In The Great Debaters (2007), Denzel Washington directs the true story of Wiley Colleges debate team – which notably fought through the ranks to debate Harvard. Living in the 1930’s where Jim Crow laws were evident, the story follows Henry Lowe, Samantha Booke, James Farmer Jr. and Melvin B. Tolson as they tackle the racist and sexist stereotypes and barriers that bound them. Denzel Washington plays Melvin B. Tolson – an African – American English professor at Wiley College and a renowned social activist. Throughout the film, the audience sees how Tolson’s political beliefs affect not only his students but their families. Tolson, a Communist and a member of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (STFU) and his political beliefs affect the students greatly by emboldening them to reach higher despite the norm. Granted, he did this simultaneously while putting their academic careers at jeopardy.
A teacher’s political beliefs should matter to parents and students. Our lives are inherently political. The idea that one can separate the political aspect of our lives from various other aspects is absurd; we take our political views with us, wherever we go – including the classroom. Internalized messages carry out in various forms whether we are aware of it or not. Our unconscious biases always find a way to rise to the surface. Our political beliefs reveal much of our character and judgement: if bodily autonomy applies to women, if a headscarf establishes a hidden agenda, if the color of one’s skin justifies unlawful murder, if the tongue of an immigrant builds fear, if the heavy accent of my parents drives suspicion and dismay and agitation and distress and skepticism and cynicism. Our interactions are based on these beliefs and as a Middle-Eastern woman, active in politics, I am very familiar with that. If a teacher’s political beliefs collide with my very existence, then I should be well aware.
Our lives are inherently political.
Two, three years ago, I was asked why I “wasn’t like other Muslim girls” by a teacher at my current high school. To be exact, she did not say “Muslim”, instead, she said “girls who wear that thing” and then proceeded to throw her hands in the air, a quiet weird hand gesture to describe the hijab. To be even more exact, the interaction occurred over my chatty tendencies. “Other” Muslim girls were quiet; I was not. Despite the school setting, this unschooled teacher had disclosed her underlying prejudiced political beliefs alerting the presence of bias in the classroom. When bias enters a classroom, equal opportunities leave. The equal opportunity for success, safety and satisfaction leave as bias takes its first step into the room. Granted, while teachers do have a right to privacy, students also have a right to these basic necessities. Students deserve to feel that they can prosper and excel in an environment where they will not be squelched due to a teacher’s biases whether conscious or unconscious. If a teacher’s political beliefs and actions – whether in the classroom or not – strike a student’s identity, we should be informed.
Other Muslim girls were quiet; I was not.
We do not live in a vacuum. We interact with people from all shades and backgrounds. We do not exist separately, to each their own sphere. Our political beliefs, particularly teachers should be known to their students and respected guardians to ensure a nurturing environment for all.
If a teacher’s political beliefs attempt to dim my race, my ethnicity, my culture, my religion, my gender, then I should be enlightened. However, it would only be an attempt.
