Whose stories are told and whose remain in the margins?
To answer this question, we must first know what it means to be in the margins -- or be marginalized. Someone who is marginalized has very little power or influence and experiences discrimination because of their identity. Someone can be marginalized because of their race, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. For example, a black gay woman would absolutely be considered marginalized. She could face discrimination for being black, for being gay, or even just for being a woman. Women make up almost half of our world's population, yet we are still considered marginalized as we face discrimination for our identity.
When it comes to learning about our nation's history, we often only see one perspective, and that is the white American perspective. Historical events are told from the white American's point of view and often neglect the perspective of those at the time that were of a different race or nationality. Hearing only one perspective is not helpful for anyone. There is no moment that is remembered exactly the same by all participating parties. Everyone has a different perspective, so we cannot expect there to be a single narrative story of American history.
As a teacher, it is important that you tell stories from multiple perspectives and read with a critical, watchful eye. A historical event may be viewed completely differently by another cultural group, and that is okay. People often say that there are multiple sides to every story and that you need to hear everyone out. This same saying goes for history and our society as a whole. You need to make sure that your students who are in the margins of society feel uplifted and heard.
Hey Cayenne I really enjoyed reading your post this week and I agree with you that historical events are often told from only one perspective. I think that you’re right about us as teachers needing to tell stories from multiple perspectives. There are sides to every story and students deserve to know those stories. I remember in another CI social studies course I took last semester we spent a good chunk of the course discussing “untold stories” and I think that really relates with what your blog post is discussing here. Time and time again we hear the same narrative of history and often times things are left out or brushed over in the curriculum. We need to break this cycle and hear everyone out when teaching historical events to students. After reading your post I’m wondering what ideas you have that you could implement in your classroom in order to tell all perspectives of historical events?
ReplyDeleteHi Zoe!
DeleteThank you for sharing your experience in your CI course! I haven't taken that course yet, so I'm excited to experience that.
To implement untold stories in the classroom, I would research some uncommon historical figures that relate to whatever topic we are discussing and share their story with the class. Another idea is to have students try to find a historical figure that they've never heard of in a book or online and have the student tell their story.
Hi Cayenne!
ReplyDeleteYou do make a wonderful point about the usual point of view being that of a white American. Even in other countries (I can speak for Colombia myself), there is a decent amount of media that is created or features white Americans in the main role. The idea of white Americans being the standard “every man” and representing the average American is old-fashioned at best and incredibly detrimental at worst. It is hard for marginalized people to get their voices heard because we (and I say “we” because I fall into multiple marginalized groups) are seen as outliers. We are seen as different from the rest and therefore our fight to get our stories heard is seen by others as politically charged rather than just a desire to be considered a part of the whole picture.
And you are correct concerning being an educator. We will be teaching children from many backgrounds, therefore we must make sure that our teaching keeps that in mind. Trying to fit everyone into a pre-made mold will do nothing but alienate those who cannot fit and not challenge those who do. We must take the future into our own hands and create a society that is eager to learn about and accept others.
Hi Cayenne! I completely agree with everything that you said in your blog post for this topic. I often found myself thinking about the other culture and their side of the story whenever I took history classes. It is important that as future educators we include every viewpoint, and not just the white American viewpoint. By doing so, we are providing our students with more information and teaching them about compassion.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that women face discrimination for simply being women. We are seen as less compared to men. So imagine being a woman of color, a lesbian, and just being a women. That is discrimination just waiting to happen in this society. We need to make a change for sure.
Hello Cayenne, I really like your blog post. I think it was very well written and that you made some excellent points. I think that it was great that you began with an introduction of who marginalized people are and gave examples. I agree with you that American history is told from the white American’s point of view mostly. I also believe that no one remembers events exactly the same way so we should not teach history from a single perspective. I like your ideas for what teachers can do to help with this. I think that it is very important for teachers to be aware of their student’s culture and history because it may be different from what they are familiar with. I agree with you that teachers need to ensure that marginalized students in their classrooms also have a voice and feel respected. I think that a way that teachers can do this is by including media and learning materials in their classes that are inclusive and represent racial and cultural diversity. Another thing that educators can do is encourage open and respectful conversations in the classroom so that the students and teachers can learn from each other. In my opinion, these are some strategies that can foster a safe and welcoming learning environment.
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