Racial Diversity Education: A Necessary Evil?

• In Event: Roundtable Session 85
  In Roundtable Session: Antiracism, Diversity, and Critical Race Theory: Perceptions From the Field

Abstract

At the very time in which White-teacher denial of racism is at its height, schools all over the country are beginning to embrace racial-diversity education, a move most White teachers support. How can White teachers both deny that race is relevant, yet support racial diversity education in the schools? In this paper, we interview two pre-service and four in-service teachers to help us unpack this seeming contradiction. Applying Bonilla-Silva’s concept, new racism, our interviews reveal that White teachers support diversity education because they see it as a necessary evil: White children show black children how good life is if they work hard enough while Black children serve as a cautionary tale for White children who might slack in their education.

Authors

• Linda Markowitz, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

• Laurel D. Puchner, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville