Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? (Reflection)

    While reading "Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?" by Beverly Daniel Tatum I learned a lot about the ideas of prejudice and pre-bias. Some say they are not biased but in fact, if you are not paying attention to racism, that is for a reason. Racism is certainly not hidden but is being ignored. There is social segregation everywhere but especially in our communities and where we live. This is an example of where younger children get their bias and stereotypes from including movies, media, cartoons, etc. Beverly Daniel Tatum discussed a scenario where an adult asked preschoolers to draw Indians and was able to with no problem. This is because of the bias they have learned already in their 4 years of life. We draw from our own conclusions and refuse to believe that racism exists if it does not impact us directly. Tatum used a quote that I loved, "if we live in a smoggy place how can we not breathe the air?" meaning if it's surrounding us constantly how can we not conceive of the bias. 

    Although it may not "be our fault" it does not mean we are not responsible. We should be taking accountability since we do have privilege because white is a privilege and comes with power. Power comes with responsibility and we need to help be the change, not ignore it. One other quote that really struck me was that "if a person of color is a victim of housing discrimination, the apartment that would otherwise have been rented to that person of color, is still available for a white person." I was aware of racism and discrimination I guess I forgot or was unaware to some extent. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Tatum and highlighted key ideas myself and others may be unaware of. 

A Ted Talk about white privilege and how it is recognized: I grew up in poverty.

Video Analysis: Precious Knowledge

Amazing Grace (Reflection)

    When reading “Amazing Grace” by Jonathan Kozol, many questions came up mid-chapter. My questions about readings are not usually answered but were by the end of the chapter. Amazing Grace definitely took me out of my comfortable bubble and showed me what children go through throughout the world. I have definitely heard about New York and the prostitutes, AIDS, etc but never heard how many young children are affected and actually lose their lives because of it. It was sad to me how young children are aware of the dangers around them and have to deal with these situations such as asthma and oxygen tanks. Children should never have to deal with anything this hard. The quote “Our children start to mourn themselves before their time.” (11) stuck with me while reading this text. 

    The fact that the city has such complicated processes to help the poor like SSI and not being able to have money for the living, never mind spending money on the deceased. It makes me sick the way health is treated in the United States. Even just providing free hygiene products, tampons, condoms, etc. Human beings get judged for getting pregnant and not taking care of themselves, making it so difficult to receive health care and dental. Overall this text just made me remember how awful humans are treated in the United States and how there are people losing their lives every day because of it. 

TED Talk by Tarik Sammour discussing healthcare: Healthcare: Luxury or a Right