Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week in class I have learned about Microaggressions. I have found this topic very interesting and it has really changed my way of thinking. From my observations this week  and reading articles in the newspaper, I realize more than ever how unaware others are when they make comments, which can be seen as microaggressions. So many people really do not understand that the generalizations and stereotypes that they have  can cause hurt in other people.

An example of a microagression is from a newspaper article I read, in which a teacher told a black student to read the poem 'blacker'. (see below)  This microagression is a micro insult, which insults the student and demeans his racial heritage. Also, this is micro invalidation because when he asked the teacher if she thought all black people spoke this way, she reprimanded him and was told to sit down. She invalidated his reality. When I read this article, I was outraged. This has been exactly what we have been learning in class and I was shocked that this teacher would actually tell a student to read it 'blacker.

Ninth-grader says teacher told him to read Langston Hughes poem 'blacker'  By NBC News and msnbc.com staff

A veteran Fairfax County high school teacher has been accused of using racially insensitive language by telling a student to read a Langston Hughes poem in a "blacker" style.

Jordan Shumate, a ninth-grader at George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, Va., told the Washington Post that he was reading Hughes' "Ballad of the Landlord" when the English teacher interrupted him.

"She told me, 'Blacker, Jordan. C'mon, blacker. I thought you were black,'" Shumate told the Post. The 14-year-old student claimed that when he refused to continue reading the poem, the teacher read it herself, apparently to demonstrate the style of speaking she meant.

"She sounded like a maid on the 1960s," Shumate told the Post, saying he asked the teacher if she thought all black people spoke that way. “She read the poem like a slave, basically.”

He said he was reprimanded for talking out of turn and was told to sit down.

Shumate told his mother, Nicole Cober Page, about the incident on Tuesday, the Post said.

According to the Post, mother and son identified the teacher as Marilyn Bart. Bart has not spoken publicly about the alleged incident, the Post reported.

Principal Jay Pearson declined to provide further details on Friday, adding, “We take these allegations very seriously, and we’re investigating.”

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week, I asked three people to tell me their definition of culture and diversity. 



I asked the members of my family. I thought it would be interesting to see what they thought of this topic, especially my children.

Their responses were:
Matthew-age 14

What is culture?

The way you’re raised and the way you do things. 

What is diversity?

Different people from different backgrounds with many different cultures in one area.

Connor-age12

What is culture?

Traditions of any group of people.

What is diversity?

Anything that is different.

Bruce-43

What is culture?

Life habits of a region or ethnicity.

What is Diversity?

The mixing of more than one race, religion, ethnicity.

Matthew's answer matches what I have been learning in this course.  He states that it is the way your raised and the way you do things. The past few weeks, we have learned about family culture. I asked Matthew about his answer. He said that in Health Class they learned that there is family culture and they learned it is how you are raised and there are many variations. I was excited to see that they are teaching that in school. They are teaching that there are many differences among people, not just the way they look.

My husband stated that culture is life habits of a region or ethnicity. One aspect that was omitted and we learned about in this course, is that you can not put all people from one area or ethnic background into the same catergory, there are different cultures among these groups.

I enjoyed hearing what my family thought of diversity and culture. I realize that we can teach children early on that culture can mean many things. I also realize that most people tend to think of culture, not as family culture, but ethnic or religious culture. This is also what I thought about before taking this course. I love Connor's answer, that diversity is anything different. It is a simple answer and in many ways, it is true. We are all different, so therefore we are all diverse individuals.



My Family Culture

My assignment this week is to decide what three items I would bring to another country that would represent the culture of my family. The scenario is that a major catastrophe has devastated the infrastructure of my  country. We are relocating to another country whose culture is the opposite of my culture.

In considering what to bring, I comtemplated many things. I first had to think about what would represent my family culture.



The first item that I would bring would be a photo album. I have many albums, but I would take pictures from each albums to create a representation of the culture of my family. I would include pictures of  special moments and activities that we enjoy. I would include a wedding picture, my children at birth and throughout the years, my children playing soccer, my house, my dog, and vacation pictures.
I think the photo album would be the best representation to explain about how important things are to our family and also about the culture of our family and where we lived.



The second item that I would bring would be a board game. Our family loves to play board games. This is a great bonding, family time for us. We have many laughs. I would share with the host family how important these family times are for us.

The third item would be a blanket. The blanket I would bring would be one that we recently received. It is a really cozy blanket and it seems that each of us in the family fight over this blanket because of the softness. The blanket means a relaxing, cozy time.

If upon arrival, I was told that I could only keep one item, it would be a difficult decision. After carefully choosing each item, I would keep the one that would explain our family the most. The item would have to be the photo album, because it shows many points in our lives and what our family is all about.

This blog has really opened my eyes into what my family is all about. I had many ideas throughout the week of what I would bring. Some of the items I thought about, were religious symbols and jewelry. I chose the blanket just a few minutes ago after carefully considering what is important and what shows our family culture.