#438: The Colorblindness Trap
Come discuss Nikole Hannah-Jones’s article on affirmative action on April 28
Happy April, Loyal Readers. Thank you for being here.
Before revealing this week’s selections (including our article of the month), let’s first make sure you know about two important things:
1️⃣ You’re warmly invited to our quarterly in-person gathering (affectionately called HHH #22) next Thursday, April 11. It’d be wonderful to see you! We’ll meet up at Room 389 in Oakland beginning at 5:30 pm (prizes at 7:00). It’s a great way to connect with other kind, thoughtful readers. Get your free ticket here.
2️⃣ Thank you to everyone who said hi last week in the comments. It was great to meet Fiona and Ryn and Rachel and to hear from other kind folks. Let’s try something new this week: Say hi by messaging me directly. (This is for all you introverts out there.) (Hopefully the button below works.) I’d love to hear how you found Article Club and what you’ve been reading (article, book, something else) lately.
All right, it’s time to get to the articles. Hope you enjoy them!
1️⃣ Article of the Month: The Colorblindness Trap
If you’re a longtime subscriber (like Ben or Erin, who signed up Week 1 in 2015), you know that Nikole Hannah-Jones basically ran this newsletter back in the day. I was fascinated by her reporting on school resegregation. Her “What Is Owed” was selected the best article of 2020. And many of you participated in our epic 7-month study of The 1619 Project. You can see, I deeply admire her and her writing.
I’m happy to announce that Prof. Hannah-Jones’s latest piece will be April’s article of the month. We’ll discuss it on April 28, 2:00 - 3:30 pm PT. I urge you to join us!
At first glance, “The Colorblindness Trap” is an essay about colorblindness and how the concept has been used to maintain racial inequality in the United States. But because it’s by Prof. Hannah-Jones, it’s so much more. You’ll gain a clearer understanding of affirmative action, its purpose, its origin, its history, and its demise. You’ll appreciate affirmative action as a form of reparations that worked for decades to promote racial justice, before a backlash that led to its dismantling. And you’ll be persuaded to consider affirmative action as a remedy not for all marginalized people but instead as a specific redress for descendants of slavery.
Prof. Hannah-Jones says it much more clearly:
What we are witnessing, once again, is the alignment of white power against racial justice and redress. As history has shown, maintaining racial inequality requires constant repression and is therefore antithetical to democracy. And so we must be clear about the stakes: Our nation teeters at the brink of a particularly dangerous moment, not just for Black Americans, but for democracy itself.
To meet the moment, our society must forcefully recommit to racial justice by taking lessons from the past. Diversity matters in a diverse society, and American democracy by definition must push for the inclusion of all marginalized people.
Those who believe in American democracy, who want equality, must no longer allow those who have undermined the idea of colorblindness to define the terms. Working toward racial justice is not just the moral thing to do, but it may also be the only means of preserving our democracy.
By no means is this a quick, easy article to read. It’s dense. There’s a ton of history. You won’t be experiencing joy. But you’ll learn. And your thinking will be provoked. And you’ll want to talk about the ideas in the piece, hopefully at our discussion on April 28. I look forward to hearing your perspective.
By Nikole Hannah-Jones • The New York Times Magazine • 41 min
2️⃣ When Your Kid Is The Classroom Problem Child
Alex is a third grader who loves to read. He’s also academically gifted. But Alex’s ADHD and auditory-processing difficulties lead to aggressive behaviors that challenge his teachers and paraprofessionals. He hides; he climbs on closets; he trashes classrooms. His mother, a self-described “free spirit,” acknowledges that Alex isn’t the easiest kid. But she won’t back down from making sure that her son has access to a high-quality education, just like any other kid. Alex isn’t the problem, she argues. His New York City public school is just not set up to offer appropriate responses to behaviors that challenge traditional norms.
“There’s been no return to normal” since the pandemic, says clinical psychologist Dave Anderson. Behavioral disorders are up, and so are their severity. In particular, children with special needs benefited little from remote learning, and their levels of stress and anxiety have not subsided.
This balanced, well-written article certainly does not include any simple solutions. It might spur some feelings. But I appreciate its honesty in explaining the challenges that public schools and parents face in trying to educate all of our nation’s children.
By Anya Kamenetz • The Cut • 20 mins • Public link
3️⃣ Are You The Right Kind of White Parent?
The headline, of course, is a trick question. The point of this thoughtful interview with Garrett Bucks, author of the new book, The Right Kind of White, is that white people spend too much time trying to be seen as “good” (for example: self-flagellating, having Black friends). Rather than saying the “right” thing, and then feeling self- righteous about it (“I’m better than other white people!”), Mr. Bucks emphasizes the importance of reflection and community contribution. “My wife and I are trying,” he says, “to teach our kids to understand that the challenge of a lifetime isn’t about individual righteousness, but collective care and transformation of a broken world.” One crucial step is for white people to work with other white people in white communities, with a spirit of collaboration instead of competition.
By Sarah Wheeler and Garrett Bucks • Romper • 12 mins
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