How Can I Help?

I’m a white middle class woman, and that comes with a certain privilege in this country. I do my best to recognize my privilege and teach my own kids about racism and about the privilege they were born with. I regularly tell my kids things like:

• “In this house, we treat everyone the same. It’s your job to stand up for those who are getting treated poorly,”
• “In this house we believe your looks and body don’t matter as much as how you treat people and how you live your life.”
• “In this house we believe love is love, and whoever you end up loving (as long as they treat you well), we will love also.”
• “Since you speak English and have learned Spanish, you can help translate for those who don’t know English. You live in the country you were born in (so you speak the main language of the country), think of how you would feel if we moved to France. You would need help.”
• “You are a white teenager living in a fairly white area of town. You can walk down the street without people being suspicious of you. Your friends who are black or brown might have the police called on them just for walking in their neighborhood. That is white privilege.”

In short, I try to teach them to advocate for themselves and for others. As a teacher, I try to teach my students the same without crossing any boundaries. We talk about why bullying is wrong and about treating everyone with kindness.

I teach special education, so we also do a lot talking about how everyone learns differently and everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. And wouldn’t the world be a boring place if we were all the same? I try my best to make sure my students know I care about them, and to know that they all have purpose in the world.

But as a teacher at an underprivileged, mostly black, school, I don’t know what to tell my students right now. I’m glad it’s summer so I have some time to figure it out. I don’t know why some people in the world see dark skin and think less of that person. I don’t know why some people in the world see lighter skin and think more of that person. I don’t know why some people can’t understand that when you continually push down an entire population of people for hundreds of years, that they will be angry — and they will rightfully react to that anger. I, too, am angry at those that treat people like criminals just because their skin is darker. I am trying to channel my anger and figure out how to help.

I will read books, watch videos, attend seminars and continue to educate my children about their privilege and racism this summer. In the fall, I will continue to teach my students that they have a purpose, that I care about them, and that I will continue to search for ways to help. I will be there to advocate for them — in school and out in the world.

How else can I help? What else can I do? I’m open to suggestions on how else to best teach my own kids about racism in the world. I’m open to suggestions on what to say to my students in the fall. I hope this is just a start to a longer conversation.