White Supremacy and Education

I feel like I’m beating a dead horse, maybe preaching to the choir, or better yet talking to a wall. There is something fundamentally wrong, and we have ignored it, made excuses and apologies for it, some of us have even succumbed to it in order to better our own circumstances. It starts out with small concessions, that one time you gave him a pass, the time you told yourself it didn’t matter whether or not you showed up, whether or not you spoke out because hey it wouldn’t change anything anyway, right? Wrong. We are seeing now in the 21st century, the effects of our negligence, we now have, in the United States of America, a state that has made it legal to assume somebody is a criminal based solely on the color of their skin, and how well they fit a stereotype (the issue of somebody being illegal on stolen land will have to wait for a different time). Beyond that the very same state has now stated publically their commitment to white supremacy by way of the education system. To fully understand Arizona’s recent ban on ethnic studies we must put education in a larger context. Education has always been a major battleground in the struggle for equality, there is truth in all the clichés. Those in power have always recognized this, and have acted accordingly; think the Dukes, Vanderbilts, Rockefellars, etcetera. Throughout history we see the powerful attempting to dictate what is included in curriculum and how that curriculum is delivered. There has always been a fear of a well educated under class.

Lets jump back to current day Arizona where it is now illegal to teach "the overthrow of the United States government" or "resentment toward a race or class of people." Or curriculum "designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group" or that seeks to "advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals." It is hard to know exactly where to start when taking a critical look at this law so lets start with the first portion- I believe Thomas Jefferson and his pals mentioned something about this in the Declaration of Independence, correct me if I’m wrong but it went something like this “when a significant amount of abuses and usurpations would cause absolute despotism, it is mankind's right and duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security…” it is quite ironic that many that support this law often throw around the founding fathers, and their admiration for them, only to proceed to ignore their very words- or given the history of exclusion and privilege that our founding fathers enjoyed perhaps they are more like them then we would like to admit? Of course this is all given the very unlikely circumstance that a course is advocating the overthrow of the United States government. Moving on we find even more troublesome provisions. What does it mean to promote resentment, how can it be wrong to direct a class towards a group of people that for decades if not centuries had been systematically excluded from curriculum? These are just a couple of the endless questions that no doubt many are asking. It is not a far stretch of the imagination for a lesson on slavery to be in violation of this law, given that most people of color have a valid anger with whites after learning about the disgusting practice. Of course in typical privileged fashion there's a lack of understanding that the majority of our institutions in this country were designed by WASPS for WASPS, and have effectively resulted in the consolidation of power to that particular ethnic group, to use the bills language.

What I hope is clear is that at its very best this law is extremely problematic and regardless of its supporters intentions it will only serve to further entrench white supremacy within our education system, the first place we need to purge it from. Our education should be inclusive of all and their realities. This has to include a more honest narrative- we have to accept that Columbus was not a good man, and is guilty of igniting a genocide, we must admit that we instigated a war with Mexico for the land we now call the Southwest United States, we must be honest about the implications of the Monroe Doctrine and our intent when it comes to South America. Our histories need to include John Brown, Nat Turner, Sally Hemmings, Ella Baker, Assatta Shakur, Mumia Abu Jamal, and Eugene Debs. We need to teach about redlining and Jim Crow, and the Willie Lynch Theory, and COINTELPRO. Above all we need to have a population that can understand the effects of all of these figures, ideologies, and policies in order to better relate to the world and in the end make it a place we would all want to pass down to the next generations.

In solidarity,

Ryan "BUGS" Williams-Virden

Blackface at Bethel University

I can hear it now “ why do they always have to make a big deal about things. It was only a joke” or something akin. Well let me help to try and explain why a white student dressing up as rapper lil Wayne complete with Blackface is a big deal.

I won’t go into the entire history of Blackface, although for many this history would be useful. I will instead give a brief synopsis so we can all better put this incident in an appropriate context. From the 19th century until the civil rights movement Blackface was used as a tool to perpetuate stereotypes of Blacks as being stupid, slow, and lazy while portraying physically overemphasized features such as lips. From minstrel shows to Blackface branching out on its own it has always been a way to dehumanize, demoralize, and attack through racist stereotypes, African Americans.

While minstrelsy in its official capacity has disappeared, we see Blackface manifest itself continuously on college campuses. Whether it is at a “pimps and hoes party”, as a Halloween costume, at a “Compton cookout”, or most recently on the Bethel University campus as lil Wayne. Even if it is true that the offending parties were ignorant of the history and implications of their actions it is hard to believe that their actions were not motivated by latent racism; that subconsciously they didn’t hold a feeling of superiority. It is only racism that allows for one to believe it is ok to put on another human beings identity, culture, and skin color only to make light of it all. It matters little what the intent was- there is no escaping the impact- which is racist.

For an institution to have a stated anti-racism policy is a great thing, but it is only as great as its enforcement. This is the point Bethel University finds itself, a stated commitment to anti-racism and a blatantly racist event. It is up to them to demonstrate now how committed they are, not only to the policy, but to those on campus that the policy is in place to benefit, the staff and students of color along with their white allies. Please join those that feel strongly about this issue to outpressure on the administration to take the appropriate steps ensuring not only no similar events happen, but that the underlying ideologies that rationalize and make apologies for those who participate are appropriately combated.

In solidarity
Ryan “BUGS” Williams- Virden