There is so much going on in the news. As we begin our work this week, I want to talk about how important it is that we take the time to consider and then embrace the myriad racial perspectives about various recent events.

Why is this important? As educators for social justice, considering perspectives other than our own is a habit and practice that we use moment by moment. When we stand in a classroom of young faces, it’s essential that we are thinking about what our young people might have seen and experienced over the weekend or in their lives outside of school. Their perspectives about learning, race, school, values, and their own power in the world stem from their experiences—and those perspectives in turn inform how they interact with school, with curriculum, with each other, and with us. Taking the time to investigate those varying perspectives gives us windows into what our students are thinking and experiencing, which expands our own cultural competence, gives us a pathway to deeper relationships, and allows us to make curricula more relevant.

So here are just a few things about which there may be myriad perspectives in our classrooms:

1. Lunar New Year: Some of our students have just begun a 15-day observance of the Chinese New Year as they welcome the Year of the Monkey. It is extremely significant for many Chinese cultures—relatives often travel from afar to be together, there are a variety of foods associated with this celebration, and there are many associated customs. Some of our students will receive red envelopes, will help with cleaning their houses, and will intentionally not do things that portend negative patterns for the coming year. Do you know which of our students celebrate this holiday? How do they celebrate? What does this celebration mean in their families and to them?

2. The Sacramento Kings: Last week, the Sacramento Kings (an NBA team) pulled t-shirts that were set to be given away to all ticket-holders depicting a monkey in celebration of the Year of the Monkey. African American players on that team felt that it was disrespectful and inappropriate to give away t-shirts depicting a monkey on the first night of Black History Month. How do students in our classrooms view the decision made by the Kings? For those who knew about this, do they understand why this happened?

3. Beyoncé’s New Video and Half-Time Show: Beyoncé released a video and song on Saturday in advance of the Super Bowl half-time show that contains strong lyrics and imagery about police brutality, racism, Hurricane Katrina, and black, female power. There are many rich cultural references in the song that our students may or may not understand—and you may or may not understand. In the spirit of learning about the perspectives some of our young people may hold, I encourage you to listen to the song and look up the references that you don’t know. Have our students heard the song? What sense do they make of the lyrics relative to their own lives and to their families’ lives and experiences?

4. Cam Newton and Peyton Manning: Some of our students are devoted football fans. For those who followed the lead-up to the Super Bowl, the media drew some sharp contrasts between Cam Newton, the black quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, and Peyton Manning, the white quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Before the game, Cam Newton came under attack for being too flashy, too proud, and too wild—-accusations that many agree were rooted in racism and fear. After the game, when Cam Newton was short in his answers to reporters and then abruptly left the press conference, he was further attacked by media and former NFL players for being a sore loser. The contrasting continues—with various media outlets comparing Newton’s acceptance of the loss of the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning’s loss several years ago to the New Orleans Saints, in which he left the field in frustration without acknowledging the opposing quarterback, as is customary. Many commentators in the media supported Manning’s walk-off from the field while they are criticizing Newton’s much less dramatic response to losing. Do students see racism at play here? What have they learned in their own families about competition and comportment related to winning and losing?

How might we investigate our students’ perspectives on these events? What about a class discussion in which we practice making claims and backing them up with evidence? What about having lunch with a student and asking her or him about any one (or more) of these events? What about a quick-write at the beginning of class to get a sense of what students are holding in their minds and their hearts?

Even though we see young people each day here at school without their families—each of them comes from a family that has hopes, fears, traditions, biases, and the accumulated effects of oppression (imposed or experienced.) Our students learn to view the world and its events through the lens that their families gave to them, tinted by their current realities and what we teach them here at school. Here’s to recognizing and embracing the multiple perspectives that exist in our classrooms—so we may validate our students’ identities as well as deepen and expand our own identities as we work toward equity and justice.

Related Data

– Houser, C. (2016, February 2). Sacramento Kings Pull ‘Year of the Monkey’ Shirts From Seats. New York Times. Retrieved February 8, 2016, from www.nytimes.com

– King, S. (2016, February 8). King: The racial double standard between Cam Newton and Peyton Manning is on full display after Super Bowl 50. Daily News. Retrieved February 8, 2016, from www.nydailynews.com

– http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-beyonces-surprise-new-video-formation-20160206

– Singleton, G. (2015). Courageous Conversations about Race (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.