About STARS

University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
The Student Teachers Anti-Racism Society (STARS) promotes anti-racism education at the College of Education, University of Saskatchewan through the support of the College. We work collaboratively to understand, identify, and address individual and systemic racism and its interlocking forms of oppression based on gender, sexuality, ability, class, religion and other socially constructed categories. We believe that anti-racist and decolonizing education, when woven together, can create humanizing and emancipatory change for everyone.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Anti-racism for white activists

Here is a "top 10" list for white anti-racists from the Colours of Resistance website. There are a lot of "top 10" lists out there for white anti-racists, but this one provides specific guidance for activists.

Ten things to remember: Anti-racist strategies for white student radicals (Chris Dixson): http://www.coloursofresistance.org/749/ten-things-to-remember-anti-racist-strategies-for-white-student-radicals/

Monday, December 19, 2011

Colours of Resistance resources

Check out the site Colours of Resistance archives for informative resources on a wide variety of topics: http://www.coloursofresistance.org/

About Colours of Resistance: Welcome to the archival website of Colours of Resistance! We offer this collection of articles and resources as a contribution to documenting our movement history and helping to advance contemporary analysis and organizing. Colours of Resistance (COR) was a grassroots network of people in the U.S. and Canada who consciously worked to develop anti-racist, multiracial politics in the movement against global capitalism. This network existed from 2000 until about 2006. Through this work, COR members aimed to help build an anti-racist, anti-imperialist, multiracial, feminist, queer and trans liberationist, anti-authoritarian movement against global capitalism. COR members were also committed to integrating an anti-oppression framework and analysis into all of our work.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Call for investigation of missing and murdered Aboriginal women


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CBC News - Missing aboriginal women prompt UN letter: Two Canadian groups requested investigation, accusing Canadian government of breaching convention

Saturday, December 10, 2011

The high price of fashion: Killer jeans


The Hidden Human Cost (from www.labourbehindthelabel.org)

Jeans with the faded or worn out look achieved by blasting sand at high velocities at denim often retail for as much as 180% of the price of a normal denim. Yet the hidden cost is paid by sandblasting operators working today in countries such as Bangladesh, China, Mexico and Egypt, many of whom will contract an acute form of the fatal lung disease silicosis due to fine silica particles gathering in the lung.

The first case of silicosis in the garment industry was identified in 2005 by doctors in Turkey, who were investigating the reason for a high incidence of lung and respiratory problems among the young men employed in the industry. By 2010, over 1000 affected workers had been identified in Turkey. 46 workers, mostly young men, had died of the disease and doctors suspect 5,000 other unreported cases. Silicosis can become fatal within 6 to 9 months.

For more information:

Shop Ethical: http://www.ethical.org.au/get-informed/issues/jeans-sandblasting/
http://www.ecochicmagazine.co.uk/eco-fashion-expo/fashion-expose/killer-jeans-how-distressed-is-your-denim 


BBC News - Sandblasted jeans: Should we give up distressed denim?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15017790

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

In Whose Honor: Documentary



See the website below for information about the documentary
In Whose Honor


 http://jayrosenstein.com/pages/honor.html

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Remembering Aboriginal veterans: Forgotten Warriors film

Forgotten Warriors (1997): http://www.nfb.ca/film/forgotten_warriors

Questions, stills and interviews with the director: http://www3.nfb.ca/enclasse/doclens/visau/index.php?mode=theme&language=english&theme=30662&film=33238&excerpt=612143&about=2

Description from NFB: Although they could not be conscripted, when World War II was declared, thousands of Canadian Aboriginal men and women enlisted and fought alongside their non-Native countrymen. While they fought for freedom for others, ironically the Aboriginal soldiers were not allowed equality in their own country. As a reward for fighting, the Canadian Soldier Veteran's Settlement Act allowed returning soldiers to buy land at a cheap price. However, many of the Aboriginal soldiers were never offered nor told about the land entitlement. Some returned home to find the government had seized parts of their own reserve land to compensate non-Native war veterans. Whole First Nations communities still mourn the loss of the thousands of acres of prime land they were forced to surrender. With narrator Gordon Tootoosis providing an historical overview, Aboriginal veterans poignantly share their unforgettable war memories and their healing process. We join them as they travel back to Europe to perform a sacred circle for friends left behind, but not forgotten, in foreign grave sites. Director: Loretta Todd, 85 min.

Additional Information:

Saskatchewan First Nations Veterans Committee: http://www.firstnationsveterans.ca/index.php
Metis Veterans Memorial Monument: http://www.metisnation.ca/index.php/news/metis-veterans-memorial-monument-project

Aboriginal Veterans: Essential Facts and Timeline: http://www.waramps.ca/newsroom/archives/abvet/back.html 
Canada's Vets Stand Strong: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/11/05/canadas-vets-stand-strong-united-against-cuts-61647

Criminal law reform in USA


Chance at Freedom: Retroactive Crack Sentence Reductions For Up to 12,000 May Begin Today:
http://www.aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/chance-freedom-retroactive-crack-sentence-reductions-12000-may-begin-today

Monday, October 31, 2011

Racist Halloween costumes

Here is a CBC piece on the 'We're a culture, not a costume' campaign. You can ask students to think about how costumes can dehumanize people (for younger grades ask how they make people seem like they are not human). In terms of Indigenous peoples, students can think about how 'Indian' costumes influence understandings of and responses to Indigenous peoples in Canada including treaty, land and human rights. Native Appropriations recently posted on this as well and included pictures of costumes, or check out the blog my culture is not a trend.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Dr. Marie Battiste: The learning spirit & Indigenous knowledge

We were extremely fortunate to have internationally acclaimed Indigenous scholar Dr. Marie Battiste present a STARS event in November 2009 called Anti-Racism Education and Decolonization. An important part of Dr. Battiste's work has focused on decolonization, the learning spirit, and how Indigenous Knowledge and Elders' teachings can guide us to remember our purpose within colonized, racialized territories. The following Youtube videos of Dr. Battiste were posted by the Different Knowings speakers series held at McMaster University:

The Learning Spirit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOxIfB7KLxQ

Knowledge as a key site for decolonization: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evxpt0u4tOU&feature=related

Why Indigenous Humanities? Who gets to be human? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTkyiBWHquU&feature=related

For more information about Dr. Battiste's work visit: 
http://www.usask.ca/education/profiles/battiste/

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Blog post on decolonizing the Occupation

The blog post below from Native Appropriations can help to inform discussions with students about decolonization and the Occupation movement:
http://nativeappropriations.com/2011/10/representing-the-native-presence-in-the-occupy-wall-street-narrative.html

It's a brilliant blog. Check it out when you get a chance.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Bedford Road Redmen, it's time for a change Facebook page

Here is the link to the 'Bedford Road Redmen - It's Time for a Change' Facebook page - to learn more see the following news articles. This is an important topic to discuss with students in social studies, language arts, physical education, art ...and all grade levels.

Redmen Team Name Irks Saskatoon High School Graduate: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/09/22/sk-bedford-road-school-sports-team-name-110922.html

The movement to change the Redmen name/mascot can be linked to the post below about the renaming of a Nova Scotia school: 
Cornwallis renaming is the right thing to do: We shouldn't honour the architects of genocide: http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archives/2011/06/26/cornwallis-renaming-is-the-right-thing-to-do

First Nations Solar Housing

Canada's entry into the 2011 Solar Decathlon, which is a competition to design solar-powered and net zero housing. The team strove to meet the needs of First Nations living on reserves by addressing lifestyle, culture, and harmony with the land, as well as legal, environmental, health, and economic concerns. The name, structure, layout and materials used were all chosen in consultation with First Nations. The "turtles" are also designed to be low-maintenance and long-lasting, but on temporary footings so that they don't become the default property' of the government. While some of the articles I've found lack a certain insight and sensitivity, I believe the intention of the team was good. While maintenance and operating costs are very low, there is no mention that I can find about the initial cost to built the home. Solar panels aren't cheap… The team has a layout of the house with info points throughout explaining choices. There is also a rather random section on FNMI actors, musicians, and writers which comes across a little weird, but I'm impressed by the amount of thought that seems to have gone into the project.

http://www.solardecathlon.gov/blog/archives/1074
http://inhabitat.com/team-canadas-trtl-solar-decathlon-house-is-a-modern-take-on-a-native-american-home/
http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/utoday/september20-2011/TRTL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGtfr3Kancs&feature=related (Youtube videos of the process, some of which cover ceremonial rites)

I can see this design and process being useful as a topic and point of study in many different subject areas - science, art, social studies, native studies, etc - but can also see it being linked to English and religious studies when connected to story-telling and creation stories.  

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Oct 7 Documentary and Fundraiser - Child Welfare: The State as Parent

This free public event begins at 7:00 p.m. on October 7th at the Neatby-Timlin Theatre, Arts Building 241 at the University of Saskatchewan campus. All are welcome.

Researcher partners with community on gang prevention for documentary

Full article: http://news.usask.ca/2011/10/05/researcher-partners-with-community-on-gang-prevention-for-documentary/


U of S Native Studies researcher Caroline Tait and her community partners are hosting a public documentary film launch, panel discussion and fundraiser on October 7, all aimed at raising awareness and seeking solutions to child welfare and gang involvement in Saskatoon.


“Our child welfare system is broken, and we need to fix it.” Tait says. “We need to begin to by ensuring that our child welfare system is ethical, that the system does not cause even more harm to vulnerable children and families.”


Tait’s recently completed film, “Child Welfare: The State as Parent,” will kick off the event. The documentary is part of an “ethical toolkit” project funded by the Mental Health Commission of Canada and is directed by Douglas Cuthand, an award-winning Indigenous filmmaker from Saskatoon. Through the stories of survivors, it describes a child welfare system in crisis.


Following the screening will be a panel discussion with national and community partners sharing their expertise on child welfare. This will include representatives of STR8-UP, an innovative program run through the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan that works directly with and through community members on gang prevention. STR8-UP has been instrumental in helping Saskatoon gang members leave their colours and exit the gang life. Program founder Father Andrè Poulievre was awarded the Governor General’s Award in 2009 in part for this work.


“Gangs have a persistent influence over many vulnerable young people in our community,” Tait says. “Addressing this issue is not about harsher punishments and enforcement. It takes building connections with families and with communities, and addressing issues of poverty, racism and social exclusion.”

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Indigenous peoples and racism in Saskatchewan and Canada

The article that follows is from MediaINDIGENA. It can be shared to illustrate how everyday racism allows and normalizes the dehumanization of, and violence against, Aboriginal people. Students need to understand that this dehumanization and violence is given authority when First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples are described as inferior or silenced in everyday conversations, policies, ads, textbooks, and other spaces. There are no innocent jokes or comments. As Dr. Verna St. Denis teaches, language has power and this power has authorized the oppression and genocide of Indigenous peoples throughout 500 years of colonization. Although the stories in the articles are systemic, there are respectful and meaningful ways to talk about and prevent racism, misogyny, homophobia and all forms of oppressive violence. Let's have these conversations in our staff rooms and classrooms, during PD days.

Seeking the Breaking Point: Violence and Justice in Canada
http://www.mediaindigena.com/sarah-hunt/issues-and-politics/seeking-the-breaking-point-violence-and-justice-in-canada

Thursday, September 15, 2011

People of Color Organize website

Check out this website: http://peopleofcolor.tumblr.com/

The website is not designed for teachers, but there are some great articles on white privilege that can be used in the classroom with adaptations and may other pieces that can spur critical discussions. It is also worth reading in general to expand, challenge and support our own views on racism.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Blue Eyes: The Jane Elliot website

The website provides teaching resources and information about her many videos - most can be found at the Saskatoon public and U of S libraries.
Jane Elliott, internationally known teacher, lecturer, diversity trainer, and recipient of the National Mental Health Association Award for Excellence in Education, exposes prejudice and bigotry for what it is, an irrational class system based upon purely arbitrary factors. And if you think this does not apply to you. . . you are in for a rude awakening. In response to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. over thirty years ago, Jane Elliott devised the controversial and startling, "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" exercise. Everyone who is exposed to Jane Elliott's work, be it through a lecture, workshop, or video, is dramatically affected by it.

Her first film, Eye of the Storm (1970), can be used with primary students as the exercise takes place with her grade three students.

Middle years and secondary students can watch Indecently Exposed (2005), which takes place in Regina and is an excellent documentary to show students after they have examined and can recognize individual, institutionalized and systemic racism in Canada. Debriefing is needed after viewing.


Indecently Exposed discussion questions:

1. What frequently happens in Canada when racially oppressed groups such as Indigenous peoples protest against discrimination and oppression?
2. What does Elliot mean when she says, ‘blue eyes and brown eyes do not live in the same country’?
3. According to Elliot, how does the dominant population ‘play with the minds of those who are racially Othered’?
4. Why is tolerance not enough to challenge racial inequality?
5. How can one person work to challenge racial inequality in her or his own community?

The Storytelling Project Curriculum: Learning About Race and Racism Through Storytelling and the Arts

The Storytelling Project Curriculum: Learning About Race and Racism Through Storytelling and the Arts (US based)

This resource has 33 lessons plus handouts and PDFs. 


Thank you for your interest in the Storytelling Project Curriculum: Teaching about Race and Racism through Storytelling and the Arts. We are eager to have others use lessons from the curriculum we have developed using the Storytelling Model and/or to have you develop your own lessons using our model. We have made this model and curriculum available as a free PDF and encourage teachers to use the lessons and/or modify them to meet the needs of your own students and subject area, as well as create new lessons that fit the different story types.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

RFK in the Land of Apartheid: A Ripple of Hope

Playing on PBS throughout September. It's worth watching.

Information about the documentary: http://rfksafilm.org/html/about.php
Video clip and ordering information: http://www.videoproject.com/rfkinlaofapr.html

Using never before seen archival footage, and interviews in South Africa and the United States, filmmakers Larry Shore and Tami Gold tell the unknown story of Robert Kennedy's 1966 visit to South Africa during the worst years of Apartheid. The film evokes the connections between the American Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-Apartheid Movement in South Africa. The filmmakers find witness to this special moment in time through the sights and sounds of present day South Africa.
It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.                                                                                                                                   -Robert F Kennedy

Monday, September 5, 2011

History in our faces on occupied land: A race relations timeline


This is a great teaching resource called "History in our Faces on Occupied Land: A Race Relations Timeline" by the Vancouver Status of Women group. The resource can be used to teach Canadian history across grade levels.

"This timeline has been created as part of Vancouver Status of Women’s Racialization of Poverty Project, a feminist, anti-racist and intersectional research project that analyses how Canada’s historic and current legislation creates poverty for racialized communities in very specific and pervasive ways. Our analysis locates the violent history of European colonization of Indigenous Peoples in Canada as a central point of the discussion on legislated racism in Canada; as such, VSW recognizes that the challenges faced by Indigenous communities in Canada today are a direct result of Canada’s systemic and institutional tactics of genocide and assimilation."


Thursday, September 1, 2011

Anti-racist 9/11 resources

We Shall Never Forget 9/11: The Kids Book of Freedom - If you haven't heard about this disturbing colouring book to commemorate 9/11, it is worth reading the link below. The book has already sold out and more are on order.

The article posted here is from Islamophobia Watch and ends with a link to 20 useful sites to teach students about 9/11 in respectful anti-racist ways.

Link: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/911-coloring-book-influences-kids-with-islamophobia/

Language of Closet Racism lesson: Article & Prezi

"I'm not racist, but..."
Those of you who have taken EFDT 335 have probably read The Language of Closet Racism. Alyson Werner made this article by Paul Gorski into a great teaching resource and was kind enough to share her prezi for your use. Thanks Alyson! The presentation is meant to be 30 - 45 minutes, but can be divided into several lessons. Perfect for middle years and secondary students, and school staff. It is a great resource to use in all subject areas as research tells us this language is normalized and can be heard on a daily basis in gym class, in the hallways, in the science lab, in student clubs....

Language of Closet Racism lesson and article:
http://prezi.com/b2kbjyvsiwqv/language-of-closet-racism
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/langofracism2.html

Allyson taught us about the three strands of closet racism, presented a list of five or six examples of closet racism from her recent lived experience, and then asked us to identify each strand (does the speaker use fear, unawareness and/or dis-ownership?). She also shared times when she used the strands herself, which made it very personal and helped us to relate to the lesson. To conclude, we had a discussion about the power of closet racism, what this language accomplishes and why all teachers need to recognize and address it.

Excerpt from article: Three language indicators of closet racism are evident across the continuum. These are what I refer to as "strands" because, when woven together, they form the language web of closet racists. Again, strength of language and degree of racist attitudes change dramatically across the continuum, and as a result, these strands, or indicators are more readily observable in certain individuals and groups than in others. They include fear, unaware-ness, and dis-ownership.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Article on low-emission cars and the racial demography of ownership

This is an interesting article ... a great way to encourage critical conversation about the connection between ecological justice and anti-racism education. Depending on the environmental/green strategy, who benefits? Link this article to other lessons on environmental racism.

Unnatural causes: Socio-economic and racial inequalities in health


This interesting seven-part documentary can be used as an anti-racism resource in health, science and economic/math classes. The website offers video clips, resources on various interrelated topics and a discussion guide. Website: http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/about_the_series.php
See clip from documentary: Diabetes Among Native Americans: Genes or Environment?

UNNATURAL CAUSES is the acclaimed documentary series broadcast by PBS and now used by thousands of organizations around the country to tackle the root causes of our alarming socio-economic and racial inequities in health. The four-hour series crisscrosses the nation uncovering startling new findings that suggest there is much more to our health than bad habits, health care, or unlucky genes. The social circumstances in which we are born, live, and work can actually get under our skin and disrupt our physiology as much as germs and viruses. Evidence suggests that more equitable social policies, secure living-wage jobs, affordable housing, racial justice, good schools, community empowerment, and family supports are health issues just as critical as diet, tobacco use, and exercise. As a society, we have a choice: invest in the conditions for health now, or pay to repair our bodies later.

Systemic and institutionalized racism in Canada affects the health of Indigenous peoples. See these First Nations, Metis and Inuit websites for more resources and information about the health outcomes of racism:

National Aboriginal Health Organization(NAHO): http://www.naho.ca/
Aboriginal Healing Foundation: http://www.ahf.ca/
National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health: http://www.nccah-ccnsa.ca/en/

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Zinn Education Project

Check out the Zinn Education Project and their list of Native American teaching resources: http://zinnedproject.org/posts/category/explore_by_theme/native-american

This excellent website is US-based. Students can learn from the resources, compare this knowledge to their understandings of Canadian history, and conduct their own research on Canada.


The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the use of Howard Zinn’s best-selling book A People’s History of the United States and other materials for teaching a people’s history in middle and high school classrooms across the country. The website offers more than 85 free, downloadable lessons and articles organized by theme, time period, and reading level. The Zinn Education Project is coordinated by two non-profit organizations, Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change.

We believe that through taking a more engaging and more honest look at the past, we can help equip students with the analytical tools to make sense of — and improve — the world today. For a more complete description, read A People’s History, A People’s Pedagogy.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The History of Race


Want to learn more about the history of race? See the list of excellent sources below or check out our previous posts on this topic (with video clips). The documentary Race: The Power of an Illusion is a great resource to use in the classroom and is available at the University of Saskatchewan library. This video can be incorporated across subject areas: social studies, science, economics, health, language arts .

Banton, M. (1998). Racial theories. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Bernasconi, R. & Lotts, T. (eds.). The idea of race. USA: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Dickason, O. (1984). The myth of the savage and the beginnings of French colonialisms in the Americas. Edmonton: The University of Alberta Press.
Gould, S.J. (1996). The mismeasure of man. New York: Norton.
Hannaford, I. (1996). Race: The history of an idea in the west. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.
Kaye, H. L. (1997). The social meaning of modern biology: From social Darwinism to socio-biology. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers.
Malik, K. (1996). The meaning of race. New York: New York University Press.
McLaren, A. (1990). Our own master race: Eugenics in Canada, 1885 – 1945. Toronto: The Canadian Publishers.
Mead, M., Dobzhansky,T., Tobach, E. & Light, R. (Eds.). (1968). Science and the concept of race. New York: Columbia University Press.
Prentiss, C (Ed.). (2003). Religion and the creation of race and ethnicity: An introduction. New York: New York University Press.
Smedley, A. (1999). Race in North America: Origin and evolution of a worldview. Boulder: Westview Press.
Willinsky, J. (1998). Learning to divide the world: Education at empire’s end. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Young, R. (1995). Colonial desire: Hybridity in theory, culture and race. London: Routledge.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Racism and the Sexualization of Indigenous Women

Callaloo Parade and the Sexualization of Native American Women: Sexual Violence as a Tool of Conquest: http://beyondbuckskin.blogspot.com/2011/07/callaloo-parade-and-sexualization-of.html

The violence (racism and misogyny) Indigenous women experience is systemic. Last year we were fortunate to have Marilyn Wapass present a powerful and inspirational talk called Racism and Violence Against Aboriginal Women. She left us with many resources and ideas to create change.To learn more from some of the many resources available see:

Stolen Sisters http://www.amnesty.ca/our-work/campaigns/no-more-stolen-sisters
Native Women's Association of Canada: Sisters in Spirit http://www.nwac.ca/
Video: Finding Dawn (NFB, 2007) http://www.nfb.ca/film/finding_dawn/
Video: Stolen Sisters (
Fahrenheit Films, 2007) http://www.stolensisters.com/page3.html
Book: Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide (Andrea Smith, 2005)
Book: Making Space for Indigenous Feminism (Joyce Green ed., 2007)

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The 'S' word: Talking about white supremacy

We sometimes receive comments from white supremacist/racial purity groups. The comments are removed, but they remind us to think about why we sometimes talk/teach about white privilege and racism, but may not always make clear connections to white supremacy. We wonder how and why teachers may or may not address this in schools.

What are your thoughts regarding teaching K - 12 students about the connection between racism, white privilege and white supremacy?

For a good read on this topic see: Leonardo's The Color of Supremacy: Beyond the Discourse of White Privilege (2004) 
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ980322

Monday, July 4, 2011

SpeakOut: Speakers, Artists, Exhibits, Films...


"SpeakOut is dedicated to the advancement of education, racial and social justice, cultural literacy, leadership development and activism. Our network of speakers, artists, and strategic partners provide experiential learning opportunities through lectures, workshops, film screenings, performances and curriculum development."



Visit the SpeakOut resource list for many (many, many) excellent ides: http://www.speakoutnow.org/section.php?id=6

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Backlash to renaming Nova Scotia school


Cornwallis renaming is the right thing to do: We shouldn't honour the architects of genocide
http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archives/2011/06/26/cornwallis-renaming-is-the-right-thing-to-do

Sign the rename Cornwallis petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/01101749/petition.html

Learn more: www.danielnpaul.com

Learning about patriarchy and race: Tough Guise


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Tough Guise: Violence, Media & the Crisis in Masculinity


Jackson Katz argues that widespread violence in American society, including the tragic school shootings in Littleton, Colorado, Jonesboro, Arkansas, and elsewhere, needs to be understood as part of an ongoing crisis in masculinity. Tough Guise is the first educational video geared toward college and high school students to systematically examine the relationship between pop-cultural imagery and the social construction of masculine identities in the U.S. at the dawn of the 21st century.



Saturday, July 2, 2011

Globalization & Whiteness

Check out this book review of Black Bloc, White Riot: Anti-Globalization and the Genealogy of Dissent: http://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2011/06/stuff-white-people-smash

It looks like an excellent read and well-needed analysis of why globalization movements are not always anti-racist. It's important to understand the connection between racism/white supremacy and the global economy (and make this explicit) so that we can teach students about the historical and current relationships between race and political/economic power at global and local levels. Too often, it seems, the focus is on helping 'underdeveloped' countries and local communities without examining the role that whiteness plays in maintaining these inhumane inequalities and global systems of oppression. A few articles/chapters/books that make this connection and are worth reading include:

-Abu-Laban, Y. & Gabriel, C. (2008). Selling (out) diversity in an age of globalization. In M. Wallis & S. Kwok (eds.), Daily struggles: The deepening of racialization and feminization of poverty in Canada. Canada: Canadian Scholars Press.

-Allen, P. (2001). The globalization of white supremacy: Toward a critical discourse on the racialization of the world. Educational Theory, 51(4), 467-485.
-Arat-Koc, S. (2009). New whiteness(es), beyond the colour line? Assessing the contradictions and complexities of “whiteness” in the (geo)political economy of capitalist globalism. In S. Razack, M. Smith & S. Thobani (eds.), States of race: Critical race feminism for the 21st century (pp. 147-168). Toronto: Between the Lines.

-Battiste, M. (2005). You can’t be the doctor if you’re the colonial disease. In P. Tripp & L.Muzzin (eds.), Teaching as activism: Equity meets environmentalism (pp. 121-133). Montreal: McGill Queens University Press.
-Bonnett, A. (2006). The Americanisation of anti-racism? Global power and hegemony in ethnic equity. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 32(7), 1083-1103.
-Dhruvarajan, V. (2005). Colonialsim and capitalism: Continuities and variations in strategies of domination and oppression. In P. Tripp & L.Muzzin (eds.), Teaching as activism: Equity meets environmentalism (pp. 134-148). Montreal: McGill Queens University Press.
-Farmer, P. (2005). Pathologies of power: Health, human rights, and the new war on the poor. Berkeley: University of California Press.
-Glenn, E. N. (2009). Consuming lightness: Segmented markets and global capital in the skin whitening trade. In E. N. Glenn (ed.), Shades of difference: Why skin color matters (pp. 166-187). Stanford: Stanford University Press.
-Goldberg, D. T. (2006). The global reach of raceless states. In D. Macedo & P. Gounari (eds.), The globalization of racism (pp. 45-67). Boulder: Paradigm Publishers.
-Leonardo, Z. (2002). The souls of white folk: Critical pedagogy, whiteness studies, and globalization discourse. Race Ethnicity and Education,5(1), 29-50.
-Massey, D. (2007). Categorically unequal: The American stratification system. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
-Razack, S. (2004). Dark threats and white knights: The Somalia affair, peacekeeping and the new imperialism. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
-Stewart-Harawira, M. (2005). The new imperial order: Indigenous responses to globalization. London: Zed Books.
-Vaid, J. (2009). Fair enough? Color and the commodification of self in Indian matrimonials. In E. N. Glenn (ed.), Shades of difference: Why skin color matters (pp. 148-165). Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Slam Poetry as Anti-Racist Education

Anti-racist education works to counter and dismantle all forms of interconnected oppression. I recently found out about slam poetry from a student I taught last summer. Although it seemed very powerful and empowering, I wasn't introduced to poets who use slam poetry to counter oppression. Then, I met an inspirational young man and teacher who does just that and has won national awards for his work and passion. We were fortunate to have Khodi Dill present at our EraceISM conference this year. His presentation focused on the spoken word and how it can be used with students of all grade levels as anti-racist education. Here is a link to some of his incredible work on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsDwOKUHZbA&feature=related

Teaching Tolerance offers some links about Slam Poetry as anti-racist education. Check out this blog post about a group of students called Rapid Fire at an American high school: Full post http://www.tolerance.org/blog/change-rapid-fire-pace

Amazing and courageous work!

A group of talented young poets has emerged at my school, Life Academy, over the last three years. They call themselves “Rapid Fire.” When they speak, there is heat, and their words do catch. They’ve met critical success in district and area slam competitions. This year, the team placed second in the preliminary Unified District Poetry Slam sponsored by Youth Speaks and went on to place second in the finals. Not only are their words deliberately beautiful, but their messages can transform and teach tolerance.
Through poetry Mendoza, Phan, and Garcia have found their political voice. “I learned to get involved in social issues that affect me, like immigration and gangs,” Mendoza said. “Through poetry I realized that I wanted to major in women and gender studies for college. It's just completely transformed me and helped me grow.”
As these three seniors leave Life Academy for college, they gift the school the legacy of poetry, the message of change. They also leave big footsteps to be filled by their younger classmates, the next generation of poets.


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