Equity training is a must

Martha Patterson, Silverdale  (Previously published to the Kitsap Sun, April 7)

Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm famously said, “Racism is so universal in this country, so widespread, and deep-seated, that it is invisible because it is so normal.”

The statement the letter clearly illustrates is one of privilege, reflecting the belief that no problem exists because it has not been personally experienced, and illustrates why equity training is needed, not just in our schools, but for all. Ponder this. Why do you suppose very few people of color reside in Poulsbo? Do you remember the outrage among some members in the community a few years back, when the Viking Festival Princess was black, and how a few men in Nazi attire showed up at the festival? Why are students of color suspended and expelled from schools at much higher rates than white students? Why are students of color referred for Special Education services at much higher rates than white students? White Nationalist activity has been reported in Kitsap County, and supremacist groups are known to recruit in online video game chat rooms, often frequented by teenagers. 

Why are white male politicians in Georgia working so hard to suppress voting?  Think about your own school years. How often did you read a book about or written by a person of color? Martin Luther King wrote in his Letter From the Birmingham Jail: "The Negros greatest stumbling block is not the Ku Klux Klanner,  but the white moderate who is more devoted to “order” than to justice.” 

Do some reflection. Equity training is a must. 

Martha Patterson, Silverdale