Teaching about Race and Racism Across the Disciplines

Content Objectives

In the language classroom we can see that the structure of the classroom and teaching language has roots in colonization. As teachers, we are told to emphasize vocabulary and grammar charts and drills. There is a hierarchy of the way a language is taught; you begin with basic vocabulary, learn the verbs “to be”, “to go”, “to make”, etc., and then you start to build on to the basic knowledge that has been gained. In the Spanish language classroom, we see roots of colonization every day. For example, most Spanish textbooks teach a one dialect of Spanish, specifically  Spanish as spoken in Spain. These textbooks often ignore the variance that exists from one country to the other and do not expose students to regional vocabulary. By presenting “one type” of Spanish as the standard to which all others are measured, textbooks are showing the underlying racist tones that exist in the way we teach language to our students, specifically heritage language learners.

Colorblindness is just one of many examples that allows for racist tactics to exist in the classroom. According to George Lipsitz, “Colorblindness does not do away with color, but rather reinforces whiteness as the unmarked norm against which difference is measured.”² In the education system, we can see colorblindness come into play in many ways, for example, Advanced Placement courses can be seen as colorblind courses. They are typically offered to white students in order to gain college credit, but these courses have used white students as a way to set the norm for the courses. McKay believes that “colorblind racism enables whites to justify the current gaps in educational attainment, wages, health, and wealth between them and everyone else through ideologies of individualism and the placing of blame on cultural tendencies without acknowledgment of historical context.” ³ A better way to explain colorblindness is a way for racist tactics to exist without explicitly naming race. In the wise words of Aileen Moreton-Robinson “While appearing to be color blind and power evasive, patriarchal whiteness is a system that protects the privileges of whites through diminishing Indigenous entitlements.”⁴ Colorblindness inhibits our ability to understand and respond to racism. James Baldwin and Milton Reynolds both suggest that colorblindness also distorts white people and their consciousness. This is not a benefit for white people when it comes to tackling colorblindness in any discipline.⁵ An example of this in the education system is the school to prison pipeline that mostly affects poor, students of color. As educators, we must work to dismantle the colorblindness that exists within our teaching disciplines and acknowledge that race does exist in our classrooms. We also must acknowledge the colorblindness that exists in our teaching methods. Reynolds states that “teachers who embrace colorblindness tend to skip over troubling moments in American history, misrepresenting them entirely or downplaying their significance.⁶ As educators, we must be able to talk about the good and the bad without downplaying the significance of the bad. As educators we also must acknowledge that colorblindness privileges comfort, which can impede a teacher’s ability to that classroom safe and inclusive for all students. Reynolds states that “the practices and behaviors associated with colorblind teaching generate cues that erode the safety of students of color and other marginalized students.” ⁷ As educators, we must be aware that our practices and behaviors benefit a certain type of student; usually a white student. In the Spanish language we see that the teaching methods of grammar charts and teaching “Spain Spanish” are forms of colorblindness that are inherently racist towards heritage Spanish learners.

Ethnic Studies are beginning to appear in many schools throughout the country, primarily because it is important for students who are not white to learn about their history. De los Rios, Lopez and Morrell believe that “Ethnic Studies centers race and racism as the primary terrain of academic inquiry and interrogates the construction and deconstruction of racial projects.”⁸ The goal for this seminar is to demonstrate that we can bring any conversation that is non-traditional and dealing with race into any discipline. In the language classroom, Ethnic Studies can play a role in Spanish Heritage courses that would allow for heritage speaker to learn about their history in the target language. “Ethnic Studies scholars and K-12 teachers also attempt to counter that inequity by tapping into the untold and untapped knowledge production of communities of color that is often absent from mainstream curricula at the secondary and postsecondary levels.”⁹ Tapping into the untold knowledge that is absent from many students of color is why Ethnic Studies exist. By bringing Ethnic Studies into the language classroom, you are allowing for students of color to learn a history that otherwise would not be taught to them, but you are allowing to students to talk about this history in their heritage language and allowing for students to tap into more “untold knowledge.”

Indigenous Studies is usually studied in the American History classroom, but there is room to talk about indigenous studies in the language classroom.  The way indigenous studies is taught in the classroom needs to change. Dr. Brian Klopotek suggests starting with contemporary indigenous culture like music and art to demonstrate that indigenous people are coproducing contemporary culture. As an educator, you must always acknowledge whose land you are on, whether it be your school or your community. Acknowledging the land you are on helps students understand that race is not seen in indigenous communities, rather people are seen by the nation they belong to.¹⁰ As educators, we need to do a better job of making sure our students are seen in the classroom, specifically native students. Many native students are invisible in our classroom and we must not make assumptions that there are not any native students in the classroom. In the language classroom, we must remember that the language we are teaching was imposed on indigenous people and the racial tones of colonization that exist within our own instruction.

It is important to note that “teachers may have mastered the content needed to be a teacher, but teachers are not required to have complex or critical understanding of institutionalized racism and how it shapes the realities of different communities. Also, the content standards do not require insight into the shared struggles of Black, Latina/o, Asian American or Native American peoples, or the contributions of women of color in historical movements. Thus, teachers with a Social Science credential who end up teaching Ethnic Studies are not required to have content knowledge or a perspective that is aligned with Ethnic Studies.” ¹¹ As educators, we must be aware of the content knowledge we bring to the classroom is aligned with the Ethnic Studies curriculum we are teaching.