Allan Johnson: Privilege, Power and Difference

"For every social category that is privileged, one or more other categories are oppressed in relation to it (Johnson, p. 38)".  To explain this quote let's think of the social category of sex and gender. If we look at males and females, which one do you think has more privilege over the other? If you answered male you would be correct. According to this article I found, (linked HERE), women in 2024 make 84 cents compared to a mans $1. It is absolutely disturbing to me that men and women in 2024 who are as equally educated and qualified are not making the same amount. No if we added the social category of race into the conversation and it was a white man and a hispanic women both equally as qualified and educated the hispanic woman would make significantly less than the m an and a white woman. The wheel in the picture above is a good example of when there are social categories there is always a privilege and oppression that go hand in hand. 

I found an article titled "What is we flipped the conversation from gender discrimination to gender privilege?" and this caught my attention. By saying gender discrimination it sounds like we are already putting women at a disadvantage but by reframing that and saying gender privilege it opens up a door for conversation. It is naming what is actually happening within the workplace. Some examples of gender privilege in the workplace include men being more likely to be hired and promoted and paid more for equal work. 

Johnson does an excellent job in naming and defining what privilege, power and difference look like. Recognizing and realizing what privilege is and what privileges we carry is important. It helps us to be self aware but also aware of others around us. 

Teach Out Presentation

 Here is the link to my presentation for our teach out project! 

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Queering Our Schools

 RI Laws and Policies: 

While reading the introductory paragraph within the document I felt proud to be a Rhode Islander and also proud to be part of the LGBTQ community. The language used is safe, supportive and asset based. Our state wants to support and protect the rights of all students who identify as LGBTQ. I enjoyed the definitions that were given because there are often times where people mix up definitions of gender identity and gender expression for example.  I also appreciated the part where is discusses pronouns because that is very important for youth in schools who do choose to go by certain pronouns. 

The part where it discusses restrooms, locker rooms and changing facilities broke my heart a bit and reminded me of the recent death of Nex Benedict, a 16 year old non-binary student in Oklahoma. In doing a bit of research there are not many laws or bills to protect LGBTQ youth in Oklahoma schools but rather many anti-LGBTQ bills. https://oklahomawatch.org/2023/02/10/oklahoma-lawmakers-file-40-anti-lgbtq-bills/ 

Things I Learned:

• "Rhode Island was the second state in the country to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression, thereby protecting transgender people from discrimination in employment, housing, credit, and public accommodations." This happened in 2001! 

Questions I have:

• I wonder if there are trainings or professional development opportunities for educators in Rhode Island pertaining to these laws and bills. There was a section that mentioned how some students may have a problem changing in front of a student who may be transgender and it is up to the school administrators and counselors to work with both students to ensure everyone feels comfortable. I hope that there are some opportunities for administrators and educators to gain the language and skills on how to address situation like that. 

Woke Read Alouds:

• Ki does an incredible job with their enthusiasm while reading this story. I almost wish there were children that they were reading to so we could see how children respond and even ask questions. 
• While reading others blogs I noticed that in Molly's blog she mentioned that she attended catholic schools in the late 90's and early 2000's as did I. Even though my parents were always supportive of me and told me I could love whoever I wanted I wish I was exposed to literature like the one in the video when I was younger. Sometimes I wish that I came out sooner and wonder if I had access to language and literature like this it would have made a difference. 
• The book that Ki was reading is something I would like to have when I start having children. I actually started collecting books for my future children a few years back. Some of those books include

Eliminating Ableism in Education

Definitions of ableism: 

-Thomas Hehir defines ableism as "the devaluation of disability". This quote made me look differently at ableism and gave it more of a meaning. Ableism is not about the person who is being ableist, it is about the person who has a disability and feels the devaluation of the effects of ableism. 

-Rauscher and McClintock define ableism as "a pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion that oppresses people who have mental, emotional and physical disabliities...Deeply rooted beliefs about health, productivity, beauty, and the value of human life, perpetuated by the public and private media, combine to create an enviornment that is often hostile to those whose physical, mental, cognitive, and sensory abilities...fall out of the scope of what is currently defined as socially acceptable". 

Ableist Assumptions:

As an able bodied person navigating this world, I often take for grated what privileges come with being able-bodied. I found this able-bodied privilege checklist online and I checked almost every box. https://projecthumanities.asu.edu/able-bodied-privilege-checklist This list is a great way to check in with yourself and keep in mind the things able-bodied people take for granted daily. 

A thought I had while reading this article was where Hehir introduces Joe, who was born with disabilities and his able-bodied mom, Penny. Penny enrolled Joe into a preschool program for children with disabilities and quickly was discouraged when people around her insinuated that Joe would never be employed. This made me think about the show on Netflix, "Love on the Spectrum", where so many times parents of children with autism spectrum disorder were told their children would never be employed, talk, communicate effectively etc. and they defied those odds! The ableist assumption that people with disabilities can't achieve things that able-bodied people can is outrageous. It seems as though the send someone with a disability is born, we as a society have put them in a box and have said they have to stay in that box. 

Judy Heumann who was mentioned on page 2, was actually a member of the same sorority as me. Judy was a notable advocate and leader of the disabled community because of the experiences she faced as a wheelchair user at a very early age. She had contracted polio before the age of 5 and was ever denied the right to attend school as she was labeled "a fire hazard". I cannot imagine denying a child the right to an education just because they are a wheelchair user but this is real, it happened and I'm sure that it still happens in some capacity today. Penny wanted the same opportunities for her son who was disabled just like any other parent would wnat for their children who are not disabled. Education was important to Penny and she fought for her son and his rights to an "appropriate education". The school system was trying to put Joe in a box and Penny was not going to let that happen. 

I am sometimes guilty for ableist assumptions but I have a voice in my heads that lets me check my privilege and I am thankful for that. 

Teach Out Project Proposal

 

About Me!

 My name is Casey Smith and I am a wife as well as a dog and cat mom. I am currently enrolled as a graduate student in the Youth Development program here at RIC, I also completed my undergraduate degree here also in Youth Development. Funny enough I work at RIC too, I am the Program Coordinator for Student Activities. I grew up in Cranston, RI and always thought I would become a teacher but I really enjoy the work I do in higher education with college aged students. A lot of my work is planning different events on campus for students like bingo, movie nights and even taking trips somewhere fun. I also facilitate lots of leadership workshops and trainings for student leaders. 

Ashley, my wife

Jersey our dog!

Chex our cat!

Blog Post 2

 In this video Luna Malbroux outlines the 4 I's of oppression.

1. Ideological Oppression

    Malbroux first explains how gender stereotypes and roles play a part in ideological oppression. She talks about how it has become normalized to associate blue with boys and pink for girls because that is how we were brought up. What I mean by that is, I remember when I was a child and I would go into the toy store, it was evident what aisles were for boys and what aisles were for girls. This was introduced to me at such a young age that it became how I associated boys with blue and girls with pink. Even when Malbroux mentioned that "men are smarter in STEM" it took me back to that toy store from when I was a child and even the selection of toys was very different. With just a quick Google search of "boys toys" and "girls toys" I was pretty shocked to see the similarities from 1999 to 2024. When looking at the "boys toys" on Google there was a robot, tool bench and construction trucks. When I searched "girls toys" there were makeup kits, hair stylist chairs, purses and the toys seemed to mostly focus on appearances. 

2. Interpersonal Oppression 

    Just as Malbroux stated "we all have experiences being treated differently because of an aspect of who we are". I am very confident with my identity and usually always have the words and language to express that but over the summer I got engaged to my now wife. I had one of my friends dad say to me "who is the lucky guy" and when I told him she was a woman his whole demeanor changed. He began asking personal questions like are our families really ok with "this" and "well who is going to wear the wedding dress". I had never experienced something like this before and the anger and fear I felt was debilitating. 

With the work that I do I hear countless stories from students about their different types of experiences with interpersonal oppression and it can be a challenge to navigate at times. Everyones experiences are unique and different but everyones identities are valid. 

A few years back when I took my first gender and women's studies class within the first two weeks I had learned so much and will always remember the topic of microaggressions. In that similar timeframe my mom and I were watching a TV show and she said "wow she is pretty for a black girl". I was stunned. I truly didn't know what to say in that moment because I knew it was wrong and I wanted to bring it to her attention in a kind way. I mentioned to her how that could be offensive to someone and like Malbroux mentioned how "it seems like a compliment" but underneath its the ideology. What did she really mean by that comment? 

3. Institutional Oppression

    Racial profiling is one example of institutional racism, specifically racial profiling in traffic stops. An article that I found showed that in 2016 police officers in North Carolina were more likely to pull over black and hispanic drivers more than white and asian drivers. ARTICLE 

When Malbroux brought up redlining and segregation the Federal Reserve History website said that redlining began in 1934 and ended sometime in the 1960's. This is an example of how institutional oppression dates back 90 years ago, that is a long time! 

Even within RIC's code of conduct for students it is very punitive and gives no space for restorative justice. Here is an example of how a student code of conduct could be written to be more restorative and go against institutional oppression. EXAMPLE

4. Internalized Oppression 

    The dominat narrative or societal norm tells us that being white is the standard. As a white woman I always see people who look like me whether it is on television, in magazines and I can always find bandaids that are my skin color. I know that for others this is not their experience. Just as Malbroux said "messages may not be direct to you but you can feel it, you can see it in the movies and media". For people who identify as BIPOC, I am sure their experiences were much different than mine. When people from targeted groups internalize these things it becomes real to them, they feel like they are not worthy enough even if it is just a simple as buying a bandaid in your own skin color.