Awareness of the realities of bias

Throughout this course, it has been recognized by a large number of my colleagues and myself just how blind many of us are to the biases, oppressions and aggressions that are happening all around us. I can only assume that many of the families I come in contact with are similarly ignorant. It is my hope that the generation of children growing up now will embrace diversity, not just tolerate it.

Early on in the course, I began to have a feeling of obligation to expose myself to a more diverse community. However, I am making it a goal to remain in the community of my dominant culture and enlighten the families I serve about the realities of microaggressions and internalized oppression. Children learn from what they see and hear from their parents; it is important that parents eyes are opened to the damage they might be unintentionally be causing.

     As a last note to my colleagues in this class, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your personal reflections and viewpoints. I enjoyed every week and looked forward to the readings, the extra videos, and our exchange of ideas. Good luck in your pursuits, and I hope to see you in future classes! Maybe at a conference for education!

 

A theoretical family from Afghanistan comes to my center

     For my assignment, I chose Afghanistan even though I have heard of it before because what little I think I know is probably incorrect. If a child was being enrolled at my center whose family is here either permanently or temporarily, I want to be sure to address them in a way that will help them feel welcome.

    How are they coming to the center? Expectedly, through an agency, or unexpectedly, showing up at my door for a tour? Obviously if they were expected, I would research what I could about the country, its political relationship with the U.S. and read up on it's cultures and traditions. By doing some preliminary research, I found that women and men do not touch; I would be sure not to offer my hand for a handshake. I also found that women do not make eye contact with men; I would be careful to avoid this.

     Their family ties are very important, and cultural traditions relating to these ties go back many generations. Because these traditions are different than modernist western beliefs, there is much friction between modern generations and elders (Country Studies, 2013). Upon meeting this family and talking with them, I would be interested in their viewpoint. Are they open to western ways?What is the family structure? Are there multiple levels of generations in one home? Are they crowded in a small apartment together, or is it a smaller family in a big house where each child has their own space?
     A second way I would attempt to be culturally responsive to this family during enrollment would be to explain our procedures and policies as they apply to all families, so no misunderstandings arise as to singling this family out for any reason.
     A third way would be to encourage open and honest communication. Answer questions, ask questions, keeping a relaxed and interested demeanor to promote trust.
     A fourth way to be culturally responsive would be to encourage the child to be proud of his/her differences and talk about things that make them happy with their family. Encourage comparisons of home living, and encourage families to come to school to participate.
     Lastly, a fifth way to be culturally responsive would be to lead by example, showing warmth and understanding if there happen to be struggles in language or learning, providing ongoing curriculum that would address different perspectives (Boutte, 2008).
   A question that came to me while reading about some aspects of the culture in Afghanistan was
 providing representation in the classroom if the traditions of their homeland do not coincide with western ways. If role playing in dress up brings up multiple wives, how would that be addressed? If a girl subjects herself to being dominated and controlled, because that is how the women in her household are treated, how should this be approached?


References:

 Boutte, G. (2008). Beyond the illusion of diversity: How early childhood teachers can promote social justice. Social Studies, 99(4),

Country Studies (2013). Family, Afghanistan. Retrieved from: http://countrystudies.us/afghanistan/57.htm

Perhaps it's not right that certain incidents impact us more than others because we know the people involved, but they do. A good friend and co-worker from my past lost his son due to prejudice in Florida. When Trevon Martin was killed in Florida on February 26, I listened to the news accounts while they were  headlining, felt sympathy for all involved, tried not to form an opinion about the situation one way or the other (knowing that the media can warp the truth) and went about my business. But a few months later, in November, my friend's son Jordan Davis was shot down for no reason other than being a young black man enjoying his day in a way that an older white man did not approve of. I read every article, listened to every broadcast, sent my condolences to my friend, and have silently followed articles and his facebook account since 2012. The racism displayed is sickening and heartbreaking. The Stand Your Ground law in Florida seemingly allows a free for all on people of color in the name of self-defense. Even the words of the shooter's defense attorney, Delores Lemonidis, imply the shooter would obviously feel threatened by "four Black guys in a car (TheYoungTurks, 2013)".
     With 70% of Stand Your Ground cases allowing shooters to go free (Hundley, Taylor-Martin, & Humberg, 2012), racially diverse people will live with internalized oppression and microaggression in many more social situations than white people. There can be no equity, you can't go about living a comfortable day-to-day,when the way you look makes you a target.
     The Treyvon/Jordan Project-Division is a docu-drama being performed tonight at Valencia College. It covers a culmination of opinions and interviews examining the impact on society of these two cases. The play is designed to reach people and change stereotypes, not to go over the details of what happened. A quote from the play is "Even if one person listens, and you change their mind, then you change the world (http://youtu.be/_1s1XoTqVPg, 2015)".

Reference:

Hundley, K., Taylor-Martin, S., & Humburg, C. (2012). Florida 'stand your ground' law yields some shocking outcomes depending on how law is applied. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved from: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/florida-stand-your-ground-law-yields-some-shocking-outcomes-depending-on/1233133

TheYoungTurks. (2013).YouTube Retreived from:http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jordan%20russell%20davis&qs=n&form=QBVR&pq=jordan%20russell%20davis&sc=8-20&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&mid=2E90BBB68CA8E2C0ED822E90BBB68CA8E2C0ED82