Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Danielle S. Hindieh
Over the last sixty years talk about racism in the United States has focused
around both the legal and educational implications of the racial divides existent
within the country. Scholars have, over the past several decades shown that not
only does racism still exist in all its aspects, buts it has further become manifest into
nearly ever aspect of society. Education is one particularly edified sphere that has
been severely impacted by the polarized race culture in this country. According to
Noddings and Brooks (2017), “our schools today… are more segregated than they
In this paper I aim to propose that the only true way to make schools equal is
to first acknowledge the inherent inequalities that exist as a result of race, and
further, to recognize the importance of including black history and culture within
The first part of the following paper will focus on the history of racism in
America. This paper will discuss the development of categories of race in America as
well as document the fight for equality that lead to two key developments: the
Critical Legal Studies movement (CLT) and Critical Race Theory which was
The second part of the paper will focus on the roles race and racism play in
education. The paper will discuss the inherent inequalities that exist between
Caucasian students and students of color. Current curriculums and their inclusion
The last part of the paper will focus on the current situation found in public
schools across New York State. This part of the paper will include anecdotes from
my own teaching career as well as that of my peers who teach throughout the state.
Lastly it will include ideas on actions all educators can take to correct these
corrected unless actions are taken from those in positions of power, teachers can
what determines race in this country. US Census forms have fluctuated in terms of
the races they include since their inception in 1790. However a constant has always
been the races of Black and White. This shows two polar opposites. More
importantly, it shows what White is not. The question still remains, how is this
designation determined? Early census data had Mexicans classified as white. Even
to this day many people from the different parts of Asia and the Middle East are
classified as White even though they’re darker skinned than many Black people.
The Critical Legal Studies movement started in the 1970s. This movement
was made up of legal scholars who had been law students during the early 60s and
70s. Those are the same people who had protest during the civil rights movement
and Vietnam. The CLS movement sought to see why the system was so stacked
against those without power. The Legal system and the laws in the country (as
EPISTEOLOGIES OF RACE AND EDUCATION IN AMERICA 4
proposed by the scholars in this movement) were inherently unequal and favored
only those with positions of power. This movement held annual conferences from
1977-1992. Legal scholars were all in agreement that Race was a serious problem
in the United States. They also were frustrated with the slow process of the legal
system in making things equitable. While a lot of excellent dialogue about how the
justice system was unequal came out of the movement, no real solutions as to how
American society and because it is so enmeshed in the fabric of our social order, It
18). Racism occurs across every corner of this country on a daily basis. Most times
it either goes unnoticed or unchallenged as people find it easier just to sit quiet and
say nothing. Gloria Ladson-Billings argues that “our conceptions of race, even in a
postmodern and or postcolonial world, are more embedded and fixed than in a
previous age” (p.16) These fixed notions have allowed concepts of school
achievement, middle classness, beauty, etc. to be associated with being White while
concepts of gangs, basketball players and welfare, are associated with being Black.
Critical Race Theory is an important tool for analyzing these epistemologies and
others related to racist oppression in America. Race is present in every facet of our
lives. CRT outlines why race still matters in society and why it is essential to study it
law professor from the University of Pennsylvania. In the 90s she asserted that the
EPISTEOLOGIES OF RACE AND EDUCATION IN AMERICA 5
only way to bring about fair social change for minorities was through voting. She
thought that in areas where minorities were underrepresented their votes should
be weighted to count more than votes of others from the same area. She first saw an
application for this in post-apartheid South Africa where Whites were now the clear
minority. When this was proposed for South Africa no one in the States objected.
She next suggested this idea could be beneficial in the US with African American
voters. While to many academics this line of thinking is considered normal, (as
academics of her stature are expected to write such “cutting edge” work), she was
crucified in the media as being opposed to the American tradition of “one person,
Today many Blacks often argue that they shouldn’t have to assimilate into
White culture. Black culture has never been part of the mainstream culture in the
US. It has always been an alternative. Consequences of this have led to situations
like White flight, causing whites to abandon neighborhoods as soon as black families
moved in. On the surface foreigners talk about the American culture. If one takes a
closer look at America however, they will see how more than one culture exists but
it’s the White culture that is held as the societal standard for all to strive to attain.
should be part of the education of all Americans” (p. 58). Notions of important dates
in black history should not be studied in passing during a once yearly month long
celebration. Television stations will say ABC 7 celebrates Black History Month.
What about White History Month? The absence of such insinuates that White
history is the history and all other forms of history are asides and not part of the
EPISTEOLOGIES OF RACE AND EDUCATION IN AMERICA 6
is not taught as part of the history of America in schools? Why is the study of
Slavery focused on who started it, what years it existed and who ended it, rather
than what significant contributions slaves made to the development and success of
Black Colleges should be done. Students of all races should understand their
such as Ernest Everett Just (1883-1941). He was a biologist who became the only
black student in his graduating class at Kimball Union Academy. He also graduated
magna cum laude from Dartmouth College. Before the age of 30 he was able to
attain a PhD from the University of Chicago. He also ran Howard Medical College.
Even with all of these impressive credentials he was discouraged from applying for
teaching jobs at schools other than Historically Black Colleges (Noddings and
in this country we must take a look into some classrooms across New York State. I
will detail some of the struggles facing both students and teachers in the classroom.
I will also propose solutions for the system as whole going forward. In a second
grade classroom in the Murray Hill neighborhood of New York City, a teacher is
talking to a colleague about her new class of students for the year. She comments on
how student x is her ‘one’ black student, as if he is the token black student in the
classroom. Although she says token is not what she meant, in describing him as that
EPISTEOLOGIES OF RACE AND EDUCATION IN AMERICA 7
one black student, she has inadvertently conveyed that meaning. Without realizing
it, that teacher is already making assumptions about the student and their
education. This isn’t to say that the teacher is racist, in fact quite the opposite. She
is just restating long held beliefs about the structure of the educational system in
this country. She teaches in one of the richest zip codes in America and knows that
is analyzing her new student roster. She sees that her class in full of minority
students. Unlike the teacher in Murray Hill, she would actually be shocked to see a
white student in her class. She also would be shocked if all of her students came in
everyday wearing appropriate clothing as in the past she has bought sneakers for
students who parents couldn’t afford to buy the student a pair that fit. The teacher
also worries about what to do when her students are thirsty during the day as she
has just been notified that schools pipes were found to have lead in them and the
water is not potable. This contrasts sharply to the Murray Hill teacher who wonders
where she will put all the fancy reusable water bottles the children bring every day,
and how they are going to retrieve them during the day might be a disruption to the
flow of learning in her room. Maybe she’ll have them only use them at lunch and
have them drink from the classroom’s own water fountain during the day.
Both of those classrooms were in the New York City school system, same city,
even the same borough. But both of those classrooms were not in any way equal.
One school was in disrepair with pipes so corroded and filled with lead, students
couldn’t drink from them. It was also filled with minority students and any White
EPISTEOLOGIES OF RACE AND EDUCATION IN AMERICA 8
students in the building would have been considered outliers. The other was filled
with White students and was a new building filled to the brim with every modern
amenity including classrooms that had central HVAC and water views.
Moving to the suburbs you get an equally stark view of schools. Roslyn High
School is consistently ranked as one of the top public high schools in the state with
passing rate for the AP exam is also at a high of 91%. The town of Roslyn is also
located on the beautiful Gold Coast of Long Island. It is a beautiful area, where
Moving less than 5 miles away to Hempstead High School the scene is quite
only 3% of students take AP courses with less than 1% of those students passing the
AP exams. The neighborhood is also very dangerous with a high crime rate. In fact
the high schools has metal detectors at its main school entrance. The United States
While this education maybe ‘free’ there is nothing appropriate about it.
Why is it that schools within the same city or the same county are so
unequal? How can anyone argue that the schools in Hempstead and Washington
Heights are providing the ‘appropriate’ education the constitution demands? When
Knowing all these inequities exist you may ask yourself what can be done?
How can these schools be turned around and we make sure every child is given a
EPISTEOLOGIES OF RACE AND EDUCATION IN AMERICA 9
decent education? The answers lie in educators, and ordinary citizens who take a
stand and say enough is enough. It is lobbying for politicians to pass measures that
enact real and lasting changes. Its telling the school boards and Chancellors that you
won’t stand for this inequity and making sure they are held to a higher standard.
One voice can make a difference because if everyone says my voice matters than all
None of this will happen however if we first don’t have an open and honest
dialogue about race in this country. When searching for information about
neighborhood schools and district performance why is racial makeup so often one of
he first things highlighted on every site? Why should the racial makeup even
matter?
Schools need to be equipped with proper tools and language so that they can
use them to unpack race. This will allow them to have an open and honest
discussion about it. Having these open discussions will demystify race and
eliminate the controversy that surrounds it. Race should not be a controversial
topic; instead it should be a required topic of study at the very least in high school
social studies curriculums. Dialogue is what will allow the next generation to make
real and lasting change. You can’t change what you know so little about. The more
you talk about it, the more you will empower the next generation with the tools
References
3. Noddings, N., & Brooks, L. (2017). Teaching controversial issues: the case for
critical thinking and moral commitment in the classroom. New York: Teachers
College Press.