Below is the last (for now) post from our guest blogger, Nathan Palmer. Nathan’s work can be followed at www.sociologysource.com.
Does race still matter? This is my day one question for students in my race & ethnicity courses. Many students walk into my class on the first day thinking that racism, prejudice, and discrimination are issues that were solved in the 1960s. Frequently I hear, “”well things aren’t perfect, but they sure are getting better all the time.” Countless students have said to me, “How much racism can there be if we have a Black president?” While I see this line of thinking more often from my white students, I have had many students of color share this mindset. Using very recent current events can convince students that racism is not a thing of the past but a very real part of our present.
Even students who believe and know that racism is alive and well are typically unaware of the numerous current events that many feel are clear examples of racism. Students are surprised to hear that just this August a Mississippi middle school barred students of color from running for class president. Most students have not heard about the controversy surrounding the firing of Shirley Sherrod over claims of racism. Students are unaware that two ROTC students spread cotton in front of the Black Culture Center at the University of Missouri in February. They are shocked to learn that, also during this past February, a student hung a noose in the UC San Diego library and shortly thereafter a UCSD fraternity put on a “ghetto themed” party called the “Compton Cookout” where guests were invited to dress like thugs and “Nappy Headed Hoes.” I tell my students that this is by no means an exhaustive list. You could also discuss the recent Arizona Immigration laws, or the recent controversy over “Dr. Laura” using the N-Word multiple times on air.
As we go through each of these news events and facts I say over and over again that I am not saying each of these events is evidence of racism. I am simply showing them examples of what others have called racism. This is crucial, because it avoids any debate about the incidents and it keeps students from feeling bullied or steamrolled. Also, students are savvy enough to draw their own conclusions.
I wrap up the discussion by asking my class, “If racism is a thing of the past, why is it in the news so frequently?” “If we have civil rights laws on the books and a Black president, why do we continue to talk about the dead issue of racism?” Needless to say, my students always seem to see the ridiculousness of these questions.
Comments 2
azizi — October 13, 2010
Many students walk into my class on the first day thinking that racism, prejudice, and discrimination are issues that were solved in the 1960s...Countless students have said to me, “How much racism can there be if we have a Black president?” While I see this line of thinking more often from my white students, I have had many students of color share this mindset.
With regard to students of color believing that "racism, prejudice, and discrimination are issues that were solved in the 1980s", I'd love to know the racial breakdown of that classroom and of that university. With all due respect, as an African American, I find it very difficult to believe that many Black university students in Georgia (or even in the Nebraska's college where the professor taught) haven't known family, friends, or acquaintances who have been the target of institutional and/or personal racism.
It's been my experience that some African Americans (and other People of Color) have a tendency to minimize racism when they are the only one, or are one of few People of Color in a given setting. I also believe that the professor's race/ethnicity (with "ethnicity" here meaning Latino) might factor into whether students admitted to having a general knowledge and/or a personal experience as the target of racism.
I also wonder is the professor who is the author of this post White? Perhaps the students gave the professor the answer that they thought he wanted. Furthermore, the author mentions that his first day question to his students is "Does race matter?". On the first day of class many students are wary of their professors. I wonder if the professor would have received different answers to that question (particularly from the students of Color) if he had asked it later in the course, when the students learned that they could trust him.
Part of my thinking about this was shaped by my experiences as one of a few Black students in a small college, and one of only 6 Black students who lived on that campus for most of my 4 years there. Usually, I was the only Black student in my classes. I recognized the need to be accepted and be just be "just like everyone else". However, I recall that I usually didn't hesitate to share my perspectives as a Black person, and a number of times the professors didn't like me doing so. But I also remember that there were times when some professors and some students would put me on a spot asking me "What do Black people want?" or why Black people do one thing or another. I really disliked being put in that position for I had to inform those professors and students that because there isn't one Black spokesperson, no one (and especially not a lowly student) could answer the question "What do Black people want?"
Maybe avoiding those types of situations is another reason why those students of color in the professor's classes say that racism doesn't exist in the USA anymore.
Finally, I also want to add that acknowleging race/ethnicity isn't an act of racism. Too often people promote "color blindness" as a solution to racism and whenever a Person of Color mentions race, she or he is accused of being racist. This makes a difficult situation for People of Color even more difficult and may be another explanation for why students of Color claim that they think that racism is no longer a factor in the USA.
Lilian — October 16, 2011
I much prefer informative airtlecs like this to that high brow literature.