In the wake of more shootings, this white educator and father contemplates how he can undermine a system that makes his sons and him safer than their African-American counterparts.
“We don’t participate in class because we’re not as smart as the white kids.” See how this Latina educator responded when Latina students expressed this negative self-perception.
The whine of the projector subsides. Someone clicks on the lights. As the professor asks for commentary, the rapid raising of hands signifies an eagerness to respond. I remain still. Listening to my peer’s criticism of the Appalachian people featured in the made-for-TV special, I am humiliated.
My third-period students rushed in at the start of class, wide-eyed and excited. Something had happened. “Quentin hit Ms. Combs!” Helen Combs was my friend. She taught language arts. “He knocked her down,” one student reported. “They took her to the hospital, and the police took him away in handcuffs!”