Postracialism: Crafting a Course to Challenge the Myth in Brazil and the United States

• In Event: Roundtable Session 46
  In Roundtable Session: Action Research: Challenges and a Promising Future

Abstract

A society that has transcended race and its implications is post-racial. Due to the perception of egalitarian relationships in Brazil, it is viewed as the post-racial model for other countries. With Barack Obama’s election and some increased levels of educational attainment among races, there exist perceptions that the United States has also achieved post-racial status. A problem in education is the reluctance to create classes that explicitly discuss race in the 21st century. This action research study informed by critical race theory analyzes a pedagogical approach that uses race as a central concept to discuss history and current events. Forty-eight evaluations collected over two years shed insight to the importance of classes that explicitly discuss and propose solutions to racism.

Author

• Vernon Lindsay, University of Illinois at Chicago