2. African Americans in the United States today
are at a disadvantage to other populations
even though there are laws in place to try to
prevent this. You are more likely to be poor,
be in prison, and be discriminated against in
the job market if you are of African descent.
To teach to a population that has these
factors working against them you must be
aware of who they are and that these
conditions exist.
3. African Americans are more likely to be raised
in a home where the mother is the head of
the household than Caucasians. There is a
built in fear of oppression of the government
held by many African Americans based on
factual history. In the past and still today
African Americans have been discriminated
against. Although our government has taken
steps to rectify the laws in regards to this
society is still lacking in the reality of it.
4. Dark skinned
Full lipped
Descendants of slaves
Kinky black hair
Ignorant
Athletic
5. Any skin color
Any shaped lips
May be descendants of non-slaves
Any texture hair
Same range of intelligence as Caucasians
Both athletic and non-athletic
6. Teachers within the population are paid less
Less likely to be enrolled in difficult classes
More likely to be physically restrained
3.5 times more likely to be suspended
Less likely to have difficult courses offered
More likely to be placed in seclusion
More likely to be expelled than Caucasians
7. As Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stated
“ Education is the civil rights of our
generation,”. We as a people need to realize
and do something about the disparity that
exists within the education system in our
country when it comes to the opportunity and
treatment of African Americans within it, an
equal opportunity is not being afforded for
all.
8. Pay attention to the cultural experience of
students
Be cognizant of the differences in
demographics
Recognize differences as valuable
Do not change your expectations
Educate yourself about African American
culture
9. To sum it up you should expect the same of
all of your students. It is important to
recognize differences, not call yourself color
blind because nobody truly is. Rather take
these differences in color and educate
yourself about what they mean. As Ross says
“a teacher who professes to be “colorblind” is
not going to understand how unconscious
biases can influence expectations, actions,
and even the way a teacher addresses
students of color. “
10. Do you feel that the government is doing
enough to make sure there are equal
opportunities for all regardless of their skin
color?
11. Lewin, T. (n.d.). Black Students Face More
Harsh Discipline, Data Shows - NYTimes.com.
The New York Times - Breaking News, World
News & Multimedia. Retrieved October 18,
2012, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/educa
tion/black-students-face-more-harsh-
discipline-data-shows.html?_r=0
12. Lum, D. (2011). Culturally competent
practice: a framework for understanding
diverse groups and justice issues (4th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
13. Scruggs, A. (2012, October 18).
Colorblindness: the New Racism? | Teaching
Tolerance. Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved
October 18, 2012, from
http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number
-36-fall-2009/colorblindness-new-racism
