Deconstructing Whiteness

Deconstructing Whiteness and Understanding Critical Race Theory

​Overt forms of oppression are prevalent in our society today. These forms of oppression will continue unless we actively fight against them in all forms and fashions. In a predominately white institutions (PWI), that seeks to have the attendance of a multicultural and diverse population have several issues that must be overcome in order for intellectual and cultural understanding can be reached across cultural barriers. In this week’s readings I took a particular interest in understanding how to engage white students at a multicultural institution. Also, I wanted to better understand the techniques that we must have in order to engage black males at a predominately white institution. My own reasoning to understand the complexity to white racial identity development is to successfully engage with white students when I am an administrator. More importantly, due to the fact that my engagement with white students at an HBCU was limited to none, I think it would serve me best to truly understand the nature behind white racial identity development. Furthermore, it is important as an administrator to understand the multifaceted reasons for disengagement of black males at a predominately white institution. I do not believe, nor want, to work at a historically black college and/or university for the rest of my life. It would behoove me to understand how to engage black male students at a PWI now so that I can better serve this population when I am in a position to do such. Finally, I took an interest in these two topics for the perceived interconnection between deconstructing whiteness while understanding critical race theory. I thought it would be interesting to look at the two theories to understand how black men can understand whiteness to further their cause of equality among whites and white males in particular.
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Several questions arose when I was reading the literature on engaging white students at a multicultural institution. Before we can get into the questions, we must first understand the literature. I will expound on two of the theories that were presented. While exploring white privilege we must first recognize that it is a system that promotes the benefits of the dominant group and penalizes the minority group, whether those results are direct or indirect. It was found that white students 1) had no understanding of white privilege or completely denied, 2) understood white privilege but did not take actions against it, and 3) understood white privilege and took action and solid commitment. Within the theory of White Racial Identity Development, a white student must go through a process where they abandon racism as they develop a non-racist white identity. This process includes: Contact, Disintegration, Reintegration, Pseudo-Independence, Immersion/Emersion, and Autonomy. I will not go into each stage. However, I found that each stage or status does not necessarily lead to the next. For example, how can one go from deintegration (where the individual seeks to resolve the situation) to reintegration (where the individual engages in hatred, anger and fear), therefore I question the fluidity of these statuses. As we look at Deconstructing Whiteness, I liked the interconnection that was present. It was suggested that deconstructing whiteness would serve as a precursor to white racial identity development. The five steps are: 1) understanding culture, 2) learning about other cultures, 3) recognizing and deconstructing white culture, 4) recognizing the legitimacy of other cultures, and 5) developing a multicultural outlook. The questions that arose for me in this chapter may not be answered right now but gave me a lot to this about. These questions were: how do we promote the white racial identity of white students at an HBCUs? How do we promote a multicultural campus at an HBCUs? Can other racial groups deconstruct whiteness (rather, is there a need to deconstruct it? If so, why?). Also, if we deconstruct whiteness, how can we to a greater extent deconstruct white supremacy. These were some of the thoughts that I was thinking as I read.
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With this understanding of white racial identity development and deconstructing whiteness, I began to read about black male engagement at a predominately white institution. I dove into the literature with the aforementioned questions about white racial identity development. What stood out to me most was thought process behind critical race theory (CRT) as it aimed to understand the inequitable distribution of power among the racial groups. In a previous chapter that discusses CRT, it was mentioned that supporters of CRT use it to create dialogue about the racist structures that are present within the campus and classroom that do not benefit other cultures. In this chapter, Harper seeks out to dismantle the need to only support black s when it is convenient for white self-interest. Engaging with black males should be highlighted to retain black men and thus increase retention rates as a whole but also to develop cross cultural understanding. On both sides of the aisle (if you will), students, faculty, and staff must be willing to understand, accept, reject, and active fight against white privilege and thus deconstruct it. Finally, there should be several strategies that should be in places to assist the engagement and development of black males without the “fix them” mentality.