Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/569858
Not just for people of color White students "absolutely" benefit from e t h n i c s t u d i e s , s ay s p r o f e s s o r C h a r l e s Toombs, chair of the Department of Afri- cana Studies at San Diego State University, which also offers Chicano, American Indian and Asian studies. "It's important for white students to see that not every- thing is viewed from the white, middle-class perspective and that other viewpoints exist," says Toombs, Cali- fornia Faculty Association. "To be informed citizens of the world, we have to understand each other's cultures. That's the whole point of ethnic studies." He has heard people say that ethnic studies isn't needed in today's diverse world, and he strongly disagrees with that premise. "People say that race doesn't matter anymore and we're living in a color-blind society, but that is not the truth. Our goal should be getting to a post-racist society. We've made a great deal of progress, but we're not there yet. We need to talk about the lingering impact of institutional racism on our culture." David Ko, an ethnic studies teacher at Washington High School in San Francisco, observes that some white students feel uncomfortable in his class initially. But they shouldn't, he says, because the point of ethnic studies is to hold discussions, not attack anybody because of their ethnicity. "An important element of my class is making sure it's a safe place for everyone to talk about race and racism — and making sure discussions are not targeted toward any specific students. The idea that racist beliefs are bad is very different from saying white people are bad. I've had white students come up after class and tell me our dis- cussions made them think about their own identities and allowed them to have meaningful conversations without feeling attacked or defensive." Pagan Faye, a white student in his class, thought at first she wouldn't like it, but now looks forward to it. "We talk about interesting topics. One of the things we talked about is 'What is normal?' Our class concluded that no one is normal and we all have different perspectives." Also benefiting from the class are gay, lesbian and transgen- der students who face discrimination and homophobia, says Ko, United Educators of San Francisco. "They feel a sense of kinship with people of color that have been oppressed, and solidarity is a powerful tool. In my class, stu- dents see how different forms of discrimination can overlap." Two signs hang prominently on Ko's classroom wall. One says: "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." The other says: "Love yourself; love your people." Students find both of these pointers very helpful. "We've learned how different races affect each other throughout history," says ninth-grader Yan Yu. "We're more aware of our surroundings and the stereotypes that surround our lives every day. And we're more aware of our own thoughts, actions and histories in the process." For more member views on the need for ethnic studies, see Point/Counterpoint on page 22. David Ko says his ethnic studies class at Washington High School in San Francisco is a safe place for discussion. To learn more about ethnic studies: • Visit ethnicstudiesnow.com • Go to the National Association of Ethnic Studies at ethnicstudies.org • Check out tolerance.org/blog/value-ethnic- studies-all-students 47 V O LU M E 2 0 I S S U E 2 Learning