In class this past Monday we took on a very taboo issue...the issue of race. What does the term race even mean? While race can be defined differently by different people, when I think of the term race I think of someone's skin color. Right now I am sure many people (mostly whites) like to think that we live in an equal opportunity society. However this is far from true. Prof. KM Smith went around the class and asked each of us what we thought it meant to be black and what we thought it meant to be white. Through this exercise, I think many of us became more aware of stereotypes they had about other cultures. We began to realize that while our nation has become more equalized over time, it is still very far from where it can be.
One interesting thing I realized from Monday's activity, was that I barely had any stereotypes. The only thing I could think of when thinking of a black person was basketball. Whereas that might seem like a positive thing I saw it as the exact opposite. I had no biases toward blacks because until coming to Binghamton I had almost no interactions with black people. I went to an all white, all girls, private school since I was eight years old. I had never learned about black people (except in history class when we learned about the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, which in my opinion does not really count). However, even if I had learned about other cultures I do not think it would have had the same impact on me as attending Binghamton has had. I'm aware Binghamton tries to diversify its campus but it is not completely successful, since most of the students and faculty are mostly white. Nonetheless, I feel that I am becoming immersed in other cultures and learning about different backgrounds. I am actually beginning to realize that I have better chemistry with some black people then I do with some white people.
I definitely believe that stereotypes and prejudgments are a negative thing, but at the same time I think having those thoughts shows that one is thinking about the other cultures and ethnicities. I know writing this blog I felt embarrassed to say that I had not really been exposed to other cultures before (and for that matter wasn't really exposed to the opposite gender either). Taking this course has encouraged me to think about unconscious thoughts I might have and talk about them openly in class in order to change the misguided or nonexistent thoughts into accurate ones.
In last's week's reading, there was a section titled "Exploring Race Relations" from the book Rethinking Multicultural Education by Wayne Au. The section focused on the importance of teaching about other cultures and diversity because one thing is certain in our society: racism exists and it affects all our lives. Whether someone goes to a school that is all black, all white, all boys, all girls, or mixed - it is imperative to experience multiculturalism. The ability to understand other cultures and accept the differences as not being a bad thing but being a good thing, can only help one to grow to be better person. Integrating classrooms is a good idea, however I don't think it is feasible nor do I think it wealthier Americans are going to send their children into poorer neighborhoods. Since I don't believe that those outside a community can rescue the disadvantage within a community...I think it is the responsibility of the parents, teachers, and that community. Whether our schools are integrated or segregated, the schooling of multiculturalism is imperative.
I have posted a video that focuses on segregation in U.S. public schools. The video talks about how even 50 years after the Brown vs. Board of Education case, schools today are still segregated. The video also discusses the difference between the segregation in the race range and the segregation in the class range. I found this very interesting and saw a correlation to the point made in Monday's class about trying to redistribute the funding for public schools.
Since our communities are divided between economic class, some schools will have better resources than others...this is why it comes back to the point about the responsibility being on the teachers, the parents and the community. Similarly to the point I made earlier, we can only blame the government so much before we begin to take personal responsibility for the success of our youth.
The second video is short and it is just something I found interesting which I thought you all might enjoy. It focuses on stereotypes and how many people form judgments from just looking at someone. I hope that after watching this video we can stop judging people based on their race or ethnicity but as an individual.
It's a very sad reality I have heard a lot of white students at BU say they never interaction with Black people until they came to school here. It's 2010! segregation ended decades ago still we live in culturally isolated communities and doing so comfortably. I'm glad that you are having this experience of immersion but think of all the people who aren't; all the people that graduate from here never taking advantage of classes like these and missing out on this opportunity for personal growth. It's so sad.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nickecia, at least your are able to recognize this and now make a change. There are many people who do not see a problem with the fact that they have never interacted with people of different cultures. Binghamton isn't the most diverse environment but what I can say is that I believe any person of color on this campus would be willing to get to know your and have an exchange of cultures. Myself I have come into to contact with many races and ethnicities growing up and as I get older I take interest in having a diverse group of people and ideas in my life, but sadly I don't think I know that many people. When I say knowing someone, I'm talking about more than hi's and bye's. Sometimes I wonder if its me or if others are just scared to approach me or just don't care to.
ReplyDeleteWho do we blame if we haven't interacted with other races? Society? Family? Comfort level? That is also an advantage of being white in the US...one can choose not to interact with other races. I'm very proud of your progress and thought processes in terms of readings and class discussions.
ReplyDeleteThat Guy and Kenene, it's sort of the reality of life.