Structures of Racism Embedded in Society
Through the podcast, video, and the readings, one can see that one of the most devastating forms of structural racism lies within our education systems and access to education in general. “So you want to talk about race” by Ijeoma Olva talks a lot about the “school-to-prison pipeline.” The school-to-prison pipeline is described as, “…the term commonly used to describe the alarming number of black and brown children who are funneled directly and indirectly from our schools into our prison industrial complex, contributing to devastating levels of mass incarceration that lead to one in three black men and one in six Latino men going to prison in their lifetime…” and it points to the way black and brown children are treated and looked at in the school systems. In this way, the education and criminal justice systems work hand in hand to perpetuate and continue the marginalization of black and brown students. Olvo brings up the story about a 5 year-old black boy who was suspended because he had “assaulted” his teacher by hitting her, something that isn’t uncommon in a tantrum of a toddler. He was only in kindergarten, and “He was simply suspended. He was denied education,” (Olvo). In this story, Olvo also reflects on the idea of how often in these kinds of circumstances, teachers and adults don’t take the time to “redirect [the child’s] energy or ask him why [they] were upset” in the way that they most likely would if it were a white student acting out. This is further tied to the idea that this unfair treatment in the form of suspension and expulsion that commonly occurs for black and brown students is then turned into a form of fear within the student to the point where they no longer trust the system and their teachers. This is all because the “…public school systems see black and brown children as violent, disruptive, unpredictable future criminals” before even giving them a chance, and before even giving them the chance to have the same opportunity as white students. Clearly, this is most definitely a structural issue and not an issue about individuals not “trying hard enough.” Most of the black and brown students getting in trouble are students who do want to be educated, or most of the black and brown students who do want to be educated and given a chance are disadvantaged in achieving that because of their socio-economic standing or where they live. This was brought up in the podcast, where the parents (white) of the nicer school district were trying everything they could to make it so people from the other school district (black and brown students) would not be able to attend, because they feared they would hinder their own children’s education, which is absurd. This goes back to something Olvo said which was right on target, “when society only defines ‘children’ as young people of a certain skin color, it can prevent some from seeing children of color as children to be loved and protected,” (Olvo).
Furthermore, the “Excerpts from ‘A Perilous Path’” had points to support these ideas as well. Bryan Stevenson said, “It doesn’t matter how smart you are… how much kindness you have in your heart. If you are black or brown in this country, you will go places where you’re going to be presumed dangerous and guilty.” This points to the idea that again it is not about individuals not trying hard enough, because from the moment a black or brown student walks into a classroom, they are at a disadvantage because the other students and the teacher already have preconceived ideas about who you are.
The podcast also brought up the idea that the only thing that has proven to work is integration, because “when integrated, it gives them access to the same as whites.” They talked about how the individuals that surround you can play a big role in how you succeed. In you are in a classroom where everyone is falling behind, you are bound to fall behind too. One of the biggest things I got from this was the discussion about the idea that people know integration works, but it is never talked about and supported as a nationwide conversation.
Because the students at Next Generation Scholars are of the minorities and are from under-privileged families, I am sure they have experienced structural racism at some point, because unfortunately, it is inevitable. However, one of Next Generation Scholars main goals is to “level the playing field by providing dedicated underserved students with all the advantages available to those of privilege.” These students come here to not only receive extra learning opportunities and get help on their studies, but also to be in a place where they know they will always be valued and surrounded by people that are like them and can respect and understand them in a mutual way. Next Generation Scholars wants to make higher education accessible to all in order to make change happen within the community. They center their education around ethnic studies and social justice and place emphasis on respecting the multicultural society in which the students live and interact.
It is important to analyze the structural causes of social issues to know where they are rooted and influenced. Racism and its perpetuation and continuation in society is often still present because of the ways they are embedded in the various social structures of our lives; a lot of the time embedded into our minds at a young age without us even realizing it. So, it is important to talk about it, and have conversations to keep these topics alive and actively circling in people’s minds so that there may be more chance for change. I think a big part of what has shifted since the start of the semester for me, is how actively and more often I am shifting my perspective to meet others and see eye to eye with them. I find that I am consciously getting out of the narrow flow where we can often find ourselves focused on our own lives and trying to be more open and present for others while also keeping an open mind to the social issues that are around me in the community.
