Anti-Racism and Education

The documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, which is focused on James Baldwin's unfinished novel of the same name, is probably one of the most influential pieces of anti-racist media I've come across. Baldwin and the documentary are discussed in Robin DiAngelo's book White Fragility. In terms of specifically anti-racist teaching, Baldwin thinks we, as white people, should re-examine how people of colour are depicted in media and popular culture, "Because Uncle tom refused ... movies were simply a reflection," (15:25). This also challenged my current view of people of colour in the media and popular culture I consume, particularly their portrayals in media made by white people. For potential English teachers, this could mean one of two things. Either one, they can teach new material that isn't racist and is actively anti-racist, or with the same racist material that came from a white dominated society and use that material to have discussions on how we can ultimately end that line of thinking.


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