Have You Been Prejudiced Against?
I'm currently teaching a graduate college class on multicultural education. My students are sharing some really sad stories about blatant prejudice that they or their friends have experienced.
I still have a difficult time grasping that some people honestly believe that the amount of melanin in your skin determines your station in life. Have we moved forward so little in the last 50 years? If, today, the amount of melanin in your skin is seen as negative then what will it be tomorrow? Perhaps people with green eyes will be inferior?
If you have a true story about some prejudice you or a friend has suffered, please leave it on my blog. I'd like to use them as examples with my students. Thank you.
Perhaps it's more important than ever to teach
Dr. Martin Luther King's message to our children.
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Reader Comments (4)
Learn what we live
It saddens me that we are judged by our race, colour, religion, weight, sex, strengths, weaknesses, wealth...... As adults, we need to instill the best values in our children. As an Aunt, I try to lead by example. A 5 year old does not call a person FAT without having heard it from someone first. A child has no concept of ideal weights unless they are surrounded by people who judge others on their appearances.....
If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.
Just read this - and it really sums up my comment above - "Racism isn’t born, folks, it’s taught"
Some of my other favourite quotes / sayings are;
When you reduce life to black and white, you never see rainbows.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
- Martin Luther King Jr. -
This one particularly makes me really upset... I have never been on the receiving end of prejudice, and being someone who does not allow the "amount of melanin in your skin" determine how I will treat someone, it is really sad, that people in this day and age, would hope to be judged equally among their peers... You would think we would have learnt so much by now... but unfortunately prejudice is still alive and well...
Reminds me of the movie trailer I recently saw for the movie BULLY... If it is as confronting as the trailer has been so far, it will definitely be getting purchased for all the little ones in my life to watch and question for themselves "have you been the change you want to see in the world"!
This is one of my all-time favorite poems. And it's true for adults as well isn't it? Any child who has you as an aunt (or adopted cousin) is a lucky child indeed. You're a great role-model to our children.
Racism is absolutely taught. When Rachael was in first grade a little boy raised his hand and said (in front of the class), 'My dad says that everyone who looks like Rachael is stupid and don't deserve to live'. The sad thing is that he and Rachael were friends but the dad put a stop to it. That poor child doesn't stand a chance to be part of the change that's so necessary.