One day at school, I stopped eating lunch. I didn’t stop eating because I wasn’t hungry, hated cafeteria food, wanted to lose weight, or was extra studious. I stopped eating because I was ashamed of being poor. Growing up in Utah, my family was a part of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the Mormons. TheContinue reading “Lunch Card”
Tag Archives: whiteness
Mistakes Made
I was well into my second decade of teaching before I realized my classroom contributed to white supremacy. And by white supremacy, I don’t mean the KKK robe-wearing hatred of non-whites. I mean whiteness centered as the norm around which all other races orbit. This kind of whiteness harms all students because it leads toContinue reading “Mistakes Made”
Beginnings
“Conversations with Racists Like Me,” is a writing idea I have been actively trying to ignore for nearly four years. The thought creeps into my brain when my guard is down in the wee hours of the night. It whispers when my anxious busyness cannot distract me. Much energy has been spent in avoidance. AtContinue reading “Beginnings”
Microaggressions at the Market
One day at the market after my shopping cart was full, my daughter and I made our way to the checkout counter. Our cashier wore a nametag with a name I felt was “not from around here.” In an attempt to be friendly I asked, “What is the origin of your name?” I caught aContinue reading “Microaggressions at the Market”