Discussing Racism with Children
My son and I had a very interesting talk on racism last night. I was trying to explain the difference between race and racism to him and he said, "Well I understand that all of the kids who are the same stick together, like the two Korean kids in my class. Is that what you mean?" I was like wow, how do I approach this in a way that really creates understanding and opens up communication on racism in a way that encourages him to see what is captured in terms such as "privilege" and "hegemony" and yes, even racism? What does it mean that "all the kids who are the same" stick together? Do they? Do all the poor kids and rich kids stick together? What about those kids who don't fit into easy brackets of self-identification? He also brought up a very interesting theory he has...he said that he thinks these two Korean kids are simply "naturally" better at math and science because video games come from "Asian" countries primarily.
So, I thought it wise and timely that he and I learn more about race, culture, ethnicity and diversity together. One idea I have is to take him to a film that BSU/Diverse Perspectives in Film, is featuring Tuesday: Race is the place...which according to the flyer, addresses: How do American artists address our nation's most pressing social issue? Using spoken, sung, and chanted word, African American, Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native American authors, performance artists, poets and singers explore the pain, frustration and humor of racism in America.
This description made me curious: IS racism the "most pressing social issue?" I mean, can you really address this one issue without having to look at class, without having to look at gender and without including (especially inAmerica) all of those people who are not Christian, English-speaking or heterosexual? I know I harp on this but I think that such a statement really should make you question. I think it will be a great film just to witness how artists and activists are responding to racism and I really am hoping that it helps my son and I to better be able to discuss the reality beyond perceptions of whiteness and what that entails. Suggestions as to books or other films that might be helpful are very welcome. ~peace~
2 Comments:
Of course you can never address race in isolation of class, gender, nation, sexuality and other related issues. But what I want to know is this: how do you discuss the even more complex question of race and (in)visibility. For instance, how do you talk to your son about your ethnicity and the lack of bodily visibility in you and your son? I think this is important in terms of seeing a range of ways to think about how race is sometimes visible and sometimes not and how that relates to privilege.
Salam--
Jen,
Your post reminds me of two arguments that Richard Rodriguez makes in his book Brown: The Last Discovery of America: That race is, more often than not, a) a preoccupation of whites; and b) is usually couched in terms of black and white. Rodriguez is more than a little suspicious of the way race is usually talked about because it tends to lead to the question of "authenticity"--which, of course, is an artificial and arbitrary set of criteria. He's not arguing that people don't think in terms of race, but that thinking in terms of race increasingly does not accurately correspond to social realities in public space. I think Rodriguez would also say that class and gender (specifically sexual orientation--Rodriguez is gay) are the real fault lines in our culture.
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