Racial Battle Fatigue

Covering equity issues of sex, race, class, age, sexual orientation, and disability, this work presents creative, nontraditional narratives about performing social justice work, acknowledging the contributions of previous generations, describing current challenges, and appealing to readers to join the struggle toward a better world. Many would like to believe we are living as "post-racial" America, long past the days of discrimination and marginalization of people simply due to their race and minority status. However, editor Jennifer L. Martin and a breadth of expert contributors show that prejudice and discrimination are still very much alive in the United States. Sharing personal stories of challenges, aggressions, retaliations, and finally racial battle fatigue, these activists, practitioners, and scholars explain how they have been attacked-in subtle, shrouded, and sometimes outright ways-simply for whom and what they advocate: social justice. The stories within consist of discussions on the interconnections among equity issues: sex, race, class, age, sexual orientation, and disability. Furthermore, the work relates current events such as the banning of ethnic studies in Arizona and the shooting of Trayvon Martin to the battle for social justice. Other topics addressed include the ongoing problems of white supremacist beliefs, the challenges of teaching about the racist thinking that permeates our media and popular culture, and the harms of aggressions faced by minorities and those possessing multiple minority status. The unique narratives presented in this single-volume work combine the various approaches to answering questions about not only the necessity of fighting for social justice but also the impact of the struggle on its champions.

Jennifer L. Martin, PhD, is assistant professor of education at the University of Mount Union, Alliance, OH.

Foreword H. Richard Milner IV Acknowledgments Introduction Jennifer L. Martin Part I: Theory and Narrative 1. Self-Study of Social Justice Teaching on the Tenure Track: A Pedagogy of Vulnerability Jennifer L. Martin 2. "She Was More Intelligent Than I Thought She'd Be!": Status, Stigma, and Microaggressions in the Academy M. L. Sharp-Grier 3. Shocked into Silence No More Linda Prieto 4. Being Tall Isn't Exactly the Same Thing as Being Black: The Challenges of Critical Perspective-Taking in a Nearly All-White Classroom Sherry L. Deckman and Beatriz M. Montilla 5. "Alien" Troublemakers and Nonthreatening Pets at a Predominantly White University Yukari Takimoto Amos 6. "Becoming the Bear": A Meditation on Racial Battle Fatigue, Resistance, and Grace in Academia G. Michelle Collins-Sibley 7. Difficult Dialogues: A Story of Relationship as a Strategy for ?Racial Battle Fatigue Melissa Payne and Victoria Pruin DeFrancisco 8. Where Do I Belong?: The Formation of a Destabilized Identity Brandelyn Tosolt Part II: Battles Still to Be Waged 9. "Yes, I Am Smart!": Battling Microaggressions as Women of ?Color Doctoral Students Jessica C. Harris, Jasmine M. Haywood, Samantha M. Ivery, ?and Johari R. Shuck 10. "Black Sheep" in the Ivory Tower: Academics of Color Explore Racial Battle Fatigue and Microaggressions in ?"Postracial America" Crystal Shelby-Caffey, Lavern Byfield, and Edwin Úbeda 11. "They Shouldn't Get Any Credit for It!": Mexican American ?Studies, Mexican Heritage People, Racial Microaggressions, ?and Racial Battle Fatigue Richard Orozco 12. Weathering Through: How a Doctoral Candidate with White ?Male Privilege Succumbed to Racial Battle Fatigue Steven Funk 13. A Critical Eulogy for Joaquin Luna: Mindful Racial Realism ?as an Intervention to End Racial Battle Fatigue Antonio Tomas De La Garza 14. Effective Gender Activism: An Exercise in Marginalization Wendy Murphy 15. Black Women in Academia: The Invisible Life Jenelle S. Pitt, Mya Vaughn, Aisha Shamburger-Rousseau, and ?LaKeisha L. Harris 16. At the Margins of Social Justice: The Moral Debate on Special Education and the Other Latino Bernardo E. Pohl, Jr. Part III: Pedagogy and Practice 17. Reflections on Feminism in the Classroom: ?A "Life Raft" for Students Michele Paludi 18. Teaching Trayvon: Teaching about Racism through Public ?Pedagogy, Hip Hop, Black Trauma, and Social Media Bettina L. Love and Regina N. Bradley 19. Princess Pedagogy: Race, Gender, and the Disney Construct Christopher Bell About the Editor and Contributors Index