“Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be.
But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what
you do today.” ~Hemingway
The above quote was read and then repeated at John McCain’s
memorial service and it is as inspirational as the “48 Voices of Defiance, Strength, and Courage” who contributed to NEVERTHELESS, WE PERSISTED. That
new text is quite an interesting collection with perceptive essays from a variety
of often lesser known individuals who have overcome obstacles related to race,
gender, religion, and sexual identity. I especially liked “Learning about Empathy”
by Imran Siddiquee because I think it nicely parallels the work Voices of
Equity students have been doing on “What it Feels Like to be ___ at New Trier.” In a description of this collection, the
publisher notes the athletes, many types of artists, politicians and teens who
contributed and asks, “How did they break out of society's limited view
of who they are and find their way to the beautiful and hard-won lives they live
today?”
NEVERTHELESS, WE
PERSISTED contains a foreword by
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and received a starred review from VOYA
and from Kirkus which called it “required reading” and described these essays
as stories “of struggle to find identity and self-love while confronting
the racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism that remain embedded in American
culture.” The text includes a brief biography
of each contributor as well as several guiding questions to prompt individual reflection and class
discussions. Inspired readers interested in activism resources should also look
for KEEP MARCHING by Kristin
Rowe-Finkbeiner (published in May).
A related, but much more academic work is WHITE KIDS by Margaret A.
Hagerman (published by New York University Press). Its subtitle is “Growing Up
with Privilege in a Racially Divided America” and the author begins powerfully
with quotes from middle school students about their perceptions of race. Hagerman,
an Assistant Professor of Sociology, continues by sharing results of her
studies based on two years of research with white, affluent, Midwestern
students. She asks: “How do white kids
learn race? What role do parents play in shaping children’s racial views?” It
may not be surprising that many white parents consider themselves “anti-racist,”
but Hagerman explores further, focusing on key differences in the outcomes of
white racial socialization across families, neighborhoods, and schools. She argues that all children growing up in the
United States have lives that are structured by race and provides numerous
examples (education, law enforcement, family relationships, opportunities) while
trying to better understand how “some of the children in this study thought the
shooting of Trayvon Martin was a grave violation of human rights and … other children did not
even know Trayvon’s name.” Hagerman deftly examines the political and cultural
segregation that we also have been contemplating (e.g., living in a bubble);
hopefully, her work will spark more conversation. While perhaps too scholarly
for most students, our teachers, administrators and parents will find much to contemplate
and discuss.
A related, but much more academic work is WHITE KIDS by Margaret A.
Hagerman (published by New York University Press). Its subtitle is “Growing Up
with Privilege in a Racially Divided America” and the author begins powerfully
with quotes from middle school students about their perceptions of race. Hagerman,
an Assistant Professor of Sociology, continues by sharing results of her
studies based on two years of research with white, affluent, Midwestern
students. She asks: “How do white kids
learn race? What role do parents play in shaping children’s racial views?” It
may not be surprising that many white parents consider themselves “anti-racist,”
but Hagerman explores further, focusing on key differences in the outcomes of
white racial socialization across families, neighborhoods, and schools. She argues that all children growing up in the
United States have lives that are structured by race and provides numerous
examples (education, law enforcement, family relationships, opportunities) while
trying to better understand how “some of the children in this study thought the
shooting of Trayvon Martin was a grave violation of human rights and … other children did not
even know Trayvon’s name.” Hagerman deftly examines the political and cultural
segregation that we also have been contemplating (e.g., living in a bubble);
hopefully, her work will spark more conversation. While perhaps too scholarly
for most students, our teachers, administrators and parents will find much to contemplate
and discuss.
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