The Absolution of Racism on College Campuses

“There are – there are those who contend that it does not benefit African Americans to, ­to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less­-advanced school, a less – a slower-track school where they do well.  “One of – one of…

The Great Mismatch

Originally posted on tressiemc:
The painful truth about hand-wringing over whether Affirmative Action “harms” racial minorities is that no one cares if Affirmative Action harms racial minorities. The faux concern for the well-being of poor put-upon non-white students who are promoted beyond their ability never extends to concern for the many more white students who…

Markets, Charter Schools, and Race

Almost eleven years ago, Katrina hit New Orleans. Among the many radical impacts the storm had, public education ranks in the top. At first, it would seem that Boston, a city that ranks highly in educational achievement, has very little to learn from New Orleans. And yet, New Orleans presents a cautionary case study of…

Trump and the predictability of violent white male backlash

The reaction to Trump’s misogynistic xenophobia basically runs in two large directions: repulsed distance and righteous celebration. As much as his racist and sexist swagger are abhorrent, the moves to distance from him run the risk of missing why Trump’s messages of xenophobia have gathered traction at this moment as well as the deeply American…

How Whiteness tells the Story of Katrina 10 Years Later

Malcolm Gladwell’s essay on New Orleans ten years after Hurricane Katrina is but one of the many narratives that center whiteness as the protagonist of the city during and after Katrina. The purchase this essay has by virtue of its publication in The New Yorker, a nationally renowned news, politics and culture magazine, holds lessons…

Place becomes space: Structural oppression in situ

Structure: the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex. When I was finishing up my doctoral studies, third space theories were aflame in literacy research. Studies of how people created spaces that were neither school nor home, neither book nor digital, neither visual nor auditory, but along different nodes, reached…

Grief and Profit

Many around the nation and globe will be formally grieving, and through their grief, honoring the victims of the recent racism-fueled massacre  in South Carolina. Those present in Charleston will include President Obama and myriad other dignitaries, in observance and communion around terror, loss, violence, and perhaps justice and healing. But many will not be…