With Halloween quickly approaching and learning about teaching multi-cultural art education curriculum, I came across these photographs and blog, http://lissawriting.wordpress.com/2011/10/23/racism-think/, and it led me to some thinking...
As Art Educators, we have earned the immense privlige* of creating curriculum that is thought provoking, enriching, personal, and expressively creative for our students. But if one is not careful, they may use such a privlige as a vice. What I mean, is that if one is not cautious, knowledgable, or sensitized to the content they are teaching their students, they may be infusing their students minds with unintentional stereo-types and racism! This reminds me of the article by Peggy McIntosh, The White Privlige, The Invisible Knapsack. If you are a caucasian male/female and have ever walked in to a convience store and do not have to worry about finding a bandage that matched your complexion...you are part of the white privlige and subconsiously unaware of how you carry the "invisible knapsack"...it is a form of "stealthy racism." Stealthy racism in itself isn't announced...it's silent. Like the photographs posted above.
Now, I love halloween and dressing up. Who doesn't love the nostalgia, fantasy and candy for a day! Also, I an not suggesting the thought that one shouldn't dress up as figures such as, Frida Kahlo, Himiko, Inanna, or Athena. The difference here is that these are particular, notable figures...individuals. It is not a mockery of an ignorance to a whole culture (i.e. "geisha girl", "indian").
As educators, it is our responsibility to be aware of and sensitized to *unitentional*racism so we do not contribute to the *stealthy silence*. Before, I may have never considered these halloween "costumes" as offensive and I certainly would never intend to be offensive towards another person or culture for that matter. But this is exactly what "stealthy racism" is..."it doesn't announce itself and it's complicated!" Now, I am much more knowledgable, sensitized, and empathetic to the form of stealthy racism that these so-called costumes are imposing.
"He who experiences the unity of life sees his own self in all beings" *Buddha*
Full Article ~ The White Privlige, The Invisible Knapsack.
http://www.nymbp.org/reference/WhitePrivilege.pdf
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