In her book, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria, Beverly Daniel Tatum examines some of the conversations happening about race and seeks to explore the formation of identity from a racial perspective. She gives her definition of racism right out, referring to it as, "a system of advantage based on race." I'm not sure how I feel about this since it means that all White people are racist but that people of color cannot accurately be called racist, merely prejudiced. Really? Even if a person of color hates another based solely on the matter of race, they are still not considered racist in the the context of Tatum's definition. Although I don't agree with it, understanding and accepting her definition makes the rest of her arguments easier to understand.
I know I remember the black table.
I never sat there even though I am a very much a black individual. According to Tatum, it seems I quickly developed an oppositional identity and did not feel comfortable associating with my fellow Black students. I prized academics and other things I associated primarily with a White identity. Even at a young age, I had problems with having role models that were either athletes or entertainers. Because I saw no positive academic, black role models, I set to carve out my own identity and in doing so, rejected the sports and music traditionally associate with the black community and did what I wanted. Consequentially, taking on such an identity alienated me from the black community, but because I was still outwardly black, I never fit in so well with the White crowd either. I created for myself what Tatum calls an "oppositional identity."
One of the most absurd race related exercises I've ever witness happened on this campus. I attended a mandatory student organization diversity meeting along with dozens of other student org reps, and I could not have been more displeased with the turnout. We all formed a big circle, and the host would read a question, and all those fitting the catergory outline in the question would step forward for all to see. Ok, that doesn't sound so bad except were along the lines of, "Step forward if the owner store thinks you're going to rob the place when you enter," or step forward if you've ever been unable to ride in the front of the bus or drink from the same water fountain as the majority." The whole exercise seems targeted at specific ethnic groups, primarily Blacks, and did nothing to promote productive conversation or awareness about diversity. No one present at the meeting learned anything new, and the whole exercise prompted disgusted and outrageous feedback. The worst part: we were treated to "diversity cake" at the beginning of the meeting, that is, black and white cake.
I get tired of talking about race though. Tatum encourages us to overcome the fear associated with racial conversations to get other people talking. But I agree with what Morgan Freeman says about race. I want to be me. My identity is more than the color of my skin, and I hate having to participate in special focus groups or surveys or black issues simply because I'm blacks. I consider my self a blend of races culturally, and I too wish the problems of color would go away. (I'm loving the additional financial aid though).
Socially constructed as it may be, I feel the problems will not simply disappear anytime soon. There is still so much misinformation, and so many stereotypes floating around, often unacknowledged. Many people still grow up today having uneducated or misinformed views of American Indians, Latin Americans, and even Black People. As long as these keep recurring in the media and being passed on to children, the problems of race will not disappear easily.
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