Fear In and Out of the Classroom: Discussion for Caroline, Melody, A.B., Steeve, and Marty

Kunjufu discusses how the relationship between white female teachers and black male students is often plagued by fear on the teacher's end. The white female is smaller and quieter and is not prepared to handle a confrontation effectively. One of the things I would like to talk about and get everyone thinking about before class is how this dynamic plays out outside of the classroom. It seems pretty clear that white society in general is scared of young black males. We have discussed on multiple occasions about criminalization in the United States along racial lines, especially when it comes males who belong to groups that have been minoritized.  White children are far far less likely to be tried as adults when compared to people of color who are charged with comparable crimes.
This fear of young black men is clearly pervasive and I want to ask how you think this dynamic affects the learning experience of many of our students and how we can create classrooms that combat a variety of oppressive forces implemented by white society regardless of who the teacher is.