Brandon Lacy Campos wrote: > I am positive that there are staff in the school district that believe > in ending oppression, but belief is not action. We have been trained in > a multitude of ways to use and access our privilege subconsciously...we > must be consciously trained to not use it. This program would teach HOW > to be an ally, how to be anti-racist and not just stating that racism is > bad. We know that racism and other forms of oppression are "bad." We now > need to provide real and viable curriculum and tools to dismantle > oppression.
There are a number of problems with this program to end oppression. First and foremost, I believe that quality education itself (that is education which provides literacy, marketable jobs skills, and college preparedness) is the most effective means of lessening social injustice. A program to "teach" individuals how to be anti-racist would just be substituting one form of oppression for another. Racist views, although abhorrent, are constitutionally protected. It is racist acts that are unlawful and the schools must be diligent in seeing that the laws are enforced and the rights of individuals protected. Even if such a program did not infringe on the rights of individuals, there is little evidence that such programs are effective. You cannot dictate respect by fiat, nor can you eliminate "bad" attitudes through reeducation alone. Once again, I would urge anyone who believes that social attitudes can be mandated to read "Group Dynamics" by Donelson Forsyth. I believe that this discussion would be more productive if it were to focus on specific strategies to improve educational outcomes in the MPS, rather than on how to eliminate oppression. Michael Atherton Prospect Park _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
