I absolutely love my little grandson Carson. He is eighteen months old and a tremendous joy in my life. I think it is true when people say that you enjoy time with
your grand children more than you do your children. Some people say it’s
because you can hand them back to their parents, but for me, I think it’s
because I now realize how quickly time passes, and my grandchild will not be a baby much longer, so I tend to savor every moment. As I watch him grow I look at him with such amazement, and wonder what life
will hold for him. As he develops, everything around him
will influence his identity and how he sees himself. I have so many hopes and dreams for him but I cannot help but think that
my grandson will struggle with his identity as an African Nova Scotian.
Marc, Carson’s father, is from Bamenda a smaller city approximately 3 to 4 hours from Yaounde, which is the capitol of Cameroon. He is the first born son and a beacon of hope for his
family. His parents are so proud their son is a
Canadian citizen and attending school in Canada. It is Marc’s hope to someday become a Lawyer and practice international
law. He has lived on his own in Canada for the past 7 years, is very
politically minded and loves this country very much; but, he is also very proud
to be African.
Shortly after Marc moved to Cape Breton, we were talking about Bamenda,
his family and his culture. I love listening to the stories he
shares about his country and his family. I began to think about how he must feel being with a new family whose
customs, beliefs and looks were nothing like his. It must have felt so strange for him to be amongst all white people who
had no idea of his struggles, the foods he liked or what made him feel
comfortable. I remember encouraging Marc to reach
out to the African Nova Scotian community so he could make connections and
develop a network of contacts and friends because he had no friends in this area or in Halifax where he was going to
attend school. However, to my surprise he found
it difficult to make connections within the African Nova Scotian community. He
stated that he felt more of a connection with many of the white people he met
than he did with the African Nova Scotian Community. I felt sad for him because he was feeling a sense of rejection, but it
was not from the group that I had expected.
In our last class, our group discussed Resistance or Protest Pedagogy,
and how this strives to impose the teachers own ideas of social justice to gain
recognition of his or her own identity. This can be a good thing if the student can identify with the “social
injustice”. Our class guest (for the purpose of this paper I'll call him Steve)
shared with us how he truly enjoys his afrocentric study group because he feels
that he can identify with all members of the group. Bracher stated that reinforcement of one identity component can have a
disempowering effect because it leads the student to invest their identity
almost exclusively in the subaltern category. As well, this “can support socially destructive forms of identity politics
that pit different groups against each other in a competition for recognition
as the greatest victim.” (Bracher 2006) Steve stated in our discussion that he
understood what Bracher was saying, but overall he felt that belonging to the afrocentric study group was a very
powerful experience for him as an African Nova Scotian because it reaffirmed
his identity.
As I listened to Steve in class I couldn’t help but think about my son
in law Marc. I wondered if Marc would eventually be
accepted into this community of practice. Then professor Plumb said something that made me realize that it was
wrong of me to thrust Marc into this community and expect that he be accepted
with open arms. Professor Plumb stated that he felt
honored to be a part of this group because historically, as a white
male, he would be considered an oppressor. That is a pretty powerful admission,
but true. I have to understand, as a white person, I truly know very
little about African Nova Scotians. I was upset for my
son in law because he was feeling rejected; however, it was my
mistake in thinking that simply because he was black that somehow he would
fit into this community. After listening to Steve and Professor Plumb I
realize this community is much more complex than simply being black.
This brings me to my concerns about my grandson. I wonder at what age he will discover that he does not look like his
mom, nana, papa or aunts and uncles. Will he begin to
think of himself as being different than us and thus not identify with us. Will
he be rejected by the African Nova Scotian community, because the majority of
the people in his family are white, and his father is not really considered
“African Nova Scotian.” These concerns will surface in time, and I can only try
to support my grandson the best way I know how and that is to love him to
pieces. I think it is good thing that one can identify with a group, but I also
think that if you do become too entrenched in any one group there is a tendency
to become less tolerant of others.
References
Bracher, M (2006). Radical
Pedagogy: Identity, Generativity, and Social Transformation. New York, NY:
Palgrave MacMillan
Dina,
ReplyDeleteThat class was very interesting. It certainly was beneficial having an African Nova Scotian join us for that discussion since some of our readings and class discussions have referred to the impact race has on an individual’s identity.
Like many other discussions in class, that one made me more aware of my preconceived notions and ignorance to the role that race plays in identity and perception. I create this world in my own head that racism doesn’t exist anymore when clearly it does. You only have to have a conversation with someone of another race to realize how very powerful it is. It is difficult for us as "white privileged people" as Professor Plumb referred to us in class, to imagine what it is like to live with some of the struggles of being another race.
I have encountered similar experiences as your soon to be son in-law. I know and have worked with people from other African countries who were never fully accepted into the local black community because they are not “African Nova Scotian”. I often wondered if it is often like that in other black communities or is it something that mainly pertains to our area. I also wonder if that will begin to change with the increased number of international students attending CBU.
Hi Dina,
ReplyDeleteYour grandson is adorable. As parents and grandparents, we want our children to be accepted by the ones they desire to be accepted by. Realistically, we know this is not always the case. As we have learned throughout this course, becoming an active and accepted member into a community of practice takes time and brokering. As you mentioned, the fact that your son in law is black, did not guarantee his acceptance by the African Nova Scotia group.
I recall when “Steve” was asked how he felt about joining our group for the first time. He stated he was nervous because he was entering into a group in which relationships were already formed. I consciously try to remind myself of the difficulties associated with being a newcomer, such as feelings of uncertainty and uneasiness.
Professor Plumb made the comment that it is important for us to acknowledge our “whiteness” and the privilege that comes with being white. I never really thought about being white, and I realize this is ignorance on my part. I admit, I never thought about how “Steve” might feel, as a black man, joining an all white group for the first time. I am glad we have been introduced to Bracher, as he has certainly opened my eyes to much more than theories related to learning.
Sheri
Hi Dina...
ReplyDeleteI echo Sheri's comment, this little guy is so sweet and adorable!...I always enjoy your blogs, they're an easy read for me...maybe it's my short attention span! lol The class that 'Steve' attended was very interesting for me as well. First, i was interested in his experiences in the correctional system. He had insight into this social system that i have very little knowledge about. We were probing his experience about the social structure and how did the prison population divide it's social classes or 'circles of practice' in the correctional system, i learned a lot. As the day progressed and we discussed the afrocentric group he was involved, i think we all learned a great deal about his educational experience. Honestly i felt a little uncomfortable when we were asking him so many questions, i didn't want to make 'steve' feel uncomfortable, however he seemed very relaxed and obliging to our questions and inquiries. I was grateful he attended our weekend session, and i would very much enjoy more interaction with this cohort in the future . Thanks for the blog Dina, very interesting .