“A melting pot?”
I’m an educator. One of the most important things I tried to inspire among my students was to find and own their truth. This compels me to continue to learn and not be afraid I might find some things I was taught just aren’t true.
I think we all want an educated citizenry. But can we agree that’s happening when there are attempts to ban books, and limit what’s taught in school? False narratives and silos of misinformation infiltrate our lives creating false equivalences because of what we thought we knew.
Until I began working on my doctorate over 25 years ago, I, and many others, bought into the idea that America was a melting pot. It’s a great theoretical idea but a distorted view of the real America.
In 1782, French immigrant J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur wrote that in America, “Individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.” The concept drew its strength from the idea of unity fostered by beliefs and ideals — not race, blood, or sect.
The melting pot concept grew into something that denied individuality and culture uniqueness. Some of us became invisible. Americans were encouraged to assimilate and adopt an Anglo conformity model. However, sociologists in the 60s curated a salad bowl model to define America. Most people don’t know that.
Toward the end of my tenure as an educator, a colleague and I started teaching a class on diversity. Classes discussed elements of who we are, our origins, and the ideas that the playing field for various groups was not level. We used exercises that demonstrated how privilege provided advantages not had by others. We discussed perceptions students brought to class.
They shared their experiences and volunteered to sho
w how their naiveté and, in some cases, ignorance hadn’t allowed them a lens to see the reality of inequity, the fact that other people had it differently. Truths were shared from books like Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste,” which talks about how America provided Germany the blueprint for segregation, or Jan Jarboe Russell’s “The Train to Crystal City,” which chronicles voices from the family internment camps in Texas during the Second World War.
This class predated the angst generated by Christopher Rufo who helped frame Critical Race Theory as a threat for conservatives. We taught these classes in an atmosphere of respect, responsibility, and resonance. Students respected each other and listened to facts rather than distortions. Each took a responsibility to challenge what they didn’t understand and gained truths that resonated for them based on empirical evidence.
I am stunned as I examine people’s predilection to ban books and control classrooms. What are people afraid of? Diversity? We are not all alike. Equity? Things are never entirely equal, but we should work toward it. Inclusion? The hardest struggle I’ve had in America is being seen, and fear of not being seen as a part of the future, particularly as I was expected to melt into a society that wanted me to be more like them.
Books, education and diversity, equity and inclusion provide opportunities for people of all backgrounds to see themselves as part of the future.
Note: Portions of this appeared in San Antonio Express News 3 March 2023
Thank you for sharing Sir. I agree. Diversity and inclusion training has gotten a bad wrap as a paradigm. There are certainly those who miss you, abuse, and pervert, intention of DEI and CRT, indeed have given us language that we can use unique and diverse experiences. Only when my brother knows and respects my unique pains and scars can he truly love me. Only then can I truly trust him.
Well said, Doc Arch. Resonates with me as Cody and I and two of our daughters wander around Helsinki that feels much more supportive of equity and inclusion and appears more respectful of the opinions of others. Our Egyptian taxi driver, now a citizen married to a Finn, gave us a wonderful introduction to Finnish culture and mores on the way in from the airport. Lovely place to spend some time!