Critical Inquiry

At this moment, a student proposed the idea that Black men were disproportionately drafted, sent to war, and killed in Vietnam because the United States was intentionally trying to “kill minorities.” This student was using his knowledge about systemic racism in the U.S. government to raise the idea that disproportionate impacts on People of Color were part of a calculated government plan.  I was glad this student was using evidence to make a claim about the text at hand. Additionally, I was glad he was recognizing the role of systemic racism in the Vietnam war and felt empowered to criticize the government. However, I wanted to ensure the whole class knew that the circumstances were more complicated than this student was presenting. I was also aware of my positionality as a white person in this situation; I did not want to stop a Black student from questioning or critiquing government policies and systemic racism and was afraid that he and other students would think I was downplaying the significance of systemic racism. I wanted to encourage my students to call out racism and critique institutions while equipping them with the accurate information to engage in these lines of inquiry.