Reply to Diversity of schools - can this work both ways? Am I being unreasonable?

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Reply to "Diversity of schools - can this work both ways? Am I being unreasonable?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I truly value a diverse environment for my children. I want them to interact with and befriend people from all walks of life - economically, perspective, experience, racially and ethnically. Diversity isn't a buzzword for me - I truly see the value in it, across a variety of contexts.

My children are white. I would never send them to a school that was 95% white. I'm upper middle class, closer to upper class than middle class, I think (HHI - $200k). I would never send them to a school that was 95% UMC or wealthy.

However there is a flip side - there are many schools in DC that are &lt;1% white. Is it racist for me to be uncomfortable sending my kid there? It feels like a lot to ask of a 14 year old to be one of two white kids in his whole grade. No one wants their kid to stand out, or to feel like they don't belong.

Is that a bad thing? I'm honestly wondering. Particularly interested in the opinion of people of color - I know it's not your job to educate me on matters of race, but I really struggle with this one, so any help would be appreciated.

I know that schools on both ends of this (95% white, and &lt;1% white) are the result of policies of racism and discrimination that continue to this day, and I want to be a good citizen and a good neighbor and help to dismantle this. But there are much bigger societal forces at play. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this matter. [/quote]

Honestly I cannot relate as a mixed non-white person. I mean your child will see themselves in cartoons, movies, books, and any type of media. They have family and I’m sure many neighborhoods kids are white. Whiteness and white affirmation is everywhere.

White people can never experience being a POC to the extent we can, whiteness is celebrated even in schools that are 1% white because we still learn about white people and white history. Even a place like DC. Also unless you get a racist teacher there will still be things your child can relate to in the classroom, specifically race wise.

I think here what should really be unpacked is what does it mean to be white to a child? The reason POC children should be around other POC and not just white is because there is little media showing excellence, diverse roles, and the joy of being a POC. Look how much hate the fictional mermaid is getting just for being Black.

I find it highly odd when white parents are concerned about seeing whiteness, it is literally everywhere. 
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