Coded Language Is Part of Our Racist Education System

“When professionals glorify grit, they glorify trauma,” Johnson said. “They erase systems responsible for trauma and put the responsibility on students to navigate these systems despite the fact that these systems were built for their white counterparts to succeed.” …

“There’s a myth of meritocracy that we function in as a country,” Vásquez said. “So we can work hard and be nice all day long, but we need to also acknowledge there is systemic racism, systemic barriers, that our students consistently face.” …

“Power, in part, is the ability to escape accountability for the harm a person causes and or perpetuates,” Viajerx told Teen Vogue. “The path to escape is often hidden within coded language.”

“We support efforts to expunge coded language from campus materials,” Alakran added. “That said, no, we don’t think it’s enough.”