Tolerance is interpreted as a fair, objective, and permissive attitude towards those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, and nationality differs from one’s own. The definition of tolerance links to international mindedness, a mentality that allows an individual liberty from bigotry. International mindedness not only prevents dogmatism, but also permits intercultural awareness and encourages the celebration of nationalistic traditions in a globalized world. An internationally minded individual seeks out knowledge of global events and has the ability to connect seemingly separate occurrences and apply them among disparate geographical locations, from local to international levels. In considering the significance of international mindedness, an important question should be addressed: what barriers keep people from being tolerant? I believe one of the greatest factors that impede tolerance is discrimination, and in order to achieve an international mindset we must address the principal factor that obstructs its progress. Prejudice is seen in many forms, through ethnic discrimination, theological parochialism, political partisanship, and poverty from social class discrepancy. Below I’ve explored my personal experiences with discrimination, ideas for change against racism, and the type of global citizens I hope to inspire as an educator through an internationally-minded perspective and curriculum.
During the 1960 civil rights movement, James Baldwin’s A Talk to Teachers addressed a conspiracy to brainwash the American education system through ignoring the history of black oppression, creating a myth about the country’s heroic ancestors. His speech summarized the spiraling effect of a young African American boy’s journey through awareness and education, and the detrimental result that racial bigotry had not only on the individual's mentality but also on the people as a whole. “What is upsetting the country is a sense of its own identity. If, for example, one managed to change the curriculum in all the schools so that Negroes learned more about themselves and their real contributions to this culture, you would be liberating not only Negroes, you’d be liberating white people who know nothing about their own history. And the reason is that if you are compelled to lie about one aspect of anybody’s history, you must lie about it all (Baldwin, 1963).” Racism creates a partial perspective of an untruth, and forms a narrow point of view inhibiting the general public’s ability to make actual judgments of the world. We can use Baldwin’s ideologies today and summarize that discrimination affects the knowledge and well-being of both the oppressed and the privileged.
Growing up in Texas, I’ve witnessed a fair share of prejudices. Texas’ majority white population shares about half its demographic with Latinos and African Americans. I was raised by two men, a white man and a black man, and remember relishing in the questioning stares of strangers as I walked hand in hand with my step-father, my pale skin contrasting his. It was in my adolescence that I realized my stepdad and I shared different realities, that the life of privilege I led was not experienced by all, and hadn't been experienced by Alex. My white classmates and white suburban neighborhood was a product of Alex’s choice to keep us safe, in a good education system, and in a good community, things not available to him as a child in an underdeveloped town outside of New Orleans. As I grew older, I began to make connections to a larger narrative about discrimination and people and humanity, made more apparent by the color of my skin and that of my stepfather's. Curious to further investigate my newly forming notions, I explored an opportunity to work in education by volunteer teaching at an immigrant shelter in Austin, Texas, where I had many students relay tales of discrimination against them due to their skin color and social status.
Racism extends beyond skin color, as explicitly seen in the United States through consistent pejorative comments regarding the Islamic religion and Muslims. I recently signed a two-year contract to work as a language specialist in Kuwait, and upon my decision I’ve taken interest in the attitude and misconceptions of the Islamic faith. These racist clarifications are made without noting the commonalities among religious communities. A strong illustration of this point is seen through the universal concept of “compassion” shared by all religious faiths. It is important to note and celebrate these similarities, as Tenzin Gyatzo states in his article Many Faiths, One Truth, “such tensions are likely to increase as the world becomes more interconnected and cultures, peoples and religions become ever more entwined. The pressure this creates tests more than our tolerance – it demands that we promote peaceful coexistence and understanding across boundaries” (Gyatzo, 2010).
Just as discrimination extends beyond skin color to religion, it is also apparent amongst lower class citizens in poverty. Whether a person is victim to situational poverty or generational poverty, they are exposed to an array of risk factors that affect their behavior and health. While in secondary school, I witnessed discrimination against at-risk youth within my own education system. A group of students commonly known as the “poor kids” were the lowest performers every year, consistently had battles with discipline, were alienated from their classmates, and many did not pass high school. Their peers and teachers alike thought of these students with pity, but provided no enrichment programs to assist their chronic needs. Eric Jensen claims in his book Teaching with Poverty In Mind that this is not a unique trend. “A childhood spent in poverty often sets the stage for a lifetime of setbacks. Secure attachments and stable environments, so vitally important to the social and emotional development of young children, are often denied to our neediest kids (Jensen, 2009)." This type of discrimination comes in the form of a system innately setting children up for failure due to their family's financial status.
IDEAS FOR CHANGE
Discrimination causes stressors that impact the physical, psychological, and social well-being of Latinos, of African Americans, of Muslims, between social classes, and creates a deep racial divide between the Anglo-Christians and non-Anglo-Christians. To address discrimination, we have a tremendously important role as educators. We must critically analyze each inhibitor and create progressive forms of involvement and broad-based assessments to identify gaps. David Brooks’s article The Opportunity Gap summarizes the polarization of America into a two-caste society in which the enclaves of the rich and the poor become further and further separate. In a different Brooks article, The Two Economies, Brooks claims that the US faces two economies, one being the globalized trading sector, and the other containing health care, education, and government, and adversely does not face global competition as the trading sector does. Within each economy are structural and political rifts that lead to the diminishing middle class, and encourage the continuation of discrimination between the rich and the poor. He suggests the creation of a national service program where members of both social groups live together, work together, and teach each other values that will lead to holistic achievement. Tenzin Gyatso claims in Many Faiths, One Truth that in order to address religious bigotry, we must find common ground among faiths, like compassion, which “can help us bridge needless divides at a time when unified action is more crucial than ever (Gyatso, 2010).” Eric Jensen suggests from Teaching With Poverty in Mind the continual education of teachers on the effects of poverty, including the changes in neuroplasticity, IQ, fluid intelligence, and gene expression. With this knowledge teachers have the ability to "change brains for the better (Jensen, 2009)" through educational intervention and long-term enrichment programs using longitudinal data to evaluate the effects of each program. An example of a successful environmental enrichment program is The Boys & Girls Club of America, an after-school program designed to help at-risk youth with after-school care and included transportation, curriculum development, and program costs. After 30 days, these children drastically improved in overall school performance. Developing curriculums that celebrate diversity, encourage intercultural exchange, and exhibit positive social values are a necessity to build internationally-minded students.
My goal as a white American is to represent the best version of myself, a well-rounded, educated, liberal-minded individual who believes that no race, religion, or social class is inferior or superior to another. In an education setting it is vital to encourage other teachers to build global citizens through classrooms that display a non-bias view of all races and cultures, and to allow the individual the right to create their own social judgments. This will develop principled citizens who respect the dignity of the individual, groups, and communities of those different from themselves. We want to encourage the creation of tolerant, caring people who are culturally competent and radiate a positive sense of purpose. In A Talk to Teachers, Baldwin states, “the paradox of education is precisely this-that as one begins to become conscious, one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated. The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decision and to say to himself this is black or this is white, to decide for himself whether there is a God in heaven or not.” By instilling these values in our education system, we can create balanced individuals who have the knowledge to assess the globe from an open-minded, reflective position, and view our world from in an internationally minded perspective.
Baldwin, James. “A Talk to Teachers”, delivered as “The Negro Child - His Self-Image.” The Saturday Review, 21 Dec. 1963.
Gyatos, Tenzin. “Many Faiths, One Truth.” New York Times, 24 May 2010.
Jensen, Eric. “Teaching With Poverty in Mind : What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do about It”. Alexandria, Va. :ASCD, 2009. Print.
Brooks, David. “The Opportunity Gap.” New York Times, 9 July 2012.
Brooks, David. “The Two Economies.” New York Times, 9 April 2012.