I remember having my eyes opened to my white privilege when the BlackLivesMatter movement was in full swing. I think the recent death at the time was when Philando Castile, a school cafeteria supervisor, was shot in Minneapolis. BlackLivesMatter memes and posts were everywhere, and I wondered: Yes. Black lives matter. But don't all lives matter?
I was one of those people who thought that I wasn't racist just because I was a good person and liked people of all colors. Not only that, but I also always had been fascinated with the civil rights movement and had read every book that addressed injustices in the past. I loved reading about heroes like Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges as they confronted racism head on. I knew there was still racism, but naively thought it was minimal and only done by bigots.
Luckily a person who I admire and follow on FB posted an article "Every time You Say 'All Lives Matter' You Are Being an Accidental Racist" and I thought, Oh shit! I don't want to be considered racist on purpose or by accident, so I quickly opened this up and read what the BlackLivesMatter movement really was. Once I really got the BLM message loud and clear, I started to realize just how privileged I am and living in Maine where the population is 95% white.
As a teacher I always shied away from books that confronted racial issues because I was scared I would do it wrong. I was worried I would offend my black students in my classes where they might feel singled out. Or what if while explaining something in our history that was built on racism, I got my facts wrong? If I was going to teach this, I wanted to do it right, and how could I, a white Mainer come across as an expert on this? But then again, in a state that is 95% white, if white people don't start talking about it to our kids, who will?
Truth is, I can't be an expert. I am not even close. But I have read, and researched and keep my eyes, ears, and mind open when it comes to learning all there is to learn about our racist systems. I also know that I felt duped by the white washed "history" lessons I was given as a kid, because now at 44 I am realizing that while I would not consider myself a racist, I now get that I have benefitted from the racism in our country. Now, I feel like it is an ethical responsibility for anyone who is aware of the way racism works, to show our students, to point it out to them now, and get them to think about how we can fix this before they perpetuate the same system.
I get it if you are not ready to tackle racism, I do, it's scary. But not as scary as living in a racist country that refuses to progress forward and make change. Take a minute to read the blog post "Politics and the English Language" by Radical Departures. In this post the author makes the point that if we shy away from topics and conversations that make us uncomfortable, then we will never be able to grow as a society. We have to let go of the old adage "Never discuss politics and religion" and teach our kids how to listen, understand, and confront each other in ways that are respectful and thoughtful. Where else will these lessons take place if not done at school?
Need to learn more on what racism looks like today? Check out: 16 Books about Race that Every White Person Should Read by Huffington Post.
A great book to start out confronting racism with students is:
You may also want to look at and connect some of the recent news about the Emmitt Till burial site, or the reopening of his case to hold his murderers responsible, and the final sentencing of the men responsible for the Birmingham Bombing.
**Racism is alluded to throughout the book, but not overt, therefore you can pick and choose the areas you feel more comfortable to confront.
Yes!! Please do and I would love to have a dialogue with you on this too!!
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