Decentering Whiteness in the Classroom

Black students carry the weight of intergenerational trauma and systemic racism into their classrooms every day. White students do not (although those of us who are racialized as white can and do experience trauma as well).

Despite the impact of intergenerational trauma on Black children, current debates about teaching the history of racism are almost exclusively focused on the feelings of *White children.* (e.g. "are we shaming them? Are we making them feel bad about their white racial identity?")

The erasure of Black children's feelings from this debate is a symptom of the racial bias baked into the U.S. educational system, which continues to harm Black students and families.

While committed educators may disagree on best practices for talking to kids about discrimination and racial violence, any pedagogy that engages the history of anti-Black racism without centering the humanity and dignity of Black students is, quite simply, white supremacist.

What do you think? I would love to hear from parents and educators.
My thanks to Dr. Ibram X. Kendi whose work inspired this post.

#teaching #DecolonizeTheClassroom #antiracism #history #trauma #education

[Image: Photo of a classroom featuring young students of color around a table with their backs to the camera. They are all facing the front of the room and several of their hands are raised, suggesting enthusiastic engagement. Photo credit: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images]