Shades of Grey: Hear, Not Fear, Different Perspectives

Letters to Irshad — Afterward

Originally published on www.socialeducation.ca

Addressing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion through Honest Diversity

Dishonest diversity labels people as a substitute for understanding them. Honest diversity moves people beyond prefabricated labels — whether “white male” or “queer Muslim. Honest diversity avoids humiliating others.”

Irshad Manji from her book Don’t Label Me

Dear Readers,

During my term as an elected official we received a delegation from a local group encouraging our institution to join their cause as allies with regards to a local issue that was important to them. It was a great presentation from very strong advocates in our community. That is until one of the presenters went off-the-cuff during question period and said something that I found to be both divisive and offensive to a large cohort within our organization. I couldn’t stop thinking about that final statement after our meeting was over. I froze when those five words were spoken.

We, as an elected body, still voted to endorse the spirit of the delegation. I actually seconded that motion. It was a good presentation — until it wasn’t. I remember saying to myself that I would never allow that kind of messaging to be part of our local curriculum.

I discussed in my letters to Irshad, worries surrounding what our children are learning in their classrooms and how those lessons are being taught. After completing the draft of my final letter, the institution in question released a series of K-12 lesson modules titled Learn. Disrupt. Rebuild., in an effort to ensure that their human rights curriculum is culturally relevant. The logo font is all caps, bold, in black letters with disrupt within a square solid yellow box.

I won’t go into specifics about this homegrown curriculum because I don’t want this to seem like an attack on those that obviously put a lot of effort into addressing this important social issue. It doesn’t mean I don’t have many questions and concerns — including with the logo and name of the lesson modules themselves, as well as what seems like a singular lens to both see the problem and the solution through. I don’t have the space here or the capacity at this point in my learning to properly cover the documents in depth, but it’s something deserving of a much broader community discussion.

One thing that I wanted to leave here for us to ponder from the primary lesson modules is:

Junior Elementary Modules — Lesson 13: Check Your Privilege (Sources: This lesson is adapted from Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” from Working Paper 189: Wellesley College, 1989.)

From the Learn. Disrupt. Rebuild. curriculum.

Remember when I worried that our delivery of these sensitive topics would result in parents removing their children from these lessons or in this case, from our public institutions in general?

“I will switch my kids to the Catholic board before I let them participate in critical race theory.”

Parent/POC

Teaching predicated in what some see as dishonest delivery, will understandably result in our youth missing out on critical conversations when we don’t involve all of those affected to morally engage in the honest, emotional, and lengthy conversations required to ensure the development of a curriculum rooted in love and compassion, as Theory of Enchantment founder Chloé S. Valdary promotes.

We want people talking about important issues. Not turned off and further divided. There are many brilliant minds — including those within the Black, PoC, and Indigenous communities, that are paving a different path forward without the judgement, minus the humiliation, and void the guilt associated with current common approaches used in our places of business, within higher education, and increasingly within the classrooms of our K-12 institutions.

I have one final question for you. Why are we hung up on the ways in which our institutions are structured today? What is really so great about our education system? What is so safe about our policing? What’s so healthy about our healthcare system including our long-term care homes? What is so democratic about our politics?

I may question teaching or judging the actions of anyone — especially our children, through a singular theory, but we must come to a mutual understanding of how our systems are negatively affecting us all and make meaningful transformations. That meaningful change also means engaging all groups affected by proposed modifications including curriculum like Learn. Disrupt. Rebuild.

—

I want to leave you with this video by Carl Sagan entitled ‘Pale Blue Dot’. Irshad references it half way through her book and I felt this type of reflection — looking at how small our own existence is in the scope of the universe — was a perfect way to step back and contemplate our thoughts on not only this discussion, but all those going forward you were once so steadfast in your own opinions among billions of others within this tiny speck of dust we call home.

For change-makers in any field, facing fear is non-negotiable. That’s especially true if you’re going to do the right thing. Hence the need for “moral courage.”

Excerpt from the Moral Courage website

Article Sources and Recommendations:

Don’t Label Me by Irshad Manji from St. Martin’s Griffin
Moral Courage ED founded by Irshad Manji

Sample video on the merits of Irshad’s Moral Courage Project:
https://vimeo.com/359687503

Theory of Enchantment founded by Choloé S. Valdary

“CRT(Critical Race Theory) ignores the sacredness of life, the beauty of all human beings, and their imperfections and individuality that ultimately lead to “organic diversity.”

Choloé S. Valdary

Words of Peace in Native Land by Guylaine Cliché and the Mohawk TC of Kahnawake, from Juniper Publishing
The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King from Anchor Canada
Jews Don’t Count — David Baddiel from TLS Books
Heterodox Academy — Resources for K-12 Educators
The Skin We’re In by Desmond Cole, from Doubleday Canada

Further reading for a deeper understanding of these issues (Not necessarily recommendations)
White Fragility — Robin D’Angelo
How to Be An Antiracist — Ibram X. Kendi (Next on my bookshelf)
The Perils of “Privilege”: Why Injustice Can’t Be Solved By Accusing Others of Advantage, by Phoebe Maltz Bovy (On my wishlist)

There is no learning in feeling like you have to be silent.

Be well. Keep safe.

Larry Pattison Jr.
Founder and Protector at INSE

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