The Water Is Wide: A Memoir

“I know colored people better than you do. That’s because I am one myself. You have to keep your foot on them all the time. Step on them. Step on them every day and keep steppin’ on them when they gets out of line.”

Although she is herself black, Mrs. Brown has internalized the racist idea that white people are superior to people of color. She appears to believe that black people are inherently lazy and difficult and will only respond to violence and coercion, something about which Pat strongly disagrees.

“Of course some of you are even retarded, and that is even worse than being lazy. But we know you can’t help being retarded. That just means you have to work even harder than the lazy ones. Now those of you who are retarded know who you are. I don’t have to tell you. But retarded people need to be pushed and whipped harder than anyone.”

One of the ways in which Mrs. Brown’s internalized racism manifests is in a constant onslaught of disparaging comments to the children. Seemingly never considering the possibility that the children are being starved of appropriate education and opportunities, she instead places the blame on them, deriding them relentlessly.

“I then told them that they had to look upon themselves in a different light, that they had to be convinced of their basic worth, and that they could learn just as fast as anybody else.”

Pat attempts to undo the damage done to the children by a flawed educational system by incorporating a wide range of activities and approaches into their curriculum. He introduces them to classical music and allows them to develop a sound understanding of several key works. He uses this to encourage them to take pride in themselves and their abilities.