Why Do We Still Hop Around Race?
Towards the end of the documentary, Dr. Paul Weiss questioned Baldwin's mention of race. Why is it always race? Why is race always brought up? The white man's solution to racism...color blindness. It ignores the issues within our country and the emphasis society puts on race. There are two clear and distinctive American experiences here. For the longest time, I was defensive on the basis of race. Not because I refused to acknowledge the African American experience or the racist history, but because at times it almost felt like a personal attack. I felt I was grouped with other white people who I do not identify with...who do not possess a similar mindset to I. Who are you to assume who I am based on my race when the whole reason we are here is to discuss racial discrimination? I considered myself pro-active in speaking against racial inequality. I never denied Black history. I believed I was doing right.
While I believe at times people can be unfairly aggressive in situations, I had to learn how to bring down that wall and listen. The film opened my eyes in the sense that the talk of race isn't meant to be an individual attack, but an attack on a racist system.
This will help me as a teacher because I need to learn how to listen and come from a place of understanding if I want to reach my students.
James Baldwin said, "we are very cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are. And we cannot possibly become what we would like to be until we are willing to ask ourselves just why the lives we lead on this continent are mainly so empty, so tame, and so ugly". This quote is incredibly powerful and fitting in regards to making change within ourselves in order to make change elsewhere
While I believe at times people can be unfairly aggressive in situations, I had to learn how to bring down that wall and listen. The film opened my eyes in the sense that the talk of race isn't meant to be an individual attack, but an attack on a racist system.
This will help me as a teacher because I need to learn how to listen and come from a place of understanding if I want to reach my students.
James Baldwin said, "we are very cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are. And we cannot possibly become what we would like to be until we are willing to ask ourselves just why the lives we lead on this continent are mainly so empty, so tame, and so ugly". This quote is incredibly powerful and fitting in regards to making change within ourselves in order to make change elsewhere
In the same interview as above, James Baldwin comments on the institution. As teachers, it is important to understand the system we work in. We need to know who it benefits and who it does not. To be an antiracist teacher is to acknowledge the racial flaws and work against them in order give our students the tools to rise above. An anti-racist teacher goes beyond an inclusive curriculum. It first starts by understanding your own relation with race and how it pertains to your students.
This is a great post, and it goes well with the readings from last week, "Keep critical race theory ideology out of k-12 schools," and "What critical race theory is and what it means for teachers," because many parents and students seem to feel the same way you did in high school about critical race theory. These are difficult conversations to be had. Why do you think you so many feel this way? Is this feeling of "a personal attack" inevitable and just a hurdle that white students need to get across before learning to be critical readers/listeners as well as self-critical? On the same token, for a person of color, it could be disturbing or even cause a student to feel hopeless to talk about the oppressive society they live in. My question is, how would you set up your classroom/discussions in order to prevent students from shutting down from either feeling attacked or hopeless within critical race theory discussions or lessons?
ReplyDeleteI believe the first step in creating a safe enviorment is making the space open and keeping it 'civil'. Some of my students may come from a place where they do not accounter these issues and have genuine questions. And that is okay! Some may do and feel triggered. Then I have to make sure my students feel safe and comfortable. I cannot force conversation or force agendas.
ReplyDelete-Alexandra Ritacco
DeleteHey Alie,
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you were able to reflect on yourself in this blog and see how you may not have been approaching talking about racism in the best way. Self-awareness is really important and I appreciate you sharing that. I also really liked the quote you chose about the disparity between who we think we are and who we really are. I think this concept is both really important and really difficult to accept. It is something I really need to keep in mind when considering many parts of teaching, including the idea racism. I wonder if you have any ideas about how to approach this even if the curriculum you are to follow is not inclusive or diverse... how could a teacher still apply a critical lens to it regarding race?