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First Post: March 24, 2021
Final Post: March 28, 2021

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First Post: April 14, 2021
Final Post April 18, 2021

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First Post: May 2, 2021
Final Post: May 5, 2021

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1. In chapter 1, ACB asserts white people are exhausting. How have her experiences informed this perspective?

2. In chapter 4 "Ain't No Friends Here", ACB speaks of her intention to be a "change agent". What are ways you can do this in your personal/professional lives?

Textbook Connections:
Reference at least one specific way the ACB book and textbook connect (confirm ideas presented, strengthens ideas, and/or challenges ideas).

Free Responses (optional):
Examples you could discuss/post: *new ideas or impressions from the book that extend your thinking.
*what's challenging or confusing that you read from the book

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1. In every aspect of her life from when she could remember, she had to explain herself and explain her being. She primarily dealt with  white people so she only knew that white people asked these questions and it became exhausting. She talks about her name and in every area of her life she had to explain what her name meant and why she had it. I have never had to do that, so I can not imagine the exhaustion that would come from that alone.
2. Being a change agent is someone who realizes change needs to be made and they want to be apart of it. Through this class and through social media I have learned so much about the inequality our country is plagued with. I have learned that just shutting up and listening rather than trying to explain myself and my reasoning is more beneficial. In my personal life I need to hold my friends and family accountable for their words and their actions. In my professional life I need to make sure I am making my colleagues and my students comfortable and safe with my words and actions. I can no longer keep quiet about the bad things I hear or see, and I no longer want to. Being quiet and not speaking up is just as bad as being the person that is saying the awful things. from the first 4 chapters alone, I can can see that I am going to learn a lot from this book as well.

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1.  ACB shares white people are exhausting, and states this because throughout her experiences she's had to explain herself time and time again regarding her assumed identity because of her name verses her real identity, having to deal with the 'shock' of her walking into the room, her having to deal with a company's 'whiteness.' However, what stood out to me, that I think I myself would personally find to be the most exhausting and even frustrating, if I were it be in her shoes, would be in relation to as she described a company 'informing' her of a  'safe person,' but even more, what occurred when she would go to that 'safe person' and get the response and invalidation of, "'Perhaps you misunderstood,'" and that, "Often the responsibility to extend compassion falls on me (ACB)," (19).
2. The way ACB describes being a "change agent" in Chapter 4, I myself am able to also be and do the same through continuing to educate myself and take my knowledge into my future classroom with my future students.  I think this key point was where I felt the most overlap between our class textbook and ACB's book, because already I have grown my knowledge of inequalities and disparities the people of our country face, especially students in the classroom, and taking this new information with me into my career I feel has already made me much more aware and prepared to help, educate, and assist my future students.

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Annie Rollins
1. ACB clearly explains her frustration with white people not in a demeaning way but a thought out way in which she describes them as exhausting because she has always had to explain herself to them. She explains always needing to explain the background of her name, identity, etc.. She brings up the frustration of being black in an all white workplace and challenges it can bring.
2. ACB talks about being a "change agent" meaning she wants to initiate a difference in not only her world but everyone else. Recently, I have been educating myself and others around me about the injustice in our society and the inequalities that occur everyday. Over the summer when the Black Lives Matter protests were happening in all 50 states is when I began to truly open my eyes to the change that needs to happen in our world. Social media was a great way to educate myself and become a part of the change for the better. This class has also been a great eye opener to the inequalities in the classroom and how big of an issue that can be. I am so grateful to be able to be informed and carry that into my future career and onto my future students.

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Hudson
1. In the first chapter ACB explains her frustration and exhaustion in a very matter of fact way. She's not mad or upset just tired of having to explain herself to white men in job interviews and librarians who scan her card. She's exhausted by the constant need to justify and give a reason for her name. She's tired of not being taken seriously when she goes to HR about a racist remark or  not being able to look at something she just bought in case people think she's stealing. The textbook talks about racial identity in children. A large part of chapter 1 was ACB figuring out who she was and growing realizing  people were going to treat her differently based on the color of her skin.

2. To be a change agent you need to be educated. By knowing what is going on in the world around you,  you can recognize what needs to be fixed and work on changing it. Over the past year with everything that happened over the summer I have learned so much about many of the issues the country faces and how I can help right those wrongs. When I become a teacher I won't ignore issues or teach kids not to see color but instead teach them to celebrate differences and not judge others on anything but their character.

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1. In chapter 5, “Whiteness at Work,” ACB discusses the mechanisms by which blackness is continuously and repeatedly expected to assimilate with whiteness. What are the ways that PK-12 schools participates in this expectation? What kind of disjunction exists between what PK-12 teaches, how it prepares students for after graduation for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) individuals?

2. In chapter 7, “Nice White People,” ACB talks about the “Relational Defense” and continually being placed in the position of being “a priest for the white soul.” What does she mean? ACB asks the question: “What are you going to do differently?” So, what will you do differently?

Textbook Connections:
Reference at least one specific way the ACB book and textbook connect (confirm ideas presented, strengthens ideas, and/or challenges ideas).

Free Responses (optional):
Examples you could discuss/post: *new ideas or impressions from the book that extend your thinking.
*what's challenging or confusing that you read from the book

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1. Some ways PK-12 schools participate in this expectation as ACB describes in the ways that the one program, "...wanted our racial diversity without our diversity of thought and culture," (69) and I think this can apply to a lot of different organizations/groups/businesses, because these groups of people love to 'advertise' or be able to say that they are diverse, but when it comes around to actually making a diverse environment, the leaders/heads of these organizations 'fear' or 'worry' of the diversity and I think the same can apply to schools.  Schools want to have the highest test scores, score reports, etc., and when it comes to diverse students they automatically expect them to perform lower than their peers, and do not always put the same effort in helping the child succeed as they would another student.  I think a disjunction exists in schools as to how it prepares students for after graduation for BIPOC individuals are they don't prepare or highlight or discuss it in class at all, at least my personal experience had none.  A lot of my classes throughout middle and high school had a lot of the same people in them, my school was not very diverse to begin with, then with the same people throughout the day was even more limiting to my exposure of diverse learners/students.  However, I think the largest inconsistency is the lack of having students share their own stories when a topic of a current event is discussed in school, and what that means to that students, and I feel this discussion could open more eyes, bring awareness too, and help to understand how this event made my peer feel to individuals who may not realize the significance or the meaning of the event being discussed.
2. What ACB means by "priest for white people" is these white people coming to her as if an individual were to go to confession in church and confess their sins to the priest, where in this case ACB feels as if she is the priest.  ACB doesn't want to be this person, her hearing the 'confessions' effects her, however expresses how she is glad these people are having these realizations but rather for them to reflect themselves and recognize how they're going to change rather than go to her, a Black Woman, seeking forgiveness from her just because of her race.  So far from reading, something I've learned that I'm going to do differently is to 'see the color' of other individuals, and embrace that respectively when I'm with individuals.  Growing up, you learn to treat everyone the same, or 'not to see color' etc., but from reading I've learned how it is important to
'see the color' or recognize someone is a different race from myself, different background, etc. and I feel this information will benefit me in my future career as a teacher.

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1. In most PK-12 schools the teachers and faculty are a majority white. This means that by default they bring white culture with them and it influences how they teach, how they communicate, how they interact with others and almost every other part of the school system. Schools also love to advertise diversity and show how many different cultures are included in school. This doesn't mean anything if schools and teachers don't listen to those cultures and include their viewpoints in the curriculum. Just because one black student or one Mexican student is in your class does not automatically make you a multicultural teacher. It is similar to chapter 5 when ACB was talking about her workplace and how she was treated differently unless she acted more "white". This also ties back in with the textbook on page 136 when it talks about how white middle class views dominate our culture right now and most people are expected to assimilate into it.

2. Many people use the excuse "But I have black friends" or "I can't be racist my sisters friends cousins boyfriend is black and I liked their engagement photo". This along with the defense of "being a nice person" are used to try and prove that if I'm nice I can't be racist and only the boogeymen in white robes are racist. ACB talked about how white people like to think that they are inherently good and most make a genuine effort to be forward thinking and I hope most don't actively try to be racist but like in the last unit there will always be some bias. When white people benefit from other cultures and don't give credit or value it there is inherent systematic racism and instead of pouring their heart out to the ones that have been wronged we should actively try and change the system and show that we are trying and growing instead of looking for an easy apology and a way out so we don't actually have to do any of the work. Personally I will try and do my best to hear everyone equally and really value ideas and perspectives formed by experiences I have never had and will never have.

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1.  In our world today, diversity is seen as a trophy. Schools, Universities, Companies and other organizations use having diversity as bragging rights, rather than the actual act of inclusion. When I was in middle school, we had a new student come in to meet the class with their parents and our principal made it a point to show that we had diversity in our class. There was one student of color. Although it is nice to recognize BIPOC, it was not done in a way to celebrate them, but to say "see we have diversity!!"
ACB shows that also in chapter 5 when she talks about her work day and how each time she is the one who is meant to comfort white people. They think they are doing the right thing, noticing her blackness, but truly they are just trying to make themselves feel better. K-12 schools do this as well, and it does not prepare students for the real world. White students are given the notions that it is okay to act this way, and black students know no different and are taught to just accept this. The first part of making change and taking action is realizing there's a problem all together.

2. When ACB says that she is "a priest for the white soul" she means that she is the healer for white people and their racist sins. When she makes a breakthrough with people, they confide in her of their racist behavior and expect her to make them feel better. She then realizes that that can no longer be her job and she needs to turn the conversation back to them, so she begins asking "What are you going to do differently?" To answer her question, I have learned to just shut up and listen. I have learned that I do not need to have a response to every sentence that is said, and I should not get defensive when someone else is speaking their truth. I will never understand and I need to be okay with that, but I also need to listen and hear what others are going through. I have learned so much in just listening and have learned so many ways to be an ally to others.

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1. Diversity in schools varies so widley from state to state. It is so common to see schools where the majority of the population are white and there are very few BIPOC. Schools often make testing, work, projects, etc... bias to other cultures by using references or stances that other cultures would not be as exposed to. My school system from elementary to high school was predominately white and it was definitely a culture shock coming to college and being surrounded by so many other cultures. Diversity is something that should be celebrated everywhere and not used to show off. Teachers should make sure that all the resources in their classrooms are inclusive of all cultures. Books, toys, posters on the wall should include all races and ethnicities. Teachers should also have a strong no hate policy and shut down any racist behavior right away so that the behavior does not continue any further.

2. When ACB talks about being the "priest for the white soul" she is talking about all the times that she hears white people taking about their wrong ways in the past and going to her to clear their conscious. She asks them what they should do differently to right their wrongs. What I would do differently is to educate myself before having conversations about these hard topics. Instead of blindly reacting to situations, I must have knowledge on the matter first so that I can truly express the issue and how to help. Some people think that just because they don't outwardly say racist things mean that they are a good person. To be am actual ally, you must try to bring change and speak out against racism. There is absolutely no room for racism in a classroom or anywhere at all.

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1. ACB repeatedly mentions the idea of whiteness=goodness, with blackness being its opposite. She uses the phrase "truest offense" (chapter 11, pg 146) in "A God for the Accused." How can we combat these associations?

2. In the final chapters, ACB demonstrates several ways in which America pays a lot of lip service about the distance it has come. How do we continue to move the needle on issues of racial equity, while knowing that seeing true change may not be in our immediate future?

Textbook Connections:
Reference at least one specific way the ACB book and textbook connect (confirm ideas presented, strengthens ideas, and/or challenges ideas).

Free Responses (optional):
Examples you could discuss/post: *new ideas or impressions from the book that extend your thinking.
*what's challenging or confusing that you read from the book

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1. Throughout our schooling, we are shown the awful things that have happened to Black people in our country. We are shown the history of racism that we have and shown how Black people were seen as bad. Although we are learning how these racist acts ended, we are still shown why they thought Black people were bad. We also see in the news the brutality and the misrepresentation Black people face. Inadvertently we are told Black people are bad. Our biggest issue we face is removing that stigma. In chapter 11 ACB tells us the story of her cousin Dalin. We see his bringing up and the issues he dealt with, and then his time in prison. His sentence was not talked about in their family and whether that be embarrassment or protection for the younger kids, it was taboo. ACB then goes on to talk about how because Dalin was in prison and was of color, people felt his life no longer mattered. That because stereotypes were brought up, he deserved to die. The news does not represent races in an equal way and many excuses are made for white people. To end this thought process we need to stop making excuses and start looking at all people in the same light. When someone is murdered we should view that as a human being first, not look at their past mistakes. When someone is in trouble we should not assume the worst of them, but for anyway to help them. We need to stop looking at white and black people as different, but just as people.

2. Real change can not happen over night. When we look at the changes this country has had over its history, we look back hundred of years to see that change. We need to keep the momentum. We can not get discouraged when we do not see immediate change or we face a setback, we need to keep pushing forward. In chapter 13, ACB talks about racial recognition. She speaks of how it is only a buzz word, and no change is really happening. We can no longer make empty promises or speak without intentions. We need to start making changes in our lives that are real and beneficial. Each day we have to look for small changes and small rewards, that is how we will know we are making a change in the world. If each day every person looks to make a difference, then each day million of changes are happening. We can not expect all these changes to happen instantly, but if we recognize the small and keep our momentum going we can make that big change in the world.

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1.  I think we can combat these associations, as ACB describes, by doing as she asks of white people to do throughout a large amount of the book, and again on page 170, "White people need to listen, to pause so that people of color can clearly articulate both the disappointment they've endured and what it would take for reparations to be made," and I think this will will combat these associations.  White people need to stop assuming, stop acting like they know, stop trying to make them out to be the victim/feel sorry for, and listen to how the people of color feel, and understand why they feel that way and see and understand that those feelings and accusations ACB describes isn't 'normal,' shouldn't be 'normal,' and need to change.
2. I think we have to continue to move the needle on issues of racial equity while knowing that change may not be in our immediate future is starting out in the classroom, diversity is life in America, and introducing this thought to learners being different, expressing and embracing differences, and inclusion is a start that I see can lead to overcoming this change long-term because if students are made aware of the concept of diversity at a younger age, I see it impacting the chances asking why something is or is not the way it is.  In reference to the list of things ACB includes on pages 166-167, such as "celebrating various ethnicities and cultures every month," or "having one or two people of color on your leadership team," teaching children at a young age and continuing the thought throughout their education that the people around them are different, their world is different, will instill the idea and fact in their mind that there's just as many people similar to me as there are different, and they should see this diversity reflected in the aspects of their professional and social worlds.

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1.To combat the narrative of white=good we first have to step back and look at white privilege. No one wants to think they are the problem and right now the system is to the advantage of white people. By taking the time to learn and see that your actions aren't explicitly racist but have inherent biases that can be harmful and condescending as well as perpetuating stereotypes about black americans, we can start to combat this.  Everyone wants to feel like they are a good person but the way our society is structured makes it easy for white people to think they're good without doing anything simply because they are white. They can blame all of the bad things on black people and not do anything to bring equality.

2. The entire textbook and the last chapter connect The whole point of this course is to learn how to become a multicultural educator and teach equality and compassion to students no matter who they are. Teachers have arguably the biggest impact on a child's life and by leading by example and treating everyone with respect and dignity teachers can help show student what is right and wrong. They also need to be understanding and answer students questions honestly. Being educated yourself on how to make a positive change like knowing who you're voting for and supporting causes that actually enact change can help slowly but surely bring America to a place where everyone is truly free to be themselves.

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Since this country was founded, black people have been portrayed everywhere in a different light than white people. It is not uncommon for black people to be stereotyped as trouble makers, or bad and white people viewed as better behaved. Although this is completely unfair and wrong, we are subconsciously taught this in our history classes, in the media, etc... To combat these associations, we first need to accept these accusations. No one will ever admit "yes I am a racist and I think black people are bad and white people are good." But there are underlying actions that can be hurtful and unjust. For example, playing the victim and misusing white privilege or not listening to the views of people of color and how they truly feel.

2. Change this drastic needs to come from the nation working as a whole to end racism. It starts when you are young. Parents and teachers have the most important job of implementing morals and equality in their children/students. Equality and human decency is not an opinion or something that should vary based off of political views or beliefs of any kind. I believe that a change is coming. It may not be today or tomorrow but people are waking up to the racial injustices that have gone on for far too long. It can start with anyone but it will take everyone. Educating family, friends, and speaking up when you need to are some small changes you can make to bring about awareness.