Taking Education Responsibility by Disrupting Color Blindness, Liberalism, and Meritocracy in Teacher Education: A Critical Race Theory Perspective

• In Event: When and How Does Critical Whiteness Work Become Too White?

Abstract

With this research, I am concerned with U.S. society’s ideals of equal education and the seeming paradox of “how and why the field of education is still plagued by gaps, disparities, and deficiencies along the color line in predictable fashion” (Horsford, 2011, p. 83). Educational researchers, policy-makers, program developers and others currently demonstrate keen interest in the unequal academic outcomes in U.S. public schools and the [so-called] failure of Black and other students of color to academically perform at the same levels as their White counterparts (Bhargava, Frankenberg, & Le, 2008; Irvine, 1990; Lleras, 2008; Love, 2004; Valencia, 1991). Therefore, this study is to explore the ways race-related understandings of equality position individuals to perpetuate U.S. society’s existing racial hierarchy (Bell, 1992; Bennett, 1972; hooks, 1989). My aim specifically is to illustrate how White racial knowledge most often serves to secure processes of race-based domination as individuals and groups apply principles of equality in ways that frequently sustain and on certain atypical occasions serves to challenge historical inequalities.

The property functions of Whiteness embedded within the racial liberalism applied by the participants helped to ensure that the existing racial hierarchy will remain undisturbed and not be challenged. Following Ladson-Billings (1995), we suggest that interruption of the historical democracy-racism paradox requires Whites to consistently think differently about equality and race. The notion that Whites alone have created U.S. society and its institutions is a myth; Whites have contributed to, yet compromised American democracy by through the historical privileging their group-based interests (Olson, 2004). Equality must therefore become contextually situated, group specific, and color specific. Future research, then, must explore how White egalitarian traditions may draw from the collective achievements and experiences of people of color in U.S. society to redefine equality and other democratic ideals without the burden of Whiteness (Lomax, 1964; Marable, 1993). Social justice and education equality must move beyond notions of meritocracy and liberalism.

Author

• Cleveland Hayes, Indiana University - Indianapolis