Investigating Intersectionality and Uncovering My Niceness as Students Create Space to Investigate Oppression and Privilege

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Disrupting Whiteness, Niceness, and Privilege as Teacher Educators (Table 10)

Abstract

Investigating the concept of intersectionality by examining how our identities marginalize or give us privilege is an essential component of multicultural education. This self-study documents the experience of a white, middle-aged female educator and a diverse group of students in a multicultural education class as they unpacked their identities, marginalization, and privilege in society. Through reflection, research, and conversations with my critical friend, I found that I was using niceness, a form of white privilege, to justify using my power to shut down uncomfortable conversations and avoid challenging situations in my personal life (Bapiste, 2008). I also found that through this questioning, the students were role-modeling how to interrogate privilege and marginalization.

Author

• Angela Pack, Hudson County Community College