Colorism in education is dangerously under-addressed. Given the ubiquity and the impact of schooling and education, this oversight poses a serious systemic problem. In this week’s Wednesday Workshop, I presented an overview of why it’s important to pay attention to colorism in education and the basic strategies for addressing it. (Scroll to the end for audio and video.)
Also check out
Colorism 101: An Easy Resource for Educators
5 Key Issues
- Education has historically been wielded as a strategy of oppression and dominance.
- Excluding people to perpetuate socioeconomic divide.
- Compulsory education to control minds and to ensure you learn what the state wants you to learn (and nothing else).
- The vast majority of teachers are white- white women in particular. Their explicit prejudices, implicit biases, and blind spots make schools less safe for students of color, especially dark-skinned students.
- Colorism impacts quantity of schooling. Light-skinned students attain more years of schooling, more advanced degrees, and are more likely to finish.
- This in and of itself impacts economic disparities, employment, income, wealth gaps, etc.
- Quantity of schooling is directly influenced by quality of education.
- Colorism, because of implicit biases and explicit prejudices reduces the quality of education dark-skinned students receive. This quality is impacted by
- Perceptions of intelligence
- Perceptions of deviance, aggression, etc.
- Social life among student peers (bullying, rejection, etc.)
- Cumulative experiences year after year effect self-esteem and become self-fulfilling prophecies
- White supremacist curriculums are everywhere. This includes what is taught and how it’s taught.
What experiences have you had or observed in school settings that are/might be colorism?
Reflection Question
4 R’s for Addressing Colorism in Education
- Recognize Colorism. If you need help with this, email me to inquire about workshops, trainings, and professional development or grab this PDF download.
- Respond to Colorism. You should definitely get comfortable responding in the moment because silence condones the behavior.
- Share Resources on Colorism. There are so many, so for this post, I’ll just encourage you to peruse this site. You might also like my articles over at Teaching Tolerance and English Journal.
- Reach Out to the larger school and local communities. This is a more proactive approach that ultimately helps change school culture.
HOMEWORK: If you know a teacher, make sure they are aware of colorism (send them a reference/resource). If you are a teacher, know the signs of colorism, look for ways to work it into the curriculum.
AFFIRMATION: You are brilliant. You are capable.