toasterazzi

Ummmm... Fun activity? Do you actually not have enough content to fill the last class meeting?

OP, I feel you. I'm a Black woman who grew up in a town that was 90% Black. I'm also a Black woman who went to a mostly White high school, mostly White undergrad school, and who will be attending a mostly White grad school starting next week. I'm pretty comfortable with it at this point, but I am hyper aware of the fact that, for a lot of my newfound midwestern friends, I'm one of the first Black people they've ever known besides the ones on tv (I'm not making that up btw. I've been told this more than once). There's so much pressure to not be a stereotype, and there can be so much frustration from people when they realize you're not a stereotype.

As far as I know, there's only one Black prof in my department and maybe only one or two other grad students that are POC in my department. I'm very familiar with the concept that we have to be better than best. I remember reading something recently about how a Black man with a degree has a harder time getting a job than a White man with a felony on his record. Not sure how many were studied off the top of my head, but I'd be lying if I said I was entirely surprised. That being said, I do my level best not to live for other people. I'm just trying to do my thing and let that be enough. *keeps fingers crossed*

Yeah I'm not about that colorblind life either. I don't think it actually solves anything except making people feel indignant when you point out a racist belief they're exhibiting. I also don't want anyone ignoring my culture. I'm proud of all aspects of my identity and that includes my race. I would much rather embrace and celebrate our cultural differences instead of ignoring them. One of my favorite parts of undergrad was getting to participate not only in the Black student group, but also the Latino group and the Asian group. I learned so much from their meetings, events, etc. and I made so many amazing friends from various backgrounds. And personally, I feel like my life is enriched by these differences.

Yeah I'm not about that colorblind life either. I don't think it actually solves anything except making people feel indignant when you point out a racist belief they're exhibiting. I also don't want anyone ignoring my culture. I'm proud of all aspects of my identity and that includes my race. I would much rather embrace and celebrate our cultural differences instead of ignoring them. One of my favorite parts of undergrad was getting to participate not only in the Black student group, but also the Latino group and the Asian group. I learned so much from their meetings, events, etc. and I made so many amazing friends from various backgrounds. And personally, I feel like my life is enriched by these differences.

I know I am joining this discussion late, but I wanted to say something.

CageFree, so far your comments on this thread have promoted colorblindness, the shedding of labels so that people are treated by merit only. This is a dangerous view to impose on others because racism (and other forms of isms like class, gender, etc.) will always exist in this country. If you have taken an American history course, race and racism have been a dominant theme since the founding of this nation. Here are few points below:
In the early 1800s, blacks were once considered 3/5th of a human. Provisions allowed southern states to count slaves as 3/5 persons for purposes of apportionment in Congress (even though the slaves could not, of course, vote), expressly denied to Congress the power to prohibit importation of new slaves until 1808, and prevented free states from enacting laws protecting fugitive slaves.
It took the Civil War Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) to ban slavery, grant citizenship to blacks, AND pass antidiscrimination laws (equal protection and due process clauses).
For another 100 years after the Civil War, municipalities passed racial laws to forbid blacks (and other nonwhites where applicable) from living in specific neighborhoods and working in certain occupations.This effect created housing, occupational and school segregation that still hurts blacks economically to this day. For instance, when Social Security was formed, blacks were initially excluded from eligibility. It took Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and successive court rulings to end legal racial discrimination.
In the 1960s and beyond, the federal government had to pass federal civil rights and voting rights laws that forbid voter disenfranchisement among blacks and made hate crimes a federal violation. (How ironic that even in the 21st century the Republicans today are pushing voting laws that would disenfranchise minorities and the poor from voting for Obama???)
Blacks and other nonwhites today make up a disproportionate percentage of the prison population (especially nonviolent crimes), providing a source of cheap labor for for-profit entities. Since the late 1970s, there has been a nationwide agenda to impoverish minority communities through redlining, war on drugs, the defunding of educational and social service programs, and the attack on affirmative action.
Some of the poorest public school districts in this country educate black and brown youth. These schools are under-resourced, have unsafe conditions, and are brainwashing kids for low-paying, menial occupations. As you can see, the plantation system keeps evolving to keep blacks (and other nonwhites) at the bottom of the economic and political ladder.

As a black female, I refuse to believe that colorblindness is the answer once you understand the history of this nation. I learned about my identity and cultural heritage as a means of survival and empowerment. In my youth, I can remember struggling with being the only black person in a classroom and my privileged peers were unaware of social inequality because they had the privilege to not think about it. Therefore, CageFree, it is naive to think that everyone should treat each other in a colorblind perspective for two reasons: it denies that racism exists and assumes the voices of the marginalized are not important.

President Obama has received more racial slurs than any sitting president because he doesn't look white nor does he have a English-sounding name. As long as you have ignorant fools that continue to downplay his accomplishments, race and racism will still continue to be prevalent in American society.

So I had my first real day of grad school today, and I'm proud to say that my university is very diverse. We have black women on our faculty, working as post-docs, and studying as grad students. We have international students and people from all over the country. Maybe it's my field. Or maybe it's a conscious effort on the part of the university to recruit and retain a diverse population. At the end of the day, it gives me hope. Small steps.

Yeah I'm not about that colorblind life either. I don't think it actually solves anything except making people feel indignant when you point out a racist belief they're exhibiting. I also don't want anyone ignoring my culture. I'm proud of all aspects of my identity and that includes my race. I would much rather embrace and celebrate our cultural differences instead of ignoring them. One of my favorite parts of undergrad was getting to participate not only in the Black student group, but also the Latino group and the Asian group. I learned so much from their meetings, events, etc. and I made so many amazing friends from various backgrounds. And personally, I feel like my life is enriched by these differences.