I really appreciated the radical honesty at the "Teaching While Black" #POD20 session on the benefits and challenges of holding affinity spaces in higher ed. Here are some of my reflections from this session, my own work with affinity spaces, and convos with @chandani35

(1) The @vandycft team didn’t encounter resistance in creating an affinity space but this is not true for everyone. Others have had to fight HARD to create these spaces and nothing is more painful than having to convince white folx in power that you deserve to gather w/o them.

(2) Creating an affinity space alone doesn’t solve the problem of racism. BIPOC folx have very different work to do and these spaces are created so we can do that work outside of the #whitegaze. It hard/messy and not everyone is prepared/wants/can afford to do this publicly.

(3) Cultivating #bravespaces are essential because folx will be re-living trauma, recognizing their own trauma for the first time, or experiencing it second-hand, and we need to help them hold this while also pushing HARD against the deficit-narrative of the BIPOC experience.

(4) BIPOC identities/experiences are NOT homogenous - faculty v GSI, intersectional identities, disciplinary contexts and generational ideologies need to be transparently engaged with. Or people will continue to feel invisible/ disrespected in a space designed to do the opposite.

(5) You need skilled BIPOC facilitators to run affinity programs but most CTLs are not diverse. The issue of diversity is not just about recruitment - it is also about creating workplace cultures that support and promote BIPOC into leadership - otherwise they will not stay.

(6) Even if you have BIPOC facilitators, or BIPOC faculty panelists, you need to make sure they are EQUITABLY supported and compensated for their time and emotional labor. While some of us are okay with “taking one for the team” they deserve better. End #culturaltaxation