I teach in Manchester, New Hampshire which is the most diverse city in the state; however, NH is mostly white and this at times I feel hinders students’ ability to embrace and appreciate their own culture. Instead I feel sometimes students are required to assimilate to white cultural norms because they have found themselves growing up in New Hampshire. I work for New York City's Fresh Air Fund in the summers and get to become the “minority” for a couple of months. It's an amazing experience for someone who grew up in a nearly all white town and community.
I bring this up because when I'm surrounded by African American children from NYC in the summer these children can't help but create beats (however possible) and rap and dance. However, when I see African American children in a mostly white school I don't see the same level of energy and appreciation for African American Culture.
My question is what can I do to help promote African American culture in a mostly white community? I feel this is tricky because I don’t want to appear as though I’m simply trying to over appreciate African American students or under appreciate white students. I also don’t want to fall into stereotyping either Black or White students. How do I appreciate and promote without falling into stereotypes? Any thoughts or ideas?
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Comments
Tricky
You've asked a really good question, and unfortunately there are no easy answers. First let's begin with this, African-American students in predominantly white environments face enormous challenges because they are so far removed from their original cultural base, and often times they've been told that's a good thing. I know this from my own experiences. I was an African-American student at a predominantly white prep school. While I lived in urban black America, and had an appreciation for my culture, many of my classmates who were living in the surrounding all white suburbs DID NOT.
Often, blacks who choose to be in predominantly white environments, make that choice because they truly believe that white = superior; and indeed that can be true. It just depends on how you define "superior." Ay any rate, I believe that no culture, race, or ethnicity group is superior or inferior to another. You are on on the right track when you identify that black students have different needs than white students. The best advice I can give you, is to try to find out what those specific needs are. Do your black students have any desire to learn more about their own culture? If so in what ways? Would they like to read black writers? Do they identify with hip-hop? (So many young people do these day.)
Being a minority in a predominantly white environment can be very difficult. Depending on how the students and the teaching staff and administration are dealing with these difficulties, there may not even be enough trust (between you and them) for them to even open up about their true feelings.
A film that I would recommend for you, that will probably clarify the issues is "Spinning into Butter." It's about Middlebury, (in your neighboring state Vermont). To me, that film really clarified the challenges that face both whites and blacks in the environment that you are describing. (Basically my prep school environment)
On a lighter note, back in the day, one of my prep school buddies encouraged me to apply to Middlebury with her. My response to her, "Hillary, there are no black people in Vermont!"
My point is, my culture was so important to me, at that time in my life, I was unwilling to apply to a school, that probably would have otherwise been a pretty good fit for me. Back then, however, I could not deal with the fact that there were no black people in Vermont.
Amber Lisa
Thanks for the reply. I
Thanks for the reply. I haven't checked this in a while because I had not had any responses for so long.
I deeply appreciate the things you've said. They make a great deal of sense. And it's very interesting you mention Spinning Into Butter. The summer camp I work at I have my teens in my CIT Program read the play. I read it in prep school and it meant nothing. Little did I know one day I would pick it back up and be using it as a teaching tool with inner city teens. I like how the book analyzes a white persons thoughts that appear to be racist but at the heart may not be as strange as the person thinks their thoughts to be.
Our school doesn't do much to recognize these cultural differences but I do my best when I can for us (my students and I) to take appreciation for our cultural differences.
Our students do respond and identify with hip/hop (regardless of skin color). Today's youth all love hip/hop for the most part. I've made strides to use hip/hop as a teaching tool in all areas of the curriculum. Not simply writing and reading.
Appreciate the thoughts. Thanks Again!