A Feb. 22 front-page article about former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s (mis)education at the nearly all-white Orangeburg Preparatory School, “Haley’s high school has little class on racism,” told readers Both public and independent institutions that were reminiscent of racially segregated “high-performing” schools disproportionally trained graduates while denying education about the realities of structural racism and systemic injustice. sent to leadership positions.
I have taught in such schools for over 25 years and, as one of my interviewees stated, “It’s very easy to experience racism and not be negatively affected by it.” So I feel like racism isn’t a problem.” That. ” But they are certainly being negatively affected. Students like Haley and her classmates are isolated and therefore not only ignorant, but vulnerable. The study found that the most affluent adolescents However, I believe that these students will not only learn about injustice, but also become collaborators in ameliorating it. I have personally witnessed the kind of agency and empowerment that comes from acquiring skills. Youth feel a universal need to make a difference and thrive when they can. As a result, laws like those in 22 states that ban social justice education actually harm the white children they are trying to “protect”. This is the irony of the fact that “education reform” that focuses almost exclusively on improving the learning of disadvantaged black and brown students creates obstacles to equity. It creates the destructive illusion that a just society can be built without requiring any changes to the education of the privileged.
david nurenberg, Somerville, Massachusetts