Reevaluating White Privileged Ignorance and Its Implications for Antiracist Education

Abstract

A commentary on an article by Barbara Applebaum that appeared in this issue on pp. 292–300. In the article, Applebaum explores the role of white people in systemic racism and draws attention to their complicity in racism. The writer discusses how a more critical examination of the nature of white privileged ignorance and its pedagogical implications are significant in advancing an antiracist educational philosophy. Furthermore, she questions Applebaum's views on the nature of student resistance to charges of racist complicity, white student attempts to make antiracist change, and the classroom implications of Applebaum's approach to understanding complicity in systemic racism.