How
many races are there? One race-the human race.
Race
is an artificial social construct in which we all have become ‘racified’.
___________________________________________________
I look forward to
our follow-up discussion as we debrief the content of his presentation. I will know we have created a safe and supportive
environment if peers are comfortable talking and expressing their opinions freely and honestly.
I enjoyed Dr. Allen’s
low key, mellow and quiet presentation. He seems to be a humble person who exemplifies what he preaches. He is very knowledgeable
about his area and shared other related sources to read more about it if we were interested.
Do you agree that
learning involves change and that change is indicative of learning? Change disrupts what and how we think in cognitive, psychological
and emotional ways. Learning is a hero’s journey of continual transformation and challenges and once started there is
no chance of returning to our former selves. Dr. Allen’s visit was an opportunity to be receptive to another level of
learning about a very complex social condition that affects us all personally and professionally. I must admit listening to
Dr. Allen is like talking to a familiar friend. We share the same philosophy of thinking. He also stimulates me to want to
read more about various theories about racism. I think Michael Dyson's video based on his book Race Rules would
be an interesting follow-up. I think foward to discussion about Starnes & Steeler's articles in relation to Dr. Allen's talk.
Dr. Allen provided
a deeper awareness of how a system has been structured historically that continues to alienate certain ethnicities, class,
gender. He provided another level in which to understand what is happening around us. He was letting us ‘in’ on
another perspective-one shared not solely by him but a movement of others in law, education, sociology, philosophy, influenced
by the Chicano, Black Power and American Indian Movements, and other notable activists - known as critical race theory (CRT).
CRT is trying to advance the initiatives started in the 60s within the Civil Rights Movement with a cartel rich with scholarly
thinking and activism. Basically CRT recognizes that the injustices which the Civil Rights Movement tried to assuage are still
present just in different more subtle forms. This is where the critical lens comes in. We just can’t assume that all
is equal and fair because the law says so, because it is in the history textbooks, or because the superintendent of education
says it has to be done this way. Who will this law be serving and who will be left out; who will be penalized as a result
of different decisions, and whose voice is talking for others, and who is being left out?
This is the critical
level of awareness CRT is about – equity, parity, fairness, humanism, morality involving all people. So you may be a
critical theorist and do not realize it yet! For example, we cannot just accept and teach at face value what we read in text
books because they are biased not only by what is said in them but by details and information that may be censored or left
out. Who is writing our textbook information and how do we know it is accurate? Textbook companies may have hidden agendas
– political, religious, economic - which, we, as educators, are not aware of. Why is certain information left out? What
is included? CRT seeks to unmask the hidden agendas and make transparent deceptions
and misinformation that obfuscates telling the complete story. The Reconceptualist thinking included on our blog is reflective
of CRT.
I spoke to one student
about the use of Dr. Allen’s use of white people that it may have isolated people in the room, singled out one particular group, feeling
verbally attacked. He, himself, is a member of the group he was referencing. How
does he make sense of it for himself? Please feel free to email Dr. Allen at rlallen@unm.edu and share your views with him for he would appreciate hearing
from you. It is best practice to go to the person as the source of the question or concern when you can. Then open and honest
communication and understanding may begin.
I want to establish
that Dr. Allen was not blaming anyone as he presented new perspectives on a sensitive topic and issue. Race and racism are
very loaded subjects and ones that are embedded, woven and maintained within the very fabric of America.
Ricky Lee Allen pointed out the more subtle layers in ways that we may not have recognized it before.
As Eleanor Roosevelt
said “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
I, too, recognize
my white privilege. I understood that I am and should be aware of the underlying structure of privilege that I am afforded
as a member and how it permeates my realioty, our school culture and American culture. I also am aware of an underlying system
that may be unfair to certain students because of ethnicity, background, class, gender. This is when I can become an advocate
for a student or family in the reality of social, political, economic religious injustices.
This is not, nor
was intended to be, a blame game session. He made it clear that all people are prejudiced by our human nature. Even within
ethnicities, there exists internal racism. He illustrated how racism has become a systematic structure throughout our society:
economic, healthcare, workforce.
I am privileged
on many levels and I recognize that. I choose to use my privilege status as a cloak of privilege for others in advocating
for equity and fairness. This is my moral center. This is my way of contributing and giving back to my community, humanity
and the resiliency of the human spirit.
As educators we
all need to come to a level of self-awareness with this race thing before we enter our own classroom.
Did Ricky Lee Allen's use of 'white
people' isolate people in the room, single out a particular group who felt verbally attacked? This is a question drawn to
my attention. I would be interested in knowing how others felt. Do students think there is a conspiracy against white people
as a result? Did his presentation make people uncomfortable? Did he make you think in ways you never thought about before?
DId what he say make sense to you? What lingereing questions do you have and how will you seek resolve with those questions?
Writing is a catharsis
and a way of processing by articulating our feelings. I invited students to share their reflections on their web sites (add
a new page for Ricky Lee Allen) considering:
What did you get
out of the presentation?
Questions that were
generated by the speaker?
How would you use
the information you learned?
Your own reflections/reactions?
Evaluation of the
speaker?