mail this InsideTeaching entry to a friend
10 November 2004: No Wonder There's an Achievement Gap (1 of 4)
As a white woman in this country, I had to be taught that racism is alive and well and active everywhere—even in our schools. It may not sound like such a revelation, depending on where you are, but for me it was ugly. Rarely have I witnessed actual, ugly, personal oppression of a person of color. It seems that because our culture’s institutions have grown up around racism so well, it’s easy not to see it if you are white. But then, one day at school, I had to witness the blatant, painful force of racism on a ten year old. I’m not talking about name calling. This isn’t about someone saying the N word on the playground, or choosing a partner of like race. This was much, much uglier.
|
