Emotions: Journaling Questions

Which of the five basic emotions is/are feeling strongest at this point (joy, fear, anger, disgust, sadness). Free write about why this is so. Are there any of the protective elements of these emotions that feel useful to you now?

Are any of the other emotions (Frustration, Overwhelm, Irritation, Fatigue, Shame) coming up as you approach this course? Why do you think this is so?

When you think about a time you wanted to communicate with someone across racial, ethnic, cultural or other divides and it didn’t go well, do you see a pattern in Julie’s framework that makes you go “aha!”? Write about another way to possibly approach the scenario, if you ever had the chance again.

When you think about your own experiences with bias or judgment, how could understanding the three types of empathy—emotional, cognitive, and compassionate—help you respond differently across lines of difference?

Which type of empathy feels most natural to you, and which one do you think could use some intentional strengthening as we go through our work?

Emotional empathy can sometimes feel overwhelming or even lead to performative allyship—have you ever felt paralyzed by taking on others’ pain, and how did you navigate that?

Compassionate empathy moves us to act, not just understand—what’s one situation where you could see yourself using all three forms of empathy to disrupt bias or help create real change?

When you hear or read the phrase “white supremacy,” what’s your knee-jerk reaction or sensation?

The Museum’s interpretation of the “white supremacy culture” components “riffs off” the original framework created by Okun and Jones. As you read through the components of their re-framing, what felt valid, what felt surprising, and what felt maybe a bit over the top?