"I'm not racist, but..."Those of you who have taken EFDT 335 have probably read The Language of Closet Racism. Alyson Werner made this article by Paul Gorski into a great teaching resource and was kind enough to share her prezi for your use. Thanks Alyson! The presentation is meant to be 30 - 45 minutes, but can be divided into several lessons. Perfect for middle years and secondary students, and school staff. It is a great resource to use in all subject areas as research tells us this language is normalized and can be heard on a daily basis in gym class, in the hallways, in the science lab, in student clubs....
Language of Closet Racism lesson and article:
http://prezi.com/b2kbjyvsiwqv/language-of-closet-racism
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/langofracism2.html
Allyson taught us about the three strands of closet racism, presented a list of five or six examples of closet racism from her recent lived experience, and then asked us to identify each strand (does the speaker use fear, unawareness and/or dis-ownership?). She also shared times when she used the strands herself, which made it very personal and helped us to relate to the lesson. To conclude, we had a discussion about the power of closet racism, what this language accomplishes and why all teachers need to recognize and address it.
Excerpt from article: Three language indicators of closet racism are evident across the continuum. These are what I refer to as "strands" because, when woven together, they form the language web of closet racists. Again, strength of language and degree of racist attitudes change dramatically across the continuum, and as a result, these strands, or indicators are more readily observable in certain individuals and groups than in others. They include fear, unaware-ness, and dis-ownership.
