have restraints.Labels sometimes, though, help to develop our consciousness about what is acceptable and what is not, and is an ingredient challenging us to transform, transcend, create new. Sounds to me like you have a lot of passion to do just that. And I encourage you to follow what is stirring in your heart.
I have facilitated many Open Space events. Many have had beautiful mixes of people, real cultural and racial diversity. One event in particular had 52 different cultural groups. Someone said it was like the United Nations. Many have been trained in facilitating Open Space. Whether they are making money at it or not, I've never asked. I concur with your observations that many social activist movements in North America end up with mostly white people. So, here is my most recent story. I hope it helps. On this past weekend I facilitated an Open Space Technology meeting to do with a social issue. The community representation was great--meaning that instead of a disproportionate number of agencies to the people who the services were to be provided for, the majority were the people. 1 % though, were non-white. just as you say. For me, the good good news is that the people themselves identified as one of their topics that they would not move forward in their planning until they could figure out how to address/involve the total cultural diversity and socio economic diversity of the community. The invitations had been clear, distributed in many languages, in print and in every way that the planning group could think of getting word out. And still the diversity had not come out to the meeting. And the people NOTICED. And are saying it is not okay and they will reach out and reach out until they figure out how to make contact, interact with each other, and work together. This was a top vote getter in the convergence process and was the predominant passionate outcome of the meeting. There will be more meetings, more open spaces that emerge from this initial one. In my experience, and with the will of the people from the first one, they will find a way to be sure there is a diverse mix of people at these future planning meetings. They have clearly said they will not move forward until there is. I believe that through the freedom, allowing and choice made available through Open Space Technology, we have outcomes like this. I don't know of another way of holding a meeting that would have had this emerge from the people in the strong passionate way that it did. Kindest regards, Birgitt Birgitt Williams Make Genuine Contact! Dalar Associates: organizational effectiveness consultants Striving for Success? Ready to exceed your expectations? Contact us for consulting services, training, conference and meeting facilitation, and keynote speaking. www.openspacetechnology.com <http://www.openspacetechnology.com> -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of biver Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2000 10:09 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Racism and Open Space Hi folks! I'm new to Open Space and have been exploring it as a way to build university-community relationships. This has given me the opportunity and the necessity to take a serious look at racism and the way it is affecting us - in terms of who has power, how service systems ultimately breed dependency, debilitating affects of the criminal justice system, just to name a few things. I'm also new to understanding the construct of institutionalized racism in the US. So I've been thinking about the role Open Space does/could play in all of this. I can see how open space can provide a way out of our racist constructs in that - it breaks down power. Anyone willing to take personal responsibility can have power. But where I'm wondering about the limitations includes that many of the groups that we collectively work with are doing open space within their own boxes - that is, Public health is still public health talking about how they can do health to poor communities rather than inviting those directly affected to participate in the open space. This is clearly a limitation.... not sure what to do with it and what it means for open space collectively... I'm also wondering if there are any people of color out there in open space land benefitting from the monetary fruits and labor of open space. And if not, why not? As this has been my year to begin to become more politically and socially aware, I can't help but notice that in the United States the environmental movement, the spirituality/new age movement, the sustainability movement, and community service movement include mostly white people. Is the Open Space movement the same way? This book that I'm reading called Undoing Racism says that until we "undo racism" that everything else that we do will be for the benefit of white people. That was obviously true with the women's movement - we should have called it the white women's movement. I am also noticing the community service movement includes a majority of white people - incidently doing service mostly for people of color. Is the Open Space movement capable of taking us out of the boxes that we're doing open space in - you know what I'm saying?? Can Open Space move the movement beyond racism as well as the limiting organizations/business we're working with? I would be very receptive to some dialogue about this. Open Space and Racism seem to be the focal points of my research that I'm wrapping up and can't help but question things.... And it seems like an important thing to question... Nancie T. Biver National Service Fellow America's Promise and Higher Education [email protected] www.tulane.edu/~amerprom 504-862-8000 x1538 New Orleans, LA "There are those who see the world as it is and ask, Why? And there are those who see the world as it could be and ask, Why not?" -George Bernard Shaw
