Multiculturalism/
Contemporary Issues
White Privilege |
Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack (1989) dives into the complex concept of White Privilege and how educators and especially art educators need to fight against this invisible notion. White privilege is like an unseen advantage Caucasian, and especially Caucasian males have over other races. White people benefit simply by virtue of their skin color and may not even realize they have this invisible “package of unearned assets” (McIntosh, 1989, p. 1). McIntosh implored readers to fight against this societal injustice that divides and separates races on an unconscious level. Art educators can incorporate these ideas into their curriculums can allow students to experience and think about how society views them and what advantages/disadvantages they have afforded simply by virtue of their race. Ignoring concepts like White Privilege do not make them go away; they need to be dialoged about in safe environments for students to reflect and grow from these experiences
McIntosh, P. (1989). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. Seeding the
Process of Multicultural Education, 138-144. |
Color Lines |
Olivia Gude's (2001) Colored Lines takes an in depth look at how color and color symbolism can highlight and explain large social concepts like racism and classism. She emphasizes the colors black and white to explain how society paints them with stereotypes; white is good and black is bad. This idea is so ingrained in our society is almost hard to not have been exposed to it. There are many examples she goes through in the article, as well as how other cultures view different colors and how they can be different from our own. Teachers need to be aware of these sensitive issues when discussing color and color theory with their classes as it is “sometimes difficult for teachers to be aware of the tactical implications of these unconsidered conventions (p. 29). This level of thoughtfulness and care can be applied so many lessons and facets to our curriculums; we should always be aware of those people who have different experiences than us and seek to preach tolerance and understanding of those differences.
The unfortunate portrayal in the media of black and white associations.
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Gude, O. (2001). Color lines. Principal Leadership, 29-35.
A Class Divided
Peters, W. (Director). (1985). A Class Divided [Motion picture on Television]. United States: PBS.
Starting Small Starting Small: Teaching Children Tolerance, chronicles the seven different preschool classrooms that all proactively promote multicultural awareness within their classroom. Within the documentary, each different classroom shown proves to teach children about fairness and respect amongst everyone while discrediting racial biases and stereotypes. Teachers promote inclusivity and help students recognize and realize the impact that they have on others which helps them develop strong empathy for others. Young children can understand what is fair and unfair which can be built upon leading to young minds understanding the importance of acceptance amongst all individuals. Incorporating multiculturalism into the classroom at a young age only helps children grow up with this positive outlook on life that benefits all of humanity.
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McGovern, M. (Director). (2018, April 24). Starting Small [Video file]. Retrieved April 27, 2018, from https://youtu.be/h2_Glek5TE8