Help me re: "Reverse Racism"

[pip]

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[MrsAxilla]

Why were boys and white girls excluded?

[Gato]

Personally, I think all the kids should have gone. It's a great movie and all the kids could have learned from it. Why send the message that a movie with POC protagonists is for POC only?

[smock]

I agree that the school should have included all students. That, however, does not make the exclusion of white kids "reverse racism"--that's just ridiculous, and I would also lose respect for anyone who threw out that claim.

[WOUNDTIGHT]

It's not "reverse racism", because male is not a race, and reverse racism isn't a thing, but I am totally WTF at why all the kids weren't invited? Wouldn't everyone have benefited from seeing the movie? ETA:Should have ended my sentence there.

[smock]

Jan 27, 2017 10:25:05 GMT -5 pip said:

Jan 27, 2017 10:19:47 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

Why were boys and white girls excluded?

I cannot speak to that. I know they only invited girls of color to attend. I would wager this was because the film has to do with the achievements of WOC.
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But non-WOC should also see movies showing the achievements of WOC.

The school's decision is so problematic--it's reinforcing the stereotype that boys don't want to watch movies about women, but it also implies that white kids don't want to watch movies about POC. 

I'd ask the school to plan another event where all the students are invited.

[berrysweet]

I don't have a response for you, because I think the school messed up.

I don't think a group of children should ever be singled out for a special activity based on anything other than achievement/growth, and even THAT can be pretty tricky, in my opinion.

ETA- I agree that this is not 'reverse racism' though. Is that the term actually being used by parents?

[mskitkat]

I don't get this. If we want Hollywood to make more movies with PoC leads, we need the movies they do make to make as much money as possible. This is definitely not reverse racism because that is not a thing, but it's certainly a questionable decision.

[calmcosmo]

That wasn't a good move by the school. No, it is not reverse racism, but they shouldn't have excluded white girls and all of the boys. If I was a parent I would probably be upset too.

[MrsAxilla]

Are you trying to argue that it wasn't "reverse racism" or that it was cool to only invite the black girls? If it's the former, there are lots of resources available. Check out our sticky post with recommendations. If it's the latter, well, that's a loser and I'd let it go. Schools can't discriminate based on race or gender and it sounds like that's exactly what your school did.

[juliej]

Is it just the term "reverse racism" that bugs you? Because it was certainly discriminatory.

[Gato]

As for how to get out of this mess, I would want the principal and superintendent, as well as those who set up the field trip, to sit down with those who complained and listen to their concerns. Although I personally don't think reverse racism is a thing, obviously some people are upset about what happened and that's the label they've used for why they're mad. It could be an opportunity to bring the community together to learn about the systems of oppression in this country. Maybe the whole community could watch Hidden Figures, or some other movie, in the gym some evening, and discuss?

[pip]

Thanks for your feedback everyone.

The women are using the term reverse racism. I'll check out the resources in the sticky post.

[ringstrue]

re: your friend - are you still FB friends with her? You can post a youtube video on your wall on the subject. There are a few good ones out there (I can't go through them at work).

[turnipthebeet]

Yeah I'd say there is an opportunity for learning here. You can sympathize with the parents of the kids were excluded, and be on their side, while also explaining how reverse racism isn't a thing.

[WOUNDTIGHT]

Jan 27, 2017 10:17:57 GMT -5 pip said:

I'm just aghast, but not surprised. One of the people who complained is someone I'd previously considered a friend but our friendship has quickly tanked in the last week for a number of other reasons. This is just the icing on the cake.

How would you respond to these women?

I'd say, hey, I'm pissed too! Not because of reverse racism, because that's not a thing, but because the school deprived all the boys and white girls of the opportunity to learn more about the achievements of women of color who were engineers. This is a story that should be seen and appreciated by all. That was a real missed opportunity, and also sent the message to the students they DID invite that only WOC should care about the achievements of WOC, which is both wrong and offensive. So, what should we do about it?

[kicks]

This reminds me of an assignment I had to do in college (school in VA).

I chose to investigate and ask the history department why the Black History class wasn't taught every semester like the other classes were. One of the responses I got was that the professor had noticed there weren't many black students attending the class. My wtf face was very strong on that one.

[berrysweet]

Jan 27, 2017 10:36:17 GMT -5 WOUNDTIGHT said:

Jan 27, 2017 10:17:57 GMT -5 pip said:

I'm just aghast, but not surprised. One of the people who complained is someone I'd previously considered a friend but our friendship has quickly tanked in the last week for a number of other reasons. This is just the icing on the cake.

How would you respond to these women?

I'd say, hey, I'm pissed too! Not because of reverse racism, because that's not a thing, but because the school deprived all the boys and white girls of the opportunity to learn more about the achievements of women of color who were engineers. This is a story that should be seen and appreciated by all. That was a real missed opportunity, and also sent the message to the students they DID invite that only WOC should care about the achievements of WOC, which is both wrong and offensive. So, what should we do about it?

I think this is a great response. In this case, you've got parents who seem to be concerned and upset for the right reason, but they have the wrong vocabulary to be able to talk about what they're seeing. It's not wrong to correct the terminology, but if the conversation becomes about the terminology rather than about the actual events that took place, that's a problem too.

[leeba25]

I agree that what they did was shitty. Not only to leave out half or more of the kids, but to single out the black girls like that, "let's take the black girls to a black movie" is polarizing and stupid. Either it's a good movie with a good message or it's not. White kids and boys need the message that black women are smart, successful, and powerful too.

[05heel]

These white people need to get over it, and themselves. We know that won't happen though.

[05heel]

Jan 27, 2017 11:06:03 GMT -5 leeba25 said:

I agree that what they did was shitty. Not only to leave out half or more of the kids, but to single out the black girls like that, "let's take the black girls to a black movie" is polarizing and stupid. Either it's a good movie with a good message or it's not. White kids and boys need the message that black women are smart, successful, and powerful too.

I'm assuming these black children weren't forced to attend the movie in chains. Sometimes it's nice to see things about us without the hot white glare of your classmates to go along with it. I would have loved this as a student, and would encourage a similar outing for my daughter.

[cville]

The trip was paid for by the parents of the students who attended.

Parents of students who did not attend can pay for their kids and achieve the exact same goal: watching the movie. A good goal, too, given that the movie is awesome and has great lessons for all people. Have at it, whiney white parents.

The noninclusion of white girls and all boys was not reverse discrimination. There is no such thing as reverse discrimination.

[05heel]

Jan 27, 2017 11:21:23 GMT -5 @licia said:

"Some things aren't for you," is the only response I can muster to the parents whinging "reverse-racism".

Seriously.  If you're genuinely concerned about your kid understanding and valuing the experiences of WOC, then you wouldn't bat an eye at a special outing for young black girls to see this movie.  Again, get over it.  You're not being victimized here in any way.

[CheeringCharm]

People need to understand that they're not always going to be included in everything and that is ok. The people who organized this trip were probably just trying to do a special outing for the girls of color, who do face certain obstacles that their white classmates don't. That's just reality. It's a shame that the white parents are trying to turn this into something that it's patently not. The trip didn't take away anything from anyone else. It was paid for by the participants and the white students are free to see the movie whenever they wish.

[05heel]

This shit is pissing me off. I can't believe that there are people in here whining about the school "sending the wrong message." What is wrong with you people?

[erbear]

Jan 27, 2017 10:59:35 GMT -5 @kirkette said:

I don't give a fuck that the white students weren't invited. Nor do I feel that the school should've necessarily invited them to this event, if they didn't want to do so.

Those white kids, have white parents, who all know how to find a cineplex. They can go see it as a family if they are all up in arms.

I think I'm here. We have gotten similar pushback at school about the Black Student Union and our Student Affinity Groups (which, PS, there is a White Affinity Group...) and while "reverse racism" hasn't been explicitly thrown into the mix, I'm sure it's the underlying complaint. 

I agree that this is a movie that boys and white girls would benefit from seeing as well, and I'd hope the school would find a way to encourage that, but yeah, I'm ok with this trip being something for girls of color. 

[rugbywife]

The reason it isn't reverse racism is because there is no such thing as reverse racism.

The only reason they are pissed off is because they feel 'offended' at being 'left out'. If they were upset for legitimate reasons I would be more inclined to care.

[downtoearth]

I don't quite understand the goal of the angry parents. It may not have been an equal opportunity, but it was not a loss for the kids who didn't go that would hinder their education, right? The school probably learned not to afford special privileges, but I don't think the teacher who planned this was wrong to get the group of Black kids to go. There is no IEP process to form groups of kids that are systemically treated differently in our schools. I also agree that it's not the fabled reverse racism.

Also how is this playing out? It seems like it is confrontational and pretty public, so the kids know about this and therefore this rare privilege the kids who attended the movie got is sending a stronger message than the movie itself.

[05heel]

Jan 27, 2017 11:33:55 GMT -5 @mx said:

Glad to see these parents are worried about the big issues facing their kids' futures...

I don't think there is anything wrong with this. Children from different backgrounds have different needs to grow in their identity and come to a place of pride in who they are and what they are capable of. Certainly parents have a role to play in that development, but it is more than appropriate for a school system to also foster that development and identity formation. I'm not a parent nor a child development expert but I can see that plain as day from the kids I interact with regularly.

Thank you.  Who the fuck are you all to say that black girls don't have the right to see this movie in a positive, comfortable environment?  Have you ever been a black child learning about black history with your white classmates?  That's the opposite of comfortable and positive.

This is why I'm dreading school for my kid, even though I've gone to great lengths to ensure that she'll be with a lot of black students.  People are too simple for their own good, and I'm going to get myself arrested at a PTA meeting sometime in the next two years.

[eclaires]

I'm team 05heel and @kirkette here.

Without knowing more info how do we know it wasn't organized/initiated by a group intending to specifically benefit black girls/women - maybe even more specifically those interested in STEM fields. Has anyone been to a college campus in the last 20 years? There are plenty of specific groups for people underrepresented in various fields of study. Maybe a science teacher organized who is a WOC herself and why shouldn't she? (I'm just speculating here - there are a zillion reasons why this should only be for the girls invited).

Sometimes things are special and they aren't for you. That's what happens when everything else about you is the norm and is for you.

Yes there is value in white kids seeing this movie. My own are going this weekend. I would argue there's a lot of value in schools teaching a diverse education (esp to kids whose parents yell reverse racism) but it is also okay for them to facilitate special opportunities geared toward minority groups. Anyone applied for a scholarship recently??? Come on.