these are the weekly reflections i have written!
fall semester
unit one: self
august
week one
Prompt: Have you experienced microaggressions of any kind in your life (in any setting)? Were you able to respond/correct the person? Why or why not? What might it take to be able to respond? Or have you said any microaggressions without realizing? What did you learn from these experiences? What implicit message were you being given about your identity/ies?
I have experienced microaggressions in my life. A friend’s parent called me a coconut- brown on the outside and white on the inside. It rubbed me a bit wrong, but did not upset me incredibly. I did not respond or correct him, I just went, “What?” because I was confused. I do not hold this against my friend’s parent as he is a nice guy, and did not correct him because I was scared and did not think he would have cared. To be able to respond, I would have to have more confidence or for it to be more common to call out adults for this kind of behavior. I have definitely made many microaggressions unintentionally to different kinds of communities. It made me feel very guilty when I was later called out for it. I learned to try thinking before I speak, and also how we are all raised with implicit biases which are inevitable. However, this is not an excuse for how we treat others. We are victims of their environment, and to avoid that statement and act like we are perfect is gullible. However, we all must work on improving or bettering ourselves rather than blame it on the way our society is set up.
week two
This week, we examined examples of Ethnic Studies programs, neutrality bias, the concept of explicit vs. implicit/hidden curriculum. Using examples from the various programs, what is the actual function of education in society (the hidden curriculum) and can you think of examples in your own experience? What does a truly equitable/liberatory education look like instead? Choose a quote from one of our readings this week that stood out to you and explain why it’s resonating with you?
The actual, hidden purpose of education in society is confusing to me. Schools try implementing a variety of programs for students, with some wishing for very different goals. For example, a student might enforce a rigorous curriculum by enforcing AP classes such as AP Government or AP English Literature, when a student may not be interested in pursuing a future in political science or literature. A school which enforces this may be more interested in preparing their students for college or university. However, a school may also enforce taking finance or career classes. These may explore responsibilities that one is expected to take on as an adult or help them see which career paths they may be interested in. In basic words, these two programs have different eventual outlooks for students.
A quote I found interesting from our readings this week was, “Latinos in the state, legally or otherwise, suffer a tide of laws aimed at their culture, language, supposed lack of patriotism, and living habits.” Innocent Latino children are not given the same opportunities as other students. This resonates with me because as someone who lives in Anaheim as a Latina myself, I have always been surrounded by many Hispanic students. Coming to Oxford, the #3 schools in California, the amount of Latino students went immensely down. It makes me wonder about what kind of opportunities Latino students face due to discrimination or laws.
week three
This week, we watched Precious Knowledge, examined and rewrote the Pledge of Allegiance to challenge the idea of promoting nationalism/patriotism in schools, and explored the concept of race as a social construct through the census. Growing up, what moments can you think of that communicated the message that we are in a “post-racial” society or that we should be “colorblind”? Why is race so threatening to identify and acknowledge for some people? What are some ways that race is actually ubiquitous in our society??
Moments that have communicated the message that we are in a post-racial society is those who claim that in the United States, all have equal opportunities and discrimination is an issue of the past that although still prevalent in today’s society, is on a much smaller scale than before and therefore not as significant. Although sometimes messages like these can be said with good intention, they can undermine issues faced by racial minorities who may subconsciously begin to learn that their experiences or hardships are not important. Those who claim that discrimination is a past might believe that social justice warriors or those who fight for racial equality are “anti-American”- sensitive and disrespectful to political figures in history (such as founding fathers) simply by recognizing their wrongdoings. While it would be nice for society to be “colorblind”, the discriminatory ideals of not only the United States but the world has been built upon leave deep rooted scars or beliefs in the minds of citizens today.
week four
This week, we watched Precious Knowledge, examined and rewrote the Pledge of Allegiance to challenge the idea of promoting nationalism/patriotism in schools, and explored the concept of race as a social construct through the census. Growing up, what moments can you think of that communicated the message that we are in a “post-racial” society or that we should be “colorblind”? Why is race so threatening to identify and acknowledge for some people? What are some ways that race is actually ubiquitous in our society??