Stretching Our Thinking

The statistics of a white family having $100 for every $5.04 of a black family was eye opening and grabbed my attention. It is depressing to think that in the 80s it was still common that loans were based on a persons race and education. The redlining does make sense in the sense of just thinking of the city of Syracuse. I think a real eye opener was when describing that the two boys with the same GPA and education would not get the same job offers, and the individual with the “white name” received twice as many call backs. I really enjoyed the last 30 seconds where it described that there is no single person or entity responsible for systemic racism, but that we can work towards equality by: working towards being aware of your own implicit bias, support changes that increase opportunities for equality, increasing public school funding and make it independent from property taxes.

I watched the video of systemic racism explained and it's shocking to me how the two boys in the video live only streets away from each other. A few months ago I listened to a podcast that talked about school districting and red-lining. It's amazing and sad to me to hear about how other school districts have 1:1 devices and more resources than their children could ever need. This video was a great reminder of systemic racism and how it's the world that we live in which was designed with only white people in mind. Its hard work that we're doing that will hopefully one day chip away at these systems that we live in. 

The video talks about redlining, and though I knew what redlining was I had never really thought out the consequences of such policies. Redlining had many negative impacts on the black community and many of these consequences are still being felt today, such as black communities' school districts are underfunded in comparison to white, suburban districts and therefore, those black students do not have access to the same high quality education, tutors, and extracurricular activities. 

At the next level is interpersonal racism, which is the words and deeds of racist individuals. This is where that personal racism bubbles into the world in the form of bias, bigotry, or deliberate abuse. When racism is discussed, especially in the media, it is almost always at this level. When people say they aren’t racist, they usually mean interpersonal racism. This is racism at its most visible, so it’s not surprising that it gets the most attention – but if this is as far as our understanding goes, it won’t get anywhere near solving the problem.Four Levels of Racism: Personal,  Interpersonal, Institutional, Structural. At the bottom of the pyramid we have personal racism, sometimes called internalized racism. institutional racism. This is where racial inequality gets locked into the processes of institutions, such as the police, schools or healthcare. It’s not expressed in words and actions here, but in policies or practices that treat people differently, even if that’s entirely unintentional. Racism at this level is more visible in statistics than in words or actions. Finally, all these inequalities, building up over time, result in structural racism or systemic racism. This is deeply embedded and multi-generational, patterns of exclusion that echo through society and reinforce disadvantage. 

The newest dimension of the digital divide is access to broadband (high-speed) Internet service. The nationwide crisis has emphasized this equity issue that our society faces. That is the chronic lack of home internet access for people of color, low-income households, and rural residents. Using comprehensive U.S. data covering all forms of access technology (chiefly DSL and cable modem), there is unequal broadband availability in areas with high concentrations of poor, minority, or rural households. This lack of access puts our students as well as schools in an especially difficult position as the use of technology was increased during the pandemic, and beyond.

This technology challenge has been brewing for decades. It is obvious that we’re not just discussing a pandemic issue… we’re discussing a civil rights issue of the utmost importance. Citizens on the wrong side of the digital gap are losing out on economic, educational and social opportunities. It's not just a technical problem for the 21st century. Underscoring the importance of universal access, the Federal Communications Commission declared that broadband service is a public utility akin to electricity or telephone service. Ensuring that there are community access points, like libraries and technology hubs, is important, but ultimately they're no substitute for reliable Internet at home.

I watched Watch “Systemic Racism Explained” from Act.TV

The video explains why and how kids a miles apart can have a totally different path in life. To think our zip codes control our destinies. From smaller class sizes, to after school sports and teachers with enough good resources there are many factors that should not control a kids potential.  I was lucky enough to have a tutor when i needed it, play many after school activities and lived in a suburb area. It makes me think of the flyers I receive in mt mailbox for my students for afterschool sports and activities, I remember on student saying it was $90 and he just rips it up without taking the paper home. Now before I give them out I ask the main office if there is any sort of scholarship or cost covering support so the students feel more willing to ask their parents cause they know their parents work a ton of hours to support their family. 

Students, regardless of the school district they attend, should be guaranteed a quality education.  This includes effective transportation to and from school, a safe school to attend, high quality teachers, effective academic programming, and family support services.

 Many of students don't come to school as often as they should due to transportation issues as well as fear and anxiety when faced with possible verbal or physical threats in the school buildings. Our District also has difficulty recruiting certified teachers and other staff to work with our students. What can the District do to resolve this challenge?  We also need to verify that the academic programs which are being implemented have data that support their effectiveness. We can also provide strategies for families to implement at home which increase language development and background knowledge that support academic progress.

The following two ideas stood out to me: stopping policing in schools and enhancing teacher prep programs. In regards to policing in schools, if students are treated as criminals, then they may see themselves as such and behave differently than how they normally would. SROs need to be removed and metal detectors need to leave the entrances of buildings. I like how the author promotes hiring more therapists and counselors as they can lead and guide educators in this restorative justice work. As for enhancing the teacher prep programs, I feel they are outdated and do not focus on equity, inclusion and diversity enough. Yes, it is important to understand the theories of this work, but that cannot be your whole education because theories won't give you concrete strategies how to deescalate a situation or how to promote/advocate for an anti-racist curriculum.

I think institutional and structural racism are the levels most likely to be little known by the majority of individuals, and possibly the most difficult to change. Certainly a person's bias or racist feelings may be deeply engrained in their past experiences and therefore invoke deep emotions and defensiveness. However an individual can control their own actions. Larger spheres of racism are not only nearly impossible for one person to control, they also largely contribute to individual racism by creating situations of privilege to which the individual is not even aware.