I really liked how Christina Torres stated that we need to teach with intersectionality in mind. Teaching in this manner is extremely important because it forces teachers to consider the whole child and not just what’s on the outside. It’s important that we recognize our students’ race, gender, homelife and experiences when making assumptions about their character, abilities and academic performance. For instance, Teaching at the Intersections mentioned a ninth-grader named Nicole that school’s performance was unfortunately hindered by her circumstance. Nicole was not only responsible for herself but her siblings as well. Nicole’s situation is the reason why we as educators need to continue to look at our students as individuals because each one is different in their own way in regards to their upbringing and life experiences.
The #say her name movement resonated with me for several reasons because I am a woman, a woman of color and am raising two daughters that one day will also become women of color. I must say that the video gave me chills. I had feelings of pure sadness and heartache for the women of color that became victims of state-sanctioned violence as well as for their family. To be honest, I also felt a sense of guilt because I was not aware of most of them. Again, seeing life through an intersectional lens is beneficial because it will allow us and others to see the challenges and oppression that race, gender and social class status play in several areas of our life such as employment, equal pay and violence against women of color.
Thanks for your thoughtful post Porsche. I am left reflecting on the #sayhername photo that you included at the bottom of your post and the visual of a black woman holding the #sayhername sign, surrounded by mostly white women in pink pussy hats. It makes me think about the complex relationship between white feminism and Black intersectional feminisms. I wonder how many women in that pic would know the names that Crenshaw read off or even the meaning of the #sayhername movement.
ReplyDeleteHi, Porsche
ReplyDeleteThank you for your interesting post. I also believe as educators we have to establish a good relationship with our students, in order to better understand them, and their academic performance. Not every student in our classroom will have the support they need to achieve their goals at home, and as educators we have to duty to provide that support. Many teachers still directly associate poor academic performance to the lack of motivation or laziness, but Nicole's case makes it that there is many causes to poor academic performance.