Racism: A White Woman’s Perspective
As an African-American college student in Georgia, I have experienced racism on more than one occasion. I have always felt more comfortable discussing these experiences with people of my own race. However, I have avoided conversations of racism with people outside of my race because it is such a controversial and stigmatic topic.
When I heard that Greatest Minds Society at Georgia State University was hosting an open discussion on “Calling out Racism” featuring Tedx Talks Guest Speaker, Susan Naimark, I knew I had to participate because the guest speaker was a white woman of Jewish descent.
Before the actual discussion, I imagined Ms. Naimark would be an Afrocentric woman preaching to a crowd full of black students about how racism is wrong while bashing her fellow white people. Once I arrived to the Multicultural Center where the discussion was being held, I noticed the crowd was totally diverse; like a beautiful rainbow. As Ms. Neimark began to speak, I noticed how educated she was on racism in society in general.
Ms. Naimark briefly discussed her book,“ The Education of a White Parent” . She gives examples of times when her children pointed out their experiences with white privilege while living in Boston. One of her sons’ friends always wanted him to hail a cab because he was white, and they knew it would be harder for them, being of color, to get the cab to stop for them. She also mentioned how one of her sons came home one day and told her how the lunch monitors would always hold back the black boys from playing at recess. Instances like these lead Naimark to do her own research on white privilege in schools.
She realized there was a huge problem in the school system. The caucasian children were mainly involved in the prominent organizations, yet only made up 15% of the population at a particular school in Boston. it was evident that the African-American students were being overlooked.
As a child, Ms. Naimark was never taught about racism. She lived in a white suburb, and was shielded from the atrocities of racism until her family had to drive through The Detroit Riots; this experience sparked her curiosity. Once she was of age, she immersed herself in diverse settings, so she could understand racism and become culturally proficient.
Later, advice was given on how to discuss racism with people of all races, as well as an explanation as to why caucasians tend to be on the defensive side when this topic comes about. She explained that many caucasians are in their “white bubble” and they are not affected by racism. They don’t understand because they are not victims of racism, nor do they hang out in black communities. In order for them to have a better understanding, they would have to spend a day with a person of color so they could see hands on how that person of color is being treated.
As an educator of race she will not always be right in everyone’s eyes when it comes to the addressing subject of racism. However, the important factor is to strive for cultural harmony amongst all races and realize that racism does indeed exist.
Towards the end, students were allowed to comment on issues of racism on campus and in their lives. African American students, as well as students of Asian descent gave their personal stories, and asked about the most effective way to call out racism.
Although discussing racism with someone of a different race can be challenging, this discussion had equipped me with skills and insight to do so effectively .