“Mr. Ray, that’s so white!” “Mr. Ray, we’re BLACK; we don’t do that!” These exclamations usually come on the heels of me using a big word, telling a story about an adventure I have had, or—perhaps most disturbingly—advising my students about health and fitness habits. The exclamation is almost always followed by me saying something along the lines of “Well, I’m black, and I did it, so … ,” which is most often met with blank stares.
There is an identity crisis with underprivileged black American teenagers, and I will be writing much about it as this blog grows. It's been on my mind a lot lately. Based on what I hear from my students, to be black means to be unsophisticated, unhealthy, lazy, violent, mischievous, involved in dysfunctional relationships, and generally not as well off as everyone else. One student even told me once that black children are born not as innocent as white children. Heart-breaking, huh?
The whole thing confuses me because I’ve never been afraid to create my own image and be an authentic version of myself—I’ve wholeheartedly embraced the “no limits” mantra, and it has served me well. Why, I often wonder, do my kids let their “blackness” confine them? How can they get excited about academic or professional achievement if the color of their skin subconsciously (and sometimes consciously) limits them in such negative ways? All of the education reforms in the world won’t make much of a difference if students don’t buy-in to their own abilities and self worth.
I have an idea. My kids spend an awful lot of time absorbing media, particularly television and movies. Studies have shown that black kids spend more time watching television than other groups, and my students can certainly quote movies and television shows endlessly, even when they can’t seem to remember what they read in class days ago (!). Since parents don’t seem all that interested in curbing this trend, I wonder what would happen if Hollywood decided to bombard black kids with positive and varied images of themselves. I long for the day when a black child could turn on the TV, go to the movies, or flip on the radio at any time and be exposed to diverse representations of blackness—black characters with lifestyles, occupations, love lives, habits, values, pleasures, and sorrows that run the full gamut of American life—kind of like the diverse representations that other groups take for granted. Would it make our work as teachers easier?
Maybe if the kids had a lot of representations to choose from, they would be more likely to choose one that lends itself to academic and professional achievement. And eventually, if all goes well, maybe they would find the confidence to abandon the media’s formulaic creations completely and create their own identities. Ahh, I can already see that achievement gap narrowing.
Ray... I love your spirit
ReplyDeleteAs long as the FCC IS allowing Business to drive media, and not challenging business to create entertainment with value, as long as Undereducated socially deprived generations of Americans continue to fail to understand local and state government, as the Bible declares... there will be poor and downtrodden.
One MUST realize... government is a service for temporary use IN ALL CASES. The people of this great nation must choose to embrace the POWER the constitution provides. By forfeiting education opportunities Americans of all races give up the power to choose. That power is the thing that draws people from all over the world to overcome great perils on their way to personal success! Ya gotta have an understanding of language to make good choices. Raw reactive emotion is not enough! Sooner or later you Will get tired of fighting. Then you will lay down and be trampled or seek good counsel.....
I should add that the attitude I described is only voiced by some of my students ... there are plenty who haven't fallen prey to such destructive labeling. I should also add--and I hope it goes without saying--that I love my students and believe in their essential goodness, despite the sad ideas they sometimes express. I only rarely see them manifest these negative ideas in real life--I'm usually more impressed with them than I am disappointed. Unfortunately, though, I just don't feel that our mainstream culture is offering enough identity choices for them. Since they're paying such close attention to entertainment and media, the entertainment industry should rise to the challenge of attempting to uplift these vulnerable young minds!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your idea that media plays a role in in the formation of our youths' self-identity. But I think what we tell them in the classroom---and what we tell them through our actions (think modeling, both good and bad) and our complacency with the status quo (think unchecked hall walkers)----speaks volumes. I don't happen to agree that our suburban students are particularly "underprivileged." I tell them all the time that they live in the highest population of educated, middle class, and even wealthy black folks anywhere in the nation. Yes, right here in PG County. They are usually shocked because they often miss that perspective; the idea that we have it pretty good. Think about the media messages on this front---the American pursuit of extravagant wealth, fear mongering, shock value, immoral "dramas", certainly not sitting around counting our blessings on the nightly news---no news is good news, right? This, in fact, is a large part of what we do in creating critical thinkers: challenge them to see the world from a new perspective and, in turn, to challenge what THEY see---on TV, and in their schools and communities. Kudos for being a living, breathing, tangible example of an alternative identity to the portrayal of blacks on TV. It is sinking in. But then, that is a matter of faith.
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