Why Ignoring Race Fails Everyone
Flickr: Susan NYC
Child playing in NYC.
Yesterday, the Motherlode blog from the New York Times featured a guest post called “Talking About Race (Etc.)” by Amanda Freeman, a white woman who parents two African-American step-kids along with her half-Asian biological daughter.
Freeman narrated two recent experiences which made her think critically about racism. In the first, a black cop rounds up “unattended” children at a playground, including–much to her shock and dismay–her step-children; the second anecdote is about a coffee date with another mother, who mentioned how Freeman’s African-American children had a better chance at being admitted to college than her half-Asian daughter.
Because we live in this new America that celebrates diversity, I have to remind myself not to forget these little happenings. The real danger lies in being lulled into complacency, erasing race from our national dialogue, checking off the completed box. Racial stereotypes in America run deep; they are woven into our everyday expectations. And we can’t let them go unexamined.
What I do know is that ignoring the subtext of these situations fails everyone involved. The more we try to process our complicated feelings about race, the less likely they are to erupt in ugly ways.
-
Farewell, DCentric
Today is my last day as the senior reporter for DCentric. It’s been a little over a year since I started writing for this blog, and I’m blown away at just thinking about all of the interesting topics I’ve had … Read More
- Can Wireless Tablets Bridge The Digital and Education Divide?
- Marion Barry: Breaking Down Race, Plexiglass And 'Dirty Shops'
-
Buying Organic on a Budget: New Shopping Guides Rank Produce by Pesticide Levels
Buying organic may be better for your health, but it’s not always feasible for those on a budget. Months ago, we posted advice on how to prioritize buying organic. Now, a new list is out detailing which non-organic foods to … Read More
- Eating Healthy is not Always an Option
- Kavitha Cardoza on "The Heavy Burden Of Childhood Obesity"
-
Kanazawa is Grounded for a Year by LSE
In May of this year, Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist at the London School of Economics penned a controversial blog post for Psychology Today asking, “Why are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women?” Kanazawa was widely condemned for … Read More
- In Your Words-- Psychology Today on Black Women and Beauty
- "A New Era of Polarizing Racial Politics in the District"