The Privilege & Power Matrix

What participants gain

• Analyze how intersecting identities affect power dynamics in classrooms and faculty meetings.
• Evaluate the impact of microaggressions versus their visibility to the dominant group.
• Practice specific, verbal intervention strategies to disrupt bias in real-time.
• Differentiate between intent and impact in academic interactions.

Materials needed

• Pre-printed 'Scenario Cards' detailing common academic microaggressions
• Large floor tape to create a giant 2x2 matrix on the ground
• Handouts with 'Intervention Scripts' (e.g., calling in vs. calling out)
• Timer
• Chairs arranged in small clusters

How to run The Privilege & Power Matrix, step by step

1. Create a large 2x2 matrix on the floor with tape. Y-axis: High Impact to Low Impact (on the victim). X-axis: Highly Visible to Invisible (to the dominant group).
2. Divide the room into groups of 4 and distribute 3 'Scenario Cards' to each group.
3. Instruct groups to read the scenarios and physically place them on the floor matrix, debating their position (15 mins).
4. Facilitate a room-wide discussion on the scenarios that landed in the 'High Impact / Invisible' quadrant, as these are the most dangerous.
5. Introduce the 'Intervention Scripts' handout, explaining the difference between 'calling in' (educational) and 'calling out' (boundary setting).
6. Instruct the groups of 4 to assign roles: The Aggressor, The Target, The Bystander, and The Observer.
7. Have them roleplay one scenario from the matrix, requiring the Bystander to use a script to intervene (5 mins).
8. The Observer provides feedback on the intervention's effectiveness and tone.
9. Rotate roles and run a second scenario, ensuring everyone practices intervening (15 mins).
10. Reconvene the full group to debrief: What did it feel like to intervene? What were the barriers to speaking up?

Facilitator tips

• The physical matrix on the floor gets people moving, which helps process the heavy emotional load of this topic.
• Emphasize that the goal of intervention is not to punish the aggressor, but to restore safety for the target.
• If roleplays become too theatrical or comedic, gently pause the group and remind them of the real-world stakes of these interactions.
• Provide specific phrases like, 'What did you mean by that?' or 'Let's pause, I want to go back to what X just said.'
• Acknowledge that intervening carries different risks depending on the faculty member's tenure status and identity.

Common challenges

• Participants refuse to roleplay due to discomfort. Solution: Allow them to be the 'Observer/Director' who scripts the intervention without acting it out.
• Debates over whether a scenario is 'actually' biased. Solution: Redirect to the concept of impact over intent; if the impact is harm, it must be addressed regardless of intent.
• Focusing on extreme, rare scenarios instead of everyday microaggressions. Solution: Ensure the provided scenario cards reflect mundane, daily academic life.
• Emotional triggering for participants who frequently experience these biases. Solution: Remind participants they can step out at any time, and ensure the focus remains on the *bystander's* responsibility to intervene.

Running it virtually

Use a digital 2x2 matrix for scenario placement. For roleplays, use Zoom breakout rooms of 3 people, utilizing the 'turn off camera' feature for the Observer so the roleplayers can focus on each other's audio and visual cues.

Expected results

A mapped understanding of how invisible biases carry high impacts, accompanied by practiced, muscle-memory scripts for intervening in biased interactions.

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