My first real experience interacting with a kid from another culture came when I was in 5th grade at Andrew Hamilton Elementary School in West Philly. To me, he was Chinese. (Sadly, to this day I'm not sure where exactly my classmate was from.)
Going through middle school at Masterman opened up an entire WORLD to me, literally. There, the kids were descendants from many cultures and creeds. I even learned that not all white people were the same. They came from different cultures too. Some were Irish, others Polish, some were Jewish, others from Russia and from every surface area of the Earth!
I even learned that there were other blacks! I grew up with friends from Jamaica, so I knew about Jamaicans, but I didn't have experiences with kids from countries in Africa, Haiti, and other places!
Bodine High School for International Affairs, further opened my eyes, offering me a choice of about 5 languages to learn as I matriculated through those years. There were also opportunities to travel to a different country every spring break! (I wish I would have gone on those trips!)
I yearned to learn more about other people's cultures, beliefs, traditions, language, etc. I read, asked questions, listened attentively, sat with a diverse group at lunch (middle school), and even schooled a few on what life was like in the "hood" (middle school) and that yes, there were (are) many intelligent kids who walk the 52nd Street strip or who frequent "The Bottom" and who eat entire meals from the corner store or Chinese store!
My point? I wanted to learn more about other people and their ways of life and didn't mind speaking of my own. This whole Ebola nonsense (the virus itself not being nonsense, but the panic, the fear, the coverage, the subtle "be wary of black"), has brought people's ignorance to light.
No, Africa is not a country, it's a continent!
Africa consists of more than 50 countries, that span thousands of miles of rich real estate collectively!
There are thousands of languages spoken in those more than 50 countries, with many people being AT LEAST trilingual!
Encouraging children to remain home for 21 days who are from Rwanda or recently traveled from there? Ignorance! Canceling an appointment for a woman who traveled from Uganda? Ignorance!
Both of those countries are thousands of miles from the concentrated media coverage and from the epicenter of the outbreak, as it's being called.
Just as I was willing to learn about other people's cultures, ways of life and background, it wouldn't hurt for some of these adults who wear their ignorance on their sleeve to learn a thing or two!
As teachers, we have a golden opportunity to defy the fear-provoked ignorant tendencies of policy makers, school districts, and even the lawmakers who propose bans on travel from some West African nations. We take advantage of the chance by framing classroom conversations and lessons accordingly. Despite our inordinately busy schedules and overwhelming amount of material we must cover, we relent and take advantage of several teachable moments throughout the teaching and learning experience. Let this be one!
Such moments could include discussions about diversity, an intense look at African geography, a study of the many political boundaries that separate nations on the continent, individual projects on particular nations or regions, delving into the art and music of particular countries or regions, and a potpourri of other possibilities that lend themselves to true teaching and learning experiences!
How about we take advantage of the "Africa Is Not A Country" challenge and find a way to counter the ignorance and shape this generation to be better than the one that is!
Barbershop PhDs might call the events in Ferguson, MO and now this whole Ebola thing a conspiracy of some sort, since everything in the barbershop is a conspiracy. #JustSayin
Cultural diversity is not to be tolerated, but respected or even appreciated and embraced!
