Multiculturalism

& Contemporary Issues

White Privilege | Drawing Color Lines | A Class Divided | Starting Small

In the article "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” (1989),

Peggy McIntosh discusses the definition of white privilege, examines ways it presents itself and what it means to try and overcome it as a white person living in today’s society. She talks about how although racism is talked about in schools, white privilege is often not discussed, and that it is often implied that being white is the “normal” or “ideal.” Being “not racist” means that you treat all others with kindness and respect, and you can go about your business without any moral repercussions. McIntosh goes on to say:

“One factor seems clear about all of the interlocking oppressions. They take both active forms, which we can see, and embedded forms, which as a member of the dominant group one is taught not to see. In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth.”

I grew up in a mostly white, affluent suburb. Although I don’t recall any overt racist remarks or actions from my fellow students or members of community, I do remember having a feeling of living in a bubble of privilege. We had opportunities to feel “safe” and I do know that many felt that our lives were the ones to be aspired to. Neighboring towns that were more diverse were “dangerous,” and one of the only people of color was not only treated kindly by everyone in the school, he was one of the most popular kids in the town - not just because he was a nice, intelligent and athletic person - because he was our “mascot” (which was coined by others, not myself), which he was called not so much as an insult to him, but as a way of critically questioning his popularity in a school that had many handsome, athletic, kind students. Not that he shouldn’t have been popular, but that he was assimilated into our school and way of life. He became “one of us.” He had overcome the perceived roadblocks of his race and accomplished some imaginary goal of living in what was perceived as a perfect life and perfect town. As McIntosh (1989) states: “To redesign social systems, we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions.”

As an art educator, I think bringing in the question of white privilege, especially in those towns and districts that are not as diverse, is vitally important to bring these issues into a public forum, to examine the ways that fear dominates societal power structures, and how overcoming that fear starts with examining your own place in the world.

In the article "Drawing Color Lines” (2000),

Olivia Gude discusses the implications of teaching color symbolism in the art classroom, and how teachers must not assume there is one way to interpret color, but rather approach it from a multicultural point of view. Color symbolism is influenced by culture, life experience and individual emotional response. It also has social justice implications - for example, teaching children that darker colors mean “bad” and lighter colors or white means “good”, can teach them to have unwitting judgments on race. Gude believes that rather than avoid discussing the differences of color and value and using language that describes them as being “good” or “bad”, the meaning of colors should be critically examined from many different points of view. Gude states:

“In my experience, students are reassured when the school environment gives them the tools to understand and analyze how familiarity and "otherness" are created in culture. Ultimately, students, parents, and fellow faculty from the school's diverse communities, feel respect for art programs which express their commitment to multiculturalism, not as merely studying diversity from the point of view of "mainstream" white America, but also as teaching students to see art and culture from a range of subjective positions.”

As an art educator, I plan to appreciate the uniqueness of all of my students. Children must be taught that color does not hold inherently good or evil value judgments. It is the human who puts these meanings behind them, and that they can hold meanings as unique as the people who invent them.

A Class Divided (1985)

A Class Divided documents a lesson in racism and discrimination performed Jane Elliott, a third grade teacher in rural Iowa during the 1960s. Although she had thought about teaching the lesson in prior years, the catalyst that inspired her to finally implement it was the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and her observation of how racist and bigoted behaviors had overtaken the country. She split the class into two groups - the blue eyed children, and the brown eyed children, and made one group wear special collars that were to signify to the rest of the class to treat them poorly. This not only taught the children an important lesson in judging others based on a simple, in born difference of bodily color, it actually started to shift the sociocultural aspects of the room. Non-collared children started to feel privileged and collared children started to believe the bad things said about them. It even went so far as children who were wearing the collars to perform poorly on lessons. When the collars were allowed to be removed, the children felt a sense of relief, but Elliott was sure to remind them that the “collars” of race people wear can not be removed so easily. She had repeated the lesson numerous times in the years that followed, and even gave the lesson to a group of adults that work in law enforcement, with similar results.

Lessons like these can teach children that the things they say and do can have a profound effect on others. This lesson changed the lives of the children she performed it on, and it was only one day. To live a lifetime as someone who is treated differently because of what they look like has enormous implications for not just one person, but billions of people across the globe. Realizing this and talking about it to students gives them awareness, and helps them start down the road of examining their language, privilege, visual culture and society in general and help them take steps to make things better and better as time marches on.

Starting Small (1997)

In Starting Small: Teaching Children Tolerance, seven different preschool and elementary classrooms show how they incorporate multiculturalism in their curriculums. Although the approaches are varied, every classroom shows that talking about, exploring and celebrating differences can happen at a very young age. Children are aware of differences, and often take things at face value. It is up to educators to teach them to explore deeper on the surface, and acknowledge their feelings and emotions and fears without judgment, but rather with criticality and an open mind.

As an art educator, celebrating the individuals and their heritage and life experiences can be incorporated into curriculum on a daily basis. Teaching children how they can take their fears and turn them into investigation, and turn questions into wisdom and love, can be communicated visually to spread a universal message of community and respect for all.

References

• Frontline. (1985). Class divided. USA: PBS. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-class-divided/

• Gude, O. (2001). Color lines. Principal Leadership, ​2(3), 29-35.

• McGovern, M. (Producer). (1997). Starting Small: Teaching Tolerance in Preschool and the Early Grades (Teaching Tolerance in Preschool and the Early Grades [Motion picture on VHS].

• McIntosh, P. (1990). Unpacking the knapsack of white privilege. ​Independent.