Responsibility for Educating Others
Listen yall, I try not to make things a racial issue, I really don't, but a statement was recently made to my friend really has me thinking about how problems will ever be fixed. The statement made to my friend was "it is not your responsibility [educate white people] about their ignorance".
The background (quickly told from the perspective of my friend so uses 1st person pronouns).
At my school a term I have heard used a lot is "our population". Now, in my experience in my district, when a few people say "our population", it is code for students of color/black students.
Ex: At a high school that use to be predominately white but now has more students of color, teachers have said "Our population has changed so much" or "Our population makes it so that we can't teach".
The incident (still telling in 1st person from friend's perspective)
While interviewing a recess aide who said she was from a village in Ohio (**red flagg**), I asked "Are you ready to work with our population". My principal looks like a deer in headlights after I ask this question and the woman asks for clarification. I clean it up by saying "We have a large number of low SES students, do you think you are able to work with them?". She answers, interview is over and while debriefing, my school leader asks me to explain my thinking on the question. I said to her "well you all use the term "our population" which is code for black kids/kids of color, so because she says shes from a village, I want to make sure she will be able to work with the kids". My principal says "when we say our population, we mean low SES, not black". I realize the disconnect here, explain to her my previous experience/background knowledge as to why I believe "our population" is a coded term and let her know when she thinks of it in terms of low SES I believe her. End of story.
The Confusion
Now, my friend told a few trusted individuals about the incident to get their take on it. One woman that is like a mentor is the one who made the statement that it isn't my business to educate white colleagues in situations like this because it could create unnecessary issues for her including but not limited to being seen as the "angry black woman" or being viewed as "aggressive/unable to work with". I get that she wants to secure a job, but damn, do we really have to let colleagues stay ignorant so that they can remain comfortable and we can keep a job? Is it really worth it?
I don't consider myself to be the most "woke" individual; however, if you work in a predominantly minority building for 3+ years, I feel like there are just some things you should know in order to better help your students and their families. How did her principal not know "our population" is coded? How does she (the principal) not realize describing her student body as being "half from the neighborhood and half from the ******* Ave area" is a micro aggression? My friend believes her principal means well, but how has she not hired one African American in the over 3 years she has been there but in the same breath tell my friend she's so glad she is in the building because the students need to see themselves in individuals that work there....whaaat?!Clearly, there is a disconnect/blinders that this principal is wearing.
So my question to you all "Is it the responsibility of African Americans to educate others about their ignorance? If not, whose is it?"
While this is the internet, I trust that this conversation will stay here. And if in fact it somehow gets leaked, remember, I was telling the story of a friend.
The background (quickly told from the perspective of my friend so uses 1st person pronouns).
At my school a term I have heard used a lot is "our population". Now, in my experience in my district, when a few people say "our population", it is code for students of color/black students.
Ex: At a high school that use to be predominately white but now has more students of color, teachers have said "Our population has changed so much" or "Our population makes it so that we can't teach".
The incident (still telling in 1st person from friend's perspective)
While interviewing a recess aide who said she was from a village in Ohio (**red flagg**), I asked "Are you ready to work with our population". My principal looks like a deer in headlights after I ask this question and the woman asks for clarification. I clean it up by saying "We have a large number of low SES students, do you think you are able to work with them?". She answers, interview is over and while debriefing, my school leader asks me to explain my thinking on the question. I said to her "well you all use the term "our population" which is code for black kids/kids of color, so because she says shes from a village, I want to make sure she will be able to work with the kids". My principal says "when we say our population, we mean low SES, not black". I realize the disconnect here, explain to her my previous experience/background knowledge as to why I believe "our population" is a coded term and let her know when she thinks of it in terms of low SES I believe her. End of story.
The Confusion
Now, my friend told a few trusted individuals about the incident to get their take on it. One woman that is like a mentor is the one who made the statement that it isn't my business to educate white colleagues in situations like this because it could create unnecessary issues for her including but not limited to being seen as the "angry black woman" or being viewed as "aggressive/unable to work with". I get that she wants to secure a job, but damn, do we really have to let colleagues stay ignorant so that they can remain comfortable and we can keep a job? Is it really worth it?
I don't consider myself to be the most "woke" individual; however, if you work in a predominantly minority building for 3+ years, I feel like there are just some things you should know in order to better help your students and their families. How did her principal not know "our population" is coded? How does she (the principal) not realize describing her student body as being "half from the neighborhood and half from the ******* Ave area" is a micro aggression? My friend believes her principal means well, but how has she not hired one African American in the over 3 years she has been there but in the same breath tell my friend she's so glad she is in the building because the students need to see themselves in individuals that work there....whaaat?!Clearly, there is a disconnect/blinders that this principal is wearing.
So my question to you all "Is it the responsibility of African Americans to educate others about their ignorance? If not, whose is it?"
While this is the internet, I trust that this conversation will stay here. And if in fact it somehow gets leaked, remember, I was telling the story of a friend.
I think that in order to answer your question "Is it the responsibility of African Americans to educate others about their ignorance? If not, whose is it?" I would want to know the goal or end result you (or whom ever) is trying to achieve. When you say "ignorance", I assume you are speaking about "not knowing". I think that in this situation, the goal should always be to educate others so that the population as a whole benefits from being served by more enlightened and educated folks. So a person from "the village" may need some information that they just have never been exposed to or possibly misinformed. Having said that, I think child advocates at heart would not have a problem with it and also see it as a responsibility as an advocate to make sure that people have the best information possible to make the best decision about any specific population or demographic of the children they are attempting to serve.
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