Narrative

Introduction

Ethnic and racial diversity is increasing in the United States.  The foreign born population in the United States has not grown this much since the early 1900s.  The percentage of students of color has grown from 22 percent of the school population in 1973 to over 43 percent, and within one or two decades from now students of color may outnumber White students (Banks, 2008, p. ix).

Intolerance, hate, segregation, discrimination, oppression, achievement gaps, and stereotypes are just some of the many problems surrounding the growing ethnic and racial diversity in the U.S.  Frieden (2011) informs us of the FBI’s annual hate crime report:  “…the number of U.S. hate crimes…totaled 6,628 in calendar year 2010. That's slightly above the 6,604 total hate crimes reported during 2009.  The largest category of hate crimes involved race, accounting for nearly half of more than 6,000 incidents” (p. 1).

These problems are present in schools around the country and to make things worse, “textbooks not only have failed to address this issue, but they have actually contributed to the problem by promoting unacceptable stereotypes and prejudices” (Henson, 2010, p. 389).

These issues are real and will not solve themselves.  Racial and ethnic diversity is increasing yet many schools and educators are not designing curriculum for today’s diverse students nor are they opening up discussion on racial differences with students.  Should teachers discuss racial and ethnic differences openly with students?  Can open dialogue with students about these differences help students become respectful, caring, and open-minded individuals who both recognize and embrace racial differences?

In addition to the above questions, this narrative will examine supporting and opposing views of open racial dialogue in classrooms as well as student, teacher, parent, and administrator perspectives on the issue.  It will also explore why many teachers who feel this type of dialogue is important do not actually do it.

Literature Review

Supporters/Opposers

Some oppose open racial dialogue with students and feel that neither race nor differences should be brought up at all.  One reason for opposition is the “post racial” mentality that racism is over and therefore differences should and need not be discussed.  Darden (2009) explains one reason the term “post-racial” has become so popular:  “[it] gained prominence during the 2008 presidential campaign, as a way of describing the broad appeal of then-candidate Barack Obama. After Obama’s election, the term morphed into the notion that America has completely gotten beyond racism” (Confronting Race section, para. 8).

It is common for mainstream Americans to believe racism is not a problem today (Howard, 1993; Kivel, 2011).  Whites in particular, even as young children, “…learn the racial-power codes often before they learn to speak.  They become socialized by silence about race and racism” (Davis, 2008, p. 296). 

When looking at the statistics mentioned in the introduction on the realities of racism (intentional or not), it is clear that racism is far from over and that it needs to be addressed (Banks, 2008; Henson, 2010; Simpson, 2006).

“Racial-power codes” and being “socialized by silence”, as mentioned above, often lead to what is called racial “colorblindness”.  Racial “colorblindness” is the idea that other opposers of open racial dialogue have that ignoring or overlooking differences actually promotes harmony (Scruggs, 2009), however studies show that colorblindness does exactly the opposite (Cooper, 2012; Scruggs, 2009).

Another reason for opposition of open discussion about race in schools is that these discussions often reinforce stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes and practices (Banks, 2008, p. 1).  Some teachers’ attempts of classroom dialogue and students’ personal stories on race have been counterproductive, hardening students’ conflicting views and “turning deaf ears to one another” (Fishman & McCarthy, 2005, p. 1).  Other teachers’ attempts at open racial discussion “frequently remain superficial or simplistic” (Teaching the Levees, n.d.).

            Fishman and McCarthy (2005) say that supporters recognize that stereotypes can be reinforced if classroom dialogue on race and racial issues is not carried out in a constructive and careful manner and that when it is carried out constructively and carefully, students will be able to accept and embrace differences (p. 348).  Classrooms will become accepting places only if teachers first examine their own possible biases and lack of awareness of racial issues, and also only if multicultural texts and student stories are placed in historical, cultural, and philosophic contexts (p. 348).  By doing these things, teachers will be able to understand and help students explore the “baggage” they carry about racial issues as well as help students make connections between their views and larger themes (p. 348).

Various Perspectives:  Students, Teachers, Administrators, Parents

            Our society tends to “silence” talk on race and racism, especially between people of different races, which places it in the “taboo” category.  This “silence” is interpreted and responded to differently by different groups of people.  Open discussion in classrooms of race and racism is perceived differently by students, teachers, parents, and administrators.

            When students are silent about race and racism, it often means something very different from what the teacher thinks (Ladson-Billings, 1996).  Teachers may think that students agree with and are comfortable with content/statements regarding race and racism when the students do not raise questions or challenge ideas.  This stops the teachers from further clarifying and discussing important and necessary information and content (pp. 82-83).  Teachers also tend to interpret student silence as a sign of ignorance when in fact, students may be silent because they have feelings of oppression, they use silence as a “weapon” by deliberately resisting dialogue, or they have a different perspective on a topic than the teacher or other classmates and are uncomfortable or fearful of expressing it (p. 85).

            There are several reasons why teachers who support the idea of open class discussion about race and racism do not actually do it.  One very common reason is simply being uncomfortable with and/or fearful of the topic, usually because of a lack of effective training on and preparation for this issue in teacher training programs (Darden, 2009).  Another reason that teachers are often uncomfortable and/or fearful of this type of classroom dialogue is due to lack of personal experience and relationships with people of different races and ethnicities (Darden, 2009; Fehr & Fehr, 2010, pp. 193-195).  Lack of teacher support on open racial dialogue from administrators, other teachers, and parents is another big reason many teachers do not engage students in it (Darden, 2009).  A final reason why some teachers do not engage students in racial dialogue is because their teaching styles are often teacher-centered and lecture-based, limiting students’ voices (Ladson-Billings, 1996, pp. 82-83).

            Darden (2009) discusses some common views that administrators have of open racial dialogue in school and of teachers engaging students in it:  They often view these teachers who speak out against silence as teachers who like to “cause trouble”; they commonly view these teachers as teachers who “play” the “race card”; and many administrators who support open racial dialogue find that discussing achievement gaps and patterns with teachers is a good starting point to get teachers talking more comfortably about race.

            Parents’ views on talking openly with their children about race and racism have a large impact on how children perceive children different from themselves.  Many parents (particularly White parents) feel that not talking about race with their children will show that race does not and should not matter, but “research suggests the opposite: that when we don’t talk about race, our children continue to think about it—and what they think is that it matters too much to talk about it” (Dell’Antonia, 2012).  Anderson Cooper’s (2010) CNN program researched this and found it to be true after interviewing and testing children’s racial attitudes and perceptions in a large scale study.  Many parents in Cooper’s (2010) study were shocked when listening to their children’s racist (usually unintentional) remarks and views on skin color, because they had never talked negatively about race or skin color in their homes.

Critique and Discussion

            As the aforementioned research shows, the presence of racism is clearly in the United States today.  At first, it seems understandable that opposers of open racial dialogue as a means for improved harmony think that talking about differences will impede unity, but the facts discussed above clearly show otherwise.

            When looking at the United States, it appears from the surface that we are a “post racial” society.  With Obama being elected into office, the results of the civil war, Dr. Martin Luther King’s movement, etc., America seems it should be “over” racism.  However as the research proves in the above sections, racism and hate crimes have increased as our society becomes more diverse.  This clearly tells me that our society is far from being a “post racial” one.

            The key to becoming aware of the reality of racism in our nation is to look beyond who is currently president and what wars and movements we have had in the past.  We need to look at what is really going on in our own minds and the minds of our children and students.  It is easy when living in a mainstream (White) demographic to only see the surface of what is going on with racism, so it is not surprising that these Americans have a majority of the “post racial” mentality (Davis, 2008; Howard, 1993; Kivel, 2011).

            I used to share in these ignorant views.  Growing up, I was primarily surrounded by mainstream White Americans.  I was not aware of the realities of racism and different demographics in our society until I began studying multicultural education, began traveling internationally, and until I moved away from my predominantly White hometown in Idaho to diverse Seattle.

            I needed to be made aware of the realities of racism because they were kept silent, just as Ladson-Billings (1996) discussed.  My experience lines up with what the aforementioned articles, studies, news reports, and books show—that talking openly about race and racism actually brings needed awareness to society and leads to harmony and individuals’ sense of value.

            One piece of evidence that surprised me at first glance was that discussion of race and racial issues with students sometimes reinforces stereotypes (Banks, 2008).  I found when researching this that reinforced stereotypes, as shown by Fishman & McCarthy (2005) and by Teaching the Levees (n.d.), is not a result of the open discussion itself but rather of how it is constructed, carried out, and contextualized by a self-reflective teacher.  This reminds me of the importance of quality multicultural teacher training programs.  These types of teacher-training programs should educate teachers on racial issues, how to interpret students’ responses (or lack thereof) during racial dialogue, how to increase administrator, parent, and other teachers’ support of this type of open dialogue, and how to have a student-centered class that values students’ voices.

Conclusion and Recommendations

This human capacity to converse rather than wage war is a skill we want our children to acquire and that we teachers must embody.  The disposition for dialogue is a feature of what it means to be educated.  Imagine how our post 9/11 world would be different today if those in power in our country had acquired this capacity from their teachers.  (Fehr & Fehr, 2010, p. 193)

What can educators take away from this research?  We can become active in researching issues such as racism ourselves to better our own understanding and awareness instead of “going with the flow” of mainstream society.  We can actively seek out and place ourselves in racially diverse situations. We can form real relationships with racially diverse individuals.  We can overcome our own fears of openly discussing race and speak up about it with friends, family, co-workers, and administrators.  We can correct others’ intentional or unintentional racist comments and remarks.  Teachers need to understand that simply talking about differences with students or simply “adding” cultural content to existing curriculum is not enough—authentic, open, constructive, contextualized, and respectful discussion is needed to teach students to value differences.

What can parents take away from this research?  Parents must understand that by not talking about racial differences with their children, they are possibly worsening racist attitudes.  Parents need to model positive racial friendships for their children.  Parents can seek out racially diverse events, etc., to engage their children in.  Parents can carefully monitor what books and television programs they allow their children to watch because many of these actually promote racial stereotypes.

Mainstream White Americans need to realize their important roles in overcoming racism in the United States since they are the majority of the population.  White Americans need to take themselves out of their comfort zones and become active in these issues.  Fehr & Fehr (2010) describe qualities of personhood that I believe White Americans, and of course all people, should work toward in order to help our nation overcome racism and embrace differences:

The cosmopolitan maintains his/her own cultural identity but is not limited by it.  The cosmopolitan seeks out differences, is energized by the exchange of realities, and is always open to learn more, to see the world through different eyes.  The cosmopolitan expects and even welcomes disagreement yet values community over conflict, and mutuality over dominance. (p. 195)

  The research is overwhelmingly strong, demonstrating that constructive open racial dialogue with students is an effective way to reduce racism in children even at young ages.  “Breaking the silence” will bring harmony to our nation.  Freire (2005) states:  “It is my conviction that there are no themes or values of which one cannot speak, no areas in which one must be silent.  We can talk about everything, and we can give testimony about everything” (p.103).

 References

Banks, J.A. (2008). An introduction to multicultural education (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn &        Bacon.

Cooper, A. (2010, May 17). Anderson Cooper 360. Cable News Network. Retrieved from            www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/05/17/ac360.doll.study.cnn

Cooper, A. (2012, April 2). Anderson Cooper 360. Cable News Network. Retrieved from            ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/02/study-race-relations-through-a-childs-eyes/

Darden, J. (2009). Talking race. Teaching Tolerance, 36. Retrieved from        www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-36-fall-2009/talking-race

Davis, R. (2008). A review of “what if all the kids are white?: Anti-bias multicultural education   with young children and families (early childhood education series)”. Educational Studies, 44(3), 294-300.

Dell ’Antonia, K.J. (2012, April 4). The danger of not talking to your children about race. The New York Times.Retrieved from parenting.blogs.nytimes.com

Fehr, M.C. & Fehr, D.E. (2010). Teach boldly: Letters to teachers about contemporary issues in    education. New York,   NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.

Fishman, S.M., & McCarthy, L. (2005). Talk about race: When student stories and multicultural           curricula are not enough. Race, Ethnicity & Education, 8(4), 347-364.

Freire, P. (2005). Teachers as cultural workers: Letters to those who dare teach. Boulder, CO:      Westview Press.

Frieden, T. (2011, November 14). Hate crime numbers steady, nearly half motivated by racial bias, FBI reports. Cable News Network. Retrieved from http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/14/fbi-racial-bias-motivates-most hate-crimes/

Henson, K. (2010). Curriculum planning: Integrating multiculturalism, constructivism, and           education reform (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.

Howard, G.R. (1993). Whites in multicultural education: Rethinking our role. Phi Delta Kappan,          75 (1), 36-41.

Kivel, P. (2011). Uprooting racism: How white people can work for racial justice  (3rd ed.).          Gabriola Island, BC, CA: New Society Publishers.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1996). Silences as weapons: Challenges of a black professor teaching white           students. Theory Into Practice, 35 (2), 79.

Scruggs, A.E. (2009). Colorblindness: The new racism? Teaching Tolerance, 36. Retrieved from         www.tolerance.org

Simpson, J. (2006). Reaching for justice: The pedagogical politics of agency, race, and change.  Review Of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies, 28 (1), 67-94.

Teaching the Levees. (n.d.) Talking about race and racism in the classroom. Teachers College, Columbia University. Retrieved from teachingthelevees.org