When one first steps into Callie Palmer's Minority Literature course, nothing seems out of the ordinary. It looks like any classroom that you would step into, with its neat rows of tables and chairs, but once the class starts, it does not take much time to realize that this one is going to be different. The students are no longer simply there to learn, but also to inform, and even do a little teaching themselves.
"Frankly, I have always loved literature because it is a creative reflection of history, whether intended or not," said Palmer. "When a student, or anyone, for that matter, sees how they are a part of history rather than a footnote, they have more of a stake in their own lives."
In many ways, this fuels her philosophy for teaching. Instead of simply standing before the class, lecturing, she lets the students take over, sharing their thoughts and interpretations on the assigned readings. With subjects as personal as race, religion, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, there is always a risk of people finding themselves out of their comfort zone during such discussions when passions run high.
Rather than shy away from such moments, Professor Palmer brings them to the forefront.
"I let students know how I will approach what we in the business call 'teaching opportunities', for example," she says, "if someone makes a statement that others might perceive as racist or prejudiced, we unpack it as a group, and discuss how it can impact the room. We talk about assumptions we all make just by looking at each other, and how wrong these can be. I think a bomb squad would call this disarming the threat. It works."
From this, the students bring their own experiences to the act of as a class reading and comprehending a work of fiction. However, it is not simply about fiction, but the way in which it represents a broader understanding of life and our cultural heritage.
It is this approach to learning about sensitive, and at times, uncomfortable subjects that leaves her students at the end of term with not only a greater sense of reality, but the tools to approach subjects such as discrimination and inequity which make up so much of our modern political and cultural discourse.
This is a quality not lost on her colleagues.
"Callie Palmer is very professional, hard working, and committed to fostering conversation about multi-cultural and diversity," said fellow English Professor, Karelia Stetz-Waters.
It is a drive that Professor Palmer has carried outside the classroom also.
When flyers of a derogatory nature were posted on campus a few years back, she, and a group of other teachers, created a open letter for students to sign, denouncing the incident, and its attack on students and faculty members here at LBCC. She also is one of the current Gay Straight Alliance faculty advisors (along with Communications instructor, Trevor Setvin), working to bring awareness to issues and challenges involving LGBT students and their allies.
Originally intending to get a law degree, she found her passion for literature when taking classes with writer Alex Kuo (who happens to be a writer some of her minority literature students might be familiar with), and never looked back. She has now been teaching for 11 years, helping students to broaden their understanding and enrich their perspectives of different culture, something she hopes is an idea that can fade away as we learn that we are far more similar than we think.
Interview:
1.When did you know you wanted to teach literature?
Teaching is an accidental career for me. When I returned to finish my BA after a 13 year hiatus, I planned on going to law school when I was done. I was repeating a Creative Writing/Poetry class with Alex Kuo for a better grade, with no expectation of anything other than that one semester, and I ended up taking every class Kuo taught for the rest of my time at WSU. I wrote a memoir for his Literatures of the American West course, and he told me it was the foundation for my Masters thesis. So I applied to the American Studies Program and was awarded a Teaching Assistantship. I knew this was what I wanted to do the minute I lead my own class. Alex's teaching style was very influential for me as well. He viewed students as active agents in their own learning, and so do I.
2. What compelled you to teach students about how to use literature to explore themes of Race, Gender, Religion, Ethnicity, and Sexual Orientation?
Frankly, I have always loved literature because it is a creative reflection of history, whether intended or not. These themes have always been present, since these are basic human orientations. Literature, at least in the traditional cannon, has primarily privileged a few, sort of like early accounts of history, but the real stories are there, embedded. I like finding all of us in these stories. When students, or anyone, for that matter, sees how they are a part of history rather than a footnote, they have more of a stake in their own lives. Fiction was a means for people whose voices were marginalized to tell their own histories. As Ralph Ellison wrote,"Good fiction is made of that which is real, and reality is hard to come by."
3. In the last few years, we have seen many events unfold, from the election of the first African American President, to the shifts in attitudes concerning LGBT citizens. Have the shifting views on social issues such as sexuality, race, and gender affected the choices of text for your minority literature classes?
No - what affects my choices of texts for all literature courses is great work. Excellent stories authored by people of color have always existed. One reason I majored in American Studies both as an undergrad and in my Masters was to learn about all the literature, rather than a select group. I felt a connection with these writers - they were part of "my" America. Consider Phyllis Wheatley and Benjamin Banniker, or Charles Eastman. These folks were writing about their experiences as Americans long before Faulkner or Hemingway. In my opinion, people like W.E.B. DuBois, Ida B. Wells and others paved the way for these attitudes to shift, by empowering people of color, and by empowering themselves. Also, these early activists empowered whites to become antiracism activists, like John Brown or Viola Liuzzo. The Civil Rights movement began as soon as people were forced out of their homes and onto reservations, before they were sold into slavery, before the border crossed them, as our Latino/a friends might say, and before Asian Exclusion Acts were legislated. The struggle that has culminated in the current political and social landscape we see today began a very, very long time ago. We just don't give them credit.
4. What is your philosophy for approaching the teaching and discussion of controversial subjects to students?
The very first thing that I do is create a safe space in the classroom for these discussions to take place. I have ground rules that are centered on respect for everyone in the room. When we silence each other, no conversation is taking place. So I let students know how I will approach what we in the business call "teaching opportunities" - for example, if someone makes a statement that others might perceive as racist or prejudiced, we unpack it as a group, and discuss how it can impact the room. We talk about assumptions we all make just by looking at each other, and how wrong these can be. I think a bomb squad would call this disarming the threat. It works.
5. If you had to make a pitch for why a non-English major should take a minority literature class, what would it be, and why?
Everyone should try it. Why not? My dream is to eliminate the need for multi-ethnic literature and incorporate these works into all literature classes. Really, the question isn't about non-English majors, right? It is about non-people of color being uncomfortable talking about people of color. I take issue with the term "minority" as well- it is a loaded term in itself, and technically no longer accurate, except in terms of political power. I think everyone should take a multi-ethnic literature class to begin the journey of understanding the world we all live in. After all, employers depend on people being able to work together, right?
6. Do you have any authors or specific books you would recommend a student wanting to explore minority themes on their own?
Of course I do. The problem is that there are so many to recommend, and people have such varying tastes. The first thing I would do is take a break from reading literature written about different ethnic groups by people who aren't part of that group - even books like The Help, To Kill A Mockingbird, Or The Secret Life of Bees. All very well written, but by white people. Try something in the genre you love by an author of color. For science fiction fans, try Octavia Butler. Westerns? Try Cogewea by Mourning Dove. Like pulp stories? Try The Magazine Novels of Pauline Hopkins. My favorites, and writers I use frequently, include Toni Morrison, Louise Erdrich, Junot Diaz and Alex Kuo, all for different reasons. If a person wants to learn about the problems people of color face, I have a whole host of non-fiction suggestions as well.
At a Glance:
Holds a B.A. and M.A. in American Studies from Washington State University.
Has been teaching for 11 years.
Recommended Authors:
Octavia Butler, Mourning Dove, Pauline Hopkins, Toni Morrison, Louise Erdrich, Junot Diaz and Alex Kuo, to name a few.
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