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Race, Poverty and Justice Questionnaire

The purpose of the questionnaire, which does not identify those who answer it, is to gather information that will help us engage residents across the region in an honest, open and respectful dialogue about race, racism and racial unity. Please take a few minutes to answer these questions. We want to give community residents an opportunity to directly provide their personal knowledge and experience; their views and opinions about what they believe the problems are without repercussions.

We will summarize and share the results of what we learn with you. We will also use the information we gather to plan and hold a regional community forum on Race, Poverty and Justice.

Leaders from government, education, human services, labor, businesess, faith-based communities, and neighborhood residents are encouraged to ask their friends, family, membership and constituents to complete the questionnaire.

1a.    What is the nature of the problem of racism? Select the viewpoint that comes closest to your own. What comes second? Third?
a. History is at the root of the problem: certain groups of people were treated unjustly in the past, and the effects are still with us today.
b. Racism is firmly established in the institutions of our society (businesses, churches, agencies, government, schools, etc.) and it favors whites and works against people of color.
c. The problem is that many people of color lack economic opportunity.
d. Many people of color internalize racism, feel defeated by their race, and don’t have the confidence to take advantage of opportunities to get ahead.
e. Problems exist because people from different racial backgrounds remain separate and our knowledge of each other is filled with inaccurate images in the media and by separate socialization.
f. Leaders pull people of different racial and ethnic groups apart, and do not motivate and unify people who want racial equality.
g. Parents may instill biases in their children, which leads to prejudice, discrimination and, ultimately, racism.
   
1b.    If you have other views, please add here.
 

2a.   What should we do to make progress on race relations? Select the viewpoint that comes closest to your own. What comes second? Third?
a. We must fight prejudice and refuse to tolerate racist behavior and build relationships based upon respect and understanding across racial lines.
b. People of all different racial and ethnic groups need to work together on projects to improve the community and to solve common problems.
c. We must confront the racism in our institutions and promote fairness and equality.
d. We will make real progress on race-related issues only when people of all races accept responsibility for their own lives, overcome the doubts of internalized racism, and strive to fulfill their highest potential.
e. People of color will make the greatest strides by banding together, finding strength in common values and traditions, and pool resources to benefit all people of color.
   
2b.    If you have other views, please add here.
 
3. Which of the groups below do you believe is at most risk of being a target of racism within the community in which you work or live? Which is second? Third?
a. Black/African American
b. Southeast Asians (i.e., Vietnamese, Laotian, Hmong, Cambodian)
c. South Asians/Pacific Islanders (i.e., Indian, Pakistani, Malaysian, Maori)
d. East Asians (i.e., Chinese, Japanese, Korean)
e. American Indian/Native Americans/Alaskan
f. Latino/Hispanic (i.e., Puerto Rican, Uruguayan, Honduran, Mexican)
g. European/White Americans (i.e., Irish, Italian, English, French Canadian, Polish, Finnish)
h. Black Caribbean Islanders (i.e., Jamaican, Haitian, Barbadian, Trinidadian)
i. Africans (i.e., Cape Verdian, Rwandan, Ugandan, Sudanese, Somalian)
j. Arab/Middle Eastern (i.e., Lebanese, Iraqi, Palestinian, Saudi)
   
  k. Other (Please Specify)
 
4. What specific activities have you personally taken to reduce racism or oppression in your community?
a. None, because there is no racism in my community.

b. I have not taken any actions personally although there is racism. I have not done so for the following reason (s):
 

Fear of retaliation
Racism is none of my business
Racism doesn’t affect me personally, so I chose not to interfere
Other (please specify)
 
c.  I have taken the following actions:
 

Educated myself about the impact of racism
Participated in structured multiracial activities
Organized a group to address some aspect of racism
Provided leadership in activism

Provided education about racism
Talked about racism with my family or friends
Served as a liaison in the community
Modeled anti-racist behavior
Served on multicultural, multi-ethnic or multi-racial coalitions
Other (define, please)
 
5a. Do you have friends of multi-ethnic or different racial backgrounds?
 
5b. How often do you socialize with people of a different race or ethnicity outside of your workplace or school?
 

6. In an elementary school teachers, whose first language is Spanish, are instructed not to speak Spanish among themselves in the teacher’s lounge during lunchtime. How do you feel about this?
a. The principal is right. It is rude to speak a different language around others who cannot understand it.

b. The principal is a little right and a little wrong because personal time is personal time, but during work, they should listen to their boss
c.  The principal is wrong. People should be able to speak whatever language they want on their break time.
d. Other (please define below)
 

7. Two 16-year-olds, Shawn and Tom, are arrested. Tom, who is white, was driving a car that had been reported stolen by his grandmother. Shawn, who is black, was a passenger and did not realize the car was stolen. Tom’s uncle is a lawyer and agrees to represent him. Shawn is given a court appointed lawyer. Both appear in court a month later. Tom’s uncle has persuaded his grandmother to drop the charges although she’s reluctant to do this. When Tom approaches the bench, he pleads not guilty. The lawyer explains that charges have been dropped and the judge instructs Tom and his grandmother to go home and talk through their differences. Shawn’s lawyer urged him to plead guilty to lesser charges saying that if his case went to trial it could get worse. When he approaches the bench, he pleads guilty, as his lawyer advised, and is sentenced to two weeks in juvenile detention and 50-hours of community service. How do you feel about this case?
a. The judge had to consider the plea of each boy and respond accordingly.

b. The judge should have considered the fact that Tom was actually the driver and given Shawn a sentence that was no harsher than Tom’s.

c. The boys were only joy-riding and neither should have been sentenced.
d. Regardless of Tom’s pleading not guilty, the judge should have imposed a sentence on him.
e. Economic inequities make it impossible for the two boys to have equal counsel and, therefore, it is inevitable that the sentences would be inequitable.
Did you know that in many states, if Tom and Shawn were each arrested for identical crimes a year after this and were convicted, Shawn would almost certainly receive a longer and harsher sentence, since his guilty plea means that he already has a criminal record and this must be considered in sentencing, while Tom would be considered a first offender?
 
   
Did you know that Shawn could possibly be permanently denied access to federal loans for college as the result of his conviction?
 
   
Did you know that a conviction for any drug-related crime, regardless of amount, age, or circumstances, means being permanently ineligible for any federal college aid? 
 

8. At a neighborhood gathering there is much conversation about undesirables (people who play their music too loud or party too late or don’t take care of their buildings). One homeowner says, “Let’s be real with who we’re talking about. It’s those people –he names a racial/ethnic group-- and we know who they are. What are we going to do about them?” Nobody addresses the comment. Most people just nod and continue with the conversation as usual. What just happened?
a. The homeowner was expressing his or her own opinion and others respected that right.

b. The homeowner was just stating a well-known fact and so the others agreed.
c. The homeowner was making a racist statement and someone should have challenged it.
   
When was the last time you heard what you felt was a racist statement, and how did you respond?
 

9. In a school room one Latino student says to another, “This school always picks on Blacks and Latinos. It’s totally racist!” A white student overhears and comments to a friend, “If they didn’t always act so rowdy and do so much gang stuff, they wouldn’t always get suspended.” What do you think about this scenario?
a. It is not O.K. to assume that all Black or Latino students are gang members; in fact, it is offensive.

b. It is true that most often when Blacks or Latinos are suspended, it is because of gang activity and the white student was merely going by statistics
c. It is true that Blacks and Latinos end up in discipline more often, but it’s because of a racist system.
d. Other (please define)
 
10. Should race be considered in deciding who to admit to college or who to hire for jobs?
a. No, the exact same criteria should be applied to all races and, if there’s a tie, the person admitted or hired should be determined by blind luck.
b. The exact same criteria should be used, but if there’s a tie, preference should be given to the person of the minority group to help broaden access while still being fair.
c. Some consideration should be given because of race, but only as a secondary consideration. For college, for example, the same grades should be required.
d. It’s O.K. to bend a little in grades or qualifications to compensate for years of less access.
e. Racial preference is a very positive thing and those of minorities should be specifically encouraged and assisted, even if their qualifications are less.
 
How do you feel about the practice of giving preferential admission to college to children of alumni? Should the children of large donors get preferential treatment?
 
11. In your community, what organizations, agencies, or individuals are working to raise awareness about, eliminate or confront racism?
 

12. Institutional Racism: A consequence of systemic racism is the fact that people of color do not benefit equitably from or share ownership and leadership in the institutions that shape their lives.

a. Are you involved in or aware of organizations or institutions where people of color do not share equally in decision-making power over decisions that control their lives and resources?
 
 

b. Are you involved in or aware of organizations or institutions where institutional policies and practices create different outcomes for different racial groups, specifically; their effect is to create advantages for whites and disadvantages for people from groups classified as non-white?
 
 
    c. Do you believe that structurally there is a system in place that rewards people of color who support white power and dominance and coerces or punishes those who do not?
 
 
    d. Are you involved in or aware of organizations or institutions that are working with people of color to create environments where racial disparities are acknowledged and addressed and where there is a lived commitment to creating shared ownership, leadership and benefits across differences?
 
(If Yes, please name the institution)
 
 
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