5/29 Other People's Children

 

Other People's Children  Cultural Conflict in the Classroom 

The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children 

By: Lisa Delpit

My 3 takings points for this article:

1. Tell my students.  I tell them that their language and cultural style is unique and wonderful but that their is a political power game also being played.......

 There is a time and a place:  I grew up with the ideology.  I had pride in my cultural ebonics that my mother hated.  and I would cherish them around my friends and some family.  But I knew when I needed to present my self to make it in the world and be "proper".  My mother was big on "PROPER" she always loved when a co-worker (white) told her how polite and well educated her kids were.  As much as it was a cringy moment for her and us.  We knew it was mandatory to succeed in the world.

2.  They won't listen; white folks are going to do what they want to do anyway.......

This sounds like privilege (thinking about Johnson's reading)  So why would you not want to perspective of someone who is knowledgeable about the cultural about ways to engage students to get them excited to learn.  to understand the dynamics of home life. ( systemic racism has both parents working to survive)

3.   The authoritative teacher can control the class through exhibition of personal power establishes meaningful interpersonal relationships that Garner students respect......

This is my style of running my space I engage youth I give respect and earn their's by relationship building, being human and just an older version of them. however I will conduct myself in a way that keeps the classroom in a vibe of respect at all times and am open to needing to be "checked" myself.  I think of it as a collaboration of minds trying to discover and adventure this world.

The authors argues that white is not always right and we need to be open to other perspectives in the classroom to educate our students.  We have to give them what they need and also let what they have shine.

Listen to:     We are the World

5/27 Colorblindness and Black Lives Matter...........the twisted truths!!!!

5/27/25

Deconstructing Privilege Teaching and Learning as Allies in the Classroom: 

"Colorblindness is the New Racism"  Raising Awareness about Privilege Using Color Insight.  

By:   M.J. Armstrong and S.M. Wildman

Website:    All Lives Matter  9 Reasons Why Saying it is Damaging.

By:  The Vox

The authors of all of this weeks reading and videos are saying that  DISTRACTION can't be the answer to RACISM.  For so many years we have allowed ourselves to be distracted.  Are we forever lost in the maze or CAN we gain enough color insight to begin to regain the tribal community once dominant in the Americas, living and learning from diversity, everything done for the good of the community and not the individual.

Color in sight makes you see that color still is an issue, racism has not dismissed at all it just alters it shape form and provisions but it still keeps oppression going in some way even if it is subliminal or a stow-away.

It seems like Armstrong and Wildman are saying that "They"(systemic capitalist) are playing in our face, throwing a bone sends them (minorities) chasing a new faux scent while they (systemic racist) work to bury the scent that matters.  Saying All lives matter takes away from black Ives MATTERING and puts a negative spin on the entire cause for Black lives MATTERING needing to be said!

so much of how things are seemingly repaired or on the mend in this world and it is not with solutions but with distraction. Cover ups or refocusing attention elsewhere is how we deal with Racism.  Being colorblind is part of the distraction.  According to Johnson WE cannot fix what we cannot see or accept as truth. Distractions are not going to lead to a solution or strengthening of a human group.  

Things from the reading that make me have this feeling:

The articles made these statements:    

1.)   Whites consider the disadvantages of being non-white without having to consider the benefits of appearing to be white.  Racism does not exist to whites.

When thinking about the Black lives matter articles  I see how this plays out.  and meshes with the article about colorblindness.   "All lives matter"  is for the benefit of whites and totally NOT considering the disadvantages of being non-white.  The truth of All Black Lives Matter is that Blacks are killed at high rates by police. To diminish and distract a systemic racism pushes "All lives Matter " to not only silence the issue but to also provide a benefit by allowing whites to appear "for unity, all-inclusive" when the underlying story is actually oppressing and poisoning the original message.  They hide behind We all Matter ( we care about you BUT) with the reason of acknowledging "Black Lives" could cause disharmony in a justice system that is at the root of the cry for attention to the MATTER!!  We are smothered by the distraction, ALL LIVES MATTER, as it is pushed into main stream media what it is not, a cry for ALL LIVES MATTERING.  It is really a blind for a real racial issue, that like we learned in Johnson, we don't speak of because it makes people uncomfortable to say Blacks are unfairly being killed by the very country they built.

2.)  The contemporary use of colorblindness became an active principle only when government programs that recognized race became perceived as disadvantaging white people.

In my youth development studies I have learned so much about how many of the government programs for "helping" "disadvantaged people" are actually rooted in systemic capitalism and operate to maintain oppression and racism.  Housing opportunities for the underprivileged actually keeping "them" corralled in one area and intentionally under-serving that population to preserve poverty.

When opportunities provide for the uplifting of the minority race started producing Financially stable and well off black families, raising minority property ownership and blending more "normally-white" neighborhoods  that is when the ideology of "WE DON'T SEE COLOR" came into play  sounds great and equal right,  but NO it pushes back on diverse hiring and returns the ole practice of "white male leaders" being the standard.  Again another distraction.   Since Barack Obama became president commentors describe U.S. society as "post racial" as if the election of a Black man to the nation's highest office meant no more conversation about race was needed.   This section from the article is an example of how they try to say racism is not a thing, how can it be we had a black president.  That is the same thing as saying  But I have black friends.  I feel like Johnson would want us to consider does having black friends shine light on the white privilege you enjoy and what are you doing about that.  How are you bringing that color sight to the table of your white friends?!

3.)  No person is purely privileged or unprivileged in respect to some categories and not privileged in respect to others.   This section of the Colorblindness article made me think of these things:  Are "they" afraid to realize they are privileged because your privilege comes from the intentional dehumanization of another human.  If acknowledging privilege is uncomfortable; then that says to me that what you have is ILL gotten because you are avoiding the raw ugly reality of how it was gained.  Are you really a moral good person if you pretend to address racism.  Privilege=oppression and we all participate in it.  Blacks allowing the conversation to be distracted is participating in privilege.  We are in our own way of finding a solution if we do not HAVE the uncomfortable conversation in education, in communities and in the justice system.  To live in a world that has a justice system that mainly targets you to fail is not a FREE life.  We need to start unlocking racism in our education and in the law structure of our country many policies and laws are way over due to be revisited and rewritten by a diverse group that represents the population the "melting pot" of the United States. 

This may equal somebody's giving up some things,  we have all had to sacrifice and we have continued (past and present tense) to overcome why can't they?  maybe because they did not earn what they have and without it have no idea how to survive because everyone else has always done the "work".  How do you do the job if someone else took the class.  

But this makes me ask why we are so easily guided away from the truth.   How do we still not have the power to see through the haze?  HOW DOES DISTRACTION KEEP WINNING?  

Where are they hiding the "Kryptonite" that keeps us weak and digging up the truth and keeping it surface for disposal?

TED: Racism:colorblindness

Modern Family: noticing racism

The Impossible Anti Racism Discourse

 I immediately thought of what my grandfather said to me as a child.  Never accept anything told to you as the truth there is usually always a underlying reality to anything "given to" or "done for us".  Look for the unspoken story and then decide what you believe.  

Reading Colorblindness brought me back to this lesson from my grandfather,  So much in our world is made to help us and give us the opportunity but yet it is actually maintaining the foot on our necks.  It is like putting a beautiful frosting over a moldy cake so you do not have to realize your enjoying something really disgusting and nasty.  That is what All lives matter does is cover up the fact that Black lives do not and have never mattered. PERIOD.  Why can't that just be the end of the sentence.  

Like my mom always says THE TRUTH HURTS BUT YOU HAVE TO HEAR IT TO DEAL WITH IT!!!!!

5/22 Assignment A (UPDATED to JOHNSON ARTICLE) and a bonus read about classroom vibes/space

 Privilege, Power and Difference

By:  Allan G. Johnson

UPDATED BLOG:  ( I wrote my blog about the wrong article  I misunderstood I thought the short one was for today.

When reading Privilege, power, and difference by Allan Johnson  I was impressed with his openness to take accountability for white privilege and how it is avoided.

the 3 points in this reading that stood out to me were:

1. We could make ourselves part of the solution by accepting we are part of the problem.   

so many avoid the topic because it makes them uncomfortable to talk about.  Why is white sufferage a "no-no" but minority sufferage acceptable.   Systemic racism is our foundation and the house is crumbling.

2.  He understands that he may not have the answers or direction for everything as a white male but is willing to listen to others for answers.  The world is so male dominate however how can males answer things that they have NO experience in.

How do we speak on what is good for others or what others need if they are not like us.  So much can be shared and utilized from other cultures that would make for communities that heal together.  Why does my skin color determine my "expectations".  The world needs to be willing to listen and make group choices about what is best for a community.  None is solo we all need someone, we should all need each other.

3.  It will take all of us or at least most of us to make this change.

I love this saying in his writings because there will always be someone who does not jump on the band wagon but it all we need is a majority.  

I feel that Johnson argues that racism is unchangeable if we are not willing to own it!!!!  

this link is to an article by Robin DiAngelo called How White fragility supports racism and how whites can stop it.

BONUS READ REFLECTION 

Introduction: Creating Classrooms for Equity and Social Justice

After reading this article I was resonating with a few things.  I love this classroom he speaks of with the youth having more voice and free space to dig into topics and learn as a group.  A space that a teacher can be honest and also not know everything willing to research and figure it out together or even better learn from a student who already jumped into the topic.   students eager to learn but open to mistakes and correction from peers or teachers.  A few grabs from the reading are 

1. Respect makes room for care of another.  Building that space encourages group healing and learning.  a safe space to ask the hard questions and wrestle with the sometimes harder answers but always ready to help another in that struggle.  Imagine the education that could be given in a room of honest mutual respect.

2. The concept of allowing youth to question the real around them.  Disagreeing and looking for more until it is understood, changed and cherished by others.  Being able to debate with youth in a healthy and engaging,  building their skill to defend what the believe and know to be true or valued.

3. Knowing your demographic and being culturally aware of your community and curious about the "vibe" of the population.  Being open and understanding and engaging families in the learning process.  I think it is important to understand the lives of those you teach to be able to provide a space that is diverse in belonging and welcoming ideas for sharing experiences and beliefs.  that care of others plays in well here it allows for grace in learning, honest acceptance in care makes such a difference in the development and ability to learn for youth.

I watched this momma walk around with her big belly until this baby giraffe was born! It was the longest two months of late nights (2am-3am) of my life but I was hooked.  Little Leroy ( that is what I named him I deserved to name him it has been 2 stinking months I have been watching this live cam, countless lunch breaks checking the cam to be sure I didn't miss it) hahahahaha  lol    ok fine....   Taj was born in April.  It was the best education I have in forever.  I was so mesmerized by this I had to know everything about them I research and asked questions and watch videos.   An education really can look like anything why not a open space for discussing topics current and archived led by youth.  I love this giraffe... unfortunately he has passed.

This is a link to a classroom at the Gordon School in East Providence, RI that starts at an early age with this same concept of the article we read I love this framework and I love that Pre-K in US is heading in this direction it is the bringing to changing what education space looks like.  

5/20 All About Me

 Hi  I am happy to get to know you all during this class.

I am interested in getting to read everyone's view on things.   Sometimes I feel like I am not fully understanding the readings ( I have a learning disability) so having these blogs will be helpful to me making sure I understand.   I even like to see how other people see things.  I love that we all have a different views or experiences of this world and I am always willing to hear how it is interpreted by others.

I love animals sometimes more than people (lol) I also love music and singing karaoke.  I enjoy working with youth I work at an elementary school in East Providence for 6 months.  I previously worked at the boys and girls club for 2 years.  I have a group of 6 best friends we have been friends since we were 15 years old we call ourselves sista girls and our kids call us "The Aunties"  we are our own family group it is pretty awesome. I love crafts and I love fishing I am pretty willing to try all kinds of hobbies,  I love to knit and crochet (until I got arthritis).

this is me one of my glamour shots (hahahah)

 This is me I love a good selfie and these pom poms in my hair is one of my favorite styles 

 This is 2 of the besties  Tracy and Stacy are on either side of me and they are sisters    and that is my sista-niece Dominique  (we call her first born, she was the first baby out of the friend group) 

This is me at the beach with my daughter I love the beach 

 This is me and my father, I call him "The Big Guy"   hahahahahahaha!!!!!  

Click here for one of my favorite songs