When were you first introduced to bigotry, hate, oppression and harm?
As a little girl, my life was quite ideal. I had a loving family, lived in a warm home and neighborhood, attended a good public school, and enjoyed many happy, good times.
My first introduction to the bad news of life came by way of news stories on television and in the newspaper. Stories related to the Vietnam War and local tragedies worried me in countless ways. Later, mostly by reading books, I was introduced to the hate, bigotry, oppression, and harm the world endured in times past and present. Jubilee was my first introduction to the harsh reality of slavery and racial equity. My exposure to the greater world introduced me to oppression because of class or gender--this exposure was subtle, and looking back I often took the blame for factors that were well out of my reach--factors related to systematic oppression and harm because of your class or the fact that you didn't live up to society's narrow expectations about who you should be.
The main tenets of the Catholic church and schools I attended focused on doing the right thing, yet as in any institution, sometimes those leading churches and schools didn't uphold those tenets, but many did. I was fortunate to be surrounded by many good people.
Not until college do I remember learning about oppression, bigotry, hate, and harm in a deeper, more targeted way--this broadened my perspective, and later via reading and professional programs I learned more. I was fortunate to work in a school system that provided good education early on about racism and inequity--a district in a mostly liberal area that put human rights high on the professional learning expectations.
My students and their families from a large variety of cultures, religions, and races also taught me a lot about what it means to be inclusive, curious, helpful, and supportive of our world's wonderful diversity. My husband's experience as a Peace Corp volunteer, public health professional, and international health professional also broadened and deepened my understanding and experiences in this regard.
I made a few big mistakes along the way that sensitized me more. Too often when faced with inequity, sublte and overt racism, and oppression, I reacted emotionally rather than working with greater logic or systematic effort to make change. Once, over a period of time, I was very upset with visuals in our school building that I felt were racist--I did start my work to change these visuals calmly, but few to none took me seriously and the visuals remained. Then I got very, very upset, too upset, and some of those visuals came down, but others remained. I never understood why some people did not interpret those visuals as racist. Yet, eventually they were all removed.
In another incident my son was asked to say words in a school play that I thought were racist. I didn't want him to say those words and made that known to educators. They were upset with my approach. My son thankfully did not have to say the words, yet when I attended the play I noticed others said the words. After that, play content was taken more seriously at the school in order to avoid similar racist events.
There were times when I uttered words that were construed as racist. That hurt me deeply as it was not my intent, and looking back at the situation, I can see how a collective lack of attention to our efforts related to race led to my hasty words and the misunderstanding related to those words. As a school community we became better at confronting issues like this with greater time, knowledge, and consult over time. When I erred, I owned my error, apologized to those who heard the words, and worked to change my ways for the better.
My learning about bigotry, hate, oppression and harm continues to grow, and I hope that my actions to work against these hurtful, harmful ways will continue too. Recently I watched Masterpiece Theater's Indian Summers and The Long Song--both shows illustrate the inhumanity of racism, classism, hate, harm, and oppression. I ache when I see the inequitable ways Indians and Jamaicans are treated not that long ago. When you see these shows, you get a clearer picture of the roots and oppressive actions of White supremacy.
Also, as I listen to many heinous Republican lawmakers, I am struck by the ways they are overtly demonstrating their White privilege, racism, and oppression as they vote against making voting more accessible to hard working, good Americans of multiple cultures, jobs, race, geography, and lifestyle. Also, the ways that they are confronting Biden's cabinet picks that are woman or people of color also angers me--they are clearly working for their White privilege rather than systematically eradicating that privilege for one group alone to elevate the promise that embracing our wonderful diversity as a nation holds.
There's still lots to learn. By following leaders of multiple, diverse groups online, I get daily updates, links, and information that help me to learn more and do more. In the days ahead, I'll be thinking about what more I can do to support a less oppressive, more inclusive, positive culture in the United States, one that leads to good living for all. Onward.