Delpit 5/29

 1. "The saddest element is that the individuals that the black and Native Alaskan educators speak of in these statements are seldom aware that the dialogue has been silenced. Most likely the white educators believe their colleagues of color did, in the end, agree with their logic. After all, they stopped disagreeing, didn't they?" PG 23

It exposes a hidden but damaging dynamic in many school and professional settings: silence is often mistaken for agreement. Delpit shows how educators of color may stop voicing their opinions not because they've changed their minds, but because they’re exhausted from not being heard.  The real sadness here is that many white educators are completely unaware this is happening. They don’t realize that the "conversation" they think they’re having is actually one-sided, and that they’ve unintentionally shut others out of the dialogue.

How can we tell the difference between real agreement and someone choosing to go silent because they don’t feel heard or respected?

What can educators and students do to create spaces where people feel safe and encouraged to keep speaking up even when their views are different?

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2. “Some have added that the liberal educators believe themselves to be operating with good intentions, but that these good intentions are only conscious delusions about their unconscious true motives. One of the black anthropologist John Gwaltney's informants in Drylongso reflects this perspective with her tongue-in-cheek observation that the biggest difference between black folks and white folks is that black folks know when they're lying!” PG 29

The line from Gwaltney’s informant is very revealing. It suggests that white educators sometimes lie to themselves without realizing it. They think they’re helping, when really they might be reinforcing the very systems of inequality they claim to oppose. Meanwhile, Black educators and community members are more likely to recognize when something is off, even if they don't feel safe calling it out.

How can educators move from just meaning well to actually doing better?

What does it take to be honest with ourselves about our biases, even when it’s uncomfortable?

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3. "...this student was proud of the teacher's 'meanness,' an attribute he seemed to describe as the ability to run the class and pushing and expecting students to learn. Now does the liberal perspective of the negatively authoritarian black teacher really hold up? I suggest that although all 'explicit' black teachers are not also good teachers, there are different attitudes in different cultural groups about which characteristics make for a good teacher. Thus, it is impossible to create a model for the good teacher without taking issues of culture and community context into account." PG 37

This quote challenges the one-size-fits-all idea of what makes a good teacher. She tells a story of a student who actually admired his teacher’s “meanness”, but not because the teacher was cruel. In his eyes, “meanness” meant structure, high expectations, and a push to succeed. What looks like bad teaching to one group might actually be great teaching in another cultural context. It depends on what values and expectations are at play in that community.  She’s saying that we can't define good teaching without understanding the cultural and community lens we're looking through.

How can schools and teacher training programs better include the voices and values of the communities they serve?

What assumptions do we carry about what a “good” or “bad” teacher is and where do those assumptions come from?

How might misunderstandings around tone, discipline, or communication style lead to unfair judgments about teachers, especially teachers of color?

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Argument Statement
This author, Lisa Delpit, argues that true equity in education can’t happen unless we start listening to and valuing the voices of those who have been silenced, especially educators and families of color who know what their children need.

Armstrong and Wildman Colorblindness is the New Racism

Argument Summary

Armstrong and Wildman argue that the popular approach of colorblindness, treating everyone the same by ignoring race, actually sustains inequality rather than challenging it. In its place, they offer the framework of color insight, which encourages us to notice racial difference, reflect on its impact, and act to correct the injustices it reveals. Color insight isn't about being divisive or seeing race too much. It’s about understanding that racial dynamics are already operating in our institutions. If we pretend not to see them, we can't change them.

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Three Quotes That Stuck With Me

1. “If students do not grapple with issues of privilege while still in school, they may never acquire the insight or ability to recognize and combat racism and other subordination." pg 66
   -If we don’t talk about privilege while people are still in school, they might never learn how to recognize racism or understand how inequality works. School is the perfect place to start having these conversations, while we’re still learning how the world works.

2. “Color insight recognizes that a racial status quo exists in which society attributes race to each member. Whereas colorblindness urges us not to notice race, color insight says, 'do not be afraid; notice your race and the race of others around you; racism and privilege still do affect peoples' lives; learn more about the racial dynamic.'" Pg 68
   -Colorblindness, though often well-intentioned, promotes the idea that ignoring race leads to fairness. In contrast, color insight encourages individuals to acknowledge race and explore how it influences experiences and opportunities in society. Rather than avoiding the topic, color insight pushes for active engagement and deeper understanding.

3. 
   "Individual concepts of race may differ and cause concern that one's views may offend others. This fear leads to a tendency to avoid discussing race altogether. Color insight requires a commitment not to sweep race under the rug, but rather to name its presence and to examine its attributes from multiple perspectives, including the operation of privilege." Pg 69
   -This quote addresses a common obstacle to discussions about race: fear of saying the wrong thing or offending someone. While this fear is understandable, the author argues that avoiding the topic entirely only deepens misunderstanding and reinforces inequality. Color insight demands that we name and examine race and privilege directly, even when those conversations are difficult.
   
   

   
   

   
   
   
   
   

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Course Connections: Privilege, Power & Difference

Armstrong and Wildman’s concept of color insight connects directly to what we’ve been unpacking with Johnson in Privilege, Power and Difference. Johnson writes that privilege is about social systems, not personal intention and that naming it is the first step toward change.

This reminds me of the class discussions where we said we can’t fix a problem we refuse to name. That’s what color insight does: it names the problem. Colorblindness, on the other hand, avoids the conversation entirely.

It also relates to the SCWAAMP framework. The “neutral” or “mainstream” student is often assumed to be straight, white, American, and able-bodied—those identities don’t get called out because they’re treated as defaults. Color insight challenges that by calling attention to how power is distributed and how certain identities are centered by institutions.

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Questions I’m Still Thinking About

• What does color insight look like in practice? In curriculum design? In teacher training?

• How do we move from simply noticing racial inequality to actually restructuring the systems that cause it?

• Can we create educational spaces where equity is the default, not the exception?

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Keep the Conversation Going

 Have you encountered colorblind thinking in your own educational experiences?
How do Armstrong and Wildman help us see the elephant in the room?

Here is my Grandmother exercise.
I know that my paternal Grandmother was the first generation of her family to be born in America. Her parents' families were friends and left Germany together because their doctor told them to get out before World War 1. They came to America and settled in Pittsburgh where my grandparents lived for the rest of their lives. She married in her twenties and had five children with her husband. They moved around a lot for my grandfather's job but I can't remember what his job was. They lived in Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio and finally Illinois. My grandfather died when my father was about five years old and my grandmother raised her five children as a single mother from that time. I am always amazed with the stories she tells me about neighbors or people who used to live on the same street as her because I don't think i've ever gotten to know the people around me on the same level as she has. It really feels like she could tell you about the cousin of her neighbor's friend's sister that she knew when she was 7 years old.
I'd love to hear anyone else's grandmother exercise.

Johnson Blog 5/22

1. “We are, both individually and collectively, stuck in a kind of paralysis that perpetuates the trouble and its human consequences.”

Johnson is saying everyone plays a part in why social issues like racism and sexism aren't getting better. Even though we know those issues exist we freeze up and avoid doing anything about them.

Why do we get stuck? Is it fear? Guilt? Just being overwhelmed by how huge the problems are?

What would it actually take to recognize these problems in ourselves and start working to fix it?

2. “Her misfortune is connected to my fortune; the reality of her having to deal with racism and sexism every day is connected to the reality that I don’t.”

Johnson is being honest and acknowledging that his privileges as a white man aren’t just his benefits, they’re connected to the disadvantages someone else has.

It made me ask myself what advantages do I have that I don't think about? And who is suffering the disadvantages because of it?

How can we talk about privilege without people shutting down or shutting it out?

3. “Privilege means being able to decide who gets taken seriously, who receives attention, who is accountable to whom and for what.”

Privilege isn’t only money or status it’s also about power. The power to define rules and to decide who is allowed to speak on matters of importance. That’s a lot more than just saying privilege means some people have it easier.

It’s easy to assume the world is fair and that everyone has an equal chance to succeed. But has that ever been true? Is hard work and effort all it takes to get to where you want to be?

How can people with privilege use it for others, instead of continuing the cycle of exploitation?

Argument Statement: This author, Allan G. Johnson, argues that social unfairness comes from privilege, and real change starts when we recognize their role in it.

Aaron W introduction

I studied History at University with a minor in Japanese studies. It was something I didn't know a lot about and I had always wanted to learn more about Eastern history. I spent a semester abroad in Japan where I met my future wife. Eventually I would move to Japan and teach English there for six years.

I teach 8th grade History at Achievement First Mayoral Academy in Providence Rhode Island. I have been living in Massachusetts for about two years and original come from Chicago.

In my free time I like to play board games, tabletop games and video games. At my school I have been running a board games club.