Alex Marketos:
One night, my predominantly-White private middle school held an event called “Around the World Night.” Students and their families set up booths displaying their heritage through music, dance, food, and other cultural aspects. In fact, food was the selling point for this event. It was very popular and well-attended. I definitely enjoyed going and the food was delicious. After reading Hagerman’s book, I began to wonder about the efficacy of such events. Clearly, the goal was to provide students with knowledge about different cultures. However, this “knowledge” was primarily limited to food. Different cultures’ histories and their members’ experiences in America (a majority White society) were largely ignored. These factors make this event an example of shallow multiculturalism.
Lessons should be taught so that they get a more complete picture of the experiences of people of color in a majority White society.
I understand that the event was supposed to be for families and was supposed to have a fun nature to it. However, I think that, in retrospect, some more could be done to ensure that learning about different cultures and societies went beyond culture. This could include dedicating time in history class to talk about the history of these cultures and the experiences that their members face today in American society. It’s also important to understand how children of different ages comprehend race and racial dynamics. According to the psychologist Stephen Quintana, Elementary-school-age children conceptualize race by equating them with cultural attributes, such as saying that being Mexican means eating Mexican food. It would then be more developmentally appropriate to teach an elementary school child about different cultures through food and traditions. Quintana also proposes that when children reach middle-school-age, they understand how people of different races are viewed by society.
So, when White children reach these ages, lessons should be taught so that they get a more complete picture of the experiences of people of color in a majority White society. These “lessons” could include the aforementioned concepts of what it means to be a minority in a majority White society. White parents can also complement what their children learn (or don’t learn) by making a point to “fill in the gaps” by discussing the experience of minorities with their middle-school-aged children.