Lecture Notes: Addressing White Language Supremacy and Racial Bias in Education

Introduction

Land Acknowledgment: Recognition of Lenni Lenape, Shawnee, Six Nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Cayuga, Tuscarora). Acknowledgment of Pittsburgh (Jö:deogë’, Onödowa'ga or Senaca word).
- A reminder that land acknowledgment is a step toward decolonization and promoting indigenous visibility.
- Thanks to contributors for etymological and pronunciation support.

Speaker aims to address racial wounds and White supremacy in writing and rhetoric teaching.
Emphasizes love and compassion while acknowledging discomfort.
Initial focus on addressing colleagues of color.

Incarceration Statistics: High rates of incarceration among people of color (Black men jailed at 5x, Latinos 2x rates of Whites).
Shared Struggles: Comparison of academics of color to the U.S. prison population: steel cage of racism.
Judging Language: The way language is judged forms steel bars around students of color and perpetuates White supremacy.
References to Works on Oppression and Racism: Mention of Michelle Alexander, Iris Marion Young, and the steel cage of racism.
Historical Context: Dunbar and Angelou’s work on the caged bird metaphor.

Max Weber’s “Iron Cage”: Description of how capitalist societies create self-governing conditions connected to market economies.
English and Bias: Examination of American whiteness (Takaki) and the interconnected nature of racism and economic issues.

Inviting Reflection Among White Colleagues: How exclusion of White colleagues mirrors systemic issues of exclusivity and power dynamics.
Responsibility and Power: White colleagues’ inherent roles in sustaining White supremacy.
Discomfort as a Catalyst: The necessity of discomfort in realizing and addressing systemic racial issues.

Freire’s Pedagogy: Problem-posing education as a method of critical engagement and confrontation of biases.
Rhetorical Listening: Concept by Krista Ratcliffe, inspired by Jacqueline Jones Royster, as a method for deeper understanding and cross-cultural dialogue.
Deep Listening and Compassion: Emphasis on holistic and embodied attending to others, as described by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Assessment Practices: Rethinking assessment to question if practices cause suffering and perpetuate systemic issues.

Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing: Analysis of potential White biases and structural pitfalls.
Segregation and White Dominance: Examining the racial composition of task forces and contributions to systemic issues.

A Parable: Illustration of privilege and the failure to share power equitably in education.
- Critical Examination: Encourages educators to rethink their comfort levels and responsibilities.
Language and Power: Urges teachers to adopt radical, antiracist assessment practices and address linguistic inequities.
Continuous Problematizing: Need for constant reflection on personal biases and systemic structures.

Reflection on Impact: Encouragement to confront biases and re-evaluate teaching practices to foster equity and justice.
Gratitude and Peace: Closing remarks emphasizing the collective need for change and action.