This week, Newsweek will publish an article about raising kids post-racially. In the 55 years since Topeka elementary schools were desegregated after Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, many schools have become more diverse. With “diversity” and “multiculturalism” remaining big buzz words, one wonders how successful these efforts have been in eliminating, or at least reducing, racism and racial & ethnic bias. Judging by the vitriol thrown at President Obama, one could say “not much”.
According to the Newsweek article, we are more able to talk about gender bias in explicit terms than we are racial. Babies as young as 6 months old notice race, and as we grow older, we seek out sameness. And without talking about race (but that everyone’s equal which, while true, has little meaning), the subject becomes taboo. But we don’t need to talk about race to still have racial bias.
When we look at the Right’s attack on Van Jones, for example, we can see the attack not on Jones, not on a capitalist, not on green energy or a green economy, but an attack on otherness. Our innate desire for sameness, even if we say otherwise, has been easily exploited. No amount of diversity will change this unless we talk expressly about it.
We also see this in our immigration discussion. I know white people who are the children and grandchildren of undocumented immigrants, but when we talk about “illegals,” we almost only ever discuss the Rio Grande and people from Mexico. Kris Kobach hopes to exploit our fear of brown people to win Secretary of State in 2010. He tells us illegal aliens are voting in our elections. He doesn’t cite any proof. But he knows this happens. Probably because there are Hispanic people in Kansas; therefore, it must be happening. He might even see some Hispanic people voting. Maybe he believes there are no documented Hispanic residents let alone Hispanic citizens.
I am part of several largely white organizations. The subject of making ourselves more racially and ethically diverse comes up on occasion. I myself look at my friendships and wonder about the exceptional paleness that surrounds me. It’s one of the great debates in liberal communities that advocate diversity but miss the mark in their own groups.
The Newsweek article is well worth the read, especially if you have children or want to. In many areas in Kansas, it is difficult to create a diverse environment, but even if you do, it remains important to discuss race explicitly with children. They won’t learn it otherwise.
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