The Power of Culture
Pollock strives for the conversation about racism to be communal because, as she states, “We collectively define “racism” as any act that, even unwittingly, tolerates, accepts, or reinforces racially unequal opportunities for children to learn and thrive; allows racial inequalities in opportunity as if they are normal and acceptable, or treats people of color as less worthy or less complex than “white” people” (1). In short, racism affects everyone, not just victims of discrimination. While I already had this understanding, the reading brought me a new idea of how to combat racism: describe what racism is. “Racism is bad.” Yes, but the issue with saying that racism is just “bad” is that it takes a complex issues and simplifies it. Instead of seeing the blatant problem of racism, we should seek the solution to racism by saying “racism is unproductive and inequitable.” Every day acts do matter, no matter how small. If we want the conversation about racism to transform, we must start it in the most formative environment: the classroom. The younger, the better!
The problem with the way many educators use the term “culture” in education is that many aren’t aware of the choices they make. For instance, the concept of colorblindness is used to try to eliminate any mistake of racism displayed by the teacher by implying that all her students are going to be treated the same in the classroom. The problem with that is the student of color potentially feels like their culture doesn’t matter and what makes them different is disregarded. Another issue with color, stated in the reading: “Skin color, the physical characteristic that Americans most often use to falsely distinguish racial groups, itself cannot be classified into clear-cut “types” of “colors.” We just imagine that it can!” (11). The simple conversation about racism doesn’t tend to account for mixed-race people (for example, a woman can appear white but identify as Latina because of her Mexican heritage from her dad’s side of the family). Interracial families are more prevalent and commonly accepted in society now, so defining a clear race category is more difficult now. The more multiple cultures are embedded into “white society” the harder it is to disregard different cultures and immediately categorize them from the dominant race.
Meanwhile, history wants to counteract that conversation about racism that is desperately needed. For example:
“In a cruel cycle, the notion that intellectual ability was distributed differently than so-called ‘races’ was developed by white scientists through the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries to explain and justify a system of economic, social, and political inequality organized along racial lines” (15).
“The term Caucasian originated in the eighteenth century as part of the developing European science of racial classification.1 After visiting the region of the Caucasus Mountains, between the Caspian and Black seas, German anatomist Johann Blumenbach declared its inhabitants the most beautiful in the world, the ideal type of humans created in “God’s image,” and deemed this area the likely site where humans originated. (Humans actually originated in Africa)” (19).
History is important to keep in mind in the conversation about racism, but currently history is being used to justify marginalization. History of resistance and civil rights didn’t really become spotlighted until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s; because it’s seemingly a new movement compared to the centuries of social hierarchical racism, many people are unwilling to be open to the change that needs to happen.
“To get ready for courageous conversations about race with their students, educators might first learn to engage with their colleagues. After developing proficiency in applying the guidelines, they can assist students to examine racial issues in a variety of subjects. As educators gain familiarity with courageous conversations’ ebbs and flow, they can steer their students toward safe harbors rather than allowing them to wander into frighteningly familiar stormy waters” (25).
I don’t blatantly encounter racism or conversations about race at my community partner, but I do feel well equipped to handle racial comments and/or participate in a conversation about race. Ironically, I would probably approach it without mentioning racism, at least how I used to think about describing racism or racist people. Conversations, if done to maximum benefit, have to be done with the ability to see the other’s perspective as well as keep a level-headed mindset. The reading says it best: “A courageous conversation requires that participants be honest about their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Too often participants are afraid of offending, appearing angry, or sounding ignorant in conversations about race and fall silent, allowing their beliefs and opinions to be misinterpreted or misunderstood. Many beliefs concerning race are based on misconceptions. It is precisely through the sharing of honest and heartfelt sentiments-regardless of whether the participant believes them to be embraced by the discussion leader, their peers, or people of other races-that participants can begin to transform themselves” (27).
