Humanity
Vivian and I discussed recommendation #3: Help students see each others’ humanity. The points we talked about are:
- The working definition of the antiracist move that L. Janelle Dance proposes is that teachers must work actively and personally with students against dehumanization of other human being.
- In promotinig youth never to treat others as inferior, Dance recommends that teachers must reflect on the moments when their humanity were insulted, bruised, battered, or robbed or when they may have done so themselves. Further, educators should consider how they did or did not heal from such events, and then prepare to offer advice to their students on to heal.
Dance's personal healing experiences from such events:
- Sought out positive role models
- Spent time with family members and friends because she needed someone to affirm herself-worth.
- Recognized that we are human race
What Dance believes that teachers must do:
- Using the dehumanization incidents that they are witnessed as teaching tools to show dehumanization in everyday life.
- Creating a safe space for students to heal
- Creating opportunities for students to interact with members of other racial-ethnical groups as equally worthy human beings.
Finally, we agree with Dance that educators cannot do these all by themselves—they need to ask support from colleagues, parents, and students themselves.
Shahla & Vivian
