Reply to "Racists are recruiting. Watch your white sons."

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Reply to ""Racists are recruiting. Watch your white sons.""

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think if you're white it's really important to present role models of white people who have fought for civil rights. Did anyone read, "Lies my Teacher Told Me?" The author talks  a lot about this. I think you  have to be careful not to present it as a 'white savior,' kind of thing, like look at this great white person who saved all the black people. However, I think children do benefit in seeing that white people can play an important anti-racist role. Too many people believe that white people who supported slavery and segregation were just products of their times, and should not be held accountable. Actually, there were many white people fighting against these systems. Children need to understand that they have a choice whether or not to support people with less power and privilege. [/quote]

I agree this is important.  There are studies showing that white men at work tend to tune out the anti-discrimination and diversity trainings — especially if they are conducted by women or POC—because they implicitly assume that the training is “not for them.”  There are also a lot of studies that show that one of the best ways to change a discriminatory or exclusionary culture at work is for “allies” in the dominant group to speak up.  For instance, if the white male sees that the black female is always getting cut off when she makes a point, it’s really helpful if he says something like “wait—I think larla was trying to say something and I’d like to hear her thoughts.”  The truth is that it’s really hard to make progress without allies of all types.  The Underground Railroad would not have been possible without brave white people opening their homes—and even braver blacks people like Harriet Tubman risking capture to get people out.  White boys need to understand that the work of the civil rights movement is their work too.  I think that’s one thing that’s lost when school cabin the civil rights movement to just Black History Month.  [/quote]

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