Brave New Films has a short pithy film out — Racism is Real — that explores some of the many statistics available concerning structural and systemic racism. This three minute film documents why we need to continue to work on civil rights enforcement — many of the laws currently on the books in MN, for instance, are not being enforced. And charter schools, to give one example in MN, are exempt from civil rights laws. The credits at the end of the film reference the various studies.
In the wake of the profound despair and rage that continues to build this year, please let’s learn from each other. Here is a very useful list of ways to “maintain a predominately white institution of higher education.” (Heavy on the sarcasm, of course.)
I am impressed — and angered, saddened, frustrated — by how many of these I’ve seen at work in places I love. Check out #’s 5-8:
Never ask the black and brown people who remain part of your institution what it’s actually like to be there.
Never ask black or brown students what it’s actually like.
Instead of number 4 or 5, whenever you do talk to a black or brown person at your institution smile really big (this shows you are one of the good ones). Do most of the talking. Be sure to return to rule number 1 (see above) while speaking to that person. Chuckle often.
If you accidentally violate number 5, make sure you ask students this question in the most alienating environment possible; preferably when they are presenting as part of some committee meeting (about “diversity,” of course). Make sure they are number 4 or lower on the agenda for that meeting, and are given no more than 5 minutes to bear their souls to people they have never met before and have no good reason to believe (based on all evidence around them) are in their corner, will have their backs or care about their actual day-to-day experiences. (Never chalk their assessment of this reality up to their wisdom, well-developed critical thinking skills or just plain sanity; assume they just don’t appreciate what it takes to run an institution on a day-to-day basis. Change after all is slow. DECADES slow.)
The NYTimes has done us all a good service by putting together some very useful graphics to explain the demographic statistics that accompany the tragedy of mass incarceration in the US.
Robin DiAngelo speaks to the angry defensiveness often found in discussions of racism with white people, and notes that this kind of “white fragility” comes from a sense of deep entitlement. An essay those of us who carry white privileges ought to be discussing!
There have been lots of posts lately across the web, with advice to white people about how to be engaged in the struggle for racial justice. Here’s one of the most direct and concise ones I’ve read lately. I’m sharing it with my students. What is yours?
In part because of Ferguson, but perhaps more so from years of supporting faculty projects, the Wabash Center has just launched a blog entitled “Race Matters” which will seek to create a forum for teaching on race in theology and religious studies. They’re looking for essays — consider sending them something!
There’s nearly an avalanche of useful information on racial justice issues rushing through social media these days, as people try to come to grips with the death by police shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. We’re going to try and collect some of it in this post (which we’ll update periodically). Please use the comments to suggest more to us.
Start with the #FergusonSyllabus hashtag, where many people are sending resources.
