Education for Social Justice
Rethinking Racism and White Supremacy
When a community faces a wildfire, tornado or hurricane, it is never the case that Whites help only Whites or Blacks help only Blacks. During times of disaster, people help people.
The National Weather Service reported that during August 2005 Hurricane Katrina was responsible for 1,833 fatalities and $108 billion in damages. Facing common dangers like this, everyone pulls together — their survival depends upon it.
Today we face another national crisis. Hate crimes, mass shootings and intolerance are on the rise. The marginalization of our citizens into racial, ethnic and religious partitions is an ongoing threat. Viewed collectively, the damage and number of fatalities from events associated with these human crimes have far exceeded those of Hurricane Katrina.
Our current national leadership is confronting these challenges. We are seeing partitioned minorities appointed to responsible leadership positions in our nation. Although this is a meritorious improvement, there still remains the “elephant in the room” — that is, the ubiquitous tendency to see non-Whites as people of less value.
When we hear that a six year old boy masterfully plays the concert piano, we say, “Wow, he is only six years old.” We are amazed because that is beyond our expectations.
Similarly, we hear on national news, “S/he is the first Black so-and-so or to do such-and-such.” This means that this achievement is quite unsuspected. The broadcaster is astonished to learn that Blacks have the same human potential as Whites.
##Character: The ultimate yardstick
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned a nation in which his children would be judged “not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” There is evidence that the dream of Dr. King is materializing.
Each of us can identify people that we, at first, thought were undesirable as companions. Later, after we became acquainted with them, we discovered that they posses the same human characteristics, concerns, sensitivities, wants and desires as those whom we consider close friends.
Being a Marine Corp Vietnam veteran, I have seen this first hand. When people have to depend upon each other, skin color, methods of worship and cultural barriers are of little consequence. The future of our nation is predicated upon understanding this truism.
###Drop the labels
The combatants for political and economic power vs. those struggling against political and economic oppression attempt to reduce the prevalent issues to categories such as Systemic Racism, White Supremacy or Critical Race Theory. These explanations place blame rather than offer solutions and placing blame serves only to deepen distrust and intolerance.
An honest study of United States history is the only viable solution. It is true that people of color were severely oppressed in the United States. It is also true that today’s citizens had no part in that dark history. They should not be blamed for it.
It is also true that a yardstick of character is rarely used when evaluating an individual of color in competition for a position of responsibility. This is simply because the employer’s experiences do not parallel those of the candidate’s.
An education that could spawn social justice for all would have certain characteristics. It would be honest,factual and blameless. It would never be presented either in a way that causes feelings of guilt or in a way that causes feelings of inferiority.
Intolerance, mass shootings, and social violence will not end until we collectively acknowledge the existence of a socioeconomic malaise in the United States. Then,and-only then, can a process of education for social justice be effectively implemented and Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream can become a reality.