divided no longer: calling out white supremacy, understanding it, and dismantling it

Author: dividednolonger

  • Thoughts on ASA’s call for Racial Justice and Solidarity

    I’m grateful for the inspiration I found at the American Studies Association conference this weekend in Toronto, but I can’t help but think about how much more we should be doing, especially given ASA’s recent call for racial justice and solidarity. I’ve attended ASA periodically for the past 15 years, and this one had a unique sense of urgency, with multiple sessions not just making passing reference to #blacklivesmatter but actually focusing on it. I was especially impressed by David Roediger’s presidential keynote address and panels with scholars I admire, including Lisa Lowe and Edwin Mayorga. I’m eager to start following the work of Saidiya Hartman, Ujju Aggarwal, Connie Wun, Jesse Goldberg, Kashif Powell, Dennis Childs, Dylan Rodriguez, Anoop Mirpuri, Toussaint Losier, and Kinohi Nishikawa.

    For the first time, I felt that this conference lived up to the interdisciplinary mission it espouses so strongly. Intersectionality was a primary focal point of several presentations, and I heard the name critical race theory (a legal studies field) many times. As someone who finished a dissertation back in 2003 on critical race theory and contemporary literature by US women writers, it’s taken a long time for me to see the disciplinary wall separating critical race theory and the humanities be permeated, but I think that’s finally happening. It seems like Ethnic Studies is a space that invites some of the most cutting edge work, whereas more traditional disciplines (like English and history) are still reluctant, though that is getting better.

    However, I didn’t see any fellow community college faculty, and I think that’s something that needs work on both sides. The ASA would benefit from more strategic outreach to us, and we would certainly benefit from greater participation in this conference. I suspect it’s hindered on both sides because few (if any) community colleges have formal American Studies programs; however, that doesn’t mean we’re not doing American Studies. It just might be within an English or history course.

    With that in mind, I was disappointed to see the stress level of graduate students and untenured faculty, and that seems to be getter worse not better. At least ASA is providing sessions and spaces for explicit conversations about networking and job hunting to occur, but in some ways, such conversations fuel the stress. It doesn’t seem like graduate students are being encouraged to apply for jobs at community colleges, and that is a shame. Even in the most progressive American Studies and Ethnic Studies departments, graduate students are still taught to believe that getting a “real” job means getting a job at a research university. While I’m not diminishing the rewards of such a position, there are a lot of exciting opportunities at community colleges for graduate students who are committed to teaching at an institution with a social justice mission.

    Finally, ASA’s recent statement calling for “Racial Justice, Strengthened Solidarity among Activists and Scholars” is very important, but when the vast majority of presenters and participants are graduate students and faculty from competitive colleges and universities, the conversation will never include all of the voices it needs to. Where are the community college faculty? Where are the activists who are committed to justice but who have never attended or finished college? Conferences like Facing Race and Netroots Nation tend to attract a lot of activists but not too many college faculty, and that’s a problem too. We still need to figure out ways to bring together a more genuinely diverse group of people who care about justice if we really are going to talk about building solidarity.

  • Calling Out White Supremacy, Understanding It, and Dismantling It… in order to be “Divided No Longer”

    One year ago, I created this blog after attending Netroots Nation. I called it “Divided No Longer” to be aspirational and to highlight the divide and conquer stereotypes that I study and seek to dismantle. At the time, I gave my blog the tagline of “dismantling stereotypes that divide us, building coalitions around common interests.” However, while I still believe in that goal, that language doesn’t get at the heart of what’s really going on. I’m concerned the word “stereotypes” doesn’t invoke systemic racism. I think they’re connected, but I need to name it. After all of the horrors that we’ve seen this past year with police brutality and violence against people of color, all that #BlackLivesMatter has taught us, I now understand we need to call it what it is: “white supremacy.” In the past, I probably would have said using such a phrase was too extreme, but it’s clear to me now that we need to keep using terms like “white supremacy” and “systemic racism” so there is nothing to hide behind. That leads me to the new tagline of “calling out white supremacy, understanding it, and dismantling it.” That’s what we need to go through in order to be “divided no longer.”

  • My Prezi on Systemic Racism

    I am pleased to share my Prezi on “The Social Construction of Race, Systemic Racism, and Health Disparities.” I created this for a presentation at Rutgers University on July 9, 2015 as part of the Summer School of Addiction Studies through the Center for Alcohol Studies.

  • “But Poor People Don’t Live Here”: What Does it Mean to Teach Inequality at a Community College in Two of the Top Ten Richest American Counties?

    When there is media attention devoted to Somerset and Hunterdon Counties of NJ, it often focuses on these two counties as two of the wealthiest in the country. I teach English at Raritan Valley Community College, which serves both of these counties. Even when food stamp use across our two counties has grown and financial aid at our college has increased, we struggle to even raise awareness about poverty because the common perception is that “poor people just don’t live here.” Here are some excerpts from my presentation at the “Fighting Inequality: Class, Race, and Power” conference at Georgetown University last month.

    As part of an ongoing effort with my colleagues to insist that our students need additional resources, I designed and taught a Special Topics English Composition II course called “Inequality, the American Dream, and the 99%.” I want to highlight just a few strategies that worked well in raising awareness about inequality within the college’s demographic context and describe how the semester culminated in the students taking action.

    One of the main challenges of the course is raising awareness about the systemic nature of economic inequality. Because the mainstream media tends to reinforce the notion that hard work leads to success and people in poverty are just lazy, it can be a real challenge to help students question this ideology. I would imagine it’s a challenge in many parts of the US, since this media message is a national one, but I think it’s especially challenging in wealthier areas.

    We began the semester by watching Robert Reich’s film Inequality for All, which I found to be a valuable introduction to the concept of inequality. The fact that the framework of the film is Reich’s own class about inequality makes it especially appropriate to show to students at the beginning of this course. Keep in mind this is first a composition course and second a course about inequality; it’s an English course, not a course in economics, political theory, or sociology, although I did try to make the course interdisciplinary. In Reich’s film, one of the ways he shows the seriousness of inequality is by discussing the concept of a vicious cycle. This was a very helpful concept to emphasize throughout the semester because it shows that economic inequality is systemic and has profound consequences. In one of the follow up activities to the film, and later in the semester, I asked students to sketch or use post-its to create a vicious cycle of the problems we were discussing, and these activities helped students understand the big picture. (See photos of students’ vicious cycles related to education and economic inequality)

    By the time we finished the first part of the course, an introduction to inequality, students generally understood that economic inequality is systemic, serious, and unfair. Many also indicated in end-of-semester reflections that this came as a surprise, with comments like: “growing up in a very upscale neighborhood, I never understood the extent of economic inequality in our world.” At the same time, students also explained that economic inequality “should be something everyone discusses because it is a major problem” or as another student put it, “something everyone should be educated on no matter what social class you come from.” Students in the class came from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, and they recognized the value of being in the same class to learn about and discuss economic inequality, noting, for example that “being [at] a community college … is a good place to study inequality because our class was filled with people from all different backgrounds.”

    The student comments illustrate that students from both lower and higher socio-economic backgrounds really seemed to believe that learning about economic inequality is important for everyone. I would like to think that such a framework provided students from lower socio-economic backgrounds with an understanding that they should not blame themselves or their parents for their economic status. Likewise, I also hope that this framework provided students from wealthier backgrounds an understanding that they should not blame the poor for their poverty. Inequality is a systemic problem, not an individual problem, and I believe that by the end of the semester, most students understood and appreciated that concept.

    The other strategy I’d like to share is the integration of social action into the course. The last assignment asked students to do four things: 1) choose a problem related to economic inequality that interested them (whether or not we had discussed it in class), 2) research it in order to write a paper describing the problem (and why the problem is a problem and how it relates to economic inequality), 3) present a solution, and 4) take one small step of action towards that larger solution. The students actually had to take action, not just write about it hypothetically.

    Many students, however, were quite hesitant to take action, and as I discovered, their hesitation related to the issue of confidence, which we had already been discussing throughout the course, especially in the context of the way students in poverty can sometimes have less “academic confidence” than students from higher socio-economic backgrounds. I hadn’t thoroughly recognized the extent of this lack of confidence, so I was surprised at how hesitant students were to take action, although perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised. After all, why would a student without much confidence find it easy to take action? I revised the course to help address this concern, and I integrated a gradual buildup to this project. The assignment gave them two options for the social action: 1) to use their existing social media network like Facebook or another social media platform to raise awareness and educate their friends about the problem they were researching or 2) to send a letter to an elected official or another type of official who has some authority related to the problem they were researching and to advocate for a solution. Students had the option of giving me permission to include their post or letter on the Tumblr site I had designed for the course. Some students did raise concerns about the small action being too small and insignificant. I told them: “You need to start somewhere.” If I could help students develop the confidence to take one small action for my course, then I hoped it wouldn’t be so hard for them in the future when they faced or witnessed an injustice they wanted to address. I will conclude with student comments about this experience to highlight the importance of empowering students with the confidence to take action so they can build on that foundation in the future:

    • “Although we aren’t exactly changing the world just yet, the seed was planted and the issues we talked about will stay with us forever.”
    • “Definitely an eye opener. I was … timid and didn’t really want to speak up for what is right. This class allowed me to become a social crusader.”
    • “While getting closer to completing my final paper, I find it hard to stop thinking of ways I can get involved! My ideas and desires to make this issue apparent to people is gaining daily and my thoughts are expanding more thoroughly in creating new ways I [and] others can take action.”
    • “In our final paper, having everyone take a small action was something very unique and an amazing concept. It pushes our comfort zone to demonstrate our feelings on economic inequality and some other problem involved with it, whether it be food, education, homeless veterans or any other aspect of inequality. I believe this course has a huge effect on my social action in the future. This class has shown me to speak out on a topic that I have a strong opinion on, instead of keeping my opinion bundled up.”
    • “Over all, I think that the course’s emphasis on social action will affect my decisions in the future, because it has improved my courage.”

  • Keynote Address on Equality: Myths, Inequality, and Action

    Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Induction Ceremony, April 12, 2015, Raritan Valley Community College, NJ

    Thank you so much for the invitation to speak here on the topic of “equality.”

    I would like to begin by acknowledging my American Literature students at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility who have taught me new ways to understand and appreciate equality and inequality.

    I would also like to thank the students in my two sections of English Composition II; they gave me input on my comments, and some are being honored today. The thematic focus of our course is “Inequality, the American Dream, and the 99%.”

    One of these English II students recommended that I “speak from the heart” and “just say what needs to be said.” So here goes…

    Our society has many beliefs about equality and inequality, and some of these beliefs are myths. They are simply not true, but they get repeated and celebrated. They mask the truth. Such myths have consequences, serious, often deadly, consequences.

    Let’s start with a myth that everyone here is likely aware of, a myth that is familiar and uncomfortable at the same time. That’s the myth about community colleges. We’ve all heard it, that it’s not a “real” college, that it’s 13th grade, that it’s for losers. We have all—faculty, students, and parents alike—felt the burn of the anti-community college stigma. Our students describe how in high school they were ashamed to tell anyone where they were going to college. Why wouldn’t they feel ashamed, when we live in a culture that treats higher education as another commodity, another acquisition? It doesn’t help that local high schools set aside a day for seniors to wear the sweatshirt of the college they will attend. It’s an accessory, like a fancy label or brand, and a shirt from RVCC just doesn’t cut it. Students feel embarrassed. Who wants to be called a loser? Even more so, who wants to go to the place that is used as a derogatory chant, a taunt, at seniors by younger high school students during local high school pep rallies in the supposed spirit of friendly class competition? What kind of a culture exists so that such behavior is considered acceptable?

    The myth that the community college is inferior has devastating consequences. Myths usually do. Myths serve to cover up a truth, and the truth is that community college is a real college. Our students are real college students. They are getting real college degrees and transferring to other real colleges for further study. Our students are smart and capable. Our PTK students here are living proof that the myth is wrong. Our college offers top-notch academic courses that many of our students say are more challenging than the courses they take elsewhere as juniors and seniors. The secret of our high quality is kept, just that, as a secret, masked by a powerful stigma.

    The problem is that systems support myths like this one, and these systems are powerful and wide-reaching.

    Let’s consider some examples of the way systems support the anti-community college stigma, systems like the government and the economy.

    RVCC President McDonough recently told us that six of our students participated in the first-ever Community College Day at the New Jersey State House. Our students reminded our representatives in the Assembly and the Senate that the state formula for funding higher education is grossly unfair to community colleges, with: New Jersey Public 4 Year Colleges receiving $10,276 per Full Time student, New Jersey Private Colleges receiving $1,972 per Full Time student, and New Jersey Community Colleges receiving only $1,780 per Full Time student.

    Really? Community Colleges in NJ receive less money from the state per student than private colleges and less than one fifth of what public colleges receive? Where is the equality there?

    When the community college system was first created in NJ in the 1960s, the NJ legislature created a funding system where the state, the county, and student tuition would each provide for one third of the college’s funding. Students, instead of paying the originally envisioned 33% of our funding, are now paying more than 60% of our funding because the state and the counties are not following through on their obligation.

    Again, myths have consequences. The stigma against community colleges reaches all the way to the state house. Without the state’s promised funding and without the counties’ promised funding, two things happen: 1) our students unfairly bear the weight of funding our college when we’re supposed to serve the community and 2) we don’t have the funding we need to support the work we do.

    For students, this means taking on debt, working extra hours, attending part-time instead of full-time, and even leaving school. They give up sleep, they can’t take as much time to study, and they can’t spend as much time with their kids if they are parents. The impact is not only financial, but it is also physical and psychological. Social justice is at the heart of our mission, yet we are not serving the students who most need our help.

    Research shows that the single greatest factor in whether or not a college student will graduate is the income of that student’s parents. The higher the parental income, the better the chance the student will graduate. While financial resources certainly play a role, one of the biggest resources that students from wealthier families have is academic confidence. Knowing your parents finished college provides a confidence that being the first in your family to go to college doesn’t provide. This confidence is the difference between failing a test and deciding to drop out of school vs. failing a test and deciding to go for extra tutoring. Students from lower socio-economic backgrounds need access to a strong support system in order to build this confidence that other students already bring with them to college. It’s our obligation to provide such a support system.

    In addition to students suffering the burden of broken promises by the state and counties, for the college, this means hiring part-time faculty (adjunct faculty) instead of full-time faculty. RVCC is certainly not alone in going down this path, but it is an unsustainable one. Adjunct faculty are the majority of our faculty, and they are paid per course. When you break down the amount of time it requires to teach a course, they are paid less than minimum wage. They have no job security from semester to semester and no benefits. They all have Masters degrees, and some have PhDs.

    The myth that community colleges are inferior has serious consequences.

    Knowing the power of this myth, it is all the more impressive that we have the opportunity today to honor these students here, who have fought against so much to excel academically.

    Part of the reason the anti-community college myth is so powerful is it supports a larger myth in our society against public service, a myth that says the key to success is individual hard work. The corollary, of course, is that those who are not successful do not work hard. These interlocking myths are very dangerous because they deny the impact of the privileges, benefits, and resources available to those who have succeeded. Those very privileges, benefits, and resources are then not available to those who didn’t inherit them, buy them, or get lucky. Even though we believe we live in a meritocracy, that anyone who works hard can achieve the American dream, that is a dangerous myth that ignores the impact of race, socioeconomic status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, and gender.

    Let’s consider a few examples:

    • According to a 2013 ACLU report, drug use in NJ by blacks and whites is similar, yet blacks are arrested at a much higher rate. In fact, Hunterdon County, out of all the counties in NJ, has the highest racial disparity when it comes to marijuana possession arrest rates. Blacks are 5.1 times more likely than whites to be arrested in Hunterdon despite comparable drug use.
    • According to the Sentencing Project, the “lifetime likelihood of imprisonment” for white men in the US is 1 in 17, for black men is 1 in 3, for white women, it’s 1 in 111, and for black women, it’s 1 in 18.
    • Amnesty International reports that “Over 30,000 immigrants are in detention on any given day in the U.S. . . . triple the average number detained just ten years ago.”
    • The American Association of University Women reported that in 2012, Latinas earned 53 cents for every dollar a white male earned, African American women earned 64 cents for every dollar a white male earned, and white women earned 78 cents for every dollar a white male earned.
    • According to the PEW Research Center, in 2013 median net worth of households for whites was $141,900, but for blacks it was only $11,000, and for Hispanics $13,700.
    • Finally, according to the African American Policy Forum, “The median wealth for single Black women is $5.00.”

    This is the richest country on earth – how is any of this acceptable?

    Somerset and Hunterdon Counties are two of the wealthiest counties in the country, but you wouldn’t know it from hearing our students’ or our adjuncts’ experiences. Given that wealth, don’t these counties have an even greater obligation to give back to the community, specifically the community college, the only college in either county? What would amount to just another yacht to one of our wealthier residents would mean the world to this college, yet wealthy donors tend to donate instead to the Ivy League university they attended, even if those universities don’t really need the money, while they ignore the community college in their very own backyard where that money could change lives.

    Myths have serious consequences, and you, as strong academic students have the power to make a difference. The odds may seem set against you, but that is all the more reason to do something. If the odds seem against you, then they most certainly are against your peers who are not able to be here. Do it for them. What powerful myth governs our society that you want to change? Myths are stories, and stories can change. If you tell enough stories to counter the myths, if you speak up enough about the value of community colleges, people will listen. But telling new stories to counter damaging myths is not enough. You’ve got to take further action. Learn about the problem, and advocate for a solution. Meet with someone of influence and explain your view. Start a petition. Vote in every local and national election. Hold government leaders accountable. Hold corporate leaders accountable. Organize a boycott. Advocate for a new policy or law. Run for office. Raise awareness among your network. Raise your voice. Share your knowledge. Teach.

    Keep saying that black lives matter, that transgendered people are people too, that undocumented Americans are real Americans, that bullying against LGBT kids must stop, that students in poverty need support.

    Raise your voice, and people will listen.