Racism is an uncomfortable subject to talk about. It is even more uncomfortable to talk about in a classroom. As a new teacher, you are not sure what you can and can not say. You don't want your students to think you are a racist or say anything that would  warrant a phone call from a parent. As a student, it is just one if many things that are awkward to talk about. If your class is all white, it is less strained, but if there are non-white people in your classroom, it is like being caught in a mine field.

Peggy McIntosh  is correct when she writes, "I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege." It is an uncomfortable subject to talk about. It is almost akin to talking about sex with your parents. People of caucasian descent have no problem talking about racism together, but as soon as you add   someone of color into the group, they begin to choose their words carefully, and think before they speak. You wouldn't want to sounds like a racist in front of someone not white. McIntosh is correct in her belief that white people pretend racism does not exist anymore.

I don't agree with many of the items on her list of  personal privileges though. When I turn on the television, I am bombarded by faces of every color. I seem to be unable to flip to a channel and not see the Kardashians, the Housewives of Atlanta, or John and Kate's brood.

And the best part of going into a music shop is knowing that sound and rhythm have no color. The sounds of our favorite artists have influences from cultures from around the world. Music is almost the ultimate defiance of racism. The sounds and rhythms of different cultures and races meld and blend together and create something new and harmonious.

I understand where McIntosh was going with her claims. She wanted to challenge to silence about racsism,  I think it took on a different effect. I felt guilty reading it. I felt guilty that the color of my skin may have made my life easier than it should have been. I feel like I have been given something I might not deserve. I felt self conscious. I also felt angry that all of my hard work over the years could be negated by the simple color of my skin. I worked hard to be where I am today. Nothing came easy and it angered me to think that McIntosh would chalk up most of my success as a response to my skin color.

Nieto and Bode also touch upon the fact that racism is rarely talked about in schools. They agree that it can be an uncomfortable subject, but they bring attention to how it is addressed in school curricula. There is this myth about racism in America that is perpetuated by books like "The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn", and  "Gone With the Wind." Our history books even conveniently gloss over or even delete the many of darker pieces of American history.

If this is going to be addressed, then the truth needs to be known. States like Arizona and Texas can not be allowed to dictate what is a valued in literature, or rewrite the history books to their liking. History is not pretty and we aren't going to like it. Just as any person, our country has made its fair share of mistakes. If we are to learn from them and become more multicultural, then we need to acknowledged what actually happend.