When sad things happen, like the events in Charlottesville over the weekend, I often wonder what my response should be. I could post something on Facebook about denouncing hate and the importance of standing up for what is right, and all my liberal, non-racist, mostly white Facebook friends will post praise emojis in response. I could donate money to the ACLU or another organization that will continue to tell white supremacists and Neo-Nazis that they are wrong. I could continue to follow the news and cry and double-check to make sure my doors are locked.
None of that will make a difference. An unemployed white man in rural Virginia will not hear of my heroic contribution and think to himself, “Boy, was I wrong. Let me go hug an immigrant.” This feeling of impotence is a luxury, I know. It means I am not too busy protecting my own life or mourning a relative to think about my place in the larger scheme of things. But it is an important question nonetheless.
Then, I remember that I am a teacher. In two weeks, I will hold the minds of 80 young people in my hands, and it is my responsibility to make sure they grow up to be the kind of people who protest hate, not perpetuate it. Given that I teach in a private school in one of the wealthiest areas of the country, my students--like me--are part of a privileged population. How do I make them aware of their privilege without making them feel ashamed of what they are? How do I teach them to empathize with, but not patronize, those who, by virtue of their birth, are vulnerable? And if I succeed, have I really done anything other than create another self-satisfied Facebook-posting, money-donating, news-following generation?
Help.
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