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There exists a perception that Brazil is a post-racial model. With the election of Barack Obama and some increased levels of educational attainment among racial groups, the United States is perceived as having achieved similar status. A problem in some US' higher education institutions is limited analysis of pedagogical approaches in courses that explicitly analyze race. This action research study informed by critical race theory analyzes a course that uses race as a central component within US history and current events. The data for this study include teaching observations and 48 anonymous evaluations from undergraduate students.
INTRODUCTION
On May 5, 2013, I stood on the stage at the University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Education graduation after earning my PhD in Policy Studies in Urban Education, with my right fist in the air. This gesture was symbolic of the struggles my ancestors had to endure and the faith they put in education to improve their lives and ameliorate racial conditions in the United States. For six years, I had imagined this moment. Standing on this stage I reflected back on all of the obstacles I had to overcome to reach this milestone. In the same year that I graduated with three other Black males, Barack Obama was sworn into office for a second term as President of the United States. Some will argue that these events all add to the evidence of the United States' transition to a post-racial society. Yet, a closer look at the non-impact of Barack Obama's election in underserved racially isolated communities, racial disparities in higher educational attainment, and the number of murders of unarmed Black youth and adults provides evidence that racism is alive and well in the United States. Despite an agenda to reflect a progressive post-racial society with the election of Barack Obama, the United States remains a country where race and racism play a significant role in the lives of many citizens. The US is not post-racial.
As a Postdoctoral Fellow in Teaching and Mentoring in the University of Illinois at Chicago's Honors College, I have observed the impact of dominant post-racial views upon students who decide to register for my course, The Art of Human Expression in the United States and Brazil. As...