(NAME-MCE) U.S. & Christian Privilege

Wed Apr 15 16:41:18 CDT 2009

A position statement is a great idea but I would like to include with
it some practical suggestions that have some chance of application.
Banning all PDF's (public displays of faith) sounds counter to First
Amendment rights.

On 4/15/09, Mark Brimhall-Vargas <brimhall at umd.edu> wrote:
>
>
> Hello NAME:
>
>  From where I sit, I see Warren's email as bringing awareness to a
> larger pattern, rather than a particular problem.  Thus, in the
> strictest sense, I do not think (and certainly don't want to speak for
> Warren) that there is a single solution.
>
> Instead, it's about asking ourselves to what extent do we as a nation/
> culture/etc. want to commit to a separation of religion and state.  We
> have XXX options:
>
> 1.  A total separation would mean that events like the White House
> Easter Egg roll would be considered anathema to American sensibility;
> i.e., it (and all public governmental expressions like it) should
> cease immediately.
>
> OR
>
> 2.  If we are okay with a slight co-mingling of religion and state,
> then it must be done equitably.  There are other religious holidays
> that are not currently celebrated on the White House lawn that could/
> should be.
>
> Warren's email points this out.  We need to engage in further
> discourse about which option we want, total separation or total equity.
>
> And now to Bill's question... what should we (is there a 'we?') do?
> The first item that comes to mind is that NAME could issue a press
> release drawing attention and awareness of this issue.  Is this
> something that we have come to consensus at NAME?  Could we put forth
> a statement (perhaps using language Warren has already provided) that
> would further public awareness of this multicultural issue?  It could
> certainly put NAME back in the press...
>
> Regards,
>
> Mark Brimhall-Vargas
> Assistant Director
> Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)
> 1130 Shriver Laboratory, East Wing
> University of Maryland
> College Park, MD 20742
> 301.405.2840 ph
> 301.314.9992 fx
> brimhall at umd.edu
>
> --------------------------------
>
> Before you speak, ask yourself: "Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it
> true?  Does it improve on the silence?"
>
> ---Sri Sathya Sai Baba
>
> On Apr 14, 2009, at 7:11 AM, Bill Howe wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Warren:
>>
>> What is your "solution" to this "problem"?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org [mailto:name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org
>> ] On
>> Behalf Of Blumenfeld, Warren [C I]
>> Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 12:28 PM
>> To: Blumenfeld, Warren [C I]; name-mce at nameorg.org
>> Subject: (NAME-MCE) U.S. & Christian Privilege
>>
>>
>>
>> U.S. & Christian Privilege
>>
>> by Warren J. Blumenfeld
>>
>>
>>
>> As spring peers forth from the soil and tree limbs, the annual
>> Easter egg
>> roll, sponsored by the President of the United States and the First
>> Lady,
>> thrills elementary and pre-school age children each year, a
>> tradition dating
>> back to 1879. Introduced by a beautiful rendition by Fergie of the
>> Star
>> Spangled Banner, this year, Barack and Michelle Obama invited 35,000
>> children representing 42 states. Also, in school classrooms
>> throughout the
>> country, students and their teachers dip hardboiled eggs into brightly
>> colored dyes, and display Easter eggs of pink, yellow, blue, green,
>> red, and
>> lavender. An excitement wafts through the classroom as students
>> imagine
>> sharing their treasures with parents or caregivers, as teachers
>> reward the
>> good work of their charges with delicious gleaming chocolate bunnies.
>>
>>
>>
>> Many people (most likely the majority) consider these events, played
>> out in
>> Washington, DC and in some schools in the United States, as normal,
>> appropriate, and joyous seasonal activities. Upon critical reflection,
>> however, others experience them as some of the many examples of
>> institutional (governmental and educational) (re)enforcements of
>> dominant
>> Christian standards and what is referred to as "Christian
>> privilege," though
>> presented in presumably secularized forms. They represent some of
>> the ways
>> in which the dominant group (in this instance, Christians)
>> reiterates its
>> values and practices while marginalizing and subordinating those who
>> do not
>> adhere to Christian faith traditions. I ask then, is this country
>> one that
>> truly separates religion from government? If not, how do we make it
>> so?
>>
>>
>>
>> Warren J. Blumenfeld is co-editor of Investigating Christian
>> Privilege and
>> Religious Oppression in the United States, 2009, Sense Publishers
>>
>>
>>
>> Dr. Warren J. Blumenfeld
>> Department of Curriculum & Instruction
>> Iowa State University
>> Ames, IA 50011-3192
>> Office Phone: (515) 294-5931
>> Office Fax:     (515) 294-6206
>> Home Phone: (515) 232-8230
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural
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>> (NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included
>> reflect diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do
>> not necessarily reflect a position of the National Association for
>> Multicultural Education. If you would like to subscribe (or
>> unsubscribe)to this listserv go to
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>>
>>
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>
>
> _______________________________________________
> This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural Education -
> (NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included reflect
> diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do not necessarily
> reflect a position of the National Association for Multicultural Education.
> If you would like to subscribe (or unsubscribe)to this listserv go to
> http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org. You can read
> all past postings in the archives at
> http://mail.nameorg.org/pipermail/name-mce_nameorg.org/
>
>
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-- 
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Bill Howe
Asian Pacific American Coalition of CT http://apac@apacct.org
Personal Website http://www.billhowe.org
Multicultural Dimensions http://www.multiculturaldimensions.org
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