As a young white woman, I’ve never gave much thought about the privileges that I have. When I was younger, I never thought deeply about the prejudices I was predisposed to believe. I always noticed the way my parents would lock the car doors as we drove through “the hood” in Cincinnati. I was always told to be alert and aware of my surroundings when I walked downtown. “Stick together” and “Don’t be out once it’s dark” and “Make sure you hold your purse in front of you with both hands”. Never was I warned to do these things when visiting a friend’s house in a predominantly white subdivision. Never was I told to “Keep an eye out” when at a public park with my white family and friends. But I never gave a second thought about any of it. I had no idea that these actions were a part of something much bigger and nastier than I could imagine.
Before I go into this, don’t get me wrong. I am nothing but thankful for all that God has given me- my amazing family and friends, my fiancé who is my rock, and the experiences I’ve been privileged to enjoy. I’m just disappointed, and honestly ashamed, of myself that it’s taken me 22 years of life to realize my privileges and finally start to become educated about how I can be a voice for others who don’t experience the same privileges. Blinded by my privilege, I was raised in my white household, my primarily white suburban school district, my white church family, and around primarily white friends with little actual knowledge of the diversity in the world around me. I mean, growing up the way I did, I never really encountered much diversity. As a kid and even into my teenage years, I naively and ignorantly assumed that everyone lived a life similar to mine. I began to realize this while in high school and man, how dumb was I to think that? In a nice little house with happily married parents in a quiet little neighborhood. Naively believing that the world is kind and everyone is well taken care of and treated with respect. Needless to say, I grew up in a bubble guys.
I’m writing this in light of the current events in our nation that amplify the injustice toward people of different color, ethnicity, and background who have been walked over and disrespected for centuries. I’m writing this as a young white woman who is eager to become educated and an advocate for those who don’t have the same privileges that I have for some reason been born with. I am writing this as an new educator who will soon have a group of bright, beautiful kiddos each with different backgrounds and ethnicities than me who are growing up in a world where some people still believe that it’s “ok” to predetermine someone else’s worth based on their appearance. The injustice, abuse, and brutality has got to end. If not for any other reason, then for our children. I believe that every single child has the potential to follow their dreams and do amazing things. I wholeheartedly believe this, I’m not just saying these things because I’m expected to as a school teacher. I hope to inspire my kiddos to follow their big dreams as I follow my own. But when young children of color see adults and even other children of color obliterated by police brutality on the news, what message does that send them? How much does their social-emotional and psychological well-being crumble because of the racism that still runs rampant in our world? How much will they have to fight to rise above? How much abuse and opposition will they face when trying to pursue their dreams? The future generations of our world deserve to live their young lives without fear of walking out their front doors and playing with friends in their front-yards. They deserve a life of freedom and support to follow their biggest and wildest dreams, to become whatever they feel called to do. I mean, isn’t that what America is supposed to be about?
As the radical events have been unfolding across the nation, I’ve been shaken by the horrendous, disgusting racism that persists in our country. As a young White woman, I want to support and do what I can to help in any way but I wasn’t sure how. Would anyone even want my help? I’ve never been a victim of racism, I’m not Black, I don’t personally know the anguish and pain Black individuals have gone & are going through. And to be totally honest, as a recent college graduate and having been unemployed due to Covid-19 until recently, I’m personally not in the best position to support others financially (I definitely plan to once I start having a regular income again!). So how can I be supportive in other ways? How can I do better?
“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
The first way I knew I could do better was to educate myself. I’ve been watching several videos, such as Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho, reading articles/guides, watching movies, and am reading several books concerning racism and violence against Black people, how I can dispose of the preconceived notions that have been instilled in me from society, and what I can do as an educator to rid any sign of discrimination from my classroom and school. Particularly once I began college, I became increasingly aware of my privilege and my lack of knowledge about diversity due to my upbringing and what society has told me to believe as a white woman. I became determined to break down barriers that I was made aware of and focus on growing in empathy. I’ve borrowed several children/YA books on Libby, such as Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, among several others. Even though I’ll be teaching math content to my fourth graders, that doesn’t mean I can’t incorporate diverse literature within my learning environment.
When planning and thinking about my kiddos that I’ll begin teaching in a few short months, to be totally honest- I’m kind of at a loss of what to expect. These 8/9-year-old’s have endured so much trauma in the past few months, so where do I begin as their teacher? First, I know that I have to prepare as well as I can to prevent my own Secondary Traumatic Stress whenever possible so that I can best mentor and guide my students. Someone who is experiencing traumatic stress of their own is unable to help others deescalate from their own stressors. Next, I need to learn as much as I can about how to address the grotesque issues of racism and violence with my kiddos, because I want to be a part of the #BLM movement that impacts students to become individuals who advocate for the injustices of others. Our future starts with our little ones, y’all. The Child Mind Institute has a ton of wonderful resources about talking to your kiddos about racism and violence that I’m definitely going to be reviewing in the coming weeks to better prepare myself for the uncomfortable conversations that must happen in the classroom. There are a ton of great informative resources here, here, here, and here!
I hope that you find these resources helpful and insightful, and that you see yourself growing as an individual as well. Let’s continue to listen, stand for, and overcome injustices together. Let’s all strive to do better. xx Allison
This might’ve been uncomfortable, awkward, and you might’ve even judged this post I felt I needed to write about what has been going on in our country since its beginning. If you were offended in any way, I sincerely and deeply apologize and hope that you let me know so that I can learn and grow from my mistakes. If you have any other great resources to share, please leave them in the comments or email me! Thank you.
AHA Moments 