Anti-racist or colorblind? Learning about racism through songs

See EdChange's link to a list of Race and Racism Songs! Although some of the songs promote colorblindness rather than anti-racism (and most are not current), they can be used to teach students about the difference between claiming to be 'colourblind' and working against racism.

Lesson Ideas (Grade 5 - 12 with adaptations):

1. Teach students about the difference between anti-racism and claiming to be colourblind. Identify the limits and dangers of colourblind claims when working towards racial equity (i.e. (1) ignores the differences in power distributed according to race/skin colour (2) normalizes and makes racial inequality 'invisible' (3) without naming racism, inequalities are assumed to be a result of personal differences and/or deficiencies (4) can be used as an excuse to avoid examining personal beliefs about race (5) claiming not to see colour dismisses the historical and present experiences of racially privileged and oppressed people).

2. Review some of the song lyrics (or find the videos on YouTube) and ask students to identify which ones promote colourblindness and which ones promote anti-racism and explain why.

3. Students can then bring current songs (and music videos) into the classroom that they think challenge racism to share.

4. In small groups or as a class, students can review the lyrics of their selected songs and answer questions. Possible questions could include: What are the messages about race and racism? Do they challenge power inequities and racial stereotypes? Are the messages contradictory (i.e. seem to challenge racism but are sexist and homophobic)? Have the messages in songs about racism changed in the last few decades? Why or why not?

Below is a working explanation of 'colorblindness' from Teaching Tolerance:

To be "colorblind" implies the invisibility of race, something we all know to not be invisible. My experience of the world is informed by being white; other people experience and interact with me informed by my whiteness so, for me, colorblindness feels like an erasure. To be colorblind is to not see my family, where we come from, our history, and our ways of being. "Colorblind" avoids difference rather than recognizing and valuing it. I do not see how a white activist can be an ally from a position of colorblindness. I understand that many people use this term to challenge racial stereotyping, to not see people "as" their color and the associated racial stereotypes, but it functions as assimilation. If we become "colorblind," than to which worlds and ways of being are we being blinded? What are we not "seeing?" And in which "hue" will we be operating? (see link: Dianne Flinn, TeachingTolerance)

Interconnecting Isims: Race, Gender and Homophobia

Dr. Alex Wilson of the department of Educational Foundations, College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan reminds us that anti-racism education needs to include the commitment to understand, identify and work against all forms of oppression. Racism is interconnected with homophobia, sexism, classism and ablism in many different ways. In her STARS presentation last September (2010), Interconnecting Isms: Race, Gender and Homophobia in Education, Dr. Wilson explained how these interconnecting oppressions are acts of violence and are normalized in society. Using the comic book character Whiplash, she explained how this normalization of violence leads to ‘whiplash’ or a negative reaction to something positive such as opposition to anti-oppressive education. For example, because homophobia, heterosexism, and heteronormativity are systemic in society most of us don't recognize these systems of violence and oppression. Therefore, when they are brought to our attention we may become defensive and angry, blame the victims, minimize the violence or deny there is a problem. This reaction to something positive (i.e. standing up for human rights and equality) is what Dr. Wilson calls whiplash. It is a great analogy because, truly, it can feel like whiplash when experiencing this resistance to anti-racist and anti-oppressive education. Drawing from statistics, personal stories, news stories, and qualitative research she also explained how racism, sexism and homophobia impact youth in destructive ways that can, and do, lead to suicide. It was very powerful and emotional when we viewed pictures of young boys who had recently committed suicide and were told that, something is going on. Dr. Wilson shared links to: several diagrams that explain how violence is normalized through power and control.
These diagrams can help us to understand how racism, sexism and homophobia are systems of violence that work to normalize domination. To conclude, she shared examples of individuals who challenge interconnected forms of oppression in spite of the whiplash they experience and she asked the audience to volunteer personal stories of the ways that they work as allies in anti-oppressive education. Dr. Wilson’s final words emphasized that, according to research, the most preventative factor of youth suicide is a positive and meaningful relationship with at least one adult. The fact that so many youth who experience racism, homophobia and sexism do commit suicide alarms us to the fact that we are not doing enough to care for and value our children.

Thank you Dr. Wilson for your powerful messages. If you want to learn more about her work check out these links: http://iportal.usask.ca/index.php?t=display_solr_search&having=1096641&sid=271821201
and http://words.usask.ca/alexwilson/

March 21st - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

See below for information regarding the origin of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Together we can find ways to learn and teach about anti-racism education throughout the year.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws". Proclaiming the Day in 1966, the General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
Since then, the apartheid system in South Africa has been dismantled. Racist laws and practices have been abolished in many countries, and we have built an international framework for fighting racism, guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Convention is now nearing universal ratification, yet still, in all regions, too many individuals, communities and societies suffer from the injustice and stigma that racism brings.
The first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reminds us of our collective responsibility for promoting and protecting this ideal.
Link to site: United Nations' High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, Video Message for 2011

USASK "Take a Stand" Anti-Racism campaign gaining momentum

Hi everyone - check out this University of Saskatchewan anti-racist initiative!

Over 40 people have posed for a poster in the University of Saskatchewan anti-racism campaign. A photo gallery of the posters can be found at www.usask.ca/ulc/takeastand

If you are interested in posing for a poster, please visit the USSU Help Centre in the tunnel or the ULC PAL Desk located at RM 106 Murray Building.

Read more about the initiative in the Sheaf...
'Take A Stand' urges students to fight racism on campus. The University Learning Centre is urging students to fight racism on campus. The ULC — along with the International Student and Study Abroad Centre, Aboriginal Students’ Centre and University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union — has launched Take A Stand, an anti-racism initiative, after an incident in October in which a campus event was disrupted.

At the time, the Indigenous Students’ Council was holding a gathering near the Bowl to celebrate Aboriginal culture and mark the place of the proposed Aboriginal Students’ Centre. However, two passers-by started hurling insults at those gathered. One student, Katie Peters-Burns, confronted the two individuals and was spat upon before they made their escape.

“Spitting on someone is a type of assault and it is one of the most disrespectful things you could ever do to someone — especially a woman,” she said at the time. That incident was the impetus for the new awareness campaign, Take A Stand. Leon Thompson, USSU vice president student affairs, says that racism is an issue on campus even removed from such shocking instances.

“I think that racism exists on campus,” he said. “Racism is one of those things that you know is there, even if it’s hidden away or not visible.” As a first step, posters have been distributed around campus on which students have expressed anti-racism messages. According to Thompson, the reaction has been mixed, with some people complaining that the messages were at times unclear. In the first posters, students were encouraged to write whatever they wanted; some of the resulting messages were statements drawn from personal experiences that would not be immediately clear to everyone.

“I think the important thing is that it’s getting attention, that it’s meriting people’s interest and thought and critical engagement,” said Thompson. “Even if they don’t agree with the posters, it’s making them stop and think.” Students are encouraged to have their photos and pledges taken if they want to join the initiative, and several events are planned for later this month. For one such event, anti-racist author and educator Tim Wise will give a lecture at Third Avenue United Church, followed by a panel discussion.

“This [initiative] is not only to fight against racism on campus,” said Thompson. “It’s also something for those students who have been affected by racism to look at and to know that, ‘Hey, I’m not alone in this. I have people that I can go to, there are places that I can go, people I can talk to. There are support services standing by.’ ”

Thompson says he hopes future USSU executives will continue the union’s participation in Take A Stand. He refused to comment, however, when asked if the proposed USSU Social Justice Centre might factor into the campaign. In the meantime, Thompson says students need to recognize that racism is still present on campus. “It’s all well and good to say the university is a fantastic place and nothing ever goes wrong here but we need to bring it out in the open, if anything, just to engage students.”

For more information, see the Take A Stand website.

A Novel Study: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

A novel study on Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. It is an amazing novel. The website is a great resource for getting ideas for lessons while studying this novel. Perfect for grade 7, 8, 9 middle years. 

I came across this (see below) on a blog called blogging censorship (National Coalition Against Censorship)...could lead to an interesting class discussion about stories, which ones get told, and why.

A disappointing ruling came out last night regarding Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in Stockton, Missouri. The Stockton School Board voted 7-0 holding firm in its decision to remove the book from school classrooms, notwithstanding pressure from many educators to keep it. The board also ruled in favor of banning the book from the high school library.

The Last Acceptable Racism - Sports logos

The Last Acceptable Racism: Native Americans

Excerpt from article: As both a Native American and a Jew, I am equally offended by racist attacks on either group. This type of verbal and pictorial violence has only one goal in mind: to dehumanize the subject group so they're viewed as a subclass not worthy of respect or acknowledgment as a distinct people.

Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story

Sheelah M shared this resources with us. Thank you Sheelah!

Please take time to watch Chimamanda Adichie - The danger of a single story. A good resource to use with Thomas King's - 'The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative.'

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.