College Race Norms

It appears to be that the discussion of race and class in America has become amplified, especially in the last couple of years. For many, it is a touchy subject that hits close to home. With the presence of social media and news that feeds off of racial tension in America, the issues are polarizing and difficult to productively discuss. America’s handling of race and class relations is generally not something to be proud of, and there exists a long history of issues with race. It is clear that there is a lack of understanding and empathy of what others experience toward those who are oppressed. So often it is too easy to dismiss another human’s experiences as reality if one has had no prior encounter with the same challenges. Race is easy to sweep under the rug, but we must address the problem, and it is not a one size fits all solution. It is a problem that has been years in the making and continues to have an enormous impact on our human capital from an economic standpoint. And most of the time, there is a correlation between race and class.

Solórzano and Yosso (2001) asserted that the aforementioned concepts act as a “camouflage for the self-interest, power and privilege of dominate groups in U.S. society” (p. 473). This means that even though over sixty years have passed since the Civil Rights Movement and over one hundred years since the Emancipation Proclamation, there are still forms of racism and oppression that are evident in higher education that require further research through the lens of critical race theory.

Thirdly, they point out that a diverse student body better prepares college students to interact and work with individuals of diverse backgrounds in the future. By creating an environment where students can be exposed to a racially diverse group of people, their interactions further reduce prejudice and misconceptions about race (Grutter v. Bollinger, 2003). The amicus brief reveals that race is an inseparable component of an applicant 's’ experiences and should not be excluded from the admission officers’ consideration.

Racial diversity is something that is often discussed on college campuses. As a student who self-identifies as a minority in more ways than one I often feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the subject of racism and race. However, often times when these issue are discussed I learn something new; this was the case when reading the articles this week. This week’s articles examined the issue of race from different perspectives. This allowed me to re-examine the issue in a fuller manner; it also allowed me to question some of my own notions that I hadn’t really challenged before.

Race and racism continue to exist in our world, and with the assistance of white privilege it becomes increasingly difficult to find a solution. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s book, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” provides an understanding of why race and racism continue to operate in our world. Tatum effectively answers the question she poses as the title of her book; moreover, I agree with her perception of Affirmative Action and the word racist, but I do not agree with the definition of racism in her book.

John Foster 's book, White Race Discourse, scrutinizes and deconstructs the manner in which many American Caucasians go about discussing, or rather, avoid discussing race relations in the United States. Through the means of face-to-face interviews, Foster gets insight into the minds of a sample of college students in a way that cannot be accomplished through a written survey. Recording inflections, pauses, and by guiding the interview, Foster catches many contradictions and discovers patterns seen through every interviewee. Analyzing the interviews, Foster develops a cohesive image of the White Race Discourse, and how it is affecting the country.

After Spending 16 weeks in African-Americans Equality and Law, I found that a problem relevant to race in today’s society is our inability to ask and answer racial questions. Because I saw this as a current issue, I made the decision to facilitate an open and honest discussion about race with a group of diverse Temple Students.

By silencing race words or difficult dialogues students can struggle with wanting to speak at all in class, feel the need to change their behavior, and may have emotional reactions such as exhaustion, anxiety, or anger. Having these feelings and emotions can negatively impact a student’s participation in class, peer interactions,

In this paper, I will be reviewing Robert Jensen’s “The Heart of Whiteness. Confronting Race, Racism, and White privilege”, along with developing a critical analysis of this work. I will be comparing my analysis with the opinions of others that have reviewed this book along with utilizing concepts from James W. Neulieps textbook, Intercultural Communication.

The concept of racism has always been seemingly foreign to me. As well, I can sadly remember questioning whether or not white privilege exists. In my ignorance, I questioned this in almost the exact same manner as the guy does to Professor Hunk in Ifemelu’s blog post “What Academics Mean by White Privilege. I even pondered the question the guy asks: “Why must we all talk about race…”(429). This blog offers a beautiful, understandable explanation of what white privilege is to both gift to those who have difficulty expressing the issue with their lighter skinned friends and to educate those who are ignorant to said issues.

American society likes to believe that race relations in our country are no longer strained. We do not want to hear about the need for affirmative action or about the growing numbers of white supremacist groups. In order to appease our collective conscious, we put aside the disturbing fact that racism is alive and well in the great U.S.A. It hides in the workplace, it subtly shows its ugly face in the media, and it affects the education of minority students nationwide. In the following excerpts from an interview with a middle class African American male, the reader will find strong evidence that race plays a major role in determining the type and quality of education a student receives.

Although the primary utilization of this book is centered on the psychological aspects of racial dialogues viz. “race talk,” it also exposes the irrational fears, attitudes, and beliefs, inherent in our (The United States) society. It is about the persistent avoidance of honest dialogues on race that may uncover the true inequalities and injustices inflicted on people of color. What talking about race does is open the dialogue and allow a view of the lived experience of those who suffer from oppression. It potentially grasps these experiences and presents the possibility of moving the reader from a perceived nonracist being into the realm of antiracism.

Many are unaware of the effects that race has played in their lives over the years. Some may not understand its implications, but are very oblivious to it. Race can influence such things like attitude and behavior. Nowadays being white or black means something more than just a Crayola color. No longer are they just colors, they are races with their own rules and regulations. People of color have been inferior to the white race for centuries. In their own way Zora Neale Hurston shows this concept in her story “How it feels to be Colored Me” as does Richard Wright in his autobiographical sketch “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow”.

The discourse regarding racial climate in schools across the nation has changed over time, from one of blatant acts of racism, as the Jim Crow Laws of legalized segregation, to what we consider today as covert racism; racism that is concealed within the fabric of society. The racial slights, stereotypes, and other types discrimination that People of Color experience are what are known today as racial microaggressions. Even though legalized segregation has long been overturned, there is still the idea of white privilege in all aspect of the academic arena. And, although there are many social movements and activism against this important issue in college and university level, it is important to consider that systemic racial biases do not only happen in the higher level of academia. Children and adolescents experience racial microaggressions too, and it happens just as often in the K-12 school environment where younger students of color, especially Black students usually have no power to express and or verbalize their feelings. The effect of racial microaggressions on Black students in the K-12 school environment can cause challenges in recognizing, understanding, and defending themselves against this modern form of racism. The schools must set better systems in helping Black students navigate this space and the education system as a whole must find ways to provide a racially unbiased learning environment.

Around September, high school seniors everywhere begin applying to colleges. This is usually a stressful time, writing essays, deciding what to major in, picturing where to live for the next four years. Besides being stressful mentally, college applications puts stress on wallets. Money is spent on standardized tests, application fees and college visits, and of course on the university itself. Students try to put their best foot forward in order to get into the college of their dreams. They work hard to offer something to colleges that other students do not have. Some students already have an advantage compared to others. They were born with this advantage, and obtained it without having to do anything at all. This is called privilege. Because of their race, caucasian students have a higher advantage for college acceptance compared to students of color. Privilege is currently the direct cause for underrepresentation of minorities that enter into college. These students are at a disadvantage, making it more difficult for them to receive acceptance from the college of their choice.