Posts Tagged ‘racism’
An Education in Racism
[Editor’s note: Our archives contain several years of excellent articles, most of which remain relevant and important to today’s young people and the adults who work with them. This one is a “Director’s Pick” that we are reposting this week.] My first friend and I—we were three—played with the same anatomically impossible Barbies. Except…
Read MoreCall Me Pathologically “Woke”
In a recent New York Times column, conservative pundit Bret Stephens argued strenuously that divisiveness was ruining our great nation. He was specifically irritated by a proposed ethnic studies curriculum in California’s public schools. He hauled out all the culture war piñatas and beat them relentlessly. “Critical race theory” was most prominent among the targets. His conservative columns routinely…
Read MoreMore black journalists are needed to tell stories for us, about us and by us
On July 14, President Donald Trump went on Twitter, and in a series of tweets, he attacked four politicians of color: Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). He explicitly told them to “go back” to the “broken and crime infested places from which they came.” Later that…
Read MoreA few thoughts on “racism” towards white people
A columnist at the Harvard Crimson recently wrote a column titled “Who Can Be ‘Racist’?” The columnist explores the question of whether minorities in the United States may make comments such as “I hate white people” — and whether such comments may be labeled as racist. This debate has recently surfaced at our own University. In response to a…
Read MoreAcknowledge the narratives of black students at Penn
Why I decided to join The Daily Pennsylvanian The art of being black at a predominantly white institution isn’t always pretty. It is noting the experiences you have that others do not, simply because of the color of your skin, whether those experiences bring tears of grief or joy. It is searching the school newspaper’s…
Read MoreWhen Your NYU Community Doesn’t Respect You
NYU is the first community I have truly chosen to be a part of. I love this community and the people in it. I smile at people in my dorm’s elevator. When I share a table with someone in Kimmel, I strike up conversation. In every NYU student, I see someone whom I share an…
Read MoreChanging the way we teach race
In the eighth grade I was asked if I wanted to step out of the room while the class learned about slavery. When I politely declined, I was allowed to sit with my classmates as we were taught the wonders of slave culture — the music and religions cultivated from a beautiful blend of two cultures,…
Read MoreConnecting the Ivory Tower to the real world
The classes I’m taking this semester have me circling back to this one thought: How applicable is the stuff I’m learning in the classroom to the real world? We’re so fortunate to attend a place like Brown. Only a small minority of us will ever get the chance to receive a college education, live in…
Read MoreMore Than a Token
Parting reflections on being black at UChicago. “If I were you, I would just go to whatever state school you’ve already been accepted to. The University of Chicago is really a tough institution, and I’m not quite sure you’d do well there, if we’re being honest.” I felt my heart beating fast, my mouth getting…
Read MoreWhat Happens to Empathy Deferred?
As an alumnus of an independent school, I have enjoyed reading about the increasing emphasis on teaching cooperation, teamwork, mindfulness, and empathy. As independent schools become more globally and racially diverse, the need for greater reflection, for awareness of one’s own thinking and biases, and for curiosity about the perspectives of others also grows. The…
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