RICKY LEE ALLEN REFLECTION

LLSS 315/593 EDUCATING LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS

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Guest Speaker Dr. Ricky Lee Allen
Language, Literacy & Sociocultural Studies at UNM

How many races are there? One race-the human race.

Race is an artificial social construct in which we all have become ‘racified’.

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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?

 

Ricky Lee Allen can be reached at rlallen@unm.edu
505-277-7247