Beverly Daniel Tatum is a wonderful author.
Some excerpts:
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I have experienced at least three major sources of student resistance to talking and learning about race and racism. [The first issue is that] race is considered a taboo topic for discussion, especially in racially mixed settings.
One source of this self-consciousness can be seen in the early childhood experiences of many students. It is known that children as young as three notice racial differences (see Phinney & Rotheram, 1981). Certainly preschoolers talk about what they see. Unfortunately, they often do so in ways that make adults uncomfortable.
Imagine the following scenario: A White child in a public place points to a dark-skinned African-American child and says loudly, "Why is that boy Black?" The embarrassed parent quickly responds, "Sh! Don't say that." The child is only attempting to make sense of a new observation (Derman-Sparks, Higa, & Sparks, 1980), yet the parent's attempt to silence the perplexed child sends a message that this observation is not okay to talk about. White children quickly become aware that their questions about race raise adult anxiety, and as a result, they
learn not to ask the questions.
When asked at the beginning of the semester, "How many of you have had difficult, perhaps heated conversations with someone on a race-related topic?", routinely almost everyone in the class raises his or her hand. It should come as no surprise then that students often approach the topic of race and/or racism with both curiosity and trepidation.
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The second source of student resistance to be discussed here is rooted in students'
belief that the United States is a just society, a meritocracy where individual efforts
are fairly rewarded. While some students (particularly students of color) may
already have become disillusioned with that notion of the United States, the majority
of my students who have experienced at least the personal success of college
acceptance still have faith in this notion. To the extent that these students
acknowledge that racism exists, they tend to view it as an individual phenomenon,
rooted in the attitudes of the "Archie Bunkers" of the world or located only in particular
parts of the country.
An understanding of racism as a system of advantage presents a serious challenge
to the notion of the United States as a just society where rewards are based
solely on one's merit. Such a challenge often creates discomfort in students. The
old adage "ignorance is bliss" seems to hold true in this case; students are not
necessarily eager to recognize the painful reality of racism.
One common response to the discomfort is to engage in denial of what they are
learning. White students in particular may question the accuracy or currency of
statistical information regarding the prevalence of discrimination (housing, employment, access to health care, and so on). More qualitative data, such as auto-biographical accounts of experiences with racism, may be challenged on the basis
of their subjectivity.
If outright denial of information is not possible, then withdrawal may be. Physical withdrawal in the form of absenteeism is one possible result; it is for precisely
this reason that class attendance is mandatory. The reduction in the completion
of reading and/or written assignments is another form of withdrawal. I have found
this response to be so common that I now alert students to this possibility at the
beginning of the semester. Knowing that this response is a common one seems to
help students stay engaged, even when they experience the desire to withdraw.
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The emotional responses that students have to talking and learning about racism
are quite predictable and related to their own racial identity development. Unfortunately,
students typically do not know this; thus they consider their own guilt,
shame, embarrassment, or anger an uncomfortable experience that they alone are
having. Informing students at the beginning of the semester that these feelings
may be part of the learning process is ethically necessary (in the sense of informed
consent), and helps to normalize the students' experience. Knowing in advance
that a desire to withdraw from classroom discussion or not to complete assignments
is a common response helps students to remain engaged when they reach
that point.
Empowering Students as Change Agents
Heightening students' awareness of racism without also developing an awareness
of the possibility of change is a prescription for despair. I consider it unethical to
20do one without the other. Exploring strategies to empower students as change
agents is thus a necessary part of the process of talking about race and learning
about racism. As was previously mentioned, students find it very helpful to read
about and hear from individuals who have been effective change agents.
In envisioning this book, it was not my intention to write for an academic audience. Instead I wanted to talk to the many parents, educators, and community leaders who would come to one of my presentations on "Talking to Children About Race" or "Interrupting the Cycle of Oppression" or "Understanding Racial Identity Development" ... I wanted to make this psychological perspective as jargon-free as possible while still maintaining the integrity of the ideas.