Holman 1

Alicia Holman
ELE 352-004
Brandon Fox
February 2, 2016
The Heart of the Matter
Racism is one of many prominent issues all throughout history and present day and
unfortunately it seems to be unsolvable. The core issue is the blatant denial of racial attacks as
seen from history to family ancestry. According to Sleeters article, Critical Family History, it
is noted that To the extent that the familys story is interpreted, it usually omits reference to
demographic characteristics such as race or ethnicity (Sleeter). It is understandable, the disgrace
of having a slave owner as an ancestor, and wanting to hide it. However, it is unjust to withhold
information therefore prohibiting a thorough diagnosis on the issue of racism. When faced with a
problem, the appropriate action is to go to the heart of the matter, otherwise known as the
cause. The question of what causes racism and discrimination is which came first. According
to Sensoy and DiAngelo, in Is everyone really equal?, we all hold prejudices and we all
discriminate based on our prejudices (Sensoy and DiAngelo 28). Therefore, prejudices lead to
discrimination which can further lead into racism.
The heart of the matter of racism lies within the prejudices themselves and where they
came from, or more commonly, who they came from. For example, children are influenced by
their parents and those parents are influenced by their own parents; so if a grandmother holds
prejudice, or categorizes people, the father or mother will be influenced to think the same way
since the grandma is the one taking care of them. The ideas of looking down on someone can
lead to discrimination, which is a more active form of prejudice that can result in violence
towards a certain group. Even Sensory and DiAngelo agree saying, Once we act on our
prejudices, we are discriminating. Acts of Discrimination can includeslander, threats, and
violence (Sensory and DiAngelo 32). One question worth asking is whether or not hiding
racism in history is due to embarrassment or pride? All throughout history there is a definite
sense of having to be perfect which was achieved through having more land and slaves, or
power, then ones neighbor. Interestingly enough after the Civil War when racism is viewed as a
bad thing, the perfect person was classified as someone who was antiracist and nondiscriminatory so how interesting that suddenly no-one can recall owning slaves. Of course the
other races family historys showed a different side to these perfect citizens. Sleeter states that
For those of African descentthey linked their own familys story with a larger narrative of
racial oppression (Sleeter). The reasoning for holding onto Americas racist history is due to
the injustice and inability to fix it.
As teachers, it is a responsibility to fight racism in schools through equality in
classrooms. For a teacher, the class will consist most definitely of different races and although
the parents have a huge influence on the childrens prejudices, so do the teachers. By looking
into the community such as the poverty level, crime rate, and the possible segregation in the
community, teachers will have a taste of the racial and discriminatory conflicts taking place.
Furthermore, by interacting with parents the conflicts will become more apparent, and the more
lucid the problem makes it easier to find the solution. The reason why teachers are also held
responsible for clearing racism from schools is due to racism most frequently leading to
violence, or in lighter terms, bullying. Although the causes for bullying are endless, racism is a
prominent one. With a mixture of wrong prejudices and ruthless discrimination, a bully is made
into being and as a teacher it is a duty to prevent that from occurring.

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Work Cited
Sensoy, Ozlem, and Robin Diangelo. Is Everyone Really Equal? an Introduction to Key
Concepts in SocialJustice Education. Multicultural Education Series. 1234 Amsterdam Avenue,
New York, NY: Teachers College, 2012. Print.
Sleeter, Christine. "Critical Family History Theory - Critical Family History." Critical
Family History Theory - Critical Family History. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.