Chapters 3 & 4

Chapter 3 - Decoding the Dominance Paradigm &
Chapter 4 - White Educators and the River of Change

"Despite decades of civil rights activity, it is the subtle and often invisible nature of White dominance that has proven to be so resistant to change in Western nations. The challenge now facing us in education is to dismantle the deeper nature of racism and dominance, a challenge that will require a more rigorous analysis of the underlying dynamics of dominance than we as White educators have achieved" (53).

Howard explains that White dominance has not only permeated the United States but also many places around the world. He discusses how official knowledge is constructed by those in power in all major social institutions, including education. Howard gives a clear example of how this official (and ultimately dominant) way of thinking stems from places of power: "Personal truth may be in the mind of the beholder (a function of individual perception), but official truth is in the hands of the powerful (a function of group control)" (54). Authoritative cultural groups (I'm thinking specifically about the White race here) tend to construct reality in ways that reinforce, protect, and legitimize their position of dominance.

Howard gives three major processes that function together as "the dynamics of dominance":  the assumption of rightness, the luxury of ignorance, and the legacy of privilege.
1) The assumption of rightness claims that dominant groups tend to hold truths as their private domains. These groups do not consider beliefs, values, traditions, or attitudes to grow from the influence of a particular cultural background. Whites do not usually think of themselves of having a culture; rather, they are just right. "Dominant groups don't hold 'perspectives,' they hold 'Truth'" (54). The assumption of rightness has been a driving force in the establishment of White dominance for centuries.
2) Ironically, for dominant groups who hold this all-knowing Truth, they tend to know very little about other cultures. For example, a person in America who is not White is known as "the other." By keeping the knowledge about other cultures in the dark, members of the dominant group are able to stay disconnected from these cultural groups, thereby feeling no remorse when they treat the others badly.
3) For centuries, the White race has had privileges based simply on the color of their skin. In addition, Whites are seen as real Americans, while children who are born and raised in America but do not have White skin are continuously referred to as immigrants or foreigners.

I cannot be too specific in this instance, but in the school where I am novice teaching, I heard someone just today say that if President Barack Obama is re-elected, he is going to open the borders and allow "all of these Muslims and Mexicans and aliens in to our country." This person also claimed that by letting in people of diverse groups, we are going to "lose the American culture." To say the least, I was blown away by what this person said, especially when this person is modeling ways of thinking for students of numerous cultures every day. This is a perfect example of how the White people disregard diverse cultures and claim to be the most dominant group in the world.

As teachers, we must take on the responsibility of working towards bringing all cultures to work together as one. We must work together toward change. We are all human beings. We are all conceived and born without our choosing. We all have the same basic needs that must be met in order to survive. Why does the color of our skin, the sound of our languages, and the lands that we come from play such a huge role in how we live out our lives? Howard further explains: "Teaching confronts us with an enormous responsibility to help young people learn to navigate the often treacherous waters of racial identity development and inter-group relations. Regarding issues of dominance and cultural diversity, we need to know the nature and location of the many obstacles on the river, and we must have the awareness, knowledge, and skills to help our students enter the journey of life adequately prepared for both the dangers and the thrills of the ride" (72).