Invisible Systems

Thank you, Michael, for posting the link to Lou's story. As I read about his battle with cancer, I couldn't help but wonder if he received the care he needed. My mother died from cancer related causes a year ago, and it's a question that still bothers me. From going to the doctor with her, I saw how dismissive and patronizing doctors could be because of what she represented to them. It was very painful for me to read the McIntosh article, and even though I've tried several times, I can't get through that list of privileges, too many no's. 

At the same time, I realize that I could also make a list for all the middle-class privileges I have, and I know the comfort and certainty my economic status gives me is a luxury of choice people in poverty do not have. The children in "The Boys of Baraka" had to deal with issues of race and poverty, and as their teacher explained to them at the beginning, their "choices" were hardly anything they would choose. 

What I'm taking away from the reading and the movie is this: the concept of "choice" is elusive and selective. I must be diligent in keeping my eyes open to how my students' racial and economic status constructs their choices, and I need to engage others in my community in dialogue about what part we each play in limiting and extending privilege. Right now I'm enacting this on a small, one-on-one scale, and I'm struggling with how to work toward systemic change.