Category: On whiteness

This is a post that should fall in August, but with all the noise on social media, thought it makes sense today as well.

*We* are tone deaf, color blind, and oblivious. But God knows *we* are polite.

This is a sanctuary question–it gives *us* a place to hide while ignoring the systemic cultural oppression.

#Edchat, a large community for teachers on Twitter, put this up as a possible topic this week. There should be no need for discussion, yet here *we* offer *our* rejection of the straw man as an act of atonement.

It’s not the “bigots” that are the problem, as problematic as they are–it’s *our* need to be civil when civility is the subtle tool *we* use to maintain a status quo that has resulted in a society where low SES becomes a synonym for black or brown..

Today marks the anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. *We* eat it like a casserole at a potluck church dinner–soothing, warm, down-to-earth meal served in the local church basement, sharing food with the others. Then we go home.

Today also marks the murder of 14 year old Emmett Till. This is not a coincidence. But I bet more whites will celebrate King’s speech than acknowledge Emmett Till’s murder.

“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.“

Dr. King, Letter From a Birmingham Jail

So here we are again, another school year, another year of hand-wringing over the test score gap–either you believe that children of color are inferior, or you believe something else might be going on.

Unless *we* believe a bigot here or there has this much effect on “our” children, *we* have to do more than out the “bigots” among us.

“Looks like the National [White] Teacher of the Year awards are back in full effect. I figured (and may have even predicted!) in 2016 when three of the four finalists were teachers of color that pendulum would swing back quickly. ::heavy sigh::” 

Melinda Anderson

I came back with something flippant, along the lines of

“What will it take to make you people happy?”

It was meant as sarcasm, but I soon deleted it, because, well, I feared it might be misunderstood. Or maybe I feared it would be understood, a *wink wink* as an ally.

But here we are.

In 2016, three of the four finalists for the CCSSO Teacher of the Year Award were people of color.

Since then, all of the eight finalists have been white.

Of those, only two are even brown-eyed. (I’d be more specific, but I’m a tad color blind–in the physiological sense, not the I-am-better-than-you-as-a-non-racist *we* carry as our shield.)

This year’s finalists are all worthy. That is not the issue. That is not a defense.

TOTY Finalists, via Twitter (@ATLtrackclub)

And yes, the teaching profession has a remarkable lack of melanin and y chromosomes. (*We* pretend not to notice, unless you’re a black male teacher, in which case it is expected you will go save young black men.)

The finalists mean well, they do good work and work hard, and they fill the role of saviors that make for good stories. Still….

Listen up, *my* people.

Mandy Manning is the Washington State Teacher of the Year and one of this year’s finalists for the national award. She helps refugees adapt to life in the States, and talks about a boy from Tanzania who undergoes a remarkable transformation under her guidance. I have no doubt she is that good at what she does, and that she works hard at doing the right thing.

“District leaders, campus resource officers, community members of color, and professional writers have also visited my classroom. The visits help my students learn about school and city rules and laws, cultural expectations in terms of behavior and hygiene, our school system, and how to express themselves effectively.”  

On its face, that makes a nice soundbite, but it bothers me, because it’s what *we* do, what I have done, and what so many allies continue to do. That “community members of color” is separated from the others is telling.

What *we* teach becomes what we enforce:

• School and city rules and laws: Which ones are enforced? 
• Cultural expectations: Who’s culture? The dominant culture in Spokane, Washington?
• Hygiene: Refugee children may well have the knowledge without having the practice. 
• Behavior: How do *we* expect kids of color to behave? Is “acting white” a thing *we* even recognize? 

So here we are. 

Our President of color replaced by a white man who supports white supremacy.

Our Teachers of the Year finalists are back to storybook savior roles.

We can all be colorblind again.

Why always a boy from Tanzania?
Do yourself a favor, and follow Melinda Anderson on Twitter.