Jennifer Campbell,
Chaska, MN.
Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s in suburban Minneapolis I did not have many opportunities to meet people from another culture or race from my own. I continue to work in a suburban school district as a special education teacher. Again, the dominant race and culture is white. Students of color have to navigate this culture on a daily basis. I need to continue my work to have a greater understanding of my students. I have been working on my views about “bridging the gap” in education. It wasn’t until I joined a book club through my school district that I began to see that I do have a culture. The book Waking Up White by Debby Irving opened my eyes to so many things that I did not know or could even begin to understand. I know now that whites have a culture. It isn’t a positive or negative culture- it just is. I know I have a lot of work to do in my journey toward “finding myself in the story of race” to quote Debby Irving.
