There are many ways I struggle with money, sexism, body image, etc. in my life. But it's accurate to say my whiteness has allowed me to get further ahead than I would have gotten had I been black. The problem of white privilege is systemic and embedded in the invisible everyday. So I can't, in good conscience, take issue with anything said in Littlefair's piece because it is factually accurate. Statistics bears this out. Just look at how children of African heritage are over-represented in suspensions in our school system, for example.
This is why, as a parent of a kid that would be going to Oxford in a few years and as a friend to several current Oxford parents, I advise that our energy and efforts to keep Oxford open as a P-9 school not be reactionary. And we must not take issue with the fact of our own white privilege. It is on us to demonstrate that all Oxford parents of all Oxford children are united in the cause of supporting the school and to increase fairness in the review processes. And it's on us to engage in these details of process, whether or not changes to our own personal comfort is implicated.
Taking Littlefair to task on her comments about white privilege in the Coast is not going to help foster that unity. And it's ridiculous to see news outlets jump into the story now, when there has been little to no regular coverage of school board issues (context!) until this particular controversial moment.
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This is why, as a parent of a kid that would be going to Oxford in a few years and as a friend to several current Oxford parents, I advise that our energy and efforts to keep Oxford open as a P-9 school not be reactionary. And we must not take issue with the fact of our own white privilege. It is on us to demonstrate that all Oxford parents of all Oxford children are united in the cause of supporting the school and to increase fairness in the review processes. And it's on us to engage in these details of process, whether or not changes to our own personal comfort is implicated.
Taking Littlefair to task on her comments about white privilege in the Coast is not going to help foster that unity. And it's ridiculous to see news outlets jump into the story now, when there has been little to no regular coverage of school board issues (context!) until this particular controversial moment.