Blog #2: Race and Racism Reflection

After researching information on race and racism, my perspective of people slightly changed. I found it interesting that there are still so many people who stereotype based on race. This thought was enforced when my group and I did the stereotyping activity in class. We asked our classmates to choose the person’s race based on a small description that only included names and personal information. For example, in our PowerPoint, we wrote, “A 19 year old woman has 2 children and is not married. She dropped out of high school her junior year and works part time at a local fast food restaurant. What race is she?” Many of our classmates assumed she was either white or black, but, in reality, she did not actually have a race. We tried to create descriptions that fed into our stereotypes to let everyone know that they still exist. I was shocked that we were so judgmental of people, especially when it comes their race.

            Another aspect of our presentation focused on The Un-Fair Campaign. This campaign began in Duluth, Minnesota and focuses on making people aware of white privilege (“Our Perspective,” 2011). My discovery of the campaign fascinated and disturbed me at the same time. At first, it felt like reverse racism; however, as I began to research further, I discovered that this campaign was meant to unite the different races in Duluth and to make the white population aware of their privileges (and those who do not have those privileges). I believe that this campaign will catch fire and challenge many to change their perspectives on race. At times, it is difficult to realize that I am considered to have “white privilege.”

            One aspect of my research that validated my perspective is the statistics in SIUe’s Fact Book. I am currently focusing on the racial aspects of SIUe’s undergraduate programs. I was glad to see that SIUe is fairly diverse. Although we do have more white students than any other, we are beginning to become more diverse (Vandegrift, Vaughn 2012). I think that this shows how we have developed our institution over time, even though we still have not solved all social issues.

Works Cited

No author (2011, Sept. 28). Our Perspective. Retrieved from

http://unfaircampaign.org/about-us/f-a-q/.

Vandegrift, Vaughn (2012). 2012 Edition Fact Book: Institute Research and Studies.

            Retrieved from http://www.siue.edu/factbook/.