We can see that history and historical policies are still shaping thought today. As a southerner I see this especially prevalent in the south where people still hold onto things like the confederate flag. I personally believe that one of the reasons things like this are still such major issues today is the education system. We have literally whitewashed our history. By continuing to teach this whitewashed history we carry on that legacy of ignorance.
I have been fortunate to have studied this topic before and as such most of this was review. The videos were really informative and I hope to pass these resources on to friends and fellow educators so that we can continue our work towards a more just and equal society.
When I started writing this reflection I was filled with dismay at all I did not know about America’s racist past. The video’s presented in this module made it easy for me to see how our nation’s past continues to have an effect upon people’s behavior today. The techniques used to stop a person from furthering themselves, such as redlining, limiting educational opportunities, limiting access to health care are examples of techniques that were used in the 1800s and are still in use today!
I find myself wishing that more time, in my Jr. and Sr. High school history classes had been devoted to teaching my generate about the evils of institutional racism. Too many of us (white middle class) did not learn about racism from our parents. For me, I was not raised to hate people of color but I was not raised to accept them as equals. Just as noted in the video titled, Maintaining the Status Quo: Using Propaganda to Create Stereotypes and Bias, I was provided with copious amounts of propaganda to justify my false beliefs. The realization that I fell victim, at a very early age, to conformity and confirmation bias struck me the most in this module. There is so much information proving the evils of racism. Yet, until a few years ago, I was able to ignore those facts and live my life as if I was not complicit in the perpetuating racism in my community. I am thankful for learning opportunities such as this course to help me deepen my understanding of racism and its effect on me and my community.