Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Social Justice

In class on Monday, we discussed the effects that race has on people and our society. I did not say much during the class because I thought it was interesting hearing everyone's different views on the subject. I thought it was interesting when Professor Smith stated that being white and black is an experience. For white people, it is an experience of power and for black people, it is an experience of oppression. As she was explaining this point, I realized how different the experiences are between white and black people. I mean, if Oprah, one of the richest and successful women in the US, goes into a store and still gets followed by the store clerks, then obviously something is wrong. The problem in our society is that people see successful black people, such as Obama and Oprah, as the exception and not as the norm. I agreed with the statement made by Sleeter and Grant that "individuals need to learn to organize and work collectively in order to bring about social changes that are larger than individuals." I took this to mean that all people from different races, genders, and social classes need to work towards redefining the dominant culture. White people need to understand their privilege in order to comprehend where other people stand in our society to bring about change. They also need to relinquish their power by understanding what it means and not always acting on that privilege. I know this would be difficult for most people because everyone is looking out for number one and never thinks about how they are affecting other people. This is an important step in order to bring about change in our society. I also agreed with Sleeter and Grant when they stated that "people who are oppressed should not just sit back and take it." Even though it would be easier to give up and accept how society works, oppressed people need to work hard at bringing about change. I also think the problem is that we are a country of supremacy. Americans think they are more important than other people throughout the world. We have this notion in our heads that we are better than the rest of the world. How is this possible?
In relation to schools, teachers should learn to look within themselves if their students are having a problem in their class, not automatically at their "laziness" or homelife. Students need to feel comfortable in their school's environment otherwise they will shut down and stop trying. I see this all the time at the middle school where I mentor. Students will stop trying in certain classes because a certain teacher will treat them differently or unfairly. Not only does domination happen throughout our society and throughout our everyday lives, it also happen within our school systems. Teachers dominate the students and make them feel "less than" they should.

Here is a clip of a debate over the N-word on the View. Even though I'm not a huge fan of the show, I feel like there were some good points in their argument that was relevant to our class on Monday. You can make your own conclusions whether or not this word should be used at all in our society.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a507xSadnrY

2 comments:

  1. A powerful comment you made was "teachers dominate the students". I think educators on every level, need acknowledge that they do posses this power and be sure not to abuse it. More than that we need courageous teachers who will use this power for change and social justice.

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  2. I can relate to you saying students will shut down and stop trying when faced by teachers who treat them unfairly. Although I think students should keep pushing. What kind of environment are teachers creating for students trying to be success. It is one of lack of support and oppression towards their dreams and aspirations. Cultural competency plays a huge role in social justice within the school system. Teachers need to recognize the affect they really have on a childs life.

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