Trouble in Mind: To Be Black Is Blue in America
- I felt sorry for him, and mad that he had to be faced with prejudices and racism. As a white person I don’t have such similar experiences, but I know of people in my high school who were often openly racist.
- I think that he means that even if you act as though it doesn’t bother you, or try to ignore it, it is still a problem that affects you. Even if you are not openly and actively mad, there is still a part of you that is uneasy or unwell because of the microaggressions and discrimination.
Microaggressions in the Classroom
- As mentioned before I knew people in my high school who were openly racist. Despite attending a predominantly white school there were a couple of people of color in my grade. There was one boy that people would ask if he had his papers, or joke that they would call Trump to deport him. He’d either laugh it off or not really respond to it. It was not addressed by the teacher at the time. I’ve had other teachers though that would call out students if there were incidents of racism or microaggression. Personally, it made me mad, what right do you have to treat someone like that?
- I think its very important for students to feel a sense of belonging in the classroom and in universities. No one wants to be in a place they feel that cant belong, its uncomfortable and can make learning harder. Feeling like an outsider can mean that its harder to create relationships and implement a lack of motivation in school work.
Do Conversations of Race Belong in the Classroom?
- My high school was not extremely diverse. My friend group was fairly active in human rights, and often had discussions about politics at the lunch table (more than I’d like to admit actually). Often it was just comments about issues of racism that surfaced during the Trump presidency, and how we thought it was wrong. I do think that white people have white privilege, and know that I will not experience the issues that people of color go through.
- It needs to be a conversation in schools. If we can not educate ourselves and be aware of race and racial issues, we will continue to live blindly and unsympathetically. If we are able to teach children from a young age to be thoughtfully aware of race and racial issues, they will be able to better navigate a world in which the number of people of color is growing.