Principal Verenice Gutierrez in Portland, Oregon is the center of a controversy over her efforts to deal with racism and cultural intolerance. There is certainly plenty of such examples in most states, but Gutierrez is being criticized for finding such prejudice in the peanut butter. The principal at Harvey Scott elementary school cited peanut butter sandwiches as an example of how innocently insensitive we can be our prejudices since we do not think “Somali or Hispanic students, who might not eat sandwiches.” Frankly, I am pretty sure that Somali kids will knew what to do with a P & J without crawling in to a fetal position of fear over the latent racism contained in the lunchtime baggy. In defense of Gutierrez, she was trying to suggest an effort to reach out to learn different cultural preferences: “Another way would be to say: ‘Americans eat peanut butter and jelly, do you have anything like that?’ Let them tell you. Maybe they eat torta. Or pita.” While I question the choice of the example, the point is to get teachers to think of the cultural realities and experiences of their students. However, in my view, other aspects of the training sessions are more problematic.
Gutierrez’s comments came with a week of “Courageous Conversations,” the district-wide equity training for teachers. The program expressly tries to get teachers (presumably white teachers) to understand their own “white privilege.” It seems a bit odd to deal with latent hostility or insensitivity in the schools by demanding white teachers to rid themselves of their “white privilege” bias.
I am more concerned with the response to a drum class being offered to middle school boys of color at Scott School. Chuck Barber, who also offers boys’ drum corps at other schools, to start a lunch-time drum class that would be limited to black and Latino boys. There were objections that the group would obviously discriminate against girls, Asians, whites and Native Americans. I have serious doubts over its legality but even greater question over its underlying policy of exclusion.
However, it is Gutierrez’s reported response that is the most troubling: “When white people do it, it is not a problem, but if it’s for kids of color, then it’s a problem?. Break it down for me. That’s your white privilege, and your whiteness.”
If this quote is accurate, it is highly disturbing. I do not know of any clubs in public schools that have been limited to white children since desegregation. Moreover, the opposition to racial segregation is not a factor of white privilege but civil rights. The alleged comment struck a chord with me because of prior column criticizing the return of “separate but equal” and segregation policies in our public schools. (here and here and here and here and here). I do not understand the perceived value of a segregated drum corp or how an educator could tell girls or asians or whites that they cannot join due to their color or gender. It is a curious way to reinforce tolerance through discrimination if true.
Source: Portland Tribune
I spend a lot of time in Social Justice circles and to my mind it is often amazing how much of the cultural left is engaged solely in separatist solutions which wreak no change other than allowing for a slightly greater proportion of party-line radicals within the minority population, believing no structural solutions to be of any benefit until the -ism in question is destroyed. Oh, and individually confronting people we have conflated with the structural powers engaged in or abetting oppression in an emotionally satisfying way of little political worth. (Don’t get me wrong: Consequences seem to be the best method of reducing displays and acts of bigotry, but there’s a difference between that and engaging in the same discounting of personal experience that SJers accuse most of the population of doing).
Does anybody doubt that tomorrow, if we went to a Basic Income instead of TANF and SNAP as the backbone of our income support system, that removing people from having the ability to decide on a case-by-case basis who gets enough money to barely support themselves, would have an instant (obviously not total) ameliorating effect on the wage gap, racism, classism, cissexism, heterosexism, neurotypicalism, etc?
Apparently not. We’d rather have ‘safe spaces’ than a safer country.
Excellent statement of the case. Well done, sirs!
And Darren, nice to see you out of the bag.
Mike Spindell Contributed…
“but sometimes those with the feelings are quite unaware of their prejudice. After all doesn’t prejudice connote the inability to see ones own stereotyping?”>
I had a professor who back around 1986 or 1987 told us that we (meaning our class and for better measure all persons) need to come to terms with our own prejudices before we can expect to work with those who we have these prejudices against. And, that if we are not able to, even if we try to be fair in practice, the other person will pick up on it and will recognize we are prejudiced.
He elaborated more on this and within a 15 minute lesson, probably did more than a semester of Human Relations classes ever offered, for those who took it to heart and made a practice of it.
It was a rather simple lesson. He said to recognize that we all have some form of prejudice. It doesn’t necessarily have to be against other races or classes of people but it can include those who are unkempt, careless about life, big spenders or whatever. Everyone has something. The key is to learn what it is that caused us to believe this way, either by upbringing, personal experiences, tastes or whatever. Know that this preconception tends to influence our decisions, and to learn to arrest that thinking before it affects others unjustly.
The next step is to formulate a sense of empathy for the other person. To find qualities that might dispell misconceptions we might have for this person. If we can do this it emotionally creates acceptance of the other person, even if it is not necessary from outside one’s own mind, it does make it a bit easier.
It is also helpful to maintain some form of dialog between us and the other person, and find something in that person we might like such as if the person lived in our hometown at one time, or takes an interest in a particular sport. Striking up conversation with the person works for both.
In doing this it is paramount to be sincere about this to the person. Going through the motions without sincerety will be recognized quickly by most other persons for whom we might have a prejudice against. That can be difficult for some to master, that is why it is important to better one’s self with each contact with individuals against whom we hold prejudice. Eventually, depending on how deep or emotional the prejudice might be, a person can come to terms with it and be sucessful and accepting of others.
Soon, over time, we can come to the point where the prejudice falls increasingly into the background, and hopefully just an afterthought. But we should recognize that they can come back, go away, or others can be created. Sometimes it never goes away sadly.
Lastly, it is also important that it is not what we think that matters to others, it is what we say or do. We often cannot easily control how we think, but we can more often control our actions.
I felt my professor’s words certainly have been helpful at least. Some people are in such a situation where they do not need to be concerned about their prejudice because they don’t have contact with those persons or make decisions that affect them But, the lesson he taught is very useful when we are among those persons and it is important to treat them with dignity despite our own convictions.
MikeS,
She did not make up “white privilege”. The concept and the teachings on how to recognize it and deal with it have been around for well more than two decades.
Hey folks!!
I want to be the first to welcome GeneH as sockpuppet Dung Ho to our arena. He could not hide his astuteness from my eyes.
Good night, it is 2:20AM and bedtime.
a
MikeS.
Exactly. We are blind in both of our eyes. And the clear-sighted more than others. Where does your ´20/20 come from?
Sometimes people inelegantly speak truths in a manner that undermines their cause. I think this Principal has a sense of what the truth is among many whites, but expresses it ineptly. Racism is alive a flourishing in America, but sometimes those with the feelings are quite unaware of their prejudice. After all doesn’t prejudice connote the inability to see ones own stereotyping?
First day of Cultural Studies class two weeks ago, my Hispanic “white” daughter’s class was told by the professor, “If you are republican, you are racist.” Three kids walked out, half the class rolled there eyes, and the rest of the class agreed. I asked her what she did and she said, ” As a conservative libertarian who needs a good grade I kept my mouth shut and started dreading the papers I’m going to need to write.” I would find it funny if i wasn’t paying for her education.
That’s funny…….
You want to steal my words feel free until they are copyrighted.
Sorry, you’ll have to shop elsewhere for “White Guilt”. Lost mine in DC in and after ’68.
oops.
“detained that the white person.” should be
detained than the white person who is also involved in the altercation.
junctionshamus 1, September 12, 2012 at 4:29 pm
@BettyKath – Yes, there is “white privilege”. An obvious example: most whites can walk down the street in NYC without fear of a cop stopping and frisking them. A black or latino male youth will be rousted. That’s “white privilege”.
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Jesse Jackson once commented, “There is nothing more painful for me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery—then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.”
Sounds to me like that privilege/bias comes in all colors.
======================
It’s still about white privilege. White folks being seen, even by Jesse Jackson, as being less likely to rob. And if there is an altercation it’s more likely that Jesse Jackson is the one who will be detained that the white person.
@Dung Ho – Considering I’ve not seen any of your commentaries until today, I’m trying to figure you out. Seems a bit mixed, but I do certainly like the acerbic nature of “vicious truths”. Gonna steal it…
JS,
I hear your racism in your last message. Why do people spread such vicious truths?
So much wisdom today. You must be wise because you agreed with me—-and I haven’t even said anything yet. Wow!
JT left me wondering what the issue for HIM was. And slowly you all straightened the strands of illogic.
I think in my belly I felt closest to Nick and his classmates solution. Ban school food, if PB and jelly is all they offer. At any time. I lived on PB and jelly as the school lunch was terrible, every day.
But serving the same white bread crap to a mixed ethnic group is pure whitism. And poor white trashism too.
Where is the fantasy and the nutrition? Let’em make their own tacos from the ingredients on the serving table. Offer mexican drinks. Offer a veg alternative: guacamole, garlic pepper sauce, whole wheat sourdough or mex bread, etc.
And if you want to promote multikulti, then have ethic dance groups, costume design sewing classes, or more modern variants than this old mind can imagine.
And then have shows of the results at school assembly once a week.
Let it be a source of pride and cultural info. All have a right to be themselves, not what the whitism decides is right.
If we are going to have prayers in school, then let it be different religion for each day. Even the ones who are not represented in the student body. Surely the net can provide rastafari prayers.
There is unification in the human spirit to be found. And the atheists can fight over what their “prayer” will be and to whom they pray. Meanwhile the evangelists can decide on whom they wish to prey on.
@BettyKath – Yes, there is “white privilege”. An obvious example: most whites can walk down the street in NYC without fear of a cop stopping and frisking them. A black or latino male youth will be rousted. That’s “white privilege”.
———————————————————————-
Jesse Jackson once commented, “There is nothing more painful for me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery—then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.”
Sounds to me like that privilege/bias comes in all colors.
Ms. Gutierrez is on the right track. She is trying to open the eyes of the teachers to the subtle racism that exists in this country. The peanut butter and jelly was an example to let them see their own bias and help them see that what they take for granted isn’t basic to many of their students.
Yes, there is “white privilege”. An obvious example: most whites can walk down the street in NYC without fear of a cop stopping and frisking them. A black or latino male youth will be rousted. That’s “white privilege”.
Expectations for white students are higher than for non-white students. That’s white privilege.
PBJ sandwiches as basic food for white and unknown for students of other cultures. Are PBJ sandwiches basic to Black or Latino students? I don’t know. I’ve eaten many meals in a small restaurant in the Black neighborhood. The menu was quite different from what I was used to. After a few visits I was eating beans and rice with hot sauce for breakfast!
Ms. Gutierrez is trying to improve the environment for all the students in her school by helping her teachers recognize their own the cultural biases, many of which are due to “white privilege”.
Her leadership has already made remarkable gains in the performance level of her students.
And as for the drum class guy: pure bigotry. What an ass.