"Colorblindness is the New Racism" By: Margalynne J. Armstrong and Stephanie M. Wildman
"All Lives Matter" By: Kevin Roose
"Society cannot battle a phantom that it cannot recognize and name".There were so many times in the Armstrong and Wildman text that I furiously highlighted because of how eloquently put these horrible truths were stated. Some that really stood out to me were on page 66. They go into talking about how "if educators do not teach about the importance of analyzing how privilege operates, students will graduate ill-equipped to work effectively in a diverse environment." and also how after President Obama was elected, people described the U.S. as "post-racial, as if the election of a Black man to the nation's highest office meant no more conversation about race was needed". These two quote really hit me because I feel like for a while, this idea of "Oh, we have a black president, everything is fine now" was truly how many people felt. It was almost as if some white people felt like they were doing POC a "favor" by electing him, or extending the olive branch, as if to say, "we're good now, right?"
Lastly, I think my personal biggest take from the Johnson, the Armstrong and Wildman, and the Roose texts is that there are so many forms of privilege that I, as a heterosexual white female don't even realize in my every day life. Armstrong and Wildman put it perfectly when they said "The possessor of the knapsack of privilege could reliably depend on the advantages they provide, even though she or he remained unaware of them".
(citation within the picture)
Before these readings, if I heard the word privilege I automatically thought about money or the color of my skin. However, when l took a step back, read these texts and truly thought about it, there is so much privilege that I was completely unaware of that I was "reliably depending on". For example, being heterosexual is something that I never had to think about. When buying my house, I didn't have to think if the real estate agent would treat us differently as a couple, or if my neighbors would disapprove of us sitting on our patio together. The invisible knapsack is so real and I truly believe that Armstrong and Wildman said about how if students are not educated to acknowledge and recognize privilege, it is going to disadvantage them in their lives greatly.
I loved the classroom exercises that Armstrong and Wildman offered, and I think that this video contributes to the ideas of how simply acknowledging privilege can make a world of difference to peoples perspectives of the world.
Hello Taylor, let me first write by saying that you write very well. Many of the things you "furiously" highlighted I highlighted as well. Especially the "Society cannot battle a phantom that it cannot recognize and name." I honestly believe those of us who were unenlightened to white privilege meant no malice, probably quite the opposite. But knowledge is power and by becoming more color insightful and color brave we will be able to initiate conversations and "serve to promote equality and to emphasize non-discrimination among races (p.68)." I also loved the classroom exercises they offered. I would like to be able to do a couple of them in our class. I really liked the Racial Observation Exercise that got the students out of their normally self absorbed thinking and really try to observe the differences in treatment between races. I especially like the Grandmother Exercise. I think this is a great exercise to "humanize" people and look at "them" as opposed to the color of their skin. But it also gave the students the opportunity to see that in some ways that even thought they came from different backgrounds, in some ways they are very similar. It gave them the opportunity to be empathetic towards each other and possibly break down any barriers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Denise, your writing is so clear and relatable to me, (which is probably why I also highlighted many of these same direct quotations)! We so desperately need to shift the thinking in our current culture from a self-absorbed, egocentric one to a more open minded and flexible one. But this really isn’t easy, and I think we have to be brave to admit that first, if we want to attempt to do this influential, challenging work. I loved the exercise of discussing the grandparents as a sounding board we’re all able to connect and appreciate diversity from. I am always trying to brainstorm ways to make these community and human-relatable experiences talked about in my urban ESL kindergarten classroom during the day or at morning meeting! I’ll welcome any ideas anyone has too, to try. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Taylor, not only because (as others have noted) you write well. But you found a great balance between personal reflection and direct engagement with the text. The overall theme of ACKNOWLEDGMENT will stay with us all semester. The "privilege walk" exercise in the Dr. Phil video is one I often do with students. Very powerful!!
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