Brainstorming for my Critical Analysis Podcast

For my podcast assignment, I’d like to focus on the ways in which white privilege manifests in children’s books, whether supported, challenged, or simply highlighted. I am taking a sociology class currently on the subject of White Privilege, and one of the things this class, and my passion for educational sociology, has gotten me thinking about is the ways in which we teach racism through certain racist pedagogies and curriculum. Peggy McIntosh’s article we read last week also provides us some insight on this subject. Investigating children’s literature, then, is a good place to start in terms of attempting to develop a picture of an anti-racist pedagogy that challenges the ideas of white privilege and gets kids to think about it. McIntosh states that our children are taught not to recognize white privilege. How can we teach them to do so? How do we open children’s mind to experiences they take for granted?

For now, I am going to start my investigation by examining Faith Ringgold’s book The Invisible Princess. This is a story set in the “Deep South” during a time of American slavery, describing the struggles of an African American slave family and their “invisible” child. Ringgold takes us on a fantastical journey, using imaginary figures, images, and names to illustrate all that is wrong with slavery and the ways in which we can achieve peace. While this book uses the issue of slavery to illustrate the rights of white people and the harsh treatment of African Americans, I think it is an important subject to cover in helping children understand the stark contrasts that exist between the American historical experience of white and black people. The language used in this book is an important aspect I will highlight, particularly the use of the word “visible.” I will hopefully be able to analyze Ringgold’s storytelling and the ways in which it does important things to teach children about the roots of white privilege and the African American experience.

This book is just a start, I hope to find other texts set in different periods of time and different situations (ideally including one non historically based but set in the present) in order to compete my critical analysis.