There have been many conversations in my classrooms around the student led protests and conversations about rights at the 5Cs for POC students. The conversations are very different, reflecting the different power structures at work within certain classrooms as opposed to others. The conversations have also varied in terms of student knowledge (or ignorance) of said topics. I found an international student's response interesting and worth mentioning here. This student was confused and annoyed by the response to the Halloween photo or general complaints this student had been hearing from students of color. The student said it is very different abroad and that this eruption "would never happen". While I was at first alarmed by their lack of empathy for these experiences, the comment sparked an interesting conversation about social histories. Race politics in American history is violent in very particular ways. To grow up here is to (hopefully) be aware of this violent history and its continuation. To grow up abroad, in a country with completely different history and racial politics, presents a completely different interpretation of these situations. I think it is worth dialoguing about these differences in interpretation so that all feel heard and so the sharing of experiences and histories can promote empathy in all involved.
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