CHILDREN
CHILDREN TO GROW UP TO BE ANTI-RACIST, WE HAVE TO SHOW THEM BY EXAMPLE WHAT IS WHITE
FRAGILITY?
>> WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE
WHITE FRAGILITY?
WELL, IT'S A TERM THAT IS MEANT
TO CAPTURE A FAIRLY FAMILIAR
DYNAMIC AND AT THIS POINT
FAMILIAR WORLDWIDE AND THAT IS
A FAIRLY PREDICTABLE
DEFENSIVENESS AND UPSET THAT
MANY WHITE PEOPLE RESPOND WITH
WHENEVER RACIAL WORLDVIEWS ARE
CHALLENGED.
>> SO THE FRAGILITY PART IS
MEANT TO CAPTURE HOW LITTLE IT
TAKES TO GET US UPSET.
>> WHY IS IT STILL SO DIFFICULT
FOR PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT RACE
AND PRIVILEGE?
THERE IS NOT A SINGLE REASON.
THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS THAT
COME TOGETHER AND FIRST AND
FOREMOST IS WHAT WE THINK IT
MEANS TO SUGGEST THAT SOMEONE
IS RACIST.
SO THERE'S THERE'S A LOT
OF DEFENSIVENESS.
PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE
BEING CALLED A BAD PERSON.
SO MANY PARENTS WHO THEMSELVES
CANNOT THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT
THEIR OWN WHITENESS WHO
THEMSELVES AREN'T EDUCATED ON
THIS TOPIC DON'T HAVE MUCH
EMOTIONAL CAPACITY TO WITHSTAND
DISCOMFORT OF THESE
CONVERSATIONS.
AND THEN THEY'RE JUST TURNING
TO SAY SO HOW DO I TEACH MY
CHILDREN TO DO BETTER AT IT AS
YOU INTEGRATE THOSE AWARENESS
AND SKILLS INTO YOUR LIFE?
IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE
INFUSED IN YOUR CHILD'S LIFE.
>> AND WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS
SO IMPORTANT FOR WHITE FAMILIES
WHO HAVE CHILDREN TO REALLY BE
IN TOUCH WITH THESE ISSUES
AROUND RACE WHEN THEIR KIDS ARE
VERY YOUNG?
>> YOU WHITE PEOPLE CONTROL
VIRTUALLY ALL THE INSTITUTIONS
OF THE SOCIETY.
WE ARE THE ONES WHO SIT AT THE
TABLES MAKING DECISIONS THAT
AFFECT THE LIVES EVERY SINGLE
DAY.
PEOPLE WHO AREN'T SITTING AT
THOSE TABLES THOSE THE WAY THAT
SOCIETY IS SET UP, THOSE WHITE
CHILDREN PARTICULARLY OF COURSE
THEY'RE MIDDLE AND UPPER
CLASSES WILL GROW UP TO SIT AT
THOSE TABLES OF POWER AND
DECISION MAKING.
AND SO IT'S SOMETHING YOU WANT
TO HAVE INFUSED IN THEIR
CONSCIOUSNESS ALL THROUGH THEIR
LIVES TO BEGIN TO CHANGE THE
CULTURE.
>> MOST WHITE PEOPLE LIVE
SEGREGATED LIVES.
WE LIVE THE MOST SEGREGATED
LIVES OF ANY GROUP.
AND IN SEGREGATED FROM BLACK
PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR.
>> AND SO WE'RE LEFT TO RELY
DEEPLY PROBLEMATIC SOURCES FOR
UNDERSTANDING OF BLACK PEOPLE.
SO YOUR CHILDREN ARE RELYING ON
JOKES, OMISSIONS, WARNINGS AND
VERY NARROW REPETITIVE MEDIA
REPRESENTATIONS BUT THEY'RE
GONNA GO FORTH AND IN LARGE
PART BE LEADERS IN THE WORLD.
>> SO YOU CAN ONLY REPRODUCE
THAT RACIST STATUS QUO IF YOU
AREN'T SEEKING TO CHALLENGE IT.
>> YOU SAID YOU GREW UP KNOWING
THAT WHITE WAS BETTER.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY WAYS.
THERE ARE THE LESS EXPLICIT
WAYS SUCH AS VIRTUALLY ALL ROLE
MODELS, HEROES, HEROINES, BOOKS
OF BEING WHITE.
ALMOST EVERY TEACHER ANY WHITE
PERSON HAS EVER HAD MANY OF US
GO THROUGH GRADUATE SCHOOL AND
RARELY IF EVER ARE TAUGHT BY
SOMEONE THAT IS NOT OF OUR RACE
A GOD JESUS MARY.
THESE IMAGES WHEN YOU READ A
BOOK OR A NOVEL RACES GENERALLY
ONLY NAMED IF IT IS NOT WHITE.
IT'S PRETTY RELENTLESS.
WHAT ARE THE IMAGES I SHOW IN
MY PRESENTATION IS THAT THE TWO
GIRLS FROM FROZEN JUST JUST TO
MAKE THE POINT THE RESEARCH IS
CLEAR THAT BY AGE THREE TO FOUR
CHILDREN WHO GROW UP HERE
UNDERSTAND IT'S BETTER TO BE
WHITE.
I THINK MOST PARENTS RECOGNIZE
PRETTY EARLY ON THAT THEIR
CHILDREN HAVE ABSORB
PROBLEMATIC RACIAL IDEAS.
>> THEY COME HOME FROM SCHOOL
AND THEY SAY THINGS AND THEY
TALK ABOUT OTHER CHILDREN IN
PARTICULAR WAYS.
SO YOUR CHILD MIGHT HAVE BEEN
BORN RACIALLY INNOCENT BUT THEY
DON'T STAY THAT WAY FOR VERY
LONG.
AND WHEN YOU PROJECT THIS
INNOCENT ON INNOCENCE ONTO THEM
WHEN YOU SAY WELL, I DON'T
THINK THEY'RE OLD ENOUGH TO
HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, THEN
YOU'RE LEAVING THEM UNATTENDED
TO THE MESSAGES.
THEY HAVE NO WAY TO RESIST
THOSE MESSAGES.
SO IT'S YOU TO FIGURE OUT, OK,
WHAT WOULD BE AN AGE
APPROPRIATE WAY TO BE HAVING
THESE CONVERSATIONS BUT THEY
SHOULD BE GOING ON ALL THE TIME
.
>> IF YOU COULD OFFER PARENTS
WHITE PARENTS IN PARTICULAR A
TALK OF HOW TO APPROACH THIS
TOPIC WITH THEIR YOUNG
CHILDREN.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
I WOULD SAY IT'S A LITTLE BIT
LIKE SAYING I'D LIKE TO BE IN
SHAPE AND MY CHILDREN BE IN
SHAPE ON MONDAY AND THEN I
WOULD SAY TO YOU YOU WILL NOT
BE IN SHAPE ON MONDAY EITHER
ALL DAY SO YOU CAN GET STARTED
ON MONDAY AND IT WILL BE A
MULTIPART PROCESS.
>> SO MAYBE THE FIRST THING
THAT THEY CAN DO IS JUST SIMPLY
TAKE OUT A PIECE OF PAPER AND
START TO MAKE A LIST ON WHY
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, WHY
THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO RAISE
THEIR KIDS IN AN ANTI-RACIST
WAY AND THEY THERE WILL BE
THEIR MAP RIGHT THERE AND
NOTHING ON THAT LIST IS GOING
TO BE