I went to the 2014 White Privilege Conference in Madison, Wisconson at the end of March with two of my co-workers. This week, my colleagues gathered to hear about our experiences. This is what I shared.
Showing posts with label white privilege. Show all posts
Showing posts with label white privilege. Show all posts
Friday, April 11, 2014
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Privilege Diary #3
This post if for my fellow teachers.
I heard a song lyric today: ...there is no them, only us.
It is a line in U2's new song called Invisible. To me, this sentiment is at the heart of all bias issues.
Can you honestly say that you can see an Asian, Latino and African-American student in your class in the same manner? Do you think you can look at a third grader and see the potential doctor or lawyer within, regardless of their ethnicity, background, or skin color. Then read no further. But if you are being truly honest, you might confess that most people in the US would admit to a bias of seeing that potential doctor or lawyer in an Asian student much more easily than Latino or African-American students. Is this right? Of course, the answer is categorically no.
My compelling thought during my run today was that if we teach in a manner that doesn't facilitate an "us" and "them" mentality, the world would be a better place.
While I recognize that this is not a new thought...it WAS a thought that hit me profoundly today.
I heard a song lyric today: ...there is no them, only us.
It is a line in U2's new song called Invisible. To me, this sentiment is at the heart of all bias issues.
Can you honestly say that you can see an Asian, Latino and African-American student in your class in the same manner? Do you think you can look at a third grader and see the potential doctor or lawyer within, regardless of their ethnicity, background, or skin color. Then read no further. But if you are being truly honest, you might confess that most people in the US would admit to a bias of seeing that potential doctor or lawyer in an Asian student much more easily than Latino or African-American students. Is this right? Of course, the answer is categorically no.
My compelling thought during my run today was that if we teach in a manner that doesn't facilitate an "us" and "them" mentality, the world would be a better place.
While I recognize that this is not a new thought...it WAS a thought that hit me profoundly today.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Privilege Diary Entry #2
All I have to say today is: how is this a headline?
That is akin to someone putting a headline next to my photo saying: Hartford Police Department says Suburban Housewife Jenni French is not a murderer. But you see, that would never happen.
That is akin to someone putting a headline next to my photo saying: Hartford Police Department says Suburban Housewife Jenni French is not a murderer. But you see, that would never happen.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Privilege Diary Entry #1
This is the beginning of a journey for me. With this blog post, I mark the beginning of my diary about white privilege, bias, racism and oppression. Yesterday, I came home from a week-long conference on this topic. Given my penchant toward communication, one of the ideas that arose from the conference was to document my thinking about privilege over the coming days. I don't intend to offer conclusions (yet), just transparent thinking and a chronicle/collection of experiences. And so I begin.
This was the sign I saw when I leaving the conference.
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It is clearly appealing to the male provider mindset. Typically this mindset is coming from a white-framed mindset. Perhaps it should say, "Not bought your boyfriend here yet?"
This was the sign I saw when I leaving the conference.
.JPG)
It is clearly appealing to the male provider mindset. Typically this mindset is coming from a white-framed mindset. Perhaps it should say, "Not bought your boyfriend here yet?"
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