~ Diversity, Development, and Learning ~EDUC - 6357 ~

~~Week 6~~

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

Grandma (Nana) to Grandson:

Grandma to Daughter-in-law: "he is darker than the other boys"

Grandson (Eriq): "Mom, I'm I dark"

Daughter-in-law: "No, son, you are brown"  

"Eriq" circa 2013

My Mother’s Story

One day I was shopping in the market in Los Angeles with my mother. We were in the meat department and three Latina ladies asked my mother something in Spanish. My mother said, “No, I speak English” They looked at my mother and said in their language: “Mulatto”. Then they started whispering more: “Mulatto, no Mexicana” “Su Mujer esta Mulatto, esta Mulatto”. I took Spanish in high school, so I knew what they were saying. They walked away and seemed to be mad at my mother and she was mad at them saying: “they all need to learn English”. 

My Father and Mother, Circa 1952

                                                                    My Story

My last assignment as a teacher was in an infant/toddler center. They did not talk. Yet, when I go out in public there are a lot of verbal and facial expressions for my son with Autism. Just the other day we were at “Denney’s” and this baby was cooing and babbling and she heard my son and she stopped and listened to his cooing. 

Also, preschoolers and toddlers that talk say, “mom, something is wrong with him” or they give that look of fear because of his deep tone voice with no words. There are actually people who love to have a conversation with my son and they continue on and on until I tell them: “he has no speech, he has Autism”. 

~Two years apart: Different shades of brown, all Brothers~

I would like to use a persona doll to discuss: Autism. People really need to be in face-to-face contact with a person with Autism to really get the gust of the syndrome.

With Autism, race and able-ism go together. Some people say that Black children had parents on drugs, this is why they are “retarded” or have special needs children. Some people say that parents of Autistic children do not know how to discipline their children. And, some people say that Autism children have “no home training”. These are all myths!

"All Brothers and Sisters~same mother/father: Bi-racial Mother is kneeling in Yellow"

My family is very diverse:

None of my children have their father’s last name except one son

One of my son’s is a Chef

One of my son's is a Cheerleader (Stunt-Leader)

My daughter has a Muslim name but she is Jewish

One of my son’s wants to be a Christian youth minister

Only one child of mine is light-skinned, even though I am light-skinned

No one in my family has gone beyond the BA degree
My mother is Native-American and Jewish
My sister-in-law is Filipino
All my sisters served in the U.S. military, my brothers never signed up 
My nieces were adopted.  

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). "Start Seeing Diversity: Race/Ethnicity"[DVD]. Diversity, development, and learning. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). "The Positive Ways ECE Settings Can Respond to Bias"

 [DVD]. Diversity, development, and learning. Nancy Splanger. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Pelo, A. (Ed.). (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.