PD--Kendi Ch. 7 and 8 Wednesday, August 12 9-11 am

Ch. 7 and 8 Wednesday, August 12  9-11am

Cultural and Behavioral Racism and Antiracism

Facilitator: Julie Rosette

Good evening everyone. We will be focusing on chapters 7 and 8 tomorrow and will have time in breakout groups to discuss questions about the chapters. I also wanted to share a few resources that I have found especially helpful this summer. See you tomorrow morning!

 

Instagram accounts:

Ibramxk

britthawthorne

blovesoulpower – Dr. Bettina Love- abolitionistteachingnetwork.org

 

Podcasts :

ATN- Teaching to Thrive- Dr. Bettina Love and Chelsea Culley-Love (only one episode so far, but it was great)

Hidden Brain- episodes The People Like Us May 25^th

                                                The Air We Breathe June 12^th

                                                A Rap on Trial June 15^th

Chapter 7, “Culture” (81) introduces cultural racism, which Kendi posits as the belief that Black culture is inferior, and even deviant, in comparison to White culture. This includes the perception that Ebonics is not proper language, and that Hip Hop music and fashion are “thuggery” (87) and “filth” (88) according to cultural critics. Kendi explains this cultural bias while recalling the jubilant atmosphere of Jamaica Avenue in Queens in the 1990s where he would hang out with his friends after school, listening to music, talking, and watching girls. When he was 15, however, Kendi and his family moved to Manassas, Virginia. Kendi was distraught at having no friends there, and even more so when he failed to make the basketball team at school. In retrospect, he realizes he had trouble fitting in because he scorned Southern culture in favor of the urban world he left behind.

Chapter 8, “Behavior” (92) is a continuation of the topics introduced in the “Body” chapter, as Kendi establishes that, just as the Black body is not inherently more aggressive and threatening, the Black mind is not inherently inferior. Once again he notes that ideas about this supposed inferiority can be traced back to slavery, in which Black people were characterized by traders and masters with traits like “hypersexuality, immorality, criminality, and laziness” (96). Kendi recalls his personal struggles with academics, barely making C's and D's in high school. He discusses the racial biases of standardized tests, and recalls attending a prep class for the GRE in college. This class was not so much about reviewing specific material that would be on the exam, but about acquiring the skills needed to succeed on a standardized test. He then flashes back to the oratory contest he won, mentioned in the Introduction, and states that, after he graduated high school, he attended Florida A&M University, the largest historically black college in the U.S.