White fragility in an affluent ISD

My shock was not in the action of racist comments but in parents’ reaction to creating a diversity council. The article A viral video forced a wealthy Texas suburb to confront racism. A ‘silent majority’ fought back mentions South Lake’s “dirty secret,” the hidden racist attitudes. When South Lake’s behind closed doors, ignorant attitudes spill into public view, I am not shocked. I have witnessed the passive and aggressive racism from the Carroll Dragons. My high school played against them; our school had a diverse and predominantly low-income population. In our games, we heard derogatory comments from their players. The shocking thing to me is the response from the opposing parents to the diversity initiative. I have always had the impression that affluent people were very educated, but not to know or understand what white privilege is and say my “child does not know what a minority is” left me with a surprised look. This ignorance or lack of awareness is white privilege and how things get swept under the rug by influential white people. I was shocked that anyone would go to a public forum and express their white fragility in the way the parents did. The lack of accountability for those children’s words and the attack on people who experience discrimination enraged me. The parents that spoke and are pursuing legal action are prime examples of why we need diversity education programs. It is a sad case that in 2021 it is still customary to have racist attitudes from South Lake’s population and other upper-income neighborhoods. The mentality expressed has kept systemic racism alive, undercover, and healthy; and proves there is a lot of work left to do.

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