Minority Groups and The Importance of Education For Democracy

What? In my understanding, Bell describes the relationship between social identity and power as something very big. I understand the means by the politics of domination and the struggle against the colonizing mindset as the struggle against the norms in our society. Nowadays, the colonizing mindset is the cultural norms in society, and the politics of domination means that the people who identify with the cultural norms generally hold power and get to make many of the decisions in our society. The cultural norms in our society include being white, male, Christian, and heterosexual. Those that do not identify with these norms have less power and opportunities than those that do identify with the social norms. I think Hooks also agrees that there is a big relationship between social identity and power. She acknowledges this when she states, “Because the colonizing forces are so powerful in this white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, it seems that black people are always having to renew a commitment to a decolonizing political process that should be fundamental to our lives and is not” (47). In this quote, Bell is stating that the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy is similar to the norms in our society. Usually, the white supremacist capitalist hold all the power and all the decisions, and the people who are in this category generally have better opportunities than the minority. Due to this ongoing and widely accepted norm, all people, including people in the minority group, can sometimes fail to question the norm. When Bell talks about how black people have “to renew a commitment to a decolonizing political process that should be fundamental to our lives and is not,” she is referring to the minority group who forget to question the norm. However, from my understanding, Bell is stating that what must be fundamental to the lives of the people in the minority group is taking the time to think about the role they play in society and questioning the norm. When Bell mentions,“He made me think deeply about the construction of an identity in resistance” (Teaching to Transgress, 46) the “the construction of an identity in resistance” (46) means that people in the minority group must resist against the injustices shown by those who identify in the norm by fighting for equal rights for all people regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, religion, or sexual economic status. Therefore, even though Bell recognizes that having a social identity that fits the norm generally means having more power and decisions over the minority group, she emphasizes the importance of questioning the norm and fighting against the politics of domination and the general colonizing mindset among society in order to gain equality for all people rather than just the people who identify with the colonizing mindset.

Tatum talks a lot about acknowledges that the politics of domination does take place in our world. She refers to the dominant colonization taking place as the dominant groups in our society. According to Tatum, “Dominant groups . . . set the parameters within which the subordinates operate. The dominant group holds the power and authority in society relative to the subordinates and determines how that power and authority may be acceptable used. Whether it is reflected in determining who gets the best jobs, whose history will be taught in school, or whose relationships will be validated by society, the dominant group has the greatest influence in determining the structure of the society” (12). In this quote, Tatum mentions how the dominant group are the ones that make all the decisions in our society. This relates to the idea of social identity and power because everyone who identifies with the dominant group is the one who will be deciding what happens. The power of getting to choose the best job or determining the structure of society parallels to the idea that individuals that identify with the social identity that is widely accepted in society brings power in decision making and opportunities in life. In addition, “The dominant group assigns roles to the subordinate that reflect the latter’s devalued status, reserving the most highly valued roles in the society for themselves” (Tatum 12). This quote also explain how social identity and power go hand in hand, since identifying with the dominant group brings lots of power. The people of the dominant group are the ones choosing all the best roles, which include better jobs, education, and lifestyle. This leaves the roles that may not be as good to people in the subordinate groups. The fact that people in the dominant group get better opportunities than people in the subordinate group demonstrates how having a social identity that identifies with the dominant group leads to more power, opportunities, and decisions. Tatum’s words relate to Hook’s points because “the impact of racism, sexism, class exploitation, and the kind of domestic colonization that takes place in the United States” (Teaching to Transgress, 46), really does take place. As Tatum mentions, the dominant group is the one that has all the power and has all the better opportunities than those in the subordinate group, which shows the impact that racism, sexism, and class exploitation has on society. It is a know fact that with higher social identity comes higher power. Due to this problem, Tatum indirectly suggests that it is important to stand up, question the norm, and fight for equality, which parallels to Bell Hook’s idea of the “construction of an identity in resistance” (46).

Freire’s work is so crucial to the struggle against the colonizing mindset because he sets the idea that knowledge cannot happen without practice.The biggest problem mentioned is the mindset that people who identify with the norm are more superior to others. This means that those people have better opportunities and better decisions than those in the minority group. Sometimes, their colonizing mindset can be terrible since those people who identify with the norm may look down on people in the minority group. However, practicing is such a big deal because it can help to solve a part of this problem. Practicing includes standing up, questioning the norm, and fighting for equality among the minority group. It is in fighting against these norms that the minority can gain knowledge about their rights and equality. However, since the norm is widely accepted among many people, people in the minority group may fail to recognize the importance of their rights in society. Hook talks about how powerful the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy is along with the fact that, “black people are always having to renew a commitment to a decolonizing political process that should be fundamental to our lives and are not” (Teaching to Transgress, 47). She then talks about Freire when she states, “And so Freire’s work, in its global understanding of liberation struggles, always emphasizes that this is the important initial stage of transformation- that historical moment when one begins to think critically about the self and identity in relation to one’s political circumstance (47).” When Freire talks about the importance of thinking critically about where one stands in relation to one’s political circumstance, this shows how crucial it is to struggle against the colonizing mindset. Freire emphasizes the importance of people in the minority group analyzing where they stand in the political circumstance that they are in and evaluating what is right and what is wrong. From there, the importance of practice comes into play when the people in the minority group understand their rights and the injustices occurring in the society they are in and going through with the practice by fighting against those injustices. Therefore, Freire’s work is crucial to the struggle, because it allows people in the minority group to their rights and gain knowledge of the injustices existing in the society they live in.

So What? In “Perspective-Taking as Tool for Building Democratic Societies”, Jose Calderon mentions the significance of liberatory education when he states, “Through the projects and class readings, students become more equipped to understand contemporary debates over immigration, free trade, globalization, and the many myths that circulate about farm laborers, union organizers, and immigrant workers (“Perspective-Taking as a Tool for Building Democratic Societies”). Students are learning about debates such as free trade and immigration, which allows them to understand the freedom that the people in these debates are fighting for. The fact that the students are learning about these debates reminds me of the time when I took Social Justice in high school and learned about these debates as well. After re-reading Calderon’s words, it allowed me to understand the significance of liberatory education because I finally remembered that the people who were of immigration and globalization were fighting for their own kind of freedom. The farm laborers, union organizers, and immigrant workers are suffering a lot, and they are fighting for freedom from their oppression.. Liberatory education is something that is important for all people because it allows them to understand that they all deserve freedom. There are so many injustices that the farm laborers, union organizers, and immigrant workers are suffering from and being educated on the topic of liberation allows them to find their voice and stand up for the injustices which they are experiencing and feeling in their lives.

Tatum’s writing helps me understand the significance of liberatory education because she mentions many things that I never realized. When she is talking about the many different ways that people describe their identities, he states, “When we think about our multiple identities, most of us will find that we are both dominant and target at the same time. But it is the target identities that hold our attention and the dominant identities that often go unexamined” (Tatum 11). I didn’t understand what one’s identity can truly mean until I read this quote. I never realized how the dominant identities usually go unexamined while the target identities stand out greatly among people. Although there are some people that may not have to worry about being looked down upon, there are many people that have some dominant identities, and there are many people that do not have any dominant identities. The people who have some or no dominant identities have to live their whole lives not identifying with the social norm, which is very difficult. These people usually experience hate, rejection, and loneliness, which can hurt their feelings a lot. As a person of Asian descent, there have been times where I have felt excluded since I was not part of the social norm, and I felt so alone and isolated. After pondering those times, I came to realize that liberatory education not only brings equality and justice for people in the minority group, but it also brings a feeling of comfort, acceptance, and love. Therefore, liberatory education is something so important for anyone identifying with a trait in the minority group because it brings a compassion, justice, equal rights and opportunities, and a sense of community.

Hook’s writing helped me to understand the significance of liberatory education by allowing me to appreciate the privileges I have. I am glad I have the chance to be educated about freedom so I can appreciate the freedom that I have, as opposed to others. Many people have traits that are both dominant and subordinate, and I can identify as one of those people. Although I have many traits that belong the subordinate group, I also have traits that identify with the dominant group. When Hook talks about her experience of coming to Freire with thirst, she mentions, “When you are privileged, living in one of the richest countries in the world, you can waste resources. And you can especially justify your disposal of something that you consider impure” (50). Although it is easy to look at my life and think that I am part of the minority, it is easy to forget that I also have some dominant traits, as opposed to those who do not have any dominant traits. The fact that I have some dominant traits means that I also have some freedom. Freedom is something so significant because it allows a person to act on their beliefs and be who they want to be without being looked down by others. However, those who do not have the freedom that I have are constantly looked down upon by others. Therefore, after reading Hook’s words, it made me reflect on the freedom I had in my life and appreciate the freedom. At the same time, it also made me realize how important this freedom was. It also opened allowed me to see that it is important to fight for minority rights since many people are not in the same position as I am in, and they don’t get to experience any of the freedom that I experience. It is important to not only educate people about freedom, but also fight for the freedom that many people do not get a chance to experience. Fighting for that freedom will allow people in all minority groups feel love, acceptance, and equality.

Now What? In “The Complexity of Identity”, Tatum states, “People are commonly defined as other on the basis of race or ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, and physical or mental ability. Each of these categories has a form of oppression associated with it; racism, sexism, religious oppression/anti-Semitism, heterosexism, classism, ageism, and ableism, respectively” (11). Even though the children at Davidson Middle School identify with many of the categories that do not fit with the norm, the school still takes them in and educates them. When I came to Davidson, a majority of the children there were Hispanic underprivileged children that had learning disabilities. Even though the traits of the children do not identify with the dominant traits, the school still takes them in and does not discriminate based on any category the children identify as. This demonstrates that the school is working to transform education into the practice of freedom so all children can get educated and be successful once they finish school.

I practiced perspective-taking in my community by helping to educate the children regardless of the categories that they identify as. When I went to Davidson Middle School, I helped teach math to a Hispanic sixth grade student that had autism.When I helped him, I did not pay attention to his ethnicity and condition. I just looked at him as any student who needed help with math. In fact,I saw myself in him, since I once needed help when I was his age. Whenever I was struggling with math, it was my mother who helped me to understand the concept and prepare for the test. I wanted to play the role that my mother once played when I needed help. Therefore, rather than paying attention to his race, ethnicity, and condition, I put my heart into preparing him for his upcoming math test by helping him to understand the concept he was learning. According to Calderon, “providing time for students to learn about the professor’s life and for the professor to conversely learn about the lives of students is essential to building students’ capacity for perspective-taking. To succeed in fostering this capacity, faculty need to create environments where students are comfortable questioning the perspectives of others . . .” (“Perspective-Taking as a Tool for Building Democratic Societies”). Even though I was able to learn about the life of the child since I knew his background and condition, the child was also able to learn about me. At one point, he asked me how college was like and when he would be where I was. I told him about the challenges and joys of college, and I told him about the amount of time I spend studying and doing work. In addition, I also reassured him that he would get to where I was. In that way, he was able to learn about my life as a college student, which demonstrates how I \practiced perspective-taking in my community experience.

Social identity impacts people’s ability to thrive or struggle to survive at Davidson Middle School because the status and the condition that a person may be in can have a huge effect on whether a child thrives or struggles. For example, many children at Davidson may have learning disabilities, which can put them at a huge disadvantage compared to children who do not have learning disabilities. The children who do have learning disabilities may need more resources, help, and time to grasp a concept they may be learning as opposed to children who do not have learning disabilities and can pick up much faster. Therefore, the learning disabilities, which can be a part of the children’s social identities, impacts their ability to learn since they have to struggle and work harder than other children who do not have learning disabilities. In addition, wealth can play a role in a child’s social identity. For example, some children at Davidson Middle School may have more money, and therefore, more access to resources as opposed to children who do not have as much money. The children that do not have as much money would have to struggle and work much harder if they need help, while the children who do have access to more resources can find it easier to thrive. Since social identity can impact the children’s ability to thrive or struggle at Davidson Middle School, it is my job to come and help children who may not be as privileged to thrive, do well in school, go to college, and eventually achieve their goals in life.