It is interesting to see how comfortable many white liberals have become with Lisa Delpit's work since the 1990s when it caused many white tears. They often cite her in defense of the importance of teaching POC the codes of power. Yet, this was only one part of her argument.

Delpit’s main point was that white progressive educators were systematically silencing the voices of Black educators. In particular, she examined the ways that the race evasive discourse of progressive education ignored the racialized realities of BIPOC.

Delpit's point was that progressive education did not account for the importance of preparing BIPOC for the realities of white supremacy and positioned Black educators working to prepare Black children for a racist world as “traditional” educators (i.e as part of the problem).

It is ironic that white progressive educators now often cite Delpit's work in response to the next generation of educators of color suggesting that teaching the “codes of power” is white supremacist. A closer reading of her work should give white progressive pause in doing this.

When I was first introduced to Delpit’s work as an undergraduate it helped me to develop a vocabulary for speaking back to educational frameworks that are race evasive. I still find her work inspiring even as I disagree with her conceptualizing of the “codes of power.”

It is sad that (white) people have latched on to the one aspect of Delpit’s argument that I find least compelling and completely overlook the broader context of her analysis, which offers a compelling account of how white supremacy is maintained in supposedly progressive spaces.