We discussed the difference between race and ethnicity in one of my classes today. For those of you who don’t know, I teach 9th grade English and high school theater in Harlem.I had asked them to, in at least two sentences, respond to the following question: “What words do you know that have the same literal meaning, but different feelings or associations behind them? Explain the difference in feelings and associations between the two words.”
Most of them didn’t understand the question. I gave them my prepared example: dog, pup, and mutt. I had already mentioned the lesson was going to be about connotation and denotation to some, and one of my students had already brought up her frustration with people mixing up sex and gender before I had even started the lesson or handed out the slips.
When it came time to share out people’s responses, sex and gender, unsurprisingly, came up. The student from earlier responded that “Those words have different definitions”, and soon the requests for phone permissions came pouring in. We Googled the definitions, and then I started a list on the board of words people THOUGHT had the same definition. Race and ethnicity came next. We Googled their definitions as well.
One of my students read from her phone while standing at the front of the class. “Race: a competition betw- shoot, hang on…” I honestly can’t remember if she cursed or not. I have recently stopped caring. But it took her awhile to find the definition she was looking for. Interestingly, the Google app doesn’t list that definition unless you click for further definitions. The version we used and actually discussed was from
Cliff Notes, because she chose to scroll the links instead of click through the confusing UI:
“Race: The term race refers to groups of people who have differences and similarities in biological traits deemed by society to be socially significant, meaning that people treat other people differently because of them.”
At this point, I wrote on the board under “race”: “social” underline “construct” underline. (This is important because about 60-78% of my teaching is stagecraft, and I feel the timing and rhythm is important.) They asked me what it meant, and I asked the student to repeat the definition again, and then repeated the most pertinent part myself: differences and similarities in biological traits deemed by society to be socially significant, meaning that people treat other people differently because of them.
We then defined ethnicity. Google had this one ready:
“Ethnicity: the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.”
We discussed how ethnicity only has to do with biology, but at least one of my students still disagreed. He was the senior who was retaking the class. I actually was really happy when he transferred in for the spring semester, because he was smart kid who I already knew from teaching theater. I believe he said he had it first period freshman year, and he just missed too many classes being late to school that one semester in freshman year. (Many students in NYC have to get themselves up and out of the house on their own, or with the help of an older sibling, because their parents already left for work. Still blows my mind.) He asserted that race was a biological fact.
Someone suggested that we do Agree/Disagree/Unsure. I quickly agreed because I love making them get up and move around, and I jotted on the board “Race is a social construct”. I had the senior state his claim- Race is a biological fact. The freshman girl took up the other side, and after some prompting for clarity, took the claim that “Race depends mostly on the perceptions of other people.” Most of the class stayed one the yellow Unsure side at first, while most of those left gathered around the freshman girl under the green Agree sign. A few boys stood with the senior under the red Disagree sign, and some openly stated they were doing so “just so he wasn’t alone”.
I won’t try to recap their debate in detail, because the unfortunate fact is that when many of these beautiful moments I have to have one eye on the rest of the class, another on the door, an ear on the hallway, another on the phone, all while keeping in mind the best pedagogical practices, my contract, the Chancellor’s guidelines, each child’s individual needs and family history, and how much of my own money and unpaid time goes into supplying and maintaining my classroom. In addition, their words belong to them, and were spoken in the context of a classroom where most of my students have known each other since kindergarten. Even if I could dutifully recount each and every word, you won’t understand their context. Some of you because you won’t even try to consider it (very tempted to name names here, because you DON’T know who you are), and others because they weren’t meant for you.
Suffice it to say, once both students had their say, most moved to her side and agreed that race has more to do with the person observing that the person being observed. Even the senior sheepishly admitted that she had gotten him to reconsider.
The reason for this anecdote was to give context to a question I was asked in class that I could not definitively answer at the time. During our discussion, I broached the topic of eugenics, and those that tried to treat race like a biological fact. When I introduce a new concept like this, I usually Google it and scroll through the images to give students a good idea of the concept I’m trying to convey, rather than write a meticulously detailed lesson plan on a seemingly unrelated topic (Yes, the other 12-40% of my teaching is essentially knowing how to Google).
The image I selected was labeled “The Existing Facts of Human Ascent” and showed a tree that depicted the general skull shapes of humans and their ancestors across time. Along the side showing “Living Races”, the skull labeled Caucasian rested the the peak, which the chart indicated the the position of highest intelligence. Below that was a Chinese skull, then one labeled Hottentot (which we had to Google on a phone because the smartboard was in use), and a final one labeled Australian. I made sure to tell them that this likely meant native Australians.
This led to a discussion of how Australia was once inhabited by people who had lived there for thousands of years and developed their own culture before white people came and took it over. We watched
this video and I drove home the point that people have continuously tried to make the argument that one race is superior to the other, but each and every time their point is disproven.
One of my students, someone who is usually a class clown and a goof but can say some incredibly insightful things when I can catch his attention, asked me “Why do you think white people took over then?” I looked at him, looked at the clock, and shook my head. “I actually… iron? Gunpowder? I’m not sure.”
Having had time to reflect upon it, I think I have the decent answer as to the true power of the white man: obliviousness. Pure, unadulterated privilege. It’s the cultural equivalent of trying to break into a building by just walking in the front door holding a clipboard and looking like you have a purpose. Maybe our reading of Things Fall Apart is influencing me too heavily, but it seems like most of human history is white people just barging in and doing their own thing, and then wondering why everyone is mad at them.
Sometimes, I do chafe a bit about being held accountable for the sins of all white men everywhere. I don’t feel like I own the sins of Columbus or Cortez or Nixon or any of the others that knowingly began systems of oppression and exploitation. However, I cannot and will not blame anyone of color for looking at my face and not being able to see past my whiteness. I have spoken with way, way, WAY too many white people who ask if I “teach in a… safe? school?” or ask if they think my students would do better if their parents weren’t… you know. Many of them have never had a substantive conversation with a person of color, and many grew up as Baby Boomers, and established themselves in the 80’s, the era of greed and Reagan. Many times I have spoken with them, despite knowing full well that many of them were not known for being open-minded or willing to admit their own mistakes, faults, and flaws, let alone those of an entire group of people who have differences and similarities in biological traits deemed by society to be socially significant, meaning that people treat other people differently because of them. To be fair, I know way, way, WAY too many people (myself included) who participate in systems and practices that are they know are unsustainable, unhelpful, and unhealthy. But the anger and neurological reactions that underlie discussions of race make it difficult for people of any age to accept that all people are created in vastly unequal situations. Which, white folks who are angry and yet somehow still reading, is one of the many reasons the questions like “If we’re all supposed to be equal, why isn’t there a WHITE History Month?” make people want to yell at you. I will be more impressed by the runner that ran the mile with weights strapped on her back than the one actively trying to exterminate her and her whole family, even if she doesn’t get the fastest time (I may have lost the analogy there, but the image in my head is worth it.)
So what’s the antidote to the power? What’s the white man’s kryptonite?
What’s the opposite of obliviousness?
