[NIFL-POVRACELIT:35] Examing Racial and Cultural Thinking

From: Mary Ann Corley (macorley1@earthlink.net)
Date: Tue Sep 26 2000 - 17:46:52 EDT


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From: "Mary Ann Corley" <macorley1@earthlink.net>
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Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:35] Examing Racial and Cultural Thinking
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Thanks to Steve Sumerford for sharing his thoughts and some quotes on the
topic of racism.  Beverly Daniel Tatum has an interesting article entitled
"Examining Racial and Cultural Thinking" in the May 2000 issue of
Educational Leadership.  Although the audience of this journal is the K-12
educator, adult educators may find that many of the concepts are applicable
to their programs.  In the article, Tatum points out that many educators are
unskilled at talking about racial issues because they have had limited
opportunity to explore these issues in their own education.  She makes the
point that teachers must understand their own racial identity before they
can support the positive development of their students' racial and ethnic
identities--just the point that both Eileen and Margery made earlier this
week on this list.

Tatum's article describes a two-year demonstration project in a small
northeastern school district.  Tatum designed the course curriculum for the
teacher in-service.  In the course, participants were required to examine
their sense of racial identity and their attitudes toward other groups, as
well as to develop effective antiracist curricular and educational practices
that would affirm student identities.  Topics included an examination of
prejudice, racism, white privilege, and internalized oppression.  The course
also looked at theories of racial-identity development for both whites and
people of color.

Do subscribers to this list think these concepts have applicability to adult
education and literacy programs, and, if so, in what ways?  What about to
patient education/health programs?  What about to library programs?  Do you
think our respective fields are ready for this type of self-scrutiny?  Can
we engage in self-scrutiny in ways that project positive outcomes and not
simply create "white guilt"?

Please share your thoughts and enrich our discussion.  This is an
opportunity for us to explore these issues and begin to consider how we
might make changes in our programs to be more responsive to all our
learners/clients.

Mary Ann Corley
Director
National Center for Literacy and Social Justice
macorley1@earthlink.net



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