Sometimes the most obvious thing goes unnoticed. Often the most obvious and unspoken is gender and first language, as well as dis/ability, but also race. In this article, the students were quoted as saying, "they knew at every moment of their lives that they were not White, but they felt White people did not know they were White."
"When an educator's whiteness is unnamed, it remains in a dominant position, reinforcing that it is the non-color color by which all other colors are measured."
Not only name the race of people of color, but also name the race of the white author, inventor, etc., to normalize the language and not point out just the people of color or women as the "other" or add-ons to the [white] curriculum.
Showing posts with label Difficult Conversations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Difficult Conversations. Show all posts
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Thanksgiving - Go ahead, talk religion and politics at the table by Robert Jensen
Austin American-Statesman
Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012
Here’s a peculiarly American paradox: We are the most affluent country in the history of the world, with an elaborate education system and expansive legal guarantees for free expression.
Yet many citizens are afraid of talking. Outside of the political/media circus in which people disagree theatrically, many people — right, left, and center — avoid thoughtful conversation with those who might disagree.
So, for anyone heading to a Thanksgiving gathering where there will be a variety of people, including some you know you disagree with, a bit of advice: Make sure you talk about religion and politics.
This goes against the conventional wisdom, but there are two good reasons, one selfish and the other moral.
The selfish reason: If we don’t talk about religion or politics, what else is there of interest to discuss? Let’s define “religion” broadly, as wrestling with ultimate questions of existence that are wrapped up in the query, “What does it mean to be a human being?” Let’s understand “politics” broadly, to mean the way we answer, “How should power and resources be distributed?” Those questions make life interesting.
Pushed down the wrong path, these conversations can make some people surly, but they can just as easily open up stimulating, honest exchanges. Here are two suggestions for fostering that engagement.
On religion: People will ask, “Do you believe in God?” Instead of taking that as an invitation to a verbal brawl, I respond, “What do you mean by God?” That invites a thoughtful exchange by asking others to expand on what they believe.
On politics: It’s difficult not to take disagreements about sexual behavior personally, but we can cultivate the ability to consider not just our own choices but the social consequences. For example, on the contentious subject of pornography, instead of immediately defending or condemning the use of sexual material, we can ask: “What stories about sex and intimacy does pornography tell, and what is the effect of those stories?” That opens up the conversation.
Onto the moral reason: The conventional wisdom about avoiding religion and politics has not helped us avoid the mess we are in economically and ecologically, politically and socially. The conventional wisdom on most everything hasn’t been particularly wise lately. Rather than opting out of conversations, we have a moral obligation to engage these topics.
So, along with all the food we’ll be putting on the table this Thanksgiving, let’s put religion and politics on the conversational menu. Let’s ask questions about whether our political, economic, and social systems square with our mostly deeply held moral/theological beliefs about dignity, equality, and justice.
If that doesn’t sound like the recipe for a successful holiday meal, remember this: Our affluent society produces an excess of everything except what we most desperately crave: meaning. Not meaning manufactured and sold to us, but meaning we create authentically, through dealing honestly with reality.
Such meaning comes when in our everyday lives we talk with people — those we know and strangers on the bus — about the most basic questions that have unsettled humans forever: What does it mean to be a decent human being? How do we deal with the problem of power? Those are the questions that never get answered definitively but which we answer contingently through constant conversation.
We all know that over-eating at Thanksgiving dinner can be hazardous for individual physical fitness. We know the solution, no matter how much we avoid it: Smaller portions and more nutritious food.
Under-talking is just as dangerous for collective intellectual fitness. The solution is equally obvious: Larger portions of more robust discussion, debate, and deliberation.
------------------------------
Robert Jensen is a professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center in Austin. He is the author of Arguing for Our Lives: Critical Thinking in Crisis Times (City Lights, coming in 2013); All My Bones Shake: Seeking a Progressive Path to the Prophetic Voice, (Soft Skull Press, 2009); Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity (South End Press, 2007); The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege (City Lights, 2005); Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity (City Lights, 2004); and Writing Dissent: Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins to the Mainstream (Peter Lang, 2002). Jensen is also co-producer of the documentary film “Abe Osheroff: One Foot in the Grave, the Other Still Dancing” (Media Education Foundation, 2009), which chronicles the life and philosophy of the longtime radical activist. An extended interview Jensen conducted with Osheroff
is online at http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~
Jensen can be reached at rjensen@austin.utexas.edu and his articles can be found online at http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~
Normalcy Bias
From a student:
Normalcy bias "refers to a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster, and on a larger scale, the failure of governments to include the populace in its disaster preparations.
The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred then it never will occur." When I bring this thinking to the work we do, it sounds like this - Racism, as we knew it, is over and will never come back again. These last words, "never has occurred then it never will," really resonate with the modern forms of racism and the need to continue the conversation about race and racism into the so-called post racial 21st century.
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/04/16-signs-americans-prepared-coming-economic-collapse.html
Normalcy bias "refers to a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster, and on a larger scale, the failure of governments to include the populace in its disaster preparations.
The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred then it never will occur." When I bring this thinking to the work we do, it sounds like this - Racism, as we knew it, is over and will never come back again. These last words, "never has occurred then it never will," really resonate with the modern forms of racism and the need to continue the conversation about race and racism into the so-called post racial 21st century.
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/04/16-signs-americans-prepared-coming-economic-collapse.html
Monday, May 4, 2015
Don't Believe in White Privilege?
White privilege is an important understanding needed for the race/racism conversation. Here are some updated resources.
Ben Affleck was “embarrassed” to discover that he had slave-owning ancestors. “The very thought left a bad taste in (his) mouth.”
http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/2015/04/25/dear-ben/
So welcome to the club, Ben.
Now pull up a chair and let’s talk about what we do about this.
Because what we don’t do … what we can never do … is deny the reality of the past.
Because when we try to deny the reality of the past, we are in effect writing out of our history the lives of those who were enslaved.
And they deserve better.
Tell
me: Are you a white person who's felt uncomfortable with the term
"white privilege"? Does a more nuanced approach help you see your own
privilege more clearly?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gina-crosleycorcoran/explaining-white-privilege-to-a-broke-white-person_b_5269255.html
So when that feminist told me I had "white privilege," I told her that my white skin didn't do shit to prevent me from experiencing poverty. Then, like any good, educated feminist would, she directed me to Peggy McIntosh's now-famous 1988 piece "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack."
Citizenship: Simply being born in this country affords you certain privileges that non-citizens will never access.
Class: Being born into a financially stable family can help guarantee your health, happiness, safety, education, intelligence, and future opportunities.
Sexual orientation: If you were born straight, every state in this country affords you privileges that non-straight folks have to fight the Supreme Court for.
Sex: If you were born male, you can assume that you can walk through a parking garage without worrying that you'll be raped and then have to deal with a defense attorney blaming it on what you were wearing.
Ability: If you were born able-bodied, you probably don't have to plan your life around handicap access, braille, or other special needs.
Gender identity: If you were born cisgender (that is, your gender identity matches the sex you were assigned at birth), you don't have to worry that using the restroom or locker room will invoke public outrage.
As you can see, belonging to one or more category of privilege, especially being a straight, white, middle-class, able-bodied male, can be like winning a lottery you didn't even know you were playing. But this is not to imply that any form of privilege is exactly the same as another, or that people lacking in one area of privilege understand what it's like to be lacking in other areas. Race discrimination is not equal to sex discrimination and so forth.
And listen: Recognizing privilege doesn't mean suffering guilt or shame for your lot in life. Nobody's saying that straight, white, middle-class, able-bodied males are all a bunch of assholes who don't work hard for what they have. Recognizing privilege simply means being aware that some people have to work much harder just to experience the things you take for granted (if they ever can experience them at all).
I know now that I am privileged in many ways. I am privileged as a natural-born white citizen. I am privileged as a cisgender woman. I am privileged as an able-bodied person. I am privileged that my first language is also our national language, and that I was born with an intellect and ambition that pulled me out of the poverty that I was otherwise destined for. I was privileged to be able to marry my way "up" by partnering with a privileged, middle-class, educated male who fully expected me to earn a college degree.
There are a million ways I experience privilege, and some that I certainly don't. But thankfully, intersectionality allows us to examine these varying dimensions and degrees of discrimination while raising awareness of the results of multiple systems of oppression at work.
“This is not new,” Obama said. “It’s been going on for decades. And without making any excuses for criminal activities that take place in these communities, what we also know is that if you have impoverished communities that have been stripped away of opportunity, where children are born into abject poverty; they’ve got parents, often, because of substance abuse problems or incarceration or lack of education themselves, who can’t do right by their kids.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/28/the-most-honest-15-minutes-of-obama-s-presidency.html?source=DailyBeast&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=55403c1204d301408c000001&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&via=FB_Page
>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<
Ben Affleck was “embarrassed” to discover that he had slave-owning ancestors. “The very thought left a bad taste in (his) mouth.”
http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/2015/04/25/dear-ben/
So welcome to the club, Ben.
Now pull up a chair and let’s talk about what we do about this.
Because what we don’t do … what we can never do … is deny the reality of the past.
Because when we try to deny the reality of the past, we are in effect writing out of our history the lives of those who were enslaved.
And they deserve better.
>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gina-crosleycorcoran/explaining-white-privilege-to-a-broke-white-person_b_5269255.html
So when that feminist told me I had "white privilege," I told her that my white skin didn't do shit to prevent me from experiencing poverty. Then, like any good, educated feminist would, she directed me to Peggy McIntosh's now-famous 1988 piece "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack."
Citizenship: Simply being born in this country affords you certain privileges that non-citizens will never access.
Class: Being born into a financially stable family can help guarantee your health, happiness, safety, education, intelligence, and future opportunities.
Sexual orientation: If you were born straight, every state in this country affords you privileges that non-straight folks have to fight the Supreme Court for.
Sex: If you were born male, you can assume that you can walk through a parking garage without worrying that you'll be raped and then have to deal with a defense attorney blaming it on what you were wearing.
Ability: If you were born able-bodied, you probably don't have to plan your life around handicap access, braille, or other special needs.
Gender identity: If you were born cisgender (that is, your gender identity matches the sex you were assigned at birth), you don't have to worry that using the restroom or locker room will invoke public outrage.
As you can see, belonging to one or more category of privilege, especially being a straight, white, middle-class, able-bodied male, can be like winning a lottery you didn't even know you were playing. But this is not to imply that any form of privilege is exactly the same as another, or that people lacking in one area of privilege understand what it's like to be lacking in other areas. Race discrimination is not equal to sex discrimination and so forth.
And listen: Recognizing privilege doesn't mean suffering guilt or shame for your lot in life. Nobody's saying that straight, white, middle-class, able-bodied males are all a bunch of assholes who don't work hard for what they have. Recognizing privilege simply means being aware that some people have to work much harder just to experience the things you take for granted (if they ever can experience them at all).
I know now that I am privileged in many ways. I am privileged as a natural-born white citizen. I am privileged as a cisgender woman. I am privileged as an able-bodied person. I am privileged that my first language is also our national language, and that I was born with an intellect and ambition that pulled me out of the poverty that I was otherwise destined for. I was privileged to be able to marry my way "up" by partnering with a privileged, middle-class, educated male who fully expected me to earn a college degree.
There are a million ways I experience privilege, and some that I certainly don't. But thankfully, intersectionality allows us to examine these varying dimensions and degrees of discrimination while raising awareness of the results of multiple systems of oppression at work.
>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<:>:<
“This is not new,” Obama said. “It’s been going on for decades. And without making any excuses for criminal activities that take place in these communities, what we also know is that if you have impoverished communities that have been stripped away of opportunity, where children are born into abject poverty; they’ve got parents, often, because of substance abuse problems or incarceration or lack of education themselves, who can’t do right by their kids.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/28/the-most-honest-15-minutes-of-obama-s-presidency.html?source=DailyBeast&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=55403c1204d301408c000001&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&via=FB_Page
Friday, July 11, 2014
Color Blind or Color Brave
https://www.ted.com/talks/mellody_hobson_color_blind_or_color_brave#t-835579
Mellody Hobson says, it's a "conversational third rail." But, she says,
that's exactly why we need to start talking about it. In this engaging,
persuasive talk, Hobson makes the case that speaking openly about race —
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Transforming Curriculum Philosophy
We must transform our minds before we can transform our
curriculum. My coaching is about helping teachers become more familiar
with multicultural concepts, the language we use without even knowing it, and some specific
vocabulary needed in order to have conversations around racism and
privilege, in order to look at one's own work with new eyes.
~ Claudia A. Fox Tree
We are charged with educating for the next seven generations. Infusing an anti-bias orientation into thinking - one that effectively nurtures a curiosity about, and a respect for, differences - is critical.
The “sandwich” approach to planning lessons is essential. Planning should have 3 parts (not necessarily in this order, but certainly present in some way, with "good stuff" surrounding the "oppressive stuff") as much as possible.
Part 1
~ Claudia A. Fox Tree
We are charged with educating for the next seven generations. Infusing an anti-bias orientation into thinking - one that effectively nurtures a curiosity about, and a respect for, differences - is critical.
The “sandwich” approach to planning lessons is essential. Planning should have 3 parts (not necessarily in this order, but certainly present in some way, with "good stuff" surrounding the "oppressive stuff") as much as possible.
Part 1
- Understanding the concepts (vocabulary) in order to have informed conversations, such as: Stereotypes, Prejudice, Discrimination.
- Raising awareness of the contributions of under-represented (marginalized) groups, particularly BEFORE they were oppressed (civilizations, inventions, "discoveries," achievements, etc.)
- Problems/Issues/Oppression - What is "lingering" to modern times?
- Raising awareness of the issues faced by under-represented (marginalized) groups throughout history. - How did groups resist and fight against their oppression?
- Role Models/Action plans/Proactive Activity. - We still exist in the contemporary world!
- Understanding and practicing ally behavior (i.e.: active bystander, advocate, etc.).
- Power/Privilege (Institutionalized Stereotypes, and Prejudice, Discrimination), and Ally. - How can you use the areas where you have advantage and control to help others?
Saturday, April 26, 2014
3 Pitfalls To Avoid When Talking About Race
Click the link for the complete article www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/04/26/306822684/3-pitfalls-to-avoid-when-talking-about-race?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140426
Reaction 1: People of color have a special interest in talking about race, sometimes to win special advantage.
If it's about indicating that I have an expertise or special interest in the subject of race, it would be better to note that I've been writing about the intersection of race, pop culture and media for nearly 20 years. Or point out that I wrote a book published in 2012 about these issues. Or note that I've won awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, the Florida Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists for my work covering racial issues.
For those who believe things are working just fine when it comes to race and society in America, words like Sotomayor's are dismissed as coming from someone who is biased to favor her own racial experience. But it seems obvious that everyone involved in the case has a racial background that informs his or her view, even white people.
Reaction 2: Arguments for diversity demand that people ignore facts for emotion.
Talking about race issues always stirs lots of passion. But implying that an argument is rooted in emotion dismisses it without consideration, which doesn't seem fair.
Reaction 3: If the lack of diversity isn't complete, then it isn't an issue.
We are often uncomfortable with the idea that it takes a specific focus on racial, ethnic and gender diversity to break down these long-standing traditions in hiring, education, housing and more. We don't want to believe we could still be living in an America where race makes a difference.
I'm convinced we won't really learn how to deal with these issues until we learn how to talk about them. It's time to break down the patterns; they're only keeping us from really relating to each other on a subject that's too important to get right.
Reaction 1: People of color have a special interest in talking about race, sometimes to win special advantage.
If it's about indicating that I have an expertise or special interest in the subject of race, it would be better to note that I've been writing about the intersection of race, pop culture and media for nearly 20 years. Or point out that I wrote a book published in 2012 about these issues. Or note that I've won awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, the Florida Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists for my work covering racial issues.
For those who believe things are working just fine when it comes to race and society in America, words like Sotomayor's are dismissed as coming from someone who is biased to favor her own racial experience. But it seems obvious that everyone involved in the case has a racial background that informs his or her view, even white people.
Reaction 2: Arguments for diversity demand that people ignore facts for emotion.
Talking about race issues always stirs lots of passion. But implying that an argument is rooted in emotion dismisses it without consideration, which doesn't seem fair.
Reaction 3: If the lack of diversity isn't complete, then it isn't an issue.
We are often uncomfortable with the idea that it takes a specific focus on racial, ethnic and gender diversity to break down these long-standing traditions in hiring, education, housing and more. We don't want to believe we could still be living in an America where race makes a difference.
I'm convinced we won't really learn how to deal with these issues until we learn how to talk about them. It's time to break down the patterns; they're only keeping us from really relating to each other on a subject that's too important to get right.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Diversity: A Reflection by Claudia A. Fox Tree
Anti-Semitic Intolerance Forum - Letter to Editor
http://www.thebedfordcitizen.org/2014/04/03/diversity-a-reflection-by-claudia-fox-tree/
First published in The Bedford Citizen on April 3, 2014
I just came from the follow up public forum about “Anti-Semitic Intolerance for those interested in turning suggestions into actual programs and practices.” I know Mr. Sills wanted to have break out groups that could take ideas and begin putting them into action, however, it was clear that the folks who came wanted to discuss topics as a large group. Bedford High School students spoke eloquently and many ideas emerged that I’m sure will be communicated to all by the Superintendent. I wanted to take up one of the suggestions – to write to The Citizen. There are some related issues, not discussed tonight, that I wanted to highlight.
http://www.thebedfordcitizen.org/2014/04/03/diversity-a-reflection-by-claudia-fox-tree/
First published in The Bedford Citizen on April 3, 2014
I just came from the follow up public forum about “Anti-Semitic Intolerance for those interested in turning suggestions into actual programs and practices.” I know Mr. Sills wanted to have break out groups that could take ideas and begin putting them into action, however, it was clear that the folks who came wanted to discuss topics as a large group. Bedford High School students spoke eloquently and many ideas emerged that I’m sure will be communicated to all by the Superintendent. I wanted to take up one of the suggestions – to write to The Citizen. There are some related issues, not discussed tonight, that I wanted to highlight.
Given the title of the forum, I am compelled to reiterate
that using the word “tolerance” is highly problematic. When it comes to
talking (or writing) about diversity, no one wants to be “tolerated”? In
a world of anti-Semitism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, able-ism, etc., there
are the “Haves” and “Have-not’s.” And, you can guess in which category
the “tolerated” fall. I would suggest calling these activities what they
are, “Anti-Semitic Hate Crime Forums” or “Creating A Place at the Table for
All.”
Undoing the impact of the oppression that is connected to an
“ism” is complex. It is not simply about “celebrating diversity” or even
“honoring differences.” That may (or may not) be a good place to start,
but it is simply is not enough. One of the few things we can “control” and
change immediately to create a better world responsive to cultural differences
is our choice of language. Language has
power and we need to be careful and thoughtful with the words we use for they
will be heard by others, and they can reinforce oppressions or work toward
social change and justice.
A glance around the room, which was
quite full, holding a large circle of constituents, revealed a noticeable
absence of other marginalized group members from town. For example, no one spoke up who identified
as Muslim, Chinese, Asian Indian, Buddhist, African American, or Thai, to name
a few, and I know that these communities are also representative of Bedford. Why didn’t they come to tonight’s meeting? How
many times do people from these groups deal with prejudice, stereotypes,
discrimination, etc. related to their group membership, and feel no systemic response?
Are there public forums or educational opportunities for them? We need to consider that responding so publically
to anti-Semitism now, may bring up hurtful memories for others who have not
seen their issues and concerns addressed in the past. Perhaps, there needs to be more reaching out
to specific groups within the larger community?
As a Native American, my own experience
has revealed an uphill battle. It is
difficult to keep educating others about the Native culture while also dealing
with racism, at worst, and stereotypes, at best, on a monthly, if not weekly
basis. Just this passed week, one of my
children was asked to do “Indian Sprints.” While not a hate crime, as what the
Jewish community is currently experiencing, it is an example of how easy it is
to say inappropriate and offensive things.
Without education, role-playing, practice, and conversation, “blurts”
like this happen over and over again.
Bedford would be remiss in not addressing broader issues of unawareness
and perpetuation of stereotypes, given the context of what is currently
happening. This is a wake up call to
build allies within our community – active bystanders who speak up on behalf of
others and model for the future generations that we are a place that not only
responds to differences in culture and celebrates diversity, but does not
accept oppression in any of its many forms.
This past fall, Bedford's Varsity
Football team faced Pentucket. There were racist caricatures of Native
Americans via mascots, logos, and stylized non Native music being called
Native. It was awful. This is not
something that would be allowed for other ethnic or racial groups and, yet, it
has been so “normalized” within the NFL that there were no forms of protest
from Bedford. The "mascot issue" was problematic enough,
however, my football-playing son was also spotlighted by name in a negative way
(due to his heritage) in the Cape Cod Times when the Varsity team was about to
play on the south shore! It was through friends and allies that a flood
of emails forced the Times to remove the article within hours of its posting. We have to stand up as one, against all forms
of hatred, or fall because we are too divided to come together.
I am concerned that a comparative
religion course planned at the high school would highlight three
Judeo-Christian religions and Hinduism, but not Buddhism, Confucianism, or more
contemporary religions like the Quakers or Baha'i. I am concerned that students are asking for
more conversations and report that teachers aren’t prepared to have them. I’m concerned that Senior Prom was scheduled
on a Jewish holy day this year.
How many times have baked goods been sold during Passover at a school event? How many times have football games been held on Friday nights? While not Native American issues, that these events conflict with Jewish traditions reminds me that we have a long way to go in truly opening up a place at the table where everyone can not only share and express their culture, but be able to be present at the table because they can actually attend since it does not conflict with a cultural tradition. We need to consider a calendar that takes into account conflicts of culture, maybe not every time, but more times than it does now.
I want to close by saying that it is not really the job of the oppressed to educate those with the power to make change. It is the responsibility of those with the power to educate our/themselves, and respond accordingly, making space for all voices on an equal playing field. If the “Have’s” aren’t willing to give up some of what they have, then there will always be “Have-nots.” It’s not as easy as saying, “Work a little harder” or “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Women have worked really hard, but it was not until that first man in the boardroom hired a woman, giving up being surrounded by his own gender, that women were able to access traditional male dominated occupations. Have-nots can work as hard as Have’s, but not have the same access without an ally.
UPDATE: http://www.thebedfordcitizen.org/2015/09/04/reflection-bedford-embraces-diversity/
Claudia Fox Tree, veteran Native American educator, was an active participant in the aftermath of the episodes. She applauded the response of the public schools.
“Jon (Sills) took a risk to ‘go public’ and allow a window into what was happening in Bedford,” she said. “He forged a relationship with social justice organizations; provided much needed professional development for faculty and staff; built relationship with community organizations; revised curriculum K-12; and improved the Peer Leaders programs. He also established a K-12 Equity and Diversity Support Group of teachers who are/will be leaders with these particular initiatives. What is amazing is that he did it in just over one year.”
“The evidence that I can see is that initiatives are working,” Fox Tree observed. “On the other hand, some issues are long standing and have not had the attention they deserved.” Referencing the student video, she said, “African-American students have been reporting issues for years and felt unheard. They were, justifiably, angry when the concerns by the Jewish community were made public, with forums, town-wide support, and almost instant action. “
“If we don’t understand the true issue, it can never really be addressed, and will keep coming around again and again,” she continued. “When a story becomes about the ‘politics’ instead of the pain and hardships that students of color experience in their community, then we need to take a closer look. Jon (Sills) set up a climate where kids feel like they can finally talk, and that’s what you’re getting — the voices of kids of color. This is actually a very good thing! We need to listen.”
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Racism in Harry Potter Series
This is one Chinese woman's spoken word piece about movie stereotypes of Asian women, using Cho Chang from the Harry Potter series as a starting point. There are two videos, her piece and her response to the criticism of her piece. Her response is eloquent and clear, highlighting important issues about race/racism that we might want to consider when having conversations and when selecting films to view. The pair of videos make a powerful teaching tool. http://blog.angryasianman.com/2013/04/a-letter-to-jk-rowling-from-cho-chang.html
A Letter to J.K. Rowling
Response to Critiques
Sunday, January 13, 2013
You Can't Be What You Can't See
Well, at least it's a lot more difficult to envision being something that you can't see. This video is about sexism, and offers great conversations starter with kids:
- Do you understand why these comments are sexist?
- What if this was said about a man?
- Do men have to follow these same standards?
- How many men are in the roles that these women are in?
- How might this be represented if we made a video of (fill in the blank: African Americans, Native Americans, etc.)?
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
What "Thanksgiving" Can Teach Us About Racial Justice
See the full article for more details on each of these "top tens" http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/11/5_ways_to_face_race_at_the_thanksgiving_table--and_not_choke_on_it.html
1. Talk turkey
“Talking turkey” means “talking plainly about a difficult or awkward subject.” Instead of just being reactive, why not be proactive? Start with a question. Use plain language. Set the frame and tone you want.
2. Go easy on the stuffing
Be open to learning, because there actually are many valid perspectives.
3. Take a roll with the mashed potatoes
Talk on your own terms—when, how, and with whom you want. Not everything and everyone is worth your time.
4. Go for the gravy
Sometimes the gravy makes the meal, providing the perfect complement to some delectable combinations. What’s the gravy you can add to the conversation? Instead of the typical race talk focused on blaming and shaming, and guilt tripping and grievances, how can you take things in a different direction? Can you move beyond the personal to talk about the patterns of inequality? Can you get beyond the symptoms to reveal the underlying system? Can you create connections across different concerns and communities so others can see their stake in social change? Can you appeal to shared values such as inclusion, equity, dignity, unity and love? Can you lift energy around a vision of racial, gender and economic justice for everyone?
5. Keep your eye on the pies
The real point is to get others to see, act and think differently. But that’s only gonna happen if you’re willing to nurture and sustain good relationships with those you care about most.
1. Talk turkey
“Talking turkey” means “talking plainly about a difficult or awkward subject.” Instead of just being reactive, why not be proactive? Start with a question. Use plain language. Set the frame and tone you want.
2. Go easy on the stuffing
Be open to learning, because there actually are many valid perspectives.
3. Take a roll with the mashed potatoes
Talk on your own terms—when, how, and with whom you want. Not everything and everyone is worth your time.
4. Go for the gravy
Sometimes the gravy makes the meal, providing the perfect complement to some delectable combinations. What’s the gravy you can add to the conversation? Instead of the typical race talk focused on blaming and shaming, and guilt tripping and grievances, how can you take things in a different direction? Can you move beyond the personal to talk about the patterns of inequality? Can you get beyond the symptoms to reveal the underlying system? Can you create connections across different concerns and communities so others can see their stake in social change? Can you appeal to shared values such as inclusion, equity, dignity, unity and love? Can you lift energy around a vision of racial, gender and economic justice for everyone?
5. Keep your eye on the pies
The real point is to get others to see, act and think differently. But that’s only gonna happen if you’re willing to nurture and sustain good relationships with those you care about most.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Evolution vs. Creationism
Interesting article and argument on how the belief in Creationism holds back science literacy. "Denial of evolution is unique to the United States," Nye begins in a
YouTube video posted on Thursday. The video quickly picked up steam
over the weekend and as of Monday morning had been viewed more than
1,100,000 times. http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/27/bill-nye-slams-creationism/?hpt=hp_c3
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Complicating White Privilege: Poverty, Class, and the Nature of the Knapsack
Complicating White Privilege: Poverty, Class, and the Nature of the Knapsac
http://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=16687
by Paul Gorski — February 06, 2012
Since its popularization in the 1990’s, the term “white privilege” has become, perhaps, the central focus of “diversity” and “multicultural” education discourses. Although the concept can be a critical component of understanding and undermining racial hierarchies in schools, it has been co-opted (largely by white scholars and from scholars and activists of color) and often used in overly-simplistic ways. I discuss, for instance, the enforcement of dialogic controls in conversations about white privilege, and particularly in white educator caucus dialogues, that disallow consideration for intersecting oppressions, including economic injustice, thereby ignoring tremendous differences in access to privilege, even among white anti-racist educators. As a result, the popular “white privilege” discourse in education appears to be stuck in a state of arrested development that actually further privileges white keynoters and consultants who have built economically solvent careers by writing and speaking about it, sometimes without acknowledging how their privilege operates differently from that of white people who do not enjoy the leisure time or resources to write essays about white privilege. I argue that these complexities must be explored more earnestly, especially by white people in the education milieu, including me, who have strengthened our privilege through an increasingly profitable white privilege “industry.”
Great cartoon: http://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelblackmon/17-harrowing-examples-of-white-privilege-9hu9
http://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=16687
by Paul Gorski — February 06, 2012
Since its popularization in the 1990’s, the term “white privilege” has become, perhaps, the central focus of “diversity” and “multicultural” education discourses. Although the concept can be a critical component of understanding and undermining racial hierarchies in schools, it has been co-opted (largely by white scholars and from scholars and activists of color) and often used in overly-simplistic ways. I discuss, for instance, the enforcement of dialogic controls in conversations about white privilege, and particularly in white educator caucus dialogues, that disallow consideration for intersecting oppressions, including economic injustice, thereby ignoring tremendous differences in access to privilege, even among white anti-racist educators. As a result, the popular “white privilege” discourse in education appears to be stuck in a state of arrested development that actually further privileges white keynoters and consultants who have built economically solvent careers by writing and speaking about it, sometimes without acknowledging how their privilege operates differently from that of white people who do not enjoy the leisure time or resources to write essays about white privilege. I argue that these complexities must be explored more earnestly, especially by white people in the education milieu, including me, who have strengthened our privilege through an increasingly profitable white privilege “industry.”
Great cartoon: http://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelblackmon/17-harrowing-examples-of-white-privilege-9hu9
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