A reflection on a current educational issue in Sydney
relating to culture and identity
Hi
everyone,
This
post is about racism in education. Racism is a growing concern in education
that can be related to a students culture and identity.
What
is the meaning of racism? There is no claim made of a sound definition of
racism. It is a term that is very difficult to define and put into words due to
its ambiguity. According to the oxford dictionary, racism is “the belief that all members of each
race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race,
especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or
races”.
Racism
is something we’ve all witnessed. Through my own experiences in primary school
and high school, I have noticed everyone can be a little bit racist. Yet, some
people may not realize that they are behaving in a racist manner. Racism can be
experienced by all sorts of people in education, including students, teachers,
and casual staff. It makes me question if racism is now becoming apart of our
modern culture as people unintentionally act in a racist manner without
realizing it. For example, not helping students from some backgrounds as much as
others is an act of racism that might occur in schools.
Because
of the impact of racism in society, institutions and governments have made policies
or laws against it. According to Michael Omi and Howard Winant, “Race has been a key determinant of mass
movements, state policy, and even foreign policy” (Omi and Winant, 138). Here is a hip hop video that the Human Rights Commission
launched in order to tackle the
increasing issue of racism in schools, an aim for young adults. The video clip
is titled “What YOU say matters! Racism.
It stops with me”, performed by Indigenous hip-hop artist Brothablack and
featuring students from James Meehan High School in Macquarie Fields, South
West Sydney. The video depicts the issue of racism around the school community,
providing examples of scenarios that may occur in the classroom. This video
also highlights how one’s culture can provide their identity, due to the stereotypical
image of their culture. Due to this, the video is designed to encourage
teenagers to reflect and to act safely when they experience or witness racism
at school.
The video clip and
song also answers common questions about racism, like:
· What is racism?
· Why are people racist?
· Who experiences racism?
· Where does racism happen?
· Why is racism a problem?
· What can you do?
· What can the law do?
Recently,
there are several issues that occurred that has highlighted the issue of racism
in high school. This is recognized in the media article titled “Teachers,
pupils on mission to tackle racism in Australian schools”, written by Mohamed
Taha on ABC News on July 31, 2013. The editorial interviews Punchbowl Boys High
School, showing evidence how the Principal fights racism - promoting equality
and a sense of belonging within the school environment. Through this article,
we can learn how to fight racism and how it should not be an accepted concept
in school. Hence, article illustrates the growing concerns of racism in
education and how it is now recognized as an issue in the classroom.
Based
on what I have discussed, I think it was made clear that racism has a huge
impact in education. I believe people should be more informed and educated
about what racism is, in order for it to be removed from society.
References:
Oxforddictionaries.com
(2013) Definition of Racism < http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/racism>
- Accessed on 18/9/13.
Michael Omi
and Howard Winant (1994), eds., Racial Formation in the
United States, Second. Edition, pp. 138
Australian Human Rights Commission, (2013). What you say matters.
Racism. It Stops With Me. Feat. Brothablack, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiQq_XAVPLg> - Accessed on 15/9/13
ABC.net.au
(2013). Teachers, pupils on mission to
tackle racism in Australian schools”. <www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-31/hip-hop-helps-students-overcome-racism-in-australian-schools>/4854174>
- Accessed on 18/9/13
ReplyDeleteI agree that racism is prevalent in Australian society, especially with regards to microaggressions (Minikel-Lacocque, 2013) whereby the individual may not realise they are being racist. Minikel-Lacocque describes a racial microaggression as
“commonplace verbal or behavioural indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults”
(2013:436).
In the video you've mentioned (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2013), examples of microaggressions were often based on assumptions that creep into schooling and everyday environments such as the suggestion that Asian students are particularly skilled at maths, whilst another instance in the video stated that Black people can run fast. These are the kind of things people say, often not intending to be racist per se (although in both instances in the video the attacking student was trying to offend the other), but as a comment based on a socially-structured preconception regarding the races of others. Minikel-Lacocque further analyses these microagressions into groups of microinsults, microassults and microinvalidations – and most cases would fit into at least one of the instances profiled – for example, Asian students being presumed good at maths comes under a “microinsult” and then“Ascription of Intelligence”- one of a number of sub-categories (Minikel-Lacocque, 2013:436).
Where I think the video misses the mark a little bit however, is that comments made in real life are often a lot more subtle, indirect and less attacking than in the instances portrayed. I feel that in contemporary society, blatant racism appears on the decline and instances such as the racial attack on Adam Goodes during the game where he was called a very derogatory name have become less regular, mostly as it is now a commonly held belief that racism is wrong – as well as one that is supported by the law – but the problem is that these instances have been replaced by ones such as the Eddie McGuire scandal where 'ignorance' and 'racial undercurrent' are the main offenders (Houston, 2013) . Thus I think the problem that is causing trouble more presently in schools is identifying exactly how far racism goes. I'm talking about the type of 'unconscious' (Minikel-Lacocque, 2013:436) racism that often goes unnoticed – the kind people don't know they are guilty of – and the type teachers often don't pick up on themselves (meaning they're just as likely to be a perpetrator in this way). The McIntosh reading really brought to my attention many micro-aggressions that I was never aware of personally (1992:3-5), and although the text is based on white-supremacy and not all forms of racism, I felt it was a good start to the issue, whilst the Houston (2013) article I mentioned above outlines some precautions taken by Sydney University.
Words: 430
REFERENCES
Australian Human Rights Commission, (2013). What you say matters. Racism. It Stops With Me. Feat. Brothablack, Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiQq_XAVPLg
Houston, S. (2013) Education is the key to stamping out racism. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/comment/education-is-the-key-to-stamping-out-racism-20130530-2nep5.html
McIntosh, P. (1992) White Privilege and Male Privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in women’s studies, In M. Andersen & P. H. Collins (eds), Race, Class, and Gender: An anthology. Belmont, CA, Wadsworth Publishing.
Minikel-Lacocque, J. (2013). Racism, college and the power of words: Racial microaggressions reconsidered. American Educational Research Journal, pp. 432-465
ReplyDeleteThe video presented highlights racism in the classroom and gives great knowledge to what actually goes on when receiving assessments back. I had a similar experience in my school where the teacher presented marks back and students who received lesser grades seemed to express feelings in a racist manner. In regards to our course readings it is relevant in terms of the topic ‘race whiteness in Australian education’ and both Vass, Leonardo and Minikel-Lacocque highlight this key concern in the education system both public and private.
Leonardo highlights the video you have posted within the journal. Leonardo (2004:31) states that “Whiteness is a racial discourse, whereas the category ‘white people’ represents a socially constructed identity, usually based on skin colour”. This is presented in the video.
Also McLeod’s research on young people, identity and views on politics and racism further reiterates your points about racism becoming part of a modern culture aimed at particular subcultures in society. McLeod’s research showed a student replying by “Kelly also said she had seen racism directed at ‘Some Asians’. But then this leads to her view that ‘Australia is becoming very populated with Asians’. A comment about racism against Asians displaces into fears of ‘Asianisation’ (as if Asian people were recent arrivals) (McLeod & Yates, 2003: 37)”. It occurred to me while I was researching in regards to this comment that many of these readings are similar and above all really come together at Mcintosh’s reading about aggressions.
References:
Vass, G. (2012). The racialised educational landscape in Australia: listening to the whispering elephant. Race Ethnicity and Education, 1-26. doi: 10.1080/13613324.2012.674505
Minikel-Lacocque, J. (2013). Racism, college and the power of words: Racial microaggressions reconsidered. American Educational Research Journal, 50, 432. DOI: 10.3102/0002831212468048
Leonardo, Z. (2004). The color of supremacy: Beyond the discourse of ‘white privilege’, Educational Philosophy and Theory, 36(2), 137-152.
McIntosh, P. (1992) White Privilege and Male Privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in women’s studies, In M. Andersen & P. H. Collins (eds), Race, Class, and Gender: An anthology. Belmont, CA, Wadsworth Publishing.