10/19 - Class Recap

The United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Photo taken in 2010.

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your continued participation and engagement in class! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Selected for today because it is Homecoming this weekend. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/19/17:
Check In/Review Agreements
Current Events
Affinity Groups/Q and A
Vocabulary
Further Material

Homework: Read the blog! Either watch the documentary "13th" on Netflix if you have not seen it, or read "The First White President" by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Take notes on either - you will use them for a final reflection on the race unit, starting next class.
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Check In/Review Agreements: At the beginning of class, we went over the Courageous Conversations Agreements, as always, to begin our work together for the day.

Current Events: After checking in, we talked for a bit about what is happening in the world outside of class. We also checked in about the weekend and what people were up to, before moving on.

Affinity Groups/Q and A: After checking in, we turned the room into a fishbowl style discussion. Since our students who identified as being of color talked last class, we had white students talk today about the issues they felt like were coming up in their racial autobiographies and in their smaller affinity group discussions.

My (Mr. Fritz's) notes on the conversation today of White students:

Students of color face so many problems, why are the privileged white people talking?

Racist relatives -> we know it is an issue, how do we deal with this?

Spending lots of time with relatives --> one said my baby brother would have more freedom than me, and I will have to stay home because I'm a girl.

"I have to watch what I say." --> family member came out as gay

Family member: "They are all terrorists anyway - why don't we bomb them?"

"It is very weird for me."

"For a long period of time, that's all that I knew [about being a Republican]" --> you work hard, you don't take handouts

Family who doesn't respect people --> people of color, LGBT --> creates a lot of tension

"It's hard, because you want to love them"

"I will hide my cross in Science class."

"I have an obligation to love my dad, but he is so disrespectful -- he is against everything I am for."

Assumption of beliefs due to being a white male

Being white, you try to say something --> "you don't understand because you are white"

"We have had different experiences because we are white" --> unaware of race during our childhood // you have to actively try to understand it

"I am a Christian white person" --> stereotyped for wearing cross --> we have to work so hard to be seen as something else

"My mom gave a sermon on racism at our church." --> tough when you identify, but people make a bad name for the faith

Conflict and Confederate flag in Mississippi -- people make assumptions we are all Confederates

You can't understand until you have heard everything -- it takes time to know people and be objective

No objective sense that the color of our skin dictates these outcomes

"People are naturally afraid of the unknown." --> exposure is important

"We have nothing on our poster - these are not actual issues."

"I felt bad writing this -- these are small problems"

None of these are issues that I HAVE to deal with -- in the back of my mind, but I don't think about every day

"A teacher once told me it's a girls fault for being raped."

Death to the "Basic White Girl" stereotype

"You are smart for a white girl"

"It's so easy to be unaware and bathe in ignorance." --> our criminal justice system is f***ed up

Don't have to deal with microaggressions

"We have never learned about any other culture -- easy to be ignorant"

"being white is treated as normal/the basis"

"I have autism and experience hate against my condition" -- "It's hard to explain but it is the worst"

We are all different -- you can't generalize everyone

"Just because we are white, life isn't always easy"

Judgement on everyone, stuck with the rest of society

There is a reason stereotypes exist. Deny the problem - attitudes/actions perpetuate racism

"What if someone told me I looked ugly behind my back?" "I would have to punch them."

---- There was a break when I had to leave the classroom to see some students ----

"This class is a perfect way to ask these questions"

Do you consider yourself privileged --> privilege is defined in relation to a group, reference groups that are also white, and gender over gender, instead of making comparison about race

"How could you be against gay marriage?"

Bible as needing to be taken in context
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After the conversation, we had a Q and A period for students who wanted to ask questions that came up for them, either from last class or from today.

Further Material: As we wind down with our unit on Race, we want students to engage with some material we think might be helpful in processing what we have learned about in class. The two options for further enrichment (please choose one) are:

1) Watch the "13th" documentary on Netflix. This is an incredibly powerful and challenging film to watch regarding the history of mass incarceration in the United States. The trailer can be watched here:

2) Read "The First White President" by Ta-Nehisi Coates. As with the other article by Coates that we broke up into sections, this is a lengthy look at his analysis of how and why Donald Trump was elected president.

Thank you for your continued effort and participation in class! We will see you next week!