Recognizing intersectional oppression involves awareness of how racism is ingrained in various institutions and systems.
In this unit, we ask you to explore the different ways that multiple forms of unfair treatment are linked and built into systems. These systems can be schools, healthcare, media, and the justice system. How do racism, xenophobia, and other forms of oppression show up in these places? How are these unfair systems connected to each other? Our goal is to help you understand how different forms of unfair treatment are linked and continue to exist in society.
Some of the content in this curriculum includes topics that could be uncomfortable for some. As you engage with this content, we encourage you to take care of yourself in whatever way works for you.
This unit aligns with the following standards and concepts:
Learning For Justice
- Diversity 10: Students will examine diversity in a social, cultural, political and historical contexts rather than in ways that are superficial or oversimplified.
- Justice 12: Students will recognize unfairness on the individual level (e.g., biased speech) and injustice at the institutional or systemic level (e.g., discrimination).
- Justice 14: Students will recognize that power and privilege influence relationships on interpersonal, intergroup and institutional levels and consider how they have been affected by those dynamics.
- Justice 15: Students will identify figures, groups, events and a variety of strategies and philosophies relevant to the history of social justice around the world.
Critical Consciousness
Critical Reflection: A social analysis and moral rejection of societal inequities, such as social, economic, racial/ethnic, and gender inequities that constrain well-being and human agency. Those who are critically reflective view social problems and inequalities in systemic terms.
CASEL 5 Social Emotional Learning Competencies (Equity Elaborated)
Social Awareness: Involves the ability to take the perspective of those with the same and different backgrounds and cultures and to empathize and feel compassion. It also involves understanding social norms for behavior in diverse settings and recognizing family, school, and community resources and supports.