Chair's Corner

In my Cognitive Sociology course last fall, we were frequently able to apply the topics to Covid-19, Black Lives Matter (BLM), or both. The class was organized as a remote course rather than in-person as planned. I gave students pathways. They could either attend a live Zoom each week or participate in a discussion forum on Canvas. All students were given the same discussion question prompt and had to prepare a written response by the start of the live Zoom time. This discussion prompt was the focus of the live Zoom and Canvas discussion forum.

We learned about the norms of classification, signifying, constructing and negotiating boundaries, remembering, autobiographical work, and timing. Each discussion question asked students to discuss any assigned reading and video to help them respond to the prompt. Some prompts pointedly asked students to relate the readings to an issue related to Covid-19 or BLM.

I noticed students repeatedly referred to BLM protests as riots. Due to the content of the course, students had already learned about norms of classification and how words matter in terms of our understanding of social life. I corrected their language in class and in feedback. Students were also writing that they were unsure how to answer questions about BLM because it did not involve them (all of my students were White). A class announcement was necessary. I had to intervene beyond responding to individual students on their private assignments.

Because some students only participated in the Canvas discussion forum and others only participated in the live Zooms, I used the Canvas announcement tool to reach the whole class. I felt a sense of risk to put it in writing as an announcement. However, as a tenured White professor, it was my responsibility. This was a risk that I was in a position to take, and because of my position, I had to take it.

I posted this announcement:

I have some concerns that many of us believe that because the Black Lives Matter movement does not appear to directly impact us, we do not have much to say about it. And we don't have much to say about it because we can choose to ignore it for the most part. That's White privilege. If you believe that you do not need to learn more about Black Lives Matter because it does not affect you due to your race, that is White privilege. You can counteract that privilege by learning more about BLM so that you can effectively speak on the topic and begin to understand your own place in the movement.

Further, please take the initiative to learn the difference between a lawful protest and a riot. Most Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 have been peaceful and not riots at all. 93 percent of Black Lives Matter protests have been peaceful and non-violent (source, and this source suggests even less violence). To continuously refer to them as riots is either uninformed or a choice to mischaracterize the protests in an attempt to discredit the movement. Your words matter. As sociology students, you know that your words matter. As sociology students, you also know not to generalize to the population based on a few cases that deviate from the overall pattern. And now that you know different, I expect you to describe them accurately.

What happens to one’s evaluations when the instructor points out students’ White privilege and corrects their racist language (i.e., protest, not riot)? Overall, my evaluations were strong and most comments were positive. However, I did receive these comments:

I did not feel as if I could express my personal point of view on anything. I felt if I did not agree with the professor, or say what she wanted, I would be graded less. I did not think that emailing every student and saying we all ignore the BLM movement because we are white and privileged. I also feel she showed little respect to the students.

She should learn how to respect the class, and how not everyone is required to have her point of view on certain topics.

I feel like at certain points, the atmosphere was very hostile.

Challenging students’ use of language that repeatedly mischaracterizes BLM protests as riots is based in factual evidence. However, factual evidence does not protect me from accusations of creating a hostile environment. In hindsight, I could have left out the part about White privilege, but I believe that it is important (even if risky) to draw students’ attention to their own privileges.

The risks to me are a lot less than for others because of my race and rank. Right now, I am wearing a t-shirt that says, “Fight for those without your privilege.” I hope that you are, too, and I hope this issue of Teaching and Learning Matters helps you “fight for those without your privilege.”