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Third Dialogue Journal Entry:

Meta-Reflection

Jessie Lynn Gravatt

School of Education, Colorado State University

EDUC 651: Multicultural and Special Populations

Dr. Tobin Lopes

May 8, 2023
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Third Dialogue Journal Entry: Meta-Reflection

My understanding of multiculturalism in learning and diversity, equity, and inclusion in

general has grown in many ways during this course. The two largest shifts in my thinking

connect to books I read during this semester. One of the big, yet gradual shifts relates to knowing

the importance of taking thoughtful, intentional steps toward promoting these concepts, and the

other shift relates to understanding I need to continually develop awareness of the hidden aspects

of these concepts, which may only be noticeable because of their absence.

Small Steps in the Right Direction

Starting in February, I read Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg (2020) and prepared for a book club

discussion about it at the end of April. The book’s idea of taking small steps is only part of the

process of behavior change. What must first happen when designing a learning experience is

identifying where I want learners to arrive so I can do my best to keep the small steps going in

the right direction while allowing for healthy, and possibly tense, tangents.

However, I want to note that the arrival destination is not a mindset I should dictate,

regardless of my personal opinions. Our identities are complex and layered, and I cannot fully

anticipate what experiences individuals will bring to a learning experience. Unfortunately,

systemic problems such as racism, sexism, ableism, and heterosexism dehumanize us with or

without our consent or support (Harro, 2018a), so to me, small, intentional steps are like the

slow, methodical untangling of a supremely twisted cord.

Other adult educators may prefer a different method. However, I believe slow and steady

progress would be key to helping people discover where they are in the Cycle of Socialization,

what is at the core of that cycle that keeps them going around it, and I hope, how to move toward

liberation (Harro, 2018a, p. 28). As Fogg (2019) points out in his book, change may happen after
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an epiphany, but sustainable change is more likely when we take tiny steps that we repeat and

build upon.

Growing Awareness of Absence

While the path of small steps was a gradual shift that complemented knowledge I gained

in previous Adult Education and Training classes, the idea of how the absence of something

affects people was a more jarring shift. In the video for Week 7 of this course, you (Dr. Lopes)

talked about how bad things have not happened to you because you are a white man (Lopes,

2023).

I may have heard that idea expressed before, but this time in the context of this class it

stuck with me. I have heard people refute -isms from racism to sexism by claiming they are not

contributing to systemic problems. As Harro (2018a) pointed out, “being in a privileged category

that has an oppressive relationship with another isn’t the same as being an oppressive person

who behaves in oppressive ways” (p. 21), so in a way, these refutations are correct. At the same

time, they are stuck in a perspective that cannot or will not see what is not happening.

That is an absence or void that allows systemic injustices to endure and proliferate, and I

want to keep this idea of looking at the void for clues in my figurative back pocket to share in

those kinds of conversations. I feel that this qualifies as an idea that could help people wake up

—“a critical incident that creates cognitive dissonance” that allows people to enter a Cycle of

Liberation (Harro, 2018b, p. 629).

A Journey of a Thousand Small Steps

Continuing to develop awareness combined with many steps, even if they are taken one

at a time, can lead to the exposure and dismantling of unjust systems through action and

intersectionality. Possibly that is not the kind of journey Lao-Tzu had in mind, but I am happy to
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see how much progress global society and American society have made since my childhood.

Even when actively oppressive groups push back, they cannot fully stop the epiphanies and

subsequent small steps that move us forward.

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References

Fogg, B.J. (2020). Tiny habits: The small changes that change everything. Mariner Books.

Harro, B. (2018a). The cycle of socialization. In M. Adams, H. W. Hackman, K. DeJong, D. C.

J. Catalano, W. J. Blumenfeld, et al. (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (pp.

27–34). essay, Routledge.

Harro, B. (2018b). The cycle of liberation. In M. Adams, H. W. Hackman, K. DeJong, D. C. J.

Catalano, W. J. Blumenfeld, et al. (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (pp.

627–634). essay, Routledge.

Lopes, T. (2023). Week 7 - Kendi & DiAngelo. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G18icurTReA.