Exposé of Racism Spurs Students to Action

This year I decided to go on the offensive at my high school in politically organizing my students. I chose the book “The Farming of Bones,” by Edwidge Danticat, about the racist genocide against Haitians in the Dominican Republic in 1937. This could help me intensify a contradiction in my largely Dominican school and neighborhood, raise important aspects of the Party’s line and bring a larger contingent of students to May Day.

We’re still reading, but already we have shared important lessons. We’ve discussed the contradiction between individualism and collectivity: what makes us unique and what unites us. Students agreed that we share much more than what divides us; collectivity is primary. We surveyed racism around the world, compiling a list of super-exploited groups in virtually every country, based on so-called “race,” ethnic background and/or religion.

Clearly, racism is not confined to the U.S. or the Dominican Republic. That point hit home when a guest speaker informed students of a trip she took to Palestine/Israel and the vicious racism she encountered there against Palestinians.

Last fall, I confronted a young Dominican woman at a public forum who said that most Dominicans are racist. I argued then that the ruling class has created racism to make extra profits off the working class and that in my experience my Dominican students show anger against racism.  She used nationalism to attack me, claiming that since she was Dominican, she ought to know. Was she right? How would my students respond when they read about the book’s Dominican characters attacking Haitians? Would they side with their nationality even if meant supporting racism?

My confidence in the working class was confirmed from the first hint of racism in the book. The students immediately snarled at the comments of the racist Dominican landowner: “That’s racist!” Students proudly sided with the working-class Haitians over the ruling Dominican racists.

Since then, we’ve explored various other topics. We read an article in CHALLENGE about John Brown, discussing that the fight against racism is multi-racial, and sometimes necessarily violent. And we responded immediately to the opportunity to discuss the Haitian earthquake, exploring another CHALLENGE article that showed the imperialist racism of the U.S., using its military to control Haitian workers.

One day recently, we had a lesson in political economy, pretending our classroom was a garment factory making jeans. Students were amazed and angered at how much profit the bosses make from our labor! And it never ceases to amaze how capitalist schools hide the truth. When I asked this group of seniors — who just finished a required class in government — what the name of our economic system is, nobody knew! Finally, after many blank stares, one student asked if it was called capitalism.

This past week we had a great success with the public showing of the movie “The Price of Sugar.” Fifty students and teachers crowded into a large classroom to see the film, a blistering indictment of capitalist exploitation and racism in the Dominican Republic today against Haitian workers.

Though the movie is clearly reformist in nature, it does show the way government supports and protects big business interests and tries to pit workers against each other. Students were mesmerized and deeply affected, once again siding with the Haitian workers, and attacking both the bosses and the Dominican workers they bribed and deceived to support them.

Lastly, a contingent from our class participated in the march on the National Day of Action to Defend Education. This was these students’ first public demonstration and they were excited! The highlight was meeting up with transit workers at the end of the march and feeling the unity of interests we share. “Students-workers must unite, fight, fight, fight!” we chanted.

Now we need to deepen our understanding, to learn how capitalism NEEDS racism, both to dramatically increase bosses’ profits and to try to divide the working class so we can’t fight back. We also need to explore the communist alternative to capitalism. There is a solution to racism! I hope to have a healthy group of students from this class at this year’s International May Day celebration!

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