April FREEDOM WATCH Online

By Ariel Falconer

Imagine you are a young African-American boy in the United States, and you attend a school with 99 other black male students. Thirty-two of you will eventually end up in prison, 44 will graduate from high school, only 16 will continue on to college and 6 will graduate within six years.

This is a crisis; a crisis vocalized not only through statistics but through the urgent voices of scholars, authors, educators, psychologists and teenagers who came together for the Educating Children of Color Summit held in January at Colorado College. Over 400 people attended the summit, which focused on ways to redirect outcomes and change the reality that says 1 in 17 Caucasian males, 1 in 6 Hispanic males, and 1 in 3 African American males will serve a prison sentence during their lifetime. While these and other statistics described the problem facing children who are not succeeding in school, the summit presenters spoke of solutions. Since educational disadvantages increase the likelihood that children will enter the juvenile justice system, the summit focused on the educational system as an alternative to the correctional system.

Presenters focused on outcomes and identity, concluding that changing the way students think about themselves can redefine how they think about their future. Nine speakers at the summit addressed topics ranging from early childhood education to empowering African-American males. Two speakers, Dr. LaVonne Neal, Dean of Education at UCCS and Dr. Maria Guajardo, Executive Director of the Denver Mayor's Office on Education & Children, addressed the interaction of identity, culture and success in education. They described how culturally responsive teaching and identity awareness are key solutions for students performing below their potential.

"Hello my scholars! Here comes my future," announced Dr. Neal. She greets her students this way to remind them of their potential, help them self-identify as learners, and challenge the assumptions that keep students of color from achieving. These assumptions can be as bold as the statistics listed above or as subtle as the silent role models presented in classroom literature.

Think back for a moment to the icons of your childhood classroom. Who filled the posters and the textbooks? When you think of a brilliant scientist, an early pioneer in physics, do you think of African-American Edward Alexander Bouchet or Albert Einstein? Dr. Neal stressed the importance of culturally responsive teaching and diversity in classrooms, ranging from textbooks to bulletin boards to newspapers. Educators must consider the potential for all of their students to see themselves reflected in the curriculum, which encourages students to envision themselves as capable achievers.

A culturally responsive educator is also able to honor the heritage of each student with comfort and understanding. Dr. Maria Guajardo stressed the need for more conversation and the need for people to feel comfortable discussing race and ethnicity. "If you don't see color, then you don't see me," she informed the audience. She urged listeners to share their identity and recognize the strength of culture and identity building, rather than pretend it does not exist or that it does not matter.

Returning to Dr. Neal's theme of self-identity, Dr. Guajardo asked the audience to pick the words they would use to describe their identity. Responses included "Chicana female", "descendant of Madagascar living in America", "white male" and others from around the room. The idea of identity is in no way exclusive to any one race or ethnicity. The unifying nature of identity lies in the simple truth that everyone has a history and a culture. Dr. Guajardo asked the audience to consider when they feel comfortable talking about identity. "Do you talk about this with your friends? Your colleagues?" To achieve a culturally responsive and equal society, conversations about identity should be addressed with the people we see daily, whether it be co-workers, educators or family. Dr. Guajardo emphasized that language guides our self-concept and our concept of others, and the way to honor someone's heritage is to start that conversation.