Argument - “Where White Privilege Came From?” by Allan G. Johnson

This author, Allan G. Johnson, argues that slavery began that was also the start of white privilege. Britain had a mindset where they thought they were superior to many other nations. They thought the Irish were savage and inferior people due to the different ways they operate from the British. This thought process was brought to the Americans and since they have failed to enslave the Native Americans, they decided to capture the black Africans instead. Racism against Native Americans started to occur during this time. The Constitution was written in a way that it seamed everyone had rights, but was actually meant for white men that owned property. Forced slavery was even seen as doing blacks a favor to the whites and that they should be honored for serving them. The terms "colored" and "white" as well as the concept of race never existed until countries decided to boast more about themselves by comparing and wanted to have structure. White people deemed groups of different ethnicity and culture as nonhuman and evil. In the 19th century it was better to be broke white person than a broke black person. The Americans justified their actions of making slaves with their race and it is this kind of privileged mindset from our ancestors that led to the way the world is today. This history keeps whites in power and has been unconsciously carried down from every next generation with these systems as well as trying to forge a path of easy living with little resistance. We must realize and change these systems and minimize this way of thinking by being open-minded and socializing.

Comment: We were taught this racist way of thinking without realizing it taking advantage of those privileges for easier living and even though we changed from that belief system, the systemic racism still lives on to this day and will not stop until we take action and change it. Hyperlink

Quotes - “Amazing Grace” by Jonathan Kozol

After reading Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol, discussing about children livng in Nw York being segregated by both race and class while growing up some quotes caught my attention. The quote on page 6 states, “There are children in the poorest, most abandoned places who, despite the miseries and poisons that the world has pumped into their lives, seem, when you first meet them, to be cheerful anyway." This best emulates the attitude or mindsets of most young children when dealing with the misfortunes they have received since birth. Though their lives have serious problems and they need to gain all the support they have in order to get better, they want to believe in the goodness of this world and we should help foster this righteousness by giving them the opportunities and assests to obtain their goals for a brighter future. Another quote is “How do they know, when someone calls, that youre not dying” (pg.15). In poorer hospitals, nurses might not be able to give help towards their patients for more than a half hour. Someone is calling for help and the patient has already died before the nurse could arrive. I had many occasions where my family members needed serious medical attention and the thought of my loved ones dying before having an operation for a chance of success is heartbreaking. Although we can not save everyone I want to at least give hospitals the tools and funding they need in order to increase the chances of people surviving. Lastly the quote “There’s a whole world out there if you know it's there, if you can see it. But they’re in a cage. They cannot see” (pg. 24) is worth mentioning. Teachers are ment to guide students to acknowledge and change the confines of our society and their social status and I hope I can be to acheive this while teaching my students math.

Comment: People need to be reminded that the people being sectioned off and considered as problems have lives and families just like the rest of us. Their futures should not being ruined before they have the chance to try and redefine it themselves. It is the fortunate and authoritative peoples responsibility to aid them and seek a more prosperous future. Hyperlink

Argument - “Other People’s Children” by Lisa Delpit

This author, Lisa Delpit, argues that dominantly white, middle class educational industries tend to do a disservice towards children of color by assuming they would have the same opportunities, assets, and history as white students. The educational system is centered around this mindset in which the middle class students benfit from this advantage by performing at a higher rate than the lower class students where most people of color are from. Teachers need to hear and acknowledge the differences and struggles students of color have to endure in order to not fail and ruin there chances of success. They need to be provided with the beneficial tools, resources, and context of our society that is needed for them. Schools are still largely white-employed and segregated through social and economic classes along with systematic racism. Teachers have already participated in this kind of culture and bias, but they can break the barrier of power down and give all students a fair chance to thrive in life. By helping white children have more self-awareness and self-reflection on the existence of of this power stuggle as well as acknowledging other peoples' cultures and backgrouds, we are not only broadering our horizons, but also better understanding our world with the people who are living in it.

Comment: Just because someone lives in the lower class does not mean they should stereotyped and be ridiculed. I have been privileged to experience private school for a year and would have been able to do another year if I decided to stay. There was a clear difference in school structure and teaching styles with the amount of visits I had to go to for observational purposes and special events. I never had teachers who would use multiple languages to teach students in the classrooms like they do in rural schools. Hyperlink

Reflection - “Privilege Power and Difference” by Alan Johnson

While reading Privilege, Power, and Difference by Alan Johnson, the topic of diversity and being in multiple different groups as either the more favorable or disadvantageous side. Everyone has opinions and different ways of thinking dut to their social groups, backgrouds, or experineces. We can not fully understand the opposition side's perspective, but we do have first hand experience in our own category. When Johnson discussed about sexism and racism, I reflected onto my own childhood and noticed my privileges as being a lower middle-class, young adult Chinese women as well as there downfalls. People normally assume Chinese people will excel in mathematics and make a career out of it because it is an universal language that everyone understands and is easier to understand than english if they are immigrants. However, I know I desired to became a secondary education math teacher simply because I excelled at problem solving with numbers and formulas and wanted to share the enjoyment I received in mathematices to younger children too. I am constantly asked if I am an US citizen when I give out my race as well as my background information when they see my mom. Recently, I had to answer a question with the whole class about which generation immigrant I was on one of my family's side. I was the immigrant, but the teacher did not accept that answer so I had to say I am the forth-generation on my mother's father side. This is something I should not have to constantly explain to people and be questioned about. So while I am on the toxic postive attributes side of racism, I am part of a group that is being torned down. Especially when the first time COVID-19 struck and people started to blame the Chinese and Asians in general. My mom became more protective of me by telling me ways to stay away from those people in any given situation. This helped me realize where my social status is on the hierarchy and what it entails such as my labels, advantages, and disadvantages. It can be hard to recognize and simultaneously bring it up in conversarions, but it should be brought into question openly because how else will your discrimination be heard.

Comment: I started to notice how careful we are around topics about racism and sexism in regular conversation since we do not want to upset either parties, but it should not be the case. We do have biases about certain topics or people, whether accidentally or not, but that should not dictate how we treat people before learning more about them. We need to be more open-minded and not instinctivly label people based on their characteristics. That is why talking about these misconceptions, inequalities, and prejudice acts against your groups is important. It will help us progress into becoming more equal until it is normalized in our society. Hyperlink

Who is SSLD?

On Christmas Eve, I had dinner with my companions, Dawn and Ivy.

For entertainment, I love music and watching anime, games, & virtual YouTubers on my screen.

My hobbies include mind puzzle games, constructing buildings from legos, and reading.