"This Wednesday was the 298th day of the year. There are 67 days left in 2017. If the current pace of killing keeps up, 2017 might close with 132 homicides. The city’s record, which came in 1991 when Columbus was in the throes of the crack-cocaine epidemic, stands at 139." -Decker (The Columbus Dispatch 10-27-17)
What is common about today & 1991... Racial tension, poverty, drug addiction, gun violence, homicides...
I have had so much weighing on mind over the past couple of years. Racism and prejudice is something I strive to be aware of and to not fall to everyday. I want to believe that I am colorblind and just see people, especially students, for who they show me that they are. The reality is that I have prejudices. It was so powerful on Tuesday 10-24-17, when Suzanne Roberts of Unifying Solutions, as a white women, who grew up in Bexley, Ohio said, "I am a racist." This was during a training meeting with fellow teacher's, who are apart of the "Social and Economic Justice" group. I began to think, well then we all are racist.
I chose to be apart of this group because I am a survivor of poverty and the inner city, just like the students I teach. I really want to be involved with issues regarding the affects of social & economic injustices. I tend to follow my ideology that poverty is what connects us; us meaning all of the races; Caucasian/white, African-american/black, Hispanic, Asian, Native-American and etc. I feel that the media and people of wealth use our skin color & race differences, to turn us against each other. I have to admit that it is difficult to explain my thoughts to my white friends or any of my friends. I spoke in a group meeting that I feel that my white family and friends struggle to see "white privilege," because they are still struggling with poverty. The struggle is real.
I work 2 jobs trying to make ends meet. I have applied and looked for 1 job that would pay me more, but I don't think it exist. My son attends a public suburb school and I have to pick up working events that puts funds in his account along with the booster's, because I can't afford to pay the "pay to play fees." If a scholarship was available, I probably just make a little to much for it. My white friends will say things well how much did they spend on entertainment... that tattoo...that vacation? Then I start to feel ashamed that I go on vacations or buy tickets to a concert. Does this really matter? Poorer than you or me people don't deserve to travel or take a vacation, to relax or enjoy paying to be entertained? If I can't help my white friends see that poor people deserve a life too, then how will I help them see white privilege?
I had no idea that states drew red lines, meaning banks gave home loans in certain zip codes to white families and then other zip codes of depreciating value to blacks. I had no idea that blacks were not recruited to fight in World War II which meant they were not recipients of the first GI Bill monies. I knew, from my urban public school 8th grade African-american history teacher, Mr. Milner, that a slave only counted as 3/5 of a person. Also, I graduated from East High School, located in a historical African-American neighborhood, because at the time I was white and got bused there due to the desegregation efforts of the district; meaning instead of walking to my neighborhood school, I got on a bus and went from the west side to the east side, so the school could be more equal of white and black students. Again, I learned that we collectively have more in common, mostly due to the struggles of poverty, than are uncommon factor, meaning the color of our skin.
Another thing I know, is that my grandparents were born into poverty and 3 generations later that I am doing a little better then they were. My fraternal Grandfather enlisted in the Army during World War II at the age of 17. My maternal grandfather was Cherokee Indian, looked it and was a butcher in Columbus, he knew not to tell people that he was an Indian from Kentucky. Even my fraternal Grandfather, who I love dearly, said that my mom came form the other side of the tracks, from the hillbillies. In his time you married your own people, my Dad was Irish Catholic but didn't marry someone more like him. The fact is, my Indian Grandfather got paid a lot less in his lifetime compared to my white Irish Grandfather. I got the impression from my grandparents that we don't trust black people. Thus, in the 1990's when one of my white girl cousins got pregnant with a black baby, it brought some of this up.
Prejudices and racism is always apart of who we are and it is around us. I do not have all the answers, but what I have shared today, is what is in my heart.
I had insulting racist comments said to me, from both white and black people, while I was a 16 year old carrying my 5 month old baby boy cousin, who is biracial but looks black, so is he just black? Today he is in his twenties and he has to face this world as a black man, I worry about that. I can't fully know what that is like. I refuse to just be another white female teacher, yes I am white and yes I chose to be a teacher but I question everything around me. I always think twice before I write up a student, is it because of a repeated behavior and does have to do with their color or if they are male?
I can see that the education system is leaving African-Americans out. How have I seen this? A few years ago, my teaching assignment including me reading test questions to students who was given this accommodation. I began to see that these students were mostly African-American males, next group white males, so mostly males and then a few African-American girls with a couple bilingual children. I began reading about the school to prison pipeline. I believe "white privilege," because I can see it year after year, in the number of African-American children retesting or having challenges to get to that Ohio High School diploma, this is just one of the main things I see directly.
I will leave you some resources to reference. One is a quiz I took from Harvard that helps you determine your bias. I scored as moderate, "automatic preference for white over black images of people's faces. Also, I preference males with family and females with career. I was trying to not show any bias as I sorted face images to good or bad words and I have been told I am pro women, but my results showed differently. Thus, I have to own it.
I will use my voice to provide equity of opportunity for all to eliminate division and promote coexistence.
IAT test/s is available at; http://havard.ed/implicit/takeatest.html
Other sources;
Elliot, Jane. "Blue-eye/Brown-eye Experiment" Retrieved 10-27-17 https://youtu.be/1CtrpLh6TKk
Green, Laci. "Is Racism Over Yet? Retrieved 10-24-17 https://youtu.be/h_hx30zOi9I
Johnson, Tracey D. (March 2016). Columbus Education Association, Community in Crisis Summit.
Pinto, Erica. "The Unequal Opportunity Race." Short film for the African American Policy Forum" Retrieved 10-26-17 https://youtu.be/vX_Vzl-r8NY
NEA (2014) Restorative Practices: Fostering Healthy Realtionships & Promoting Positive Discipline in Schools." Download toolkit: www.otlcampaign.org/restorative-practices
Roberts, Suzanne and Erin Upchurch. (September 2017) Unifying Solutions in conjunction with Safe Conversation About Race.
The Southern Poverty Law Center. Let's Talk! Discussing Race, Racisim and other Difficult Topics with Students. Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved tolerance.org/materials/orders
White, Sr., James A. (October 2017) Performance Consulting Services. www.safeconversationaboutrace.com https://www.facebook.com/healingtheSCAR
