There is a cartoon circulating right now of two people holding protest signs — one is black, the other white. The black figure holds a sign that reads "I Can't Breathe;" the white figure holds a sign that reads "I Can't See." Recently, I have encountered many discussions reflecting the subtle wisdom of that cartoon: It's often white citizens who demand that citizens of color provide evidence that injustices exist — and sometimes, I'm the teacher in these moments.
As shorthand, I refer friends, allies and enemies to Claudia Rankine's National Book Award-nominated Citizen to help them navigate the complex waters of how racism is lived, seen and felt by black Americans. Reading her, you come out with a sense of knowing what it means to fill these shoes, this hoodie, this body. Rankine wants us to understand how one can become "invisible and hypervisible" in language and life — as she has.
[For more of this story, written by Syreet McFadden, go to http://www.npr.org/blogs/codes...need-claudia-rankine]
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