[Discussion/Article] Whiteness History Month

Found this on my facebook feed today. Discuss respectfully

http://www.pcc.edu/about/diversity/cascade/whiteness-history-month/

Whiteness History Month: Context, Consequences, and Change

It’s readily accepted that white history is taught, year-round, to the exclusion of minority histories. But the literal history of whiteness — how and when and why what it means to be white was formulated — is always neglected. The construction of the white identity is a brilliant piece of social engineering. Its origins and heritage should be examined in order to add a critical layer of complexity to a national conversation sorely lacking in nuance.

Daniels, 2014:1

We, a subcommittee of PCC’s Cascade Campus Diversity Council, are engaging in a bold adventure this coming academic year and need your support.

The Project

Whiteness History Month: Context, Consequences and Change is a multidisciplinary, district-wide, educational project examining race and racism through an exploration of the construction of whiteness, its origins and heritage. Scheduled for the month of April 2016, the project seeks to inspire innovative and practical solutions to community issues and social problems that stem from racism.

Statement of Purpose: The Need

In the 1920s Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1926) and associates established Negro History Week. Woodson was centrally concerned with the mis-education of the American Negro and sought to “challenge the master narrative of traditional history curriculum, promote multicultural education and diversity in school settings, and improve race relations” (King & Brown 2014:25). ​​ ​ By the 1970s Black History Month and other heritage months were nationally and internationally recognized. Yet, the history of whiteness ​h​as largely been unexamined (Daniels 2014).

​​Whiteness is a socially and politically constructed behavior. It has a long history in European imperialism and epistemologies. Whiteness does not simply refer to skin color but an ideology based on beliefs, values, behaviors, habits and attitudes, which result in the unequal distribution of power and privilege based on skin color. Whiteness represents a position of power where the power holder defines social categories and reality—the master narrator. Whiteness originates racism. It is relational. “White” only exists in relation/opposition to other categories in the racial hierarchy produced by whiteness. Whiteness is a state of consciousness, often invisible, shaping how white people view themselves and others and thus perpetuating ignorance throughout communities. Cultural racism is founded in the belief that "whiteness" is the universal...and allows one to think and speak as if Whiteness described and defined the world. The meaning of whiteness is historical and has shifted over time​.
​Nearly ninety years after Woodson’s global inspiration, colleges across the country continue to struggle to improve diversity, inclusion, and racial equity. At Portland Community College, evidence from hiring data, student-­led research, surveys, focus groups, college-wide emails, and other sources have illuminated the underlying reality of whiteness embedded in the overall college climate. Portland Community College’s strategic plan calls for "intentional action" to "create a nationally renowned culture for diversity, equity, and inclusion."

​Description of Project

Whiteness History Month Project, unlike heritage months, is not a celebratory endeavor, it is an effort to change our campus climate. The Project seeks to challenge the master narrative of race and racism through an exploration of the social construction of whiteness. Challenging the master narrative of traditional curriculum is a strategy within higher education that promotes multicultural education and equity.

Get Engaged!

You are invited to contribute to WHM. We welcome a wide variety of educational formats including presentations, lectures, panel discussions, film and music analyses, workshops, plays, art, etc. Click on this link for an application [pdf] and submit your proposal to the WHM planning committee at whm-group@pcc.edu [opens in new window]. We will accept WHM proposals between October 30th and February 1st, 2016. Proposals will be reviewed for project alignment and clarity of purpose. Committee members will contact you to discuss your proposal, recommended resources, scheduling, materials, and other support.

Learning Areas​ and Essential Questions

Context:

What is whiteness and how is it socially constructed?
In what ways has whiteness been institutionalized, imposed and internalized?
In what ways does whiteness emerge from a legacy of imperialism, conquest, colonialism and the American enterprise?

Consequences:

What are the legal, cultural, economic, social, environmental, educational, and /or intrapersonal consequences of whiteness?
Who benefits from the consequences of whiteness? Who loses from whiteness? How?

Change:

What are alternatives to a culture of white supremacy?
What are approaches and strategies to dismantling whiteness?
What are the roles and responsibilities of white people and people of color in dismantling whiteness?
What is the legacy of social justice? How can this legacy inform the work of racial equality?

Project Benefits

WHM is a strategy to:
improve campus climate for students, faculty, staff, and administrators
bolster student retention and success
model a multidisciplinary approach that supports innovative teaching and learning college wide
promote community partnerships
examine and reflect on our academic skills, competence and personal beliefs and how these impact others
apply racially conscious systems of analysis to examine and dismantle systems of inequality
graduate students from PCC with local, national, and global sensibilities regarding the learning tasks of Critical Race Theory
Process and Structure

WHM is a project of the Cascade DC’s Campus Climate Sub-committee. Given the history of co-opting grassroots “diversity initiatives” at PCC, WHM will remain under the purview of the Cascade DC’s Campus Climate Sub-committee. A representative from each campus’ DC will be invited to join the CA DC’s Campus Climate Sub-committee for the purposes of planning and implementing WHM.

To quote Bartok from Anastasia: this can only end in tears.

Minority groups have been entirely too wronged for too long for this to be acceptable yet. Maybe someday, maybe, but it's still too personal and hot of an issue. It's studying Nazis while the Jews are still being murdered. First rescue the victims... study it later!

Snowy, I think you are looking at this in the wrong light. After reading the OP, I think it is clear that minority groups, as a whole, would sadly find this to be very acceptable to them.

This is not a 'White History Month", but instead a 'Whiteness History Month', in another words instead of celebrating the history of a culture of people, it would be a month dedicated to the demoralization and disparagement of a culture and people.

During this month, topics of Whiteness would include:
How whiteness represents a position of power where the power holder defines social categories and reality—the master narrator
How whiteness originates racism
What is whiteness and how is it socially constructed?
In what ways has whiteness been institutionalized, imposed and internalized?
In what ways does whiteness emerge from a legacy of imperialism, conquest, colonialism and the American enterprise?
What are the legal, cultural, economic, social, environmental, educational, and /or intrapersonal consequences of whiteness?
Who benefits from the consequences of whiteness? Who loses from whiteness? How?
What are alternatives to a culture of white supremacy?
What are approaches and strategies to dismantling whiteness?
What are the roles and responsibilities of white people and people of color in dismantling whiteness?

I do agree with your quote, though, 'this can only end in tears'. There is no doubt that this was made to sound similar to other minority groups' days of celebratory reflection. This was done purposely to drive home the idea that there is nothing to celebrate about the culture of 'whiteness' and instead the only legitimate discussions should be focused on the negative aspects of a people's culture. Instead of learning to come together, we seem to be determined to continue down the path of divisiveness and seem to want to instill a sense of animosity instead of community.

While studying for my degree I took a class called "Race & Racism" along with "Perspectives On Gender". They were both meant to broaden one's perspective and see these issues from other points of view. Instead, they made some people very defensive and allowed some professors to use them to push inappropriate agendas onto impressionable university students.

I do believe that this topic is an important one to study, particularly for those of us who may not understand the inherent privilege of our "whiteness". However, I believe this is the wrong way to go about it. It will most certainly cause division on the campus and cause mistrust among various student groups on all sides of the issue who will question the motives and intent.

Then again, it's been 15 years since I was on a university campus, so hopefully things are different now.

Senan, I haven't been on a college campus for many years myself, but I think you are correct in that the issues that were brought up in the OP are already dealt with and discussed in today's colleges and universities. I just think that the method the OP proposed to have these discussions was in very poor taste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRnTovm26I4

I really like this idea. This is what I was studying back in the day. It's difficult for people to grasp the difference between a white person and whiteness as a social construct. I would love to so in in some of these classes!

Khaos wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRnTovm26I4

Truth.

I support genuine attempts to educate people about white privilege and the importance of equality.

I'm less comfortable with the fact they've co-opted the name of a movement to promote a previously(? arguably) oppressed group, which at best courts misunderstanding, and at worst is a deliberate attempt at publicity through controversy and pandering to exactly the kinds of things this sort of educational exercise should be shining a light on.

Khaos wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRnTovm26I4

Khaos, that is a truly great video. I think Morgan Freeman has the only solution to the problems we face as a mutli-ethnic society. Once we decide to stop pointing fingers and segregating ourselves, perhaps we will finally see real change and realize it is not Black Lives Matter, but instead All Lives Matter...