Importance of BIPOC Representation in the Classroom

Personally, the BIPOC representation in the classroom at my high school was a mixed bag. In 9th grade, I read The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, a novel that beautifully portrayed the first-generation immigrant experience of the main protagonist, Gogol. Later in high school, I learned about the Jonestown Massacre by hearing another English teacher's expression, 'drinking the Kool-Aid'. 

For me, history class didn’t necessarily teach accurate facts. For example, one of the most inaccurate facts I learned in high school was that Native Americans were extinct. I went to one of the museums in Connecticut to learn about Native Americans. However, this fact was disproven when I met a Native American at Cornell. Also, I wasn’t taught much about immigration in the United States. Instead, I and another classmate taught one of the history classes about our experiences with immigration. 

Not only that, I was not taught about world history as much as American history in high school. For instance, my school didn’t discuss the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.

Lastly, I wasn’t taught about lesser-known events in American history like American imperialism in countries, including but not limited to, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Yemen, and the Philippines.

How can educators provide more inclusive education? One potential solution is to incorporate literature and history lessons from underrepresented groups, such as people of color.

Representation in History Classes

Currently, students are being taught about history from a Eurocentric point of view. To promote equity in education, we must create history lessons that include histories of students of marginalized communities, such as but not limited to people of color and people in the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, etc.) community. A more inclusive history curriculum would ensure that people regardless of their background would feel included in education. 

Everyone occupies multiple social identities. Within every social identity, there is a hierarchy that favors those from dominant groups and creates disadvantages for non-dominant groups. In the case of race, white people benefit from advantages based on their race while limiting opportunities to people who are not considered white. Meanwhile, a person from a non-dominant group experiences discrimination from those within the dominant group and a system that is meant to oppress minority groups. 

Educators can encourage students to explore their social identities with this social identity worksheet to reflect on how their social identities shaped their lived experiences. This worksheet is not meant to judge how oppressed or privileged someone is. Everyone experiences varying levels of privilege and oppression, which depend on their environment and cultural norms. For example, a black middle-class man may be discriminated against in American society due to his race and privileged due to his socioeconomic status and gender identity. 

Moreover, consider the intersectionality of people’s social identities. American civil rights advocate Kimberlé described intersectionality as how “systems of oppression [overlap] with each other” (JSTOR 2020), especially with people with multiple intersectional identities.

For history lessons, it is vital for teachers to educate their students about systems of oppression, including racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and classism. In the United States, systems of oppression are ingrained into American history, culture, and society. Institutions like the government and education contribute to or reinforce the marginalization of minority groups while uplifting dominant social groups. To promote equity in the classroom, it is vital to incorporate the history of people of color in history lessons and to be mindful of the bias of historical sources that often favors people from privileged groups.

Every country has its darker periods of history. In the United States, there are laws stating that “history should not be taught in a way [that may cause discomfort or guilt based on people’s race(s)]” (Vavra 2022) - From slavery to socialism, new legislation restricts what teachers can discuss. It is important to learn about the past that is historically accurate to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

When I learned about World War 2 (WW2) in school, I learned about the Holocaust by reading these two memoirs in English class, Night by Elie Wiesel and The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. Elie Wiesel and Anne Frank lived through the Holocaust in World War 2. Additionally, I read Catch-22 by Joseph Heller later on in high school. 

Ironically, I only learned about world events like WW2 in only one history class throughout school. Through my innate curiosity and watching Hetalia, I immersed myself in learning about the history and politics of countries, including but not limited to, Germany, Norway, Estonia, France, and Iceland. Note that Hetalia is not the most historically accurate anime and it does over-sexualize romantic relationships with gay men.

Not to mention, it is never okay to fetishize same-sex relationships. Also, the series primarily focuses on Italy, who’s portrayed as a sweetheart, and his best friends Germany and Japan during World War 2. This is completely inaccurate considering that the Axis Powers, which consisted of Germany, Japan, and Italy were the evil guys during WW2.

When teaching WW2, teach students that many countries were involved. Have history lessons and projects, whether it is a group project or individual project, where students are encouraged to learn about various events in a worldwide event. 

With World War, I’m suggesting potential topics that students could explore more in-depth:

Representation in English Classes

Reading books and other literary works (e.g., poetry, plays, etc.) by authors of diverse backgrounds enhances students’ learning experiences inside and outside the classroom. 

One of the reasons is that it allows students to see themselves represented in a story. When books reflect various aspects of students’ identity, such as race, ethnicity, and culture, students are affirmed that their own lived experiences matter. Authentic representation also conveys a message to BIPOC students that they belong in school. Not only that, reading books featuring BIPOC characters allow students to open about their personal experiences, and improve the learning experiences for both students and educators. 

When BIPOC students don’t see themselves in the books that they read or come across negative stereotypes about their communities in books, they might think that their experiences do not matter. Furthermore, they may also believe that people like themselves do not read for fun, work in different industries like technology, and write books. Consequently, students may feel excluded from school and potentially their peers.

Additionally, books enable students to learn about people from different backgrounds of our own. If we only read about characters and experiences that are similar to our own, we are more likely to believe that our perspectives are more important and valid than those with differing viewpoints. Reading books by authors of different cultures, beliefs, and other social identities (e.g, LGBTQ+ status, disability status, nationality, etc.) exposes students to different kinds of people, which may help change their attitudes towards people not like themselves.

Finally, reading diverse books builds a more unified and inclusive community in school. By reading books from authors of different backgrounds, it affirms everyone’s worth in school and fosters an inclusive environment. It also allows students and educators to learn something new together and unite regardless of any differences in race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, cultural background, and more.

Fictional books I highly recommend:

How to be an Ally as an Educator

Being an ally of your students is important. As an educator, it’s imperative to lead by example. Here are tips you can use to facilitate healthy discussions and lessons.

  1. Learn to understand and validate people’s lived experiences.

  2. Educate yourself and your students on racism and other forms of oppression, such as sexism, ableism, classism, homophobia, and more.

  3. Don’t expect students and educators from marginalized groups (e.g., people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, etc.) to perform the majority of the emotional labor educating those from privileged groups, including their peers and educators, about the form(s) of oppression they face.

  4. See people for who they are and refrain from assuming someone’s character based on their social identities.

  5. Apologize when making a comment that reinforces negative stereotypes about a marginalized group.

Final Thoughts on Representation in the Classroom

As a person of color, I had a mixed experience with seeing representation of people like me in school. While I saw some representation of Asian people like myself in English class, there was no representation of Asians and Asian Americans in history class.

Through a satirical anime, I was exposed to a lot of current events in history. My experience is not unique; historical events involving people of color were not mentioned at all or taught in one to two lessons.

It is imperative to educate students with historically accurate lessons and read books by authors of various backgrounds. They will help students learn about each other and gain empathy for those who are similar and different from one another.

Looking for resources to help improve representation in the classroom? Check out the references for this article, which will give you an in-depth look at ways to improve representation:

TeachingHana Gabrielle Bidon