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Does it Matter If It’s Black or White?

The late great Michael Jackson once asked if it mattered if we are Black or White? On a record-No. Off the record-Yes! Hell yes, race matters! Race matters now more than ever in every place and every way.

This is even true when it comes to baby dolls.

You see the internet is currently ablaze with a sensational story about a White mother, her daughter, and race. The 2-year old daughter chose a Black doctor baby doll as a reward for her success in potty training.

When the mother approached the cash register, the elderly White cashier peppered the girl with questions about the doll selection.

The main question was, “Are you sure this is the doll you want, honey?”

After the girl replied in the affirmative, the casher said, ‘But she doesn’t look like you. We have lots of other dolls that look more like you.’”

The girl slayed the cashier with the following response:

“Yes, she does. She’s a doctor like I’m a doctor. And I’m a pretty girl and she’s a pretty girl. See her pretty hair? And see her stethoscope?’”

In her viral Facebook her post about the experience, the mother confirmed her happiness about her daughter’s display of colorblindness. She wrote, “This experience just confirmed my belief that we aren’t born with the idea that color matters.”

The mother attributed the cashier’s behavior to age, ignorance, and white privilege.

But truth be told, the mother’s views are also a byproduct of-wait for it-White privilege.

What I’m saying is this: Would this White mother minimize race if there historically were not an abundant supply of White dolls in America?

This is a question that is apparently important to Black mothers. So much so that the ABC sitcom “Blackish” dedicated a whole episode to race representation.

Diane receives a white doll from a neighbor. Rainbow’s response-exchanging the white doll for a black doll, preferably a doctor. But Rainbow becomes very upset when she and Diane find that the only available black dolls are an escaped slave and a Civil Rights protestor.

The moral of this story is this-There is not a huge supply for the Black demand for positive Black images in media and merchandise. So it very much matters to Black people that they are positively represented across the diverse spectrums of society.

This is also a matter of acknowledging that race and culture must play a conscious role in the lives of White people.

This will lead to between race ad within race representation that fosters racialized understanding and inclusion.

And we shouldn’t have to doll ourselves up to see this!

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Do Students of Color Need to Have Teachers of Color?

From The Mind of Dr. Mack T. Hines

Throughout my career, I’ve been continuously asked, “Do students of color need teachers of color to succeed in schools?” My answer has always been the same-Yes.

Black students need Black teachers. Hispanic students need Hispanic teachers. Asian students need Asian teachers. The rationale for this need is that teachers of color can often relate to students of color in unique ways.

An extended way of understanding this uniqueness is as follows:

1.Like students of color, teachers of color have often experienced various forms of racialized inequality during their schooling experiences.

2. Unlike White teachers, teachers of color are more likely to see race as a significant part of the identities of students of color. In addition, they are more likely to use race as starting point for becoming culturally responsive to these students

3. Teachers of color possess a positive familiarity with the cultural backgrounds of students of color. As a result, they are more likely than White teachers to see the mannerisms and expressions of their students as assets instead of deficits.

The significance of these statements are not about the politics of identity. These statements convey the significance or viewing the need for school through a representational lens.

We live in a country that presents all racial groups as a cultural dish of universal equality, brotherhood, and unity. But truth be told, the official representation of America is unequivocally White-White people, White Culture, White Traditions. This leaves little room for cultural representation to reflect the needs and experiences of non-White people.

Of all the places to promote diversity in race representation, the school is one of the most important places. The reason is that other than the home, schools imbue students with the confidence to pursue achievement. It’s one thing for students of color to experience school success. But to be supported by teachers of color in the pursuit of excellence is to be raised to a higher level of self-worth and self-esteem.

As a former student of color, I can attest to the power of these experiences in shaping the ways in which students of color see themselves as people.

Can you?

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