January 14, 2019

What is racial literacy and why is it important? – A dive into TEDWomen 2017 talk from two teenagers on a gap year

The TEDWomen 2017 talk on What it takes to be racially literate given by Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo provides a framework for the direction our education system should be headed towards in raising racially literate students.

The two teenagers raise the question of why is it that 12 years of schooling does not equip students to be racially literate by the time they graduate from high school. Priya and Winona argue that there are two big gaps in our racial literacy, which are the Heart gap and the Mind gap.

Heart gap is an inability to understand each of our experiences, to fiercely and unapologetically be compassionate beyond lip service. The mind gap is an inability to understand the larger, systemic ways in which racism operates.

The ideas grounded in heart gap argues for the need for our schools to teach about racism in contemporary contexts, not just re-visiting the historical figures and events of racism as something of the past, but taking a step further into making a connection to racism’s lasting legacy today. As Priya and Winona states, being racially literate dives much deeper than what is present at the surface level; it is to understand the human experiences of what is felt and lived at the individual level, by the lives of those affected by racism.

Yet, it is undeniable that we should not forget about the mind gap in racial literacy. We still need to pay attention to the statistics as well.

As argued by the two teenagers, our schools should invest in an education that values both the stories of the individuals and the statistics, the people and the numbers, and the interpersonal and the systemic.

To be racially literate, as Priya and Winona explain, means to have an understanding of who we are so that healing can start from our very own selves. When we have a better understanding of ourselves, we can work to bridge the gaps we have in our local communities which would then branch out.

Bridging the gap starts with open ears that listen to the stories and experiences of others around us.

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