Article Summaries

"Safe Spaces" - Vaccaro, August, Kennedy 

In this text, Vaccaro, August, and Kennedy argue that educators can create safe spaces for their students, through communication and curriculum. In order for these two tools to be successful, we need to start talking about diverse experiences and accepting the experiences of others that are in the minority in terms of gender, sexual orientation, and identity. This is something I, like many queer folks,  heard all the time growing up, is blatant heterosexism, which is defined in the article as, “heterosexism is the assumption that everyone is or should be heterosexual.” (Introduction) In order to create change, we need to begin to acknowledge differences among each other in a positive way.  The beginning of a solution to create increase visibility for queer folks and, in turn, create safer spaces in our school systems is getting LGBTQ+ folks included in the curriculum. Whether the biases are intentional or not, there is no doubt that they exist.

PRIVILEGE, POWER, AND DIFFERENCE” by Allan G. Johnson

In Privilege, Power, and Difference, Allan G. Johnson argues that we cannot even begin to eliminate privilege without first seeing that we have privilege. In order for us to change, we need to acknowledge the privilege and see how that allows us to treat others differently. For example, as a white woman, I will be waited on faster and, usually, nicer than a person of color. Nobody will follow me around in a convenience store because they trust that I am not stealing due to the color of my skin. Johnson says, it doesn't matter how she dresses or behaves or that she's all executive in a large corporation. Her being black and the realtors' and bankers' and clerks' being white in a racist society is all it takes.” (pg. 7).  This is not only an issue of race, but also sexual orientation, gender, and many other characteristics. Johnson closes by saying that although racism and discrimination are rooted in precedence, it is up to us to change it for future generations.