This school year, more than many before, we are seeing an uptick in racial slurs and curse words being used by students. This shift is not just in high schools where, in the past, students were more inclined to use such language. We have also seen this in middle and elementary schools across the country. Schools are microcosms of our society and a clear reflection of the ways we are socially intersecting with one another. Some people are blaming social media, others say the weight of blame should be on parents, and some experts are even calling out the polarization of our country as the cause for the increase in oppressive language being used at schools.
It is not one isolated cause, but all these things, and more, working together to create in our young people a comfortability with using slurs, oppressive language, curse words, and disconnecting phrases. The mindsets behind these actions are what make our schools feel like spaces where all students do not feel a sense of safety and belonging. The Los Angeles Institute for Restorative Practices (LAIRP) has been receptive to schools reaching out to understand how to navigate this pervasive issue and co-create sustainable solutions.
At LAIRP we know that all students deserve to feel a sense of safety and belonging in our society and our schools are simply microcosms of our society. In our societies, many people do not feel safety and belonging due to the ways that certain people are valued, which has always been the case in our society. It feels exacerbated due to the use of social media and the way that information is shared for today’s young people. Information is shared through short form video that rarely offers context, depth of knowledge, or the history behind the information that is shared. Videos and pictures are also capturing moments of people using oppressive language casually, racial slurs in jest, and disconnecting words in ways that are casual. These videos are free from the consequences of the actions that are shown and they don’t show the lasting impact on people who have had to endure these words. This language, which is both historically harmful and currently disconnecting, has become pervasive and in some cases, normalized in our school communities. Many schools are dealing with the result of the problem, which is that students are using oppressive language. School communities fail to understand and address the cause of the problem, which is much deeper.
To understand the cause we must acknowledge and study our history, for in history lies the seeds to our current reality. At LAIRP, our recently curated five module curriculum on Oppressive Language will engage students and teachers in understanding the history of oppressive language, the lasting impacts of it, and the ways that we can make shifts in our behavior to create spaces of safety and belonging for all. We have designed these modules to be led by the homeroom or advisory teachers. By the time this curriculum is implemented, our hope is that the homerooms have been able to establish a sense of community and connection. Our intention is to build on those connections and provide space and opportunity for teachers to engage in conversations with students, building on their prior knowledge about oppressive language and how it is used, and providing them with opportunities to think about the origins and lasting effects of oppressive and disconnecting language.
We know that language that is oppressive has become common, casual, and is sometimes connected to a sense of camaraderie amongst people in the same group. Words like the N word, the B word, and even the word slut have been reclaimed by some people to show a sense of in-group connection by taking ownership of a word that was once used to subjugate them. We explore the complexity of this dynamic through looking at the history of this type of language, how it has been used to create harm, and what the lasting impacts are on people today.
We want to emphasize for all reading this, that although some people are ok with the use of these words, there are some people who are not. Returning to the notion of safety and belonging for all, we emphasize for those who engage in this curriculum that if these words create an environment where even one person does not feel a sense of belonging, it is not a word or a notion that belongs in our environment. The deeper work, the invisible work, and the most difficult work is the work of the mind. Shifting the mindset of our selves, sifting through our biases, prejudices, and preconceived notions, and changing our default settings is arduous enough. Doing all that with a class of 20 to 30 young people can feel insurmountable. We offer this curriculum as a humble first step, a knock at the door of dynamic change of the mindsets, actions, and interactions of students, one to another.
*We acknowledge that Culturally Responsive Pedagogy is not embraced or even legal in some states and school communities. For this we offer educators to use their discretion on how to introduce this practice to their colleagues if they are interested in incorporating it into their schools.
For more information about how LAIRP can support your school please visit our website at lairp.org and contact us for more information.
References
The Baha’i Universal House of Justice. The Promise of World Peace, 1985