Is it Racist for a White Man to Bounce a Brown Baby on His Lap?
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A few days ago, a rather strange exchange caught my attention on Twitter. At a public meeting of a local New York City school board, one member accused another of perpetrating racism by holding his girlfriend’s nephew.
“It hurts people when they see a white man bouncing a brown baby on their lap,” she said. Asked for an explanation as to how this might be racist, she suggested that the man “read a book. Read White Fragility.”
When I delved deeper into this strange story, I discovered that another member of the board had spoken up against this twisted view of the world with lucid rage; to be honest, it was the most compelling speech I have heard in months.
Edward Irizzary is, himself, a product of the New York City public school system. He grew up under difficult circumstances, and joined the local board of education to fight for students just like him. In conversation with me, he explains why the ideas of people like Robin DiAngelo, or reforms that are focused on what he calls “cosmetic diversity,” make it harder to improve a deeply flawed educational system.
Please do take the time to listen to our conversation.
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I love the term "cosmetic diversity" that Irizzary used. I listened to the entire, painful meeting. I was amazed by how White diversity trainer and White Fragility author Robyn DiAngelo took up so much space at the meeting, despite not being there. Several of the board members seemed more concerned with adhering to White Fragility speak than having an honest conversation about steps to take to improve the educational experience for their diverse population. Robin, was certainly more concerned with appearing antiracist and following the DiAngelo script than actually talking about the education of children. When she apologized to Irizzary she didn't appear to take to heart what Irizzary was actually saying. It seemed like a "cosmetic" apology.
Thanks for introducing us to Edward.