The Same But Different

Critical Reflection #6

What? Timothy DeLaGhetto, an internet personality, tweeted a poll on February 20, 2017, asking his followers which of the following is worse: “being fake woke”, “being so woke it’s annoying”, “not caring at all”, or “caring but doing nothing.” With 32%, the option “caring but doing nothing” garnered the most votes. Being woke means being informed and staying aware of the injustices, turmoil, and conflicts going on in today’s society. Caring but doing nothing, to me, means some people can just sit back and relax because they do not consider themselves a racist, making them a “good person” for saying that they are not part of the problem instead of going out there and doing more about this issue. It takes more than just saying that they do not agree with the injustices, thinking that it is an individual attitude instead of addressing the problem in a societal level. That is the problem and those individuals are still part of the problem. In the chapter called “Talking Precisely about Equal Opportunity”, Mica Pollock discusses the importance of addressing racism at a societal level and not just as an individual attitude. Everyday actions by educators in schools can help provide necessary opportunities for the students in moving them closer to educational opportunity. She states that instead of providing vague proposals of how to treat students of color equally, educators can say “which of our everyday acts move specific students or student populations toward educational opportunity, and which acts move them farther away from it?”; “talk more precisely about specific subpopulations in their school, and their needs” since every student is different and has different needs; and “talk more precisely about the causes of racial disparities, and about which students need which opportunities if disparities are to be eliminated” (Pollock 5). By doing these, educators can help equalize opportunity for various students of color.

So What? In the article “It’s Not the Culture of Poverty, It’s the Poverty of Culture: The Problem with Teacher Education,” Gloria Ladson-Billings discusses how “at the same moment teacher education students learn nothing about culture, they use it with authority as one of the primary explanations for everything from school failure to problems with behavior management and discipline,” (Ladson-Billings 104). The problem is that teachers loosely use the word “culture” to explain certain behaviors of students, like those struggling in schools, because they cannot explain the cause. Treating people as a racial group in this case harms them. For example, in the discussion with students completing their fourth field experience, they described the black kids talking loudly and not listening as a cultural reasoning. The author then asked if “she thought they were talking loudly because they were black or because they were kids,” showing how close-minded some people are to think of this as the answer (Ladson-Billings 106). They are simply assuming that their misbehaviors were because of their race and upbringing associated with what they are. Seeing people as their race lets us forget our commonality as humans. Treating people as racial group members helps them because by recognizing them as a part of a group or race, they would know which approaches to use to change inequality among races. For example, this can be useful when “deciding whether and how to see, treat, or talk about students, parents, colleagues, or others in racial terms. Some ways of recognizing students as “black” buoy them up with confidence; others trap them in reductive or stigmatizing notions of what being “black” means” (Everyday Antiracism, xix). It is important to analyze when it is necessary to treat people as racial group members and when they should now and how it may be harmful.

Now What? Although Kids Club is majority Hispanics/Latino students, it celebrates the minority and supports them to become successful. This program includes a group of supportive people who want nothing but the best for these children. They continue to fight for the same equalities in education by helping the kids close the achievement gap, not only to be reading at their own levels, but to be given the same opportunities in education as those who live in wealthier areas of Marin County. The kids are provided homework help and are put into reading groups, as well as reading one on one with the volunteers almost every single day.

Singleton and Hays provide their readers four suggestions for beginning courageous conversations about race. One that I found most challenging is “Speak Your Truth”. Like what is stated, “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,” (Singleton & Hays 21). I am not the most vocal person when it comes to topics I am not completely confident about. Although it is important to just remain honest and share heartfelt sentiments, I would not open up until I feel that I am knowledgeable enough and have studied what I will be sharing with the students. It is important to recognize and celebrate people’s experiences as a racial group, but not always seeing them only as a race. We should keep an open mind, be wise and sensitive to everyone by respecting them as human beings before all else.