Reading Time: 17 minutes
Research from Harvard University suggests that children as young as three years old, when exposed to racism and prejudice, tend to embrace and accept it, even though they might not understand the feelings. By age 5, white children are strongly biased towards whiteness. To counter this bias, experts recommend acknowledging and naming race and racism with children as early and as often as possible. Children’s books are one of the most effective and practical tools for initiating these critical conversations; and they can also be used to model what it means to resist and dismantle oppression.
race
- Engage
Letter to a White Student Who Doesn’t Want to be Call “White” in a Class on Race
by Confluenceby ConfluenceReading Time: 8 minutes Racism happens because white people are white; not because people have color. And I am not saying this because I am trying to hurt white individuals. I want us to understand why race exists, so we can decide if we want to keep a system that is the opposite of the values we claim to hold as U.S. citizens. And I want to give my students the knowledge to make an informed decision about what perspectives they decide to use as they look at the world. I want you all to understand how race functions in the world so that you can make informed decisions about your own actions. This is the purpose of this class.
- Informed
A White Person’s Guide to the 5 Fables that Hold White Fragility Together At the Seams
by Confluenceby ConfluenceReading Time: 7 minutes I’ve been called a racist flat out and I didn’t like it at all. The problem with that word is racism is murky. If someone called me a serial killer, that would be pretty cut and dry. Nope. There are no bodies to be uncovered. I’m not a serial killer, plain and simple. However, if someone calls me a racist, I have to sit with that and sort through my shadow places to try make sure I’m not missing something someone else sees.
In order to work our way through this, as white people, we need to let go of the myths we cling to in an effort to distance ourselves from the discomfort of an uncomfortable conversation so that we can do that sorting – preferably before someone calls you a racist.
Reading Time: 6 minutes Ok y’all. Lotsa racial shit happening causing divides. Let’s run with it! Maybe it will help to classify all you wypipo so you know how cool or fucked up you actually are in the eyes of a POC. We need all you cool white folks over here with us in the resistance on the winning side of the revolution. So let’s determine…..
“How Cool of a White Person Are You?”Reading Time: 5 minutes What came to my mind was a definition I read earlier this week by Ijeoma Oluo in “So You Want to Talk About Race.” She says how we are unable to talk about race in this country. She says one definition is: “Any prejudice against someone because of their race. Or any prejudice against someone because of their race, when those views are reinforced by systems of power” (pg. 26.) This second definition is how I define racism and how I invite you to define it as well.
My friend was a black immigrant and the judge represented the system of power. The disdain the judge had for this person was palpable in the courtroom. You may say that the judge’s disdain had nothing to do with race. Maybe not. But I know that the punishment did not fit the crime.
Reading Time: 9 minutes Then I realized that I felt vulnerable. I felt overly vulnerable and not “safe” around the men who held very different views from mine in the world but that was not the issue. The issue was that their worldview did not have space for someone like me and my worldview held space for them. I did not shame them for believing differently from me. But they said, “O, that is just naive. That is just ignorant.” I believe the white male shut me down because he is not used to listening to a woman talk for 15 minutes, and a black, immigrant, and articulate one at that. Finally, they walked away. Not because they were not heard because I was sure to make sure I invited their perspective into the conversation, but they left, probably because they could not dominate the conversation or engage in a different viewpoint. They put their stake in the ground and it did not matter what anyone else thought.
- Informed
Meghan Markle’s Blackness: The Lot of Black People Hasn’t Changed Just Because a Woman With African Heritage Has Joined the British Royal Family
by Confluenceby ConfluenceReading Time: 4 minutes The lot of black people hasn’t suddenly changed just because a woman with African heritage has joined the British royal family, any more than the election of Barack Obama—whose family is decidedly regal—made everything all better. It was clear that a number of white guests didn’t quite know how to react to the inclusion of black culture. And yet, as much as I tried to stay indifferent, I got chills. I even choked up a bit. But why?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Whom do you render invisible?
How are you getting your education about people who do not look like you or who you view as part of a blurred whole?
Do you expect marginalized people to educate you about themselves, their communities and their lives?
Do you sense the power differential in that demand?- EngageInformed
Unfurling Blindness – Decoding the Politics of “Color-blindness”
by Confluenceby ConfluenceReading Time: 9 minutes I hope if you are a person of color and you experienced any resonance with the divisive nature of the responses to the post, that you feel seen, heard and supported. For me, it felt like someone was complimenting me and stepping on my baby toe really, really hard!
- Editor
All Kids Should See the Black Panther Movie Because White Kids Need Black Superheroes Too
by Confluenceby ConfluenceReading Time: 2 minutes The Black Panther is an obvious opportunity for a white child to see a black person as a role model. It’s just as important for white children to have black role models as it is for black children.