By implementing a curriculum inclusive of diversity and white privilege, middle schools can further the understanding of each concept to the students. Kendall (2002) defines and details white privilege and how to overcome its institutional prowess over the United States by examining the epistemology of his life. However, implementing white privilege is difficult for anyone, especially early adolescents (Cushman & Rogers, 2007). Cushman and Rogers (2007) developed an outline on how to teach middle schoolers, inclusive of how to handle racial and ethnic barriers.
Case (2007) does provide evidence of diversity courses benefiting college students in the article. The overarching theme of the three articles are focused on how students can understand white privilege and how it can be taught to them. My life experiences provide evidence of white privilege and the effectiveness of emphasizing the concept in schools. As well, the articles contribute and support the mission of Project SOAR. This paper will explore how a mentor that is equipped with an impeccable understanding of white privilege, tools to effectively teach the concept, and evidence of it benefiting the student can in turn benefit the mentee.
White people need to be aware of the privilege they hold in order to destabilize the institutional racist oppression held over non-whites (Kendall, 2002). Kendall (2002) tabulates how white people can become aware of their privilege. First, white people need to “become clear about the basics of white privilege, what it is, and how it works” (Kendall, 2002, p. 62). They also need to understand that the privilege is institutional, and thus inherently given to them.
Though minorities are not required to do so, they are a great resource when it comes to learning about white rivilege; I have friends I made in elementary school that still educate me on white privilege. For example, my friend posted a video of him being told to leave his local 711 because of an accusation of theft. That video reminded and made me more aware of the privilege I hold. However, I failed a lot in being aware of my privilege. White people frequently use microaggressions, and are “able to do enormous damage with a glib or offhand comment” (Kendall, 2002, p. 69). I have used many microaggressions toward my African-American friends.
One, in particular, I called “white” or “Oreo”. I saw his respectful diction and how that did not fit the stereotype of an AfricanAmerican. Other examples include racist jokes such as “I bet your blood is made out of Kool-Aid”. Most of these microaggressions were made under the disguise of humor, which reaffirmed me that I was not racist. If white people paint themselves as not racist, especially when they frequently use microaggressions, they will further continue white privilege.
White people get lower interest rates, hold most of the seniorlevel corporate positions, and have lower mortality rates (Kendall, 2002); such evidence supports the existence of white privilege. However, “13 percent of white people thought that African Americans had more economic opportunities than white people did” (Kendall, 2002, p. 65) and only 27 percent thought they had more economic opportunities than African-Americans. In order to release white privilege’s grasp on American society, white people need to become aware of its existence.
A possible start is understanding how it can be taught to students. Contrary to popular belief, middle schoolers should not be ostracized for peculiar behaviors and actions. Instead, a teacher should use these middle schooler’s different actions and behaviors to further the personal, educational, and social success of the middle schooler. Specifically, ethnic and racial groups play into how middle schoolers interact with themselves and each other. For example, students “recognize and dislike it when others reduce them to a stereotype” (Cushman & Rogers, 007, p. 23).
For example, Javier and Amelia, two students Cushman and Rogers (2007) interview, note how people normalize a black kid for being rude or ghetto. Javier states that when an African American is rude, people say “oh that’s normal for him” (Cushman & Rogers, 2007, p. 23), a microaggression that perpetuates white privilege. If teachers restrain a student’s changing social structure, then students like Javier and Amelia will have no place to talk about the negative ethnic and racial stereotypes they face.
That is why it is important for teachers to show “genuine interest and enthusiasm” (Cushman & Rogers, 2007, p. 35). By emphasizing diversity and white privilege in their teachings, teachers will help students navigate racial stereotypes, become aware of white privilege, and, in turn, allow the student to grow. Diversity courses can increase awareness of white privilege and racism, increase support for affirmative action, and increase white guilt, by the end of the course (Case, 2007).
This is important because an increase in awareness and support for affirmative action can help combat white privilege and how it oppresses minorities (Kendall, 2002). Specifically, Case (2007) touched on topics of “defining racism”, “theories of racial prejudice”, “stereotyping and categorization”, and “personality and individual differences in prejudice” (Case, 2007), hoping to support “previous recommendations for the infusion of white privilege content into diversity courses” (Case, 2007, p. 233).
This infusion led to “greater awareness of privilege” (Case, 2007, p. 33) and in turn led “to more guilt as Whites confront[ed] the reality of their unearned advantages” (Case, 2007, p. 233). Again, this is important because the awareness will help white people actively participate in the ending of systematic discrimination. Case presents evidence that supports the teaching of white privilege and diversity and how it helps everyone involved. The encompassing theme in the articles is how can teachers effectively instill knowledge of white privilege in their students. My experiences in K-12 are parallel with this theme.
For reference purposes, I grew up in Oak Park, Illinois. My community has twice the number of African Americans than the average town. My elementary, middle, and high school all had even higher percentages. Though I fail frequently in being aware of my white privilege and still use microaggressions toward my minority friends, I had resources that still positively affect me today. My interactions with African Americans is what educated me most on white privilege and, luckily, my teachers and schools accentuated diversity.
During my school years in Oak Park, there were African American history classes offered, assemblies on diversity held, books on white privilege assigned, and personal anecdotes by teachers on their experiences with white privilege. My high school history teacher (and also the basketball coach) spent a whole class telling us his experiences of white privilege. The most eye-opening was where he was playing basketball with his African American friends. A police officer pulled him over and asked if him if he wanted the “black kids” to leave. That was my teacher’s big realization of white privilege.
The same year, my English teacher (and also the football coach) assigned the book Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum. The book was an eyeopening experience, and the weeks spent on discussing it educated all of us in the classroom. My experiences in school are one of the reasons why I know I am a racist and that it is a continuous effort to be aware of my privilege. I was honored to be taught by teachers that knew the importance of white privilege, and classmates that educated me on the existence.
The three articles’ theme of education and white privilege coincide with my schooling experience. My school’s emphasis on diversity has been proven to increase awareness of white privilege thanks to Cushman and Rogers (2007). Kendall (2002) lists the benefits of awareness of white privilege, whereas Case (2007) lists middle school students’ anecdotes that align with how my middle school experience was. The awareness of white privilege has helped me see my advantage and the wrongdoings I frequently hasten towards minorities.
My awareness aligns with Kendall’s exclamation of how to combat your white privilege. Cushman and Rogers (2007), and Case’s (2007) arguments follow along with my schools’ openness and dedication to the teaching of white privilege. Comparable to my experience, Project SOAR can relate and capture the arguments behind the three articles. With the knowledge of the effects of white privilege and how to teach middle schoolers, a Project SOAR mentor can be better equipped to handle the topic of white privilege (and in turn racism, oppression, discrimination, etc. .
For example, let’s say one of the mentee’s is a white kid bullying an African-American kid for not liking fried chicken and Kool-Aid. Cushman & Rogers (2007) would advocate for the bully not to be demonized because middle schoolers are finding themselves, and commonly fall under adverse peer pressure. Kendall (2002) and Case (2007) show that there are positive effects to being aware of white privilege, including an increase in minority relationships, actively encouraging against white privilege, and creating a better world.
If the mentor can give the mentee a rudimentary concept of white privilege, the mentee can come out understanding what he did was wrong. With this understanding, the mentee can be aware of what he says next time and hopefully not repeat the same mistake. The positive benefits of a mentee’s literacy on white privilege can obliquely benefit their path to college. Middle school is the time where students “[begin] to critically question racial identification” (Cushman & Rogers, 2007, p. 3) but generally have “no place where they can talk about the complicated mix of assumptions and stereotypes they are navigating” (Cushman & Rogers, 2007, p. 23).
If a minority understands white privilege, they could healthily vent about it to a friend or family member. This will relieve stress and in turn, improve his schooling and life outlook. With Project SOAR’s goal to “encourage middle school students to think about their futures after high school and to gain a basic understanding of what college is” (Literature Analysis Rubric), the articles aid the mentor’s abilities.
