Systemic Racism
As a white female, I often forget how privileged I am and how stuck I am in my ways. It is essential to try to combat this by trying to look through a different lens and understand other perspectives, rather than being stuck to my single stories, which I was able to do through the seminar. This relates to my miskâsowin journey as I have come to understand more about my identity and thus, I realize how that impacts me and others around me. “There can be no conversation about identity if we do not mention the pervasive stereotypes that impact the way others and we perceive ourselves” (Facing History And Ourselves, 2019). This has allowed me to understand racism more in-depth and has caused me to realize how easy it is for us to jump to conclusions based upon what we hear and see in our daily lives and the classroom. Due to my upbringing as “much of [my] identity [has been] formed by [my] parents, grandparents and [my] whole community (Facing History And Ourselves, 2019). As a way to combat systemic racism in life and in my future classrooms, I will be sure not to jump to any conclusions until I have an in-depth understanding of the situation because by jumping to conclusions it results in assumptions and potential blaming, which is developed through the things I have been taught and seen throughout my life. This inevitably leads to racism and as such, I must involve unlearning as apart of my miskâsowin journey to avoid the stereotypes and assumptions. It should be noted that the “underlying root causes of the [children being pulled from their homes has to do with] poverty, intergenerational trauma and access to housing” (Barrera, 2018), which relates to structural racism and as such, we must not jump to conclusions about situations that may occur. To further try to combat systemic racism in my daily life is simply by calling out people when I hear and/or see racist comments or actions from White people. Due to privilege and power, it has formed many stereotypes and racist beliefs, which are long-lasting.
A way to encourage students to look critically at the structures in the world around them is by presenting them with opportunities to look at current events as students will come to understand what is happening in the world around us and how important it is not to form an opinion based upon one's identity. This is a way to keep students open-minded which will result in them questioning and coming to understand why various situations are occurring and what we can do as citizens to combat the issues. By critically looking at structures in the world around us, it engages students in a self-learning process that can result in undoing negative images that people see and begin to believe. It is crucial to “explore where these beliefs come from and start questioning the validity of the sources and then work to rebuild our identities with positive and empowering self-images” (Facing History And Ourselves, 2019). “Whether some or all of the offences were racially motivated or not — each instance turning on unique and nuanced facts and law far more detailed than the above summaries, and perceptions and mindset that reach deeper than court transcripts — they unequivocally became racially charged. And the effects linger in distrust and suspicion within and between communities and peoples, the pressure left to build toward the next time” (Leader Post, 2018), which allows students to question and think through a different lens. Students must be encouraged to look at these current events, or there is no hope that we will ever move away from various stereotypes that have been developed due to our identity.
Barrera, J. (2018). Behind the statistics: The story of 2 Indigenous children on the brink of becoming court wards. CBC. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/ottawa-indigenous-child-foster-care-1.4502217
Culture, Stereotypes, and Identity. (2019). Facing History And Ourselves. Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/stolen-lives-indigenous-peoples-canada-and-indian-residential-schools/chapter-1/culture-stereotypes-and-identity
Leader Post. (2018). Court of Contention: A look back at crimes that divided a province. Retrieved from https://leaderpost.com/news/crime/court-of-contention-a-look-back-at-crimes-that-divided-a-province
