Classroom full of mostly black and brown students:
Black student: [unintelligibleāand then] Ā ā¦and then throwing everything away beneath it because it doesnāt pertain to you. Iām sorry ā
White teacher: āyou know what, Iām sorry -Iām sorryā¦
Black student: āNo, no, noā¦I let you talk -I let you talk, youāre gonna let me talk.
White student: Go ahead. Finish.
Black student: Iām sorry that this is the way that it is. Youāre right, it is fucked up. But white people control everythingā¦and thatās not fair. And when anybody, any other minority tries to say anything about it or change it, weāre complaining or weāre ungrateful or all this other stuff because we still have this or that. But then you say something aboutĀ āOh, I donāt wantāthereās too many Latinos and thereās too manyāā
White teacher: I didnāt say thatā
[Various students disagree]
White teacher: I said I want to control the border!
Black student: You said you donāt want this to turn into a Latin country because thereāll be too manyĀ
White teacher: I did not say that.
[Various students disagree]
Student 2: You said you want to preserve the American culture.
Black student: There is no American culture. American culture is EVERYTHING.
Black student: And because you are white and so closed-minded, you refuse to accept that, you refuse to acceptā
White teacher: Donāt tell me Iām closed-mindedā
Black student: Everything youāve said to me is closed-minded.
White teacher: Just because I donāt agree with you doesnāt mean Iām closed-minded.
Black student: You donāt need to agreeāI -Iāve had conversations with people that donāt agree with me, but if they at least listen and try to acceptāyouāre not accepting the truth.
White teacher: Why do I have to accept what you think is right?
Black student: You need to accept the truth! Not what I think is right, what is actually happening rightā
White teacher: Well, let me tell you what I think. You said white people have been in control of everythingā¦.who is the president of the United States right now?!
*Various sounds of incredulity*
Black student: WITH A WHITE CONGRESS! WITH A WHITE SENATE! WITH WHITE EVERYTHING ELSE! HE DOESNāT HAVE THE CONTROL OF EVERYTHING!
*The class is in an uproar*
Random student: YOU ARE SO PRIVILEGED THAT YOU JUST DONāT SEE IT!
White teacher: Do we have to yell?!
Black student: Yes, because Iām mad.
