Teach Racism
On this hundredth anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, teachers have incredible power.
They can teach racism.
They can wonder with their students
how “history” is constructed, by whom, and for what purposes
whose voices are heard (in textbooks, for example), whose voices are not heard, and why
how words like “riot” are used to what ends
how shame and white guilt arise and how to transform and transcend them
how white supremacy works: whom and how it protects, why, at what cost
what trans-generational trauma is and how it manifests right here, right now
how objectification and projection work, how pervasive they are, and how to combat them
what racism is and what it’s like to experience it
what anti-racism is and what it’s like to embody it
what “truth” is; what relativism is
how to talk about and enact relationships that are healthy and healing
how to subvert the dominator paradigm and foster the Nth
what activism looks like in the face of racist legislation
what the pros and cons of reparations are
These days, I feel myself cracking open, my heart breaking, my mind exploding. I think our country is cracking open, too.
What an opportunity
to re-form! To re-mold! To face our truth.
What will we educators do with this opportunity?
Mantra: Teach racism. Because that is fundamentally anti-racism.