Deletion, Disappearance, Disregard: The “Veiling” of White Supremacy that Works to Excuse Naive Privilege

This quarter, graduate students enrolled in ENVS 597: Power, Privilege, and the Environment are writing short responses emerging from readings and/or discussions in class.  

 

Deletion, Disappearance, Disregard: The “Veiling” of White Supremacy that Works to Excuse Naive Privilege

by Ali Burdick

 

One of the biggest challenges I have come to face as an educator striving for a more just practice is the “elusive” veils of white supremacy– that is, elusive to those with privilege. Of course, these veils are not elusive to folks that are facing systemic oppression every single day of their lives. But for many of those who have the privilege of not facing systemic oppression, these systems can seem hidden and much harder to identify.

 

I say this with a bit of trepidation– I do not want to suggest that white supremacy is invisible, and I am not suggesting that folks with privilege do not have the ability to see it. I personally grew up in a bubble of privilege in which myself and many of my privileged community members did not speak of privilege in school. We did not learn the true history of the world we have and continue to colonize. We did not have to confront our own racism in many situations. In having conversations with folks who share a similar past experience, I’ve realized that for many privileged folks, pulling back those veils is not the “hard part.” Sometimes, it’s identifying them in the first place.

 

And why is that?

 

I think the answer to that question is more complex than a simple blog post could cover. But to start, we could examine the dominant historical narratives that many students within the public education realm learn, and the system that upholds these narratives as fact over reality.

 

• In elementary school, how often did you learn about indigenous communities, if at all? Were these lessons brief, or did you revisit them throughout the year? Did you ever learn about indigenous communities directly from the perspective of an indigenous person?
• Do the textbooks used in classrooms contain the whole truth about the United States’ past of colonization and systemic racism? Who is writing these textbooks? Who is choosing them for districts and schools?
• When you are considering something as scientific fact, who is determining that form of science? Do you take into account other ways of knowing?
• Do you ever read picture books and find yourself disappointed that you cannot relate to the image of the characters? Do you see yourself in books only as characters that have something to overcome?
• How often did you have a teacher who was black, indigenous, latina/o/x, or another identity of color?

 

Since its conception, the United States public education system has left the voices of marginalized identities out. Those holding white, privileged identities learn, in both subtle and overt ways, that their voices are more important. They learn that their knowledge is more valuable. They learn that their identities are superior. It is a privilege for me to even sit here and say that white supremacy can be hard to see, because for so many it has infected every part of their livelihood. However, in examining those “elusive” ways in which white supremacy is upheld in our society, we can begin the work to dismantle them. Particularly, if we can dismantle these systems in education and begin teaching the truth to our students, we can create a more critical body of citizens who are armed with the skills necessary to continue the work.

 

I would like to acknowledge the many public school (&beyond) educators that are working to dismantle false narratives, question the system we live and work within, and bring more truth into their classrooms. Education is an emotionally exhaustive profession, and many choose to put in countless hours of work to push back on “dominant” curriculum that does not serve their students, navigating disagreeing admin, districts, parents, the public etc. in order to deliver truth and justice to their students. In solidarity with these educators, I urge you to not only learn from them, but compensate them for the work that they are doing. Some of the educators I have learned from are:

 

@teachandtransform @nowhitesaviors @msadamsteaches

@readlikearockstar @corneliusminor @teaching_tolerance
@britthawthorne @ihartericka