The Layers of Intercultural Work

by Danilo Sanchez

Recently I was conversing with two of my PhD classmates as we gathered in Florida for the new semester. We each shared about our summers and family activities. One classmate had a young child who was just starting school, and they were talking about vouchers in the Florida school system. Vouchers gave them the option to send their child to a private school 20 minutes from their home that had a high rating rather than the local school just eight blocks away, which they described as “trash.” While they appreciated the diversity of their majority-Hispanic neighborhood, they couldn’t imagine their child attending the local school.

On the plane ride to Florida, I had been reading Robin DiAngelo’s book Nice Racism: How Progressive White People Perpetuate Racial Harm. In chapter 5, she describes how white supremacy continues to function in ways that keep our lives racially segregated. White people often have the choice not to interact with people of color if they don’t want to, through decisions about where they live, where they receive medical care, and where they send their children to school. And, she argues, they can be rewarded for those choices.

There is often no indication to white people that we are missing out on anything by not being in relationship with people of color, which allows segregation to continue. DiAngelo challenges white progressives who champion anti-racism while also participating in systems that uphold white supremacy. The U.S. education system is one example of how racial segregation and inequality can persist. Those with the financial means and upward mobility to send their children to schools they perceive as better will often do so to provide their children with greater opportunities.

While seeking a good education is admirable and something any parent would want for their child, DiAngelo points out that these individual choices can also contribute to a system in which lower-income students, disproportionately students of color, do not have access to the same educational opportunities.

DiAngelo’s words were in the back of my mind as I listened to my classmate. Here it was, a real-life example. As I stood there processing the conversation, I felt a sense of guilt rise within me. Our daughters attend a charter school and do not attend public school in the Allentown (PA) school district, which is majority people of color and has lower school ratings. By sending our daughters to a charter school, we are unintentionally upholding white supremacy and education inequality. I am part of the problem. DiAngelo’s words pierced my own heart.

Our intercultural work is a journey. There is always more to uncover within ourselves and more to understand about oppressive systems. It requires us to never stop growing, learning, and changing. Are we committed to that journey? Are we open to being changed by the love and justice of Jesus?

I am learning that our intercultural work is layered. It may require me to confront my own complicity, whether knowingly or unknowingly, in oppressive systems. It may require me to go back and apologize to someone or to do better the next time.

I am willing to engage in that hard work because I believe the reward is a more whole and just kingdom of God.