Systemic racism is real and must be tackled – The Durango Herald

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In response to Melanie Sturms’ question, is systemic racism the correct diagnosis? (July 3), overwhelming evidence leads to a definitive yes.

In his column, Sturm expresses concern that anti-racist theories are being taught in schools and criticizes Durango School District 9R’s resolution to hire experts to identify systemic racism in the district.

Based on her arguments, Sturm seems unfamiliar with the very concept she is questioning. Systemic racism can be defined as policies and practices that exist in societies or organizations that perpetuate unfair advantage for some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others on the basis of race. It imposes the obligation to resolve racism on those who bear the greatest burden by inferring that they should be able to overcome the disparity with a better attitude.

Discriminatory actions are ingrained in the education system, the economic system, the criminal justice system and more in the Americas, with deeply damaging and multigenerational consequences. Solutions to systemic racism require focusing on systems, not individuals.

As Ibram X. Kendi recently stated, education cannot be the only vehicle for social well-being and human empowerment for the many. It is not a substitute for fair wages, better working conditions or workers’ bargaining power, nor a way to achieve them.

Sturm introduces himself, a victim of scoliosis, and his son, a dyslexic, as people who have overcome their challenges, apparently to serve as examples for victims of racism who simply need inspiration and a change in attitude. . While both problems are indeed difficult, it is an insult to people who have experienced systemic racism to assume that the absurdly simplistic solution is to be inspired to develop their unique potential in the school setting, as she states. .

Sturms banal platitude that although we cannot choose what is going on in our lives, we can choose how to react blame the victim by inferring that if only people experiencing racism reacted differently, the problem would be solved.

While Sturm recognizes racial differences in performance measurements, she questions whether racism is the cause. There are volumes of data and evidence demonstrating the devastating effects of systemic racism in education. As early as 1991, Jonathan Kozol described in his book Savage Inequalities the striking differences between public schools serving students of color in urban settings and their suburban counterparts, which typically spend twice as much per student for populations with far fewer special needs.

For those who truly want to combat systemic racism, the true history of the Americas must first be recognized: the one that has perpetuated racist policies since its inception.

For my part, I would like my child to be informed of the massacre of the Tulsa race in 1921 and that the land we currently live on was seized from a myriad of tribes who lived here first the Utes, the Navajo, the Arapaho, the Cheyenne and others. We cannot begin to right our past wrongs if we do not recognize them. Introspection is painful and necessary.

As Te-Nehisi Coates states, an America that asks what it owes its most vulnerable citizens is enhanced and humane. An America that looks away ignores not only the sins of the past, but also the sins of the present and some sins of the future.

I’m curious why Sturm, an Aspen persuasion coach, weighs on our school districts’ efforts to tackle racism? As a parent of a student in District 9-R, I applaud the district’s resolve to address this issue and the goal of improving diversity, equity and inclusion for all students.

Self-Disclosure: I am a privileged white woman (just like Melanie Sturm) who strives to be an ally in dismantling systemic racism.

Claire Ninde is a freelance writer and mother of a Durango 9-R high school student.

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