The urgency of intersectionality, a TED talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw discusses what intersectionality is and what it means in the context of the real world. I found this tall to be very impactful and got its point across clearly. When talking about things such as civil rights or feminism many people fighting for these causes forget to include separate categories for intersectionality and how these connections between race, gender, sexuality, etc can change the perception of how people will view you. To a straight white woman, I am a woman who can relate to the fact that we both face oppression and both live in a patriarchal society. However, the similarities stop there the fact I face discrimination for other things that they will not have to face like my race, ethnicity, sexuality, body size, etc. Not only do I have to face the challenges of being a woman but I also have to deal with the challenges that come with being all those other identities and to a straight white woman these are not issues she has to deal with or even acknowledge. Now let's take the example and bring it to a real-world problem let's say that say straight white woman is also a feminist and a prominent one who does work for the community because she is ignorant to these issues people who intersect have will not advocate or fight for these issues not out of malice but out of ignorance. We ignore intersectionality because it's easy to do. You're expected to support one thing and keep other systems of oppression in their separate bubbles but life is not an easy-to-read line graph. Like Crenshaw says it's like a crossroad and each identity you have intersects with another when we fight for things like feminism we have to acknowledge the women of color who are often left behind and how their experiences are unique and important. When we fight for civil rights we should acknowledge the fact that people with disabilities are often ignored and treated as second-class citizens.
Thursday, October 19, 2023
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Teach us all handout
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bBX7L4uEh1OMTsbz4qkMhgalDGm2Grd2VuNn7djdE2M/edit?usp=sharing
Video Analysis Precious Knowledge
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZL9yGgSObsQp4SeMnesiY06U8ViuqNECTRYbxvIp6B8/edit?usp=sharing
Thursday, October 5, 2023
Still Separate Still Unequal Blog 4
Reflection
This article resonated with me as I have gone through a segregated school system. For high school I went to Charles E. Shea High School a very racially segregated school most students were of color with the predominant ethnicity being Cape Verden. Compared to other schools in Pawtucket we were incredibly segregated. The fact was that although segregation is illegal it is not enforced. Not only was my high school composed of mostly Black and Brown students, but it was also underfunded this school was falling apart. There were classes with holes in the wall textbooks ripping at the seams and ac and heating lacking. This affected the education of me and my peers when schools next to you have intact buildings and new school supplies, it makes you feel inferior. Many schools are funded on property tax which due to a long history of redlining leads many school districts with large populations of people of color to have underfunded schools. Redlining is a racist system where banks would refuse loans to families of color who lived in areas considered poor or “ghetto” leading these families to be forced to remain in impoverished areas. This law is still affecting our educational institutions now.
Defining Racism Tatum blog 4
Beverly Daniel Tatum's argument is about racism and what it means to different people. She first defines racism as being separate from prejudice a distinction she says is critical to understanding the argument. Her main point is that racism is not just about individual acts of prejudice or discrimination but also involves societal structures and systems that perpetuate racial inequalities. Tatum contends that recognizing and addressing these systemic aspects of racism is essential for meaningful progress in combating racial injustice. These systems are in place in school systems. She uses an example of one teacher struggling to teach her class about Black authors as she never learned about Black authors in her education. One of her students makes the remark that Black people do not write books. This is an example of racism in the educational system. This filtering out of Black and Brown authors and famous figures leads many students of color to feel isolated and unable to relate to the material; it also leads white students and teachers to be ignorant of these issues. She also introduces what she calls passive racism, and she argues that most white people are passively racist as they whether knowingly or not participate in a racist society that benefits their interest and harms people of color. While many white people will think of racism as an abstract heinous thing only seen in the vilest parts of the world, they are unaware of the systems in place all around them that are actively racist such as grayling or prison institutions. By creating this false image of racism, it is easy to see why so many will think of racism as an issue of the past. Unless it is affecting you or your community personally it is almost impossible to see. This is why she argues that we need to have a clear accurate definition of racism and passive racism if we want to move our educational institutions further.
4:26 for the good stuff
Amazing Grace Kozol blog 3
Amazing Grace Connections to Delpit Culture of Power
After reading the heartbreaking accounts of this article I made a strong connection to another reading we did in class which was Delpit's Culture of Power. While Delpit's reading explores the culture of power through the school system Kozol's reading explores the culture which lacks power and how those people go through life. Both readings go hand in hand as they both dissect the culture of power and how people not a part of that culture exist. The people Kozol write about living in a poverty-ridden and extremely dangerous area of New York. HIV/Aids are high and rampant leading hospitals to be overrun and understaffed many rich neighboring cities dump and incinerate hazardous material leading to Asthma affecting most children in the neighborhood. While these may not be the exact children Delpit is referring to when discussing lower-class families struggling with a school system not made for them, these children go through a school system that is ignorant of their needs. Kozol's reading gives a clear humanity to the children Kozol writes about and it is a harsh reality these children must grow desensitized to the extreme poverty and violence they were forced to inherit. When you become aware of the circumstances, they are forced to endure it makes Delpit's reading more powerful and the reverse is also true Delpit's reading enforces the fact that the children in Amazing Grace have no one to turn to when entering school and their teachers are either ignorant to their desperation or have no means to help them.