In most schools, students don’t learn about the history of people of color in America other than during a designated month, and the history we are taught is often biased in favor of white people. For instance, from an early age we learn about Europeans coming to America but rarely about the genocide and trauma they inflicted upon the indigenous peoples.
Another example is that we learn about very few historical figures of color in America who have had a deep impact on our country. I mention some important people of color throughout the book, but also check out the list of “People to Learn More About” on pages 239–240. Every one of these figures should be taught in American schools, but most are not.
THE EVENING NEWS
The news, whether on television, on the radio, or in print, has historically been one of the most dangerous tools in the racist depictions of Black and brown people. Many people take the news as the ultimate truth. Unfortunately, many news outlets cover or tell stories that present Black people in a negative light—as criminals and dangers to society. This builds a narrative and false understanding in the minds of many white people about Black people. Many people have used this false narrative to incite fear in white people and ultimately get them to make decisions based on that fear.
One example of this happened during former president Ronald Reagan’s “War on Drugs.” His administration used the news and other media to build a false narrative that drugs were a major issue in America that was threatening American lives more than ever, and the main place for drugs was in was Black communities. None of that was true.
But the fear that the narrative created in white people allowed him to take action through laws and policing that devastatingly impacted Black and brown communities and helped further the system of mass incarceration.
I suggest watching Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th on the prison industrial complex and America’s history of systemic racism to learn more.
HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCUs)
HBCUs are colleges and universities established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to primarily serve the African-American community. Like most places in America, higher education institutions had been historically segregated or simply didn’t allow African Americans to attend. The creation of HBCUs was not only a way to help grant access to higher education for African Americans; it also helped ensure a safe space to pursue education.
There is a great deal of culture, tradition, and history rooted in HCBUs that has had widespread impact, and I suggest learning more about these institutions. You might want to start by watching A Different World.
INTERSECTION
The theory of intersectionality was developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw. An intersection is a point where two or more things meet. The way I’ve used the term in the book is to help readers understand that a person’s life is not constrained to one identity or experience. Multiple things can be true about a person at one time, including the oppression they face. For instance, Black women suffer from sexism, as do white women. But they also suffer from racism, because they’re Black. Meaning their experiences live at the intersection of racism and sexism.
MAINSTREAM
Mainstream is another word for popular, but it focuses on the appeal to widespread masses and is used in reference to music, movies, TV shows, and other aspects of pop culture. Things tend to become mainstream based on influential cultures and people. Most things that are mainstream in America are things that appeal to white people because the people deciding what gets made are predominantly white.
MASS INCARCERATION
The United States has the largest prison population in the world, both in total and per capita. And a disproportionate number of those imprisoned are Black: according to the Pew Research Center, in 2017, African Americans accounted for 33 percent of the incarcerated population despite making up only 12 percent of the total adult population.
Black people are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of white people.
When slavery was outlawed, states turned to mass incarceration as a means of using forced labor to increase the profits of business and individuals. And again, I suggest watching Ava DuVernay’s 13th to learn much more.
MELTING POT
“Melting pot” is a term used to describe a society made up of people from various races, genders, religions, and other identities where cultural exchange is taking place. One of the first things we learn about America in school is this melting pot concept, the idea that we are all here working and living well together. Ultimately, not only is that not true; it also lets white people escape accountability for creating systems and moments to separate everyone else from white people.
Instead of the melting pot image, I see America as more of a tray of food where everything is on the same tray but the foods don’t mix with one another. We are all here, but it doesn’t mean we are together.
MICROAGGRESSION
Merriam-Webster covers it pretty well here, defining microaggression as “a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.”
MOST PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY IN AMERICA ARE WHITE
It’s a widely held belief that most people living in poverty in America are nonwhite, but this is false. While percentages of people living in poverty are high within communities of color, most Americans who are living in poverty are white. (Learn more here: https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-263.html.)
#OSCARSSOWHITE
#OscarsSoWhite was created by activist April Reign in 2015, a year when many were critical of the lack of nominations and wins for people of color at the Academy Awards when there were many films and actors of color thought to be worthy.
The film Selma, for example, was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture, but its director, Ava DuVernay, and leading actor, David Oyelowo, were not nominated for their roles. For the first time since 1998, all twenty contenders for lead and supporting actors were white.
The #OscarsSoWhite movement helped fuel conversations not only about the Academy Awards but also about the lack of representation and accolades for people of color in Hollywood more generally.
#REPRESENTATIONMATTERS
#RepresentationMatters is a movement based on the idea that people from marginalized communities (including people of color, indigenous people, LGBTQIA+ folks, and women) should have the opportunity to see positive representations of themselves in media and art. By doing so, there is a greater likelihood that they will be successful and be treated by others in ways that acknowledge their full humanity.
STEREOTYPE
A stereotype is a set of assumptions or beliefs about a group of people. A stereotype can be of a racial group, an ethnicity, a nationality, or any category of people. Stereotypes underlie and reinforce bigoted attitudes and oppression. Even stereotypes that appear harmless on the surface are a way of saying someone is an “other” and of failing to respect or see people as individuals, and therefore potentially contributing to prejudice and harm.
SYSTEMIC OR INSTITUTIONAL RACISM
Systemic or institutional racism is a kind of stealth racism. It’s the reinforcement of white supremacy through various strategies, plans, and parts of everyday life. It’s the inequality that is built into our laws, our economic system, our criminal justice system, our housing system, our health care system, our educational system, our entertainment. As I said, it exists in just about every single thing you can think of.