Racism is one of the most powerful words in the English language. Trouble is, racism tends to conjure up different images in the minds of Whites and Blacks.
Consider the circumstances surrounding the death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, the beating of Rodney King in L.A., and the murder of James Beard in Jasper, Texas. In each instance, Whites have been inclined to play down racism as a factor. On the other hand, Blacks are significantly more likely to see racism at work.
Forget Blacks and Whites for a moment. Social marginality has a significant influence on our perceptions. We might be marginalized because of our social class, our appearance, our gender, our religion, our age, or maybe our sexual orientation. When we are marginalized or on the “outside looking in,” we see things that we might not see if we were insiders. We see beyond the individual. We see beyond random occurrences. We see history, we see patterns, we see things rooted in the larger society.
Back to racism. If we see it as an anomaly in a so-called post-racial society, an isolated occurrence, a character flaw, then we see one thing when we look at the Trayvon Martin case. But if we see what happened in Sanford, Florida and the Stand Your Ground Law as systemic, as institutional, as behavior that is embedded in how we conduct business everyday, then we see something quite different.
When evaluating racism, it is important to closely examine the individuals involved, their motives and their past history. But by the same token, it is equally important to broaden our focus, and examine the historical and social context of what took place. Only then can we appreciate why Blacks and Whites often see different things. And only then can we get a better feel for racism, and whether it is relevant to a particular situation.
Very enlightened post. How would you handle diversity among teachers?