Advanced Essay #2: Narratives Being Taught About Minorities

“A smart Indian is dangerous.” A quote taken from Sherman Alexie in his essay titled “The Joy of Reading Superman and Me’.”  This is the reality of what we see. A minority that is considered “smart” or knowledgeable is “dangerous.” We might ask ourselves why that is but the answer is quite clear. A minority who is knowledgeable about the world around them realizes that something is not right. That their is an injustice and ignorance that seeps through the particles of air.

Overall minorities are underrepresented both in popular texts used in the formal education system and vocal leaders in our society.  Children all across the United States spend too much time on the same single story of minorities and the foundation of this country.  However, it is necessary for everyone to learn about the upsetting foundation of this country but there are multiple ways to view it and educate people about it. It is an educator's responsibility to teach students on the different perspectives that minorities have and instead of only focusing on the degradation , we need to focus on empowerment.

It was third grade and we had been practicing for over a month. I knew my lines and I was ready to go on stage to perform my first play. The topic black history month and I was Madam CJ Walker. I was overjoyed and proud as I saw the reaction of the audience. I saw faces of all colors rejoicing and applauding as I begin to perform. Looking back I find that I felt empowered. A strong black rich woman, a narrative that is rarely acclaimed.  

Malcolm X once said that we are not taught to “hate the white, but to love ourselves.” History should not be a blame game.  Our focus needs to be shifted away from the degradation of minorities and steered to the empowerment of minorities.

In the United States, Latinos learn about the Aztecs and Incas and how their civilization was conquered, then wiped out . African-Americans learn about slavery all day everyday and how we can never fully succeed in society. Japanese Americans, learn about the World War 2 and their horrible treatment in the concentration camps . But that is only if we get to that part of the curriculum, because I was never taught about Asian history.  We continue to diminish the existence of Native Americans existence placing them in reservations in harsh conditions. Instead of viewing them as “The Owners of the Land,” we too often we rely on Pocahontas as a primary source. With all of this talk about the influence in has on society and the young children growing up.

There must be a balance.  When we are taught about the history of minorities the only focal point is on the enslavement and the abasement of said minorities. This leads to a mind set of “since we have always been teared down , we will never rise up.” And that way of thinking leads to the ignorance in the minority community and the lack of knowledge about their own culture and ridiculing other about their own roots. Examples are everywhere, especially on television where they portray images of all African people live in huts and alluding to the fact that all the people in that area are starving. The global issue is called world hunger not African hunger. Even though there are situations like those happening in Africa and other continents, the bad is often the only perspective that we have.   The faults of a single side story, we get taught the way that the majority wants us to be taught. “His story is History.”