Toward Abolition: Undoing the Colonized Curriculum

Racial injustice has traditionally been observed from the viewpoint of its impact and outcomes. Subsequently, educators and policy makers have generally focused on outcomes; unequal opportunity structures, disparities in educational achievement, the school-to-prison pipeline, disproportional health indicators, incarceration rates, and harsher punishment in school and judicial systems are just a few of the contexts by which this nation’s racialized roots can be measured for present-day mistreatment and disparate outcomes for minoritized populations. As policy makers and educators look to the impact of racial injustice, a true ontological vantage would reveal the cause as well as the perpetuation of these outcomes. As the current COVID-19 pandemic continues, and with increased interest in online learning, it is vital that teachers and professors seek new pedagogy and tools to teach about racism. Our study examined whether a virtual one-hour presentation on white humanists influences students’ understanding of racial justice. Our research demonstrates that a colonized curriculum impacts student’s outlook on the world and themselves. Inversely, when we expose students to humanists throughout history, we are able to show that white people have a legacy and responsibility to fight for racial justice. This provides students with alternative models beyond those that perpetuate white supremacy.