Ginny & Georgia 1X8: Check One, Check Other

From my perspective as a Black woman, I don’t think the English teacher is “loudly racist” in the way people usually imagine, but I do think he displays racist tendencies — and that’s still harmful. And personally, I can’t always fully blame people for the racist tendencies they have when they genuinely don’t realize them. A lot of people grow up with biases that they’re taught from a young age, so they don’t recognize the way they treat Black people until much later… if they ever recognize it at all. I went to PWIs my whole life — elementary, middle, high school, and college — and I was always one of the few Black students in the room. I’ve seen these exact behaviors over and over. When someone truly doesn’t know better, I try not to take every little thing personally. I’ll correct them or point things out when I can. But not everyone has the energy for that, and honestly, constantly having to teach grown adults about their biases is exhausting. With this teacher, though? I think his behavior crosses the line. I’m not saying he wakes up thinking hateful things about Black people, but what he did to Ginny was racist. She challenged him — not with attitude, but with actual critiques that only a Black student in that classroom could give — and instead of reflecting, apologizing, or adjusting his approach, he took it as disrespect and defiance. That’s where it shifts from “racial tendencies” to real racism for me. And when you look back at his first interaction with her, it’s even more obvious. The way he immediately assumed she wouldn’t be able to keep up in the class, talking to her like, “This class is really hard… if you can’t handle it…” was already condescending. THAT is the moment Ginny pushed back and said, “I already read half of this.” She wasn’t being rude — she was responding to how he spoke to her. And the sad part is you can see the effect on other students of color too. Hunter basically admits he feels like he has to follow the rules even more strictly because he’s half-Taiwanese. He doesn’t feel free to express himself. Meanwhile a student like Maxine can speak however she wants with no consequences. That’s not a comfortable or safe classroom environment for POC. So personally? Yes — the teacher does come off as racist. Maybe he started off with unconscious bias, but after a Black student told him directly how his behavior affected her, and he still refused to change or even listen… that’s the point where it becomes racism. And honestly, I’m glad Ginny spoke up, because a lot of us wouldn’t have felt safe enough to.

Adrianne