Understanding Human Differences Multicultural Education for a Diverse

Understanding Human Differences Multicultural Education for a Diverse America 2 nd Edition Kent L. Koppelman with R. Lee Goodhart Section 3 Chapter 8 Confronting a Legacy of White Domination of America Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

Cultural Racism The practice of recognizing activities and contributions of one racial group in preference to others within a multiracial society FOR EXAMPLE: Educators may present an ETHNOCENTRIC view of U. S. history and culture to racially diverse students Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

How is RACISM taught to children and youth in our schools Some Examples: • Presenting African slaves as primitive, unsophisticated people • Lack of information on Spanish settlements that preceded English settlements in the U. S. • Omitting information regarding English settlers that is not complimentary (e. g. digging up Indian graves for food) Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

How does society reinforce the cultural racism taught in school • Rightness of Whiteness: children learn to regard white Americans as the norm through predominance of white images in books television, movies, etc. • White Privilege: A set of options, opportunities, and opinions that white people have and maintain at the expense of people of color Source: Akbar, 2003 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

What DENIAL RATIONALIZATIONS justify individual racism Denial of continued existence of discrimination and rejection of the need for affirmative action programs because Brown v. Board of Education forbid segregated schools Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

What VICTIM-BLAMING RATIONALIZATIONS justify individual racism A 1998 U. S. survey revealed white prejudices toward blacks: • 56% thought blacks were more likely to be lazy • 35% thought blacks were less intelligent • 79% thought blacks were more likely to be violent Source: National Opinion Research Center Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

What AVOIDANCE RATIONALIZATIONS justify individual racism AVOIDANCE RATIONALIZATIONS may propose partial or false solutions to racial problems or rely on arguments that distract attention from problems caused by racism Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

Some Examples of AVOIDANCE RATIONALIZATIONS: “If we didn’t talk so much about racism it would diminish” (false solution) “Racism would disappear if children were taught more about other racial groups in school” (partial solution) “There are more middle class black families” (almost 50% of black families still live in poverty) (distracts attention) Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

Institutional Racism Established laws, customs, and practices that systematically reflect and produce racial inequities in a society. Source: Jones, J. (1997). Prejudice and Racism (2 nd ed. ). New York; Mc. Graw Hill. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

How is INSTITUTIONAL RACISM reflected in statistics on EMPLOYMENT Unemployment is higher for blacks than for whites one year after high school graduation regardless of whether the school was rural, urban or suburban. Jobless rates for working-age black males in urban areas are consistently higher than for white males Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

How does INSTITUTIONAL RACISM influence HIRING decisions Word-of-mouth HIRING (based on recommendations by current employees) favors white applicants if the majority of employees are white The LOCATION of a company or factory in an all-white suburb favors white applicants Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

How has INSTITUTIONAL RACISM influenced the development of SEGREGATED neighborhoods Realtors often engage in STEERING (showing clients homes in neighborhoods where residents are primarily the same race as the client) Studies show that it is more difficult for families of color to get HOME LOANS than white families even when incomes are similar Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

How does INSTITUTIONAL RACISM occur in SCHOOLS Schools continue to be segregated by race and class often resulting in FEWER RESOURCES and POOR FACILITIES for racial minority students TRACKING practices which group students by ability tend to have few students of color in ACCELERATED classes and large numbers of them in REMEDIAL classes Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

How does INSTITUTIONAL RACISM affect politics LARGE DONORS are essential for FUND RAISING, but they often believe that candidates of color are less likely to win if most voters are white Electing AT-LARGE CANDIDATES (representing an entire community) when there are some predominantly minority neighborhoods makes it more difficult for candidates of color to be elected Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

How do advocates and critics assess the effectiveness of AFFIRMATIVE ACTION programs Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

Advocates: • Increased numbers of people of color in higher paying jobs • Increased numbers of people of color in high status professions Critics: • claim racial quotas create reverse discrimination • call for an end to Affirmative Action Courts: • have consistently struck down racial quotas Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

What remedies have been proposed to address INSTUTIONAL RACISM Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

• Ongoing RESEARCH related to institutional racism • National AGENCY to handle antidiscrimination complaints • Increased RESOURCES for inner cities • Active monitoring of REAL ESTATE practices • Increased FUNDING to segregated schools serving primarily students of color • Better preparation of TEACHERS to work effectively with racially diverse students Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008