Reminders

As you all should know, there are two big due dates coming up soon after you come back:
I. INTERVIEW PAPER & PRESENTATION (THURS. DEC. 3RD): it would be nice to get all the papers and have everyone give their brief presentation (5-10 min.) on that Thursday. We will not have much time for any make-up presentations, so please be ready to go on Thursday.

II. ESSAY III (WHICH IS DESCRIBED IN THE PREVIOUS BLOG POST, 11/20), WHICH IS DUE ON TUESDAY, DEC. 8TH.

Finally, as soon as we get back we'll also be getting back together with our families to begin working on questions for the final exam.

Hope everyone had a good holiday and will be ready to wrap up the semester when you get back.

Concluding Notes on Dr. Tatum's Book & Essay III Description

Concluding Notes on WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA?

A. Let me re-emphasize, as Dr. Tatum notes on p. 174, that research showed that bi-racial adolescents did NOT have any more adjustment problems than adolescents of color. "For both groups, all measures of psychological adjustment were in the normal range, suggesting that bi-racial adolescents can be reasonably healthy and happy as other young people are."

1. This is not to say there are not challenges associated with bi-racial identity. The key is addressing these issues openly in the family and elsewhere, as we saw earlier when she first presented the racial identity development theory.

2. One challenge is confronting the question, "what are you?", which reflects the society's need to classify you racially and may imply another question which is divisive: which side are you on or where do you stand? (p. 175)

B. In talking about the various developmental stages -- pre-school thru college and adult years -- Dr. Tatum discusses instances where one's bi- or multi-racial identity is challenged by peers or others. In the early years, parents play an especially crucial role in addressing such instances by instilling pride in all aspects of one's racial identity to counter society's desire to put you in one category or another.

1. During college and adulthood, it becomes easier to reject peer pressure and embrace one's bi-cultural heritage. Dr. Tatum, then, goes on to stress the need these bi- or multi-racial students have to learn about all of their backgrounds, to develop respect for themselves as multiracial, even if they favor one aspect of their heritage over others.


Part V Breaking the Silence

Chapter 10: Embracing a Cross-Racial Dialogue

A. In contrast to those who argue there is too much talk about race and racism in the U.S., Dr. Tatum, as you could have guessed, says there is not enough.

B. A big problem in encouraging cross-racial dialogue is FEAR -- fear is a big obstacle especially these days when people too often latch on an inappropriate comment or yanked-out-of-context-remark and label someone as racist. Both Whites and minorities have these fears, but especially Whites.

C. Dr. Tatum describes well the psychological (and I would also say, social) costs of silence: "As a society, we pay a price for our silence. Unchallenged personal, cultural, and institutional racism results in the loss of human potential, lowered productivity, and a rising tide of fear and violence in our society. Individually, racism stifles our own growth and development. It clouds our vision and distorts our perceptions. It alienates us not only from others but also from ourselves and our own experiences." (p. 230)

D. And positively, embracing one's racial identity and engaging in cross-racial dialogue may lead to five good things: "...increased zest, a sense of empowerment, greater knowledge, an increased sense of self-worth, and a desire for more connection." (p. 202)

E. She acknowledges this will take courage, and developing a support network may help to bolster one's courage to cross the racial divide.
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That's it for Dr. Tatum's book. Next Tuesday (11/24) we'll begin to discuss Shirley Better's "Institutional Racism." Please read through Chapter 1. I have also decided to show that segment from Bill Moyers' Journal (about 30 min.) which is relevant to one of the three key components of the "Better Model of Institutional Racism," Economic Privilege. (see pp. 25-28) Dr. Better argues that Jim Crow laws in the South were just a continuation of the slave system without slave owners, which is echoed in subject of the book featured on Bill Moyers' Journal, "Slavery By Another Name." Also relevant is her brief discussion of the two-tiered labor system where minorities were largely relegated to the lower tier.
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ESSAY III
11/20/09

A. Toward the end of the Epilogue of Dr. Tatum's book: "Continuing the Conversation" (pp. 211-219) she focuses her attention on the challenges and promise of diversity on college campuses such as our own. For this final out-of-class essay, I want you to read this section carefully and then relate any THREE points she makes to your perception of the challenges and promise of racial and ethnic diversity on the Wofford campus.

B. Your essay should be roughly 3 pages. Be sure to indicate the page #s of any passages from Dr. Tatum's book that you quote in your essay.

C. This essay is due ON OR BEFORE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8TH.

*** Note that I moved up this due date from the last class which was the due date I indicated in class. I am giving extra time for this essay because the Interview paper will be due right after we come back from Thanksgiving break (Dec. 3rd), and to give you some more time to think about this topic.

Follow-up Points: "In Whose Honor?"

Before I post some follow-up points on the video we saw last Thursday (11/12), let me remind you of the extra credit opportunities coming up this week. Sorry for the mix-up last week, but I did not know what to believe, the e-calendar or the daily announcements. Check that blog post, EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES, which is where you should go to post you comments if you attend either or both of these events.
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Follow-up Points: "In Whose Honor?"

(1) No matter how sincerely or strongly fans, alumni, university officials defended their mascot, Chief Illiniwek, the fact is he was just a mascot: his dress, his dance, etc. were not authentic. As that one Indian counselor put it, to have this person allegedly doing some sacred Indian dance at a sporting contest is a mockery. In whose honor, really?

(2) In attempting to resist the will of national organizations such as the NCAA and invoke states' rights (or university's rights), the University of Illinois and Rep. Winkel (who introduced that bill in the state legislature to protect the mascot) were following in the footsteps of Southern states during the civil rights struggle who resisted federal efforts to force them to abolish their state segregation laws.

(3) Indian caricatures are really no differnt than those of the past, such as Black Sambo, which almost everyone recognizes today as being demeaning and to be avoided.

(4) Finally, I would say that throughout the video, I believe it can be fairly said that many whites were really oblivious or insensitive to the issues raised by Charlene Teter (the Indian woman who protested against the mascot), in part, because they themselves have never really been the target of such a demeaning stereotype.

PLEASE INCORPORATE THESE POINTS IN YOUR NOTES. IF I ASK A QUESTION ON THE FINAL EXAM ABOUT THIS VIDEO, IT WILL BE BASED ON THIS. Also, for those who may have missed seeing the video, I turned it back to the library. You'll find it in the DVD collection under the title, "In Whose Honor?"

Tomorrow (11/12) & Lecture Notes

Tomorrow (11/12) we'll be seing a video, "In Whose Honor?" which deals with the Indian mascot issue. It takes about 45 minutes. So I don't get behind in terms of lecture, I am going to post the rest of what I had planned to say about Native Americans based on Dr. Tatum's discussion of that minority group in her book (pp. 143-153). Also, don't forget the extra credit opportunities I describe in the previous blog post.
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LECTURE NOTES

I left off yesterday with the observation that one factor that has led to the increasing numbers of Native Americans is the fact that more people today are claiming their Indian heritage, which does not carry the stigma it once did.

3. Who qualifies as an Indian is a bewildering subject. Tribes each set their own criteria based on blood-lines (i.e., an illusory racial factor reminiscent of the ludicrous "one-drop rule" and other formulas for determining who was Black). It is also based on self-identification or native language fluency.

4. Half of the Indian population lives west of the Mississippi. Just six states contain half of the Indian population, Oklahoma leading the list. Only 22 percent of all American Indians (including Alaskan natives) live on reservations and tribal lands. Most of the rest live in rural areas nearby.

B. Dr. Tatum mentions some generally shared values among Native Americans:

1. Like Latinos, extended family and kinship obligations are considered very important.
2. Focus on GROUP; communal sharing.
3. Traditional Indian culture sees an interdependent relationship between all living things -- harmony with the nature. (Although, in their own way, they certainly did exploit it too.)

C. These Indian values were clearly at odds with the European or White settlers who were more individualistic and capitalistic. So, as Whites conquered these people, it was felt that we had to educate the Indian to the white man's ways (eg., embrace the idea of private property) so they could assimilate.

1. But as I noted previously, because white settlers had an interest in their land and its resources like gold, it often did not make any difference how much the Indians changed their ways: they had to be removed or exterminated. The story of the Cherokees is an excellent case in point.

D. After major hostilities subsided in the late 1800s, we established a reservation system to protect the Indians and facilitate this cultural conversion, along with setting up off-reservation boarding schools for Indian children who were forcibly removed from their families and people. (The Australians did this with the aboriginies.)

1. In my view, it seems counter-productive to separate them if your goal is assimilation. But as President Andrew Jackson believed in the case of the Cherokees, reservations were needed first and foremost for their protection and survival.

2. Dr. Tatum describes the awful nature of these boarding schools -- forced assimilation, hard physical labor, harsh discipline, emotional, physical, often sexual abuse -- one Lakota Sioux woman described it simply as "civilizing with a stick."

a. Basically shut these down in the 1930s.

3. Then, in the 1950s, federal Indian policy shifted to TERMINATION, which really opened up the reservations for resource exploitation (eg., uranium mines in the Southwest). Indians leaving the reservations were discriminated against, alienated -- turned to alcohol, suicide. (Which are huge problems ON reservations today where there are few opportunities - only a handful of Indian tribes have cashed in on the casino craze.)

4. The latest twist in the saga of how we've treated the American Indian is the SOVEREIGNTY MOVEMENT (a term Dr. Tatum does not use, but she describes in the first paragraph on p. 148. Actually, this movement dates back to the early 70s and the Nixon Administration.) And this movement has not been an unadulterated blessing, as Fergus Bordewich argues in his interesting book, "Killing the White Man's Indian." See xerox handout, pp. 328-329.

E. Dr. Tatum then goes on to describe the importance of preserving and strengthening Indian identity, which is important psychologically. (But I would add that Indian survival is also about economics, politics, discrimination, etc.) She argues, along with others she cites, that THE TRICK IS -- "Remaining anchored in a positive sense of one's cultural identity in the face of racism as an antidote to alienation and despair."

1. Obviously, educators have a crucial role to play in this process.

2. She notes the importance of studying American Indian History (just like Black history or Women's history, etc.). She talks about a history professor who apparently believed that we killed off all the Indians and, besides, that is something in the past and not relevant to today.

3. She tells the story of an Alaskan Native educator and how he succeeded in discovering this history and came back to teach it. Note how he explains what he did -- see middle p. 152. I believe there is no better defense of this than Fergus Bordewich's book, "Killing the White Man's Indian," particularly, Chapter 8, "The Hollowness of a Person Must Be Filled." See xerox excerpt pp. 273-274.
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That's all for now. I will provide the xerox copies referred to above in class tomorrow (11/12). As before, don't forget to incorporate the above lecture notes in your class notes. See you tomorrow.

Extra Credit Opportunities

You may earn some extra credit points for attending and posting a 2-3 paragraph response for ONE or BOTH of the programs in the "Diversity Matters Series: Native American Heritage Month" listed below. For each program you attend and post a response for, you can earn 3 extra credit points.

(1) "Rhetoric, Democracy, and Sovereignty..." Tuesday, Nov. 17th, 2:30PM Olin Theater.

(2) "Skins" (a film and discussion) Wednesday, Nov. 18th, 2:30PM Olin Theater.

***PLEASE GO TO THIS BLOG POST TO SUBMIT YOUR 2-3 PARAGRAPH RESPONSES.

Looking Ahead & Lecture Notes

LOOKING AHEAD: As I noted yesterday (Tues. 11/3) in class, we are behind where I'd like to be in Dr. Tatum's book, so I am going to use this blog post to cover a couple chapters in her book in lieu of doing this in class lecture. In your reading you should be farther along in the book -- as far as Chapter 8, which is where I plan to pick up in class tomorrow. We will spend at least another two weeks wrapping up her book and transitioning to Shirley Better's "Institutional Racism" sometime before Thanksgiving break. Also, don't forget about the Interview Paper, the description of which I handed out a few weeks ago. You still have plenty of time to do it, since it will not be due until after Thanksgiving break.
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LECTURE NOTES (Be sure to incorporate the following in your class notes. Anything I present in these lecture notes will be fair game for making up questions for the final exam.)

A couple final points about Chapter 5:

1. Middle-aged people may have a difficult time with racial identity -- having to survive in a predominantly white work environment where you have to contend with stereotypes and prejudice. Encounters with racism may give rise to strong emotions, As Dr. Tatum observes: "Those adults who have adopted a strategy of racelessness may experience racial encounters in middle adulthood with particular emotional intensity. Because of the increased family responsibilities and financial obligations associated with this stage of life, the stakes are higher and the frustration particularly intense when a promotion is denied, a dream house is unattainable, or a child is racially harassed at school." (p. 85) she then goes on to mention some recent books which focus on such problems.

2. There appears to be a continuing need for Black adults in the workplace to be able to get together and commiserate with fellow Black workers, which even extends to the corporate cafeteria. In this context, I appreciate what she says about this in response to a question from a White employee who was troubled by fellow Black employees announcing their get together. (See last paragraph, p. 90.)


Part III: Understanding Whiteness in a White Context

Chapter 6: The Development of White Identity
"I'm not ethnic, I'm just normal."

A. Dr. Tatum opens with an observation we made at the very beginning of this class -- that in contrast to people of color, whites don't recognize themselves as a racial group, which led that one white woman to say, "I'm not ethnic, I'm normal." (as if being ethnic is abnormal).

1. As Dr. Tatum observes, "Like many White people, this young woman had never really considered her own racial and ethnic group membership. For her, Whiteness was simply the unexamined norm. Because they represent the societal norm, Whites can easily reach adulthood without thinking much about their racial group." (p. 93) There tends to be a lot of silence about race in White communities (or "whitopias").

B. Dr. Tatum then cites the work of psychologist Janet Helms who defined six stages of how Whites can achieve a healthy sense of white identity. I appreciate what she says about what both people of color and Whites need to learn to foster positive interaction. (See middle paragraph, p. 94)

1. We'll loosely run through these six stages. I am less concerned about you memorizing these six stages (YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO IT), than learning some of the insightful observations she makes about the process.

C. The initial or CONTACT stage is when white folks begin to wake up to the many ways they have benefitted from being white and how they have consciously and unconsciously breathed in the smog of prevailing stereotypes of people of color. Whites typically start out believeing they are free of prejudice, colorblind, and only think of racism as the prejudiced behaviors of individuals.

D. The next level, DISINTEGRATION, "is marked by a growing awareness of racism and White privilege as a result of personal encounters in which the social significance of race is made visible."

1. first-hand encounters -- eg., a close friend of color who is the target of racism.
2. racist incidents such as the beating of Rodney King.
3. or, the classroom (such as our own where I hope you all have been exposed through reading and videos to the existence of racism)
4. Dr. Tatum mentions a powerful video, "Ethnic Notions," which I have not seen, but I would say "Race: the power of an illusion" would be a similar example.
5. This new awareness is often accompanied by discomfort, feelings of guilt, shame, anger.
6. In realizing the impact of racism in creating social inequalities, it challenges our belief in American MERITOCRACY.
7. Often leads people to want to act on this new-found awareness by educating others about their prejudices.

E. Then comes REINTEGRATION where "...previous feelings of guilt or denial may be transformed into fear and anger directed toward people of color. The logic is: 'If there is a problem with racism, then you people of color must have done something to cause it.'" --i.e., blame the victim.

1. Don't necessarily have to go through this, but it occurs due to the strength of the system of advantage and socially sanctioned stereotypes.

F. Another big hurdle for Whites to overcome is to see themselves as a GROUP member, rather than as an INDIVIDUAL. People of color deal with this all the time -- being seen by others, first and foremost, as a member of a group. "For Whites, thinking of oneself only as an individual is a legacy of White privilege." (p. 102)

1. Gets a bit complicated when you are both a member of a dominant and subordinate group -- eg., White, Jewish.

2. She makes a good comment about a poorly organized anti-racism workshop which left participants stuck in this reintegration stage -- stuck in anger, and not given ways toward construction action. (p. 105)

G. Deepening your understanding of racism further to recognize institutional racism and dropping the "blame-the-victim" view, leads to a commitment to unlearn one's racism -- the PSEUDO-INDEPENDENT stage, which is epitomized by the "guilty White liberal" who has an intellectual understanding of it but doesn't quite know what to do about it. Also, she notes, "We all must be able to embrace who we are in terms of our racial and cultural heritage, not in terms of assumed superiority or inferiority, but as an integral part of our daily experience in which we can take pride. But, as we see in these examples, for many White people who at this stage have come to understand the everyday reality of racism, Whiteness is still experienced as a source of shame rather than a source of pride." (p. 107)

H. Recognizing the need to find a more positive self-definition is the hallmark of the next stage -- IMMERSION/EMERSION.

1. Need to learn about positive role models -- whites who fought racism who,unfortunately, are generally less well-known than white racists and segregationists who defended it. She mentions: Morris Dees, Virginia Durr, etc.

2. In this context, Dr. Tatum also likes to expose her students to real, living, breathing anti-racist activists.

3. She even recommends forming White consciousness-raising groups -- makes some good points about the need for such groups. (See, bottom p. 110-111.)

I. Finally, the last stage, AUTONOMY, in which "a person incoporates the newly defined view of Whiteness as a part of 'personal identity.'" Energized to confront racism and oppression, Whites (just as Blacks and others) with a healthy sense of self-respect can participate more meaningfully in interracial dialogue. (Reminds me of Malcolm X who welcomed plain-talking Whites, just as he regarded himself as a plain-talking Black man.)


Chapter 7: White Identity and Affirmative Action
"I'm in favor of affirmative action except when it comes to my jobs."

A. Dr. Tatum opens with a very astute observation about how the workplace has become one of the few places where Whites interact with Blacks and other minorities because of persistent residential and school segregation.

1. It is in this context that many Whites have become aware of their Whiteness because of affirmative action policies and the sense that they (especially White males) are the targets of "reverse discrimination" (which I critically examined earlier and Dr. Tatum does not do directly). And -- "Though there is almost no empirical evidence for this 'imaginary white disadvantage,' the idea has achieved widespread popular credence." (p. 114)

2. She notes that invariably in her workshops when the issue of affirmative action comes up, someone has an example of a friend or relative who was not admitted to a school or lost a promotion to a "less-qualified" person of color.

a. less qualified is always the person of color, usually Black (never a White woman). And she also wonders how these individuals know so much about this person's resume.

B. She feels it is important that before discussing affirmative action, people need to have a basic understanding of racism as a system of advantage based on race and be aware of the concept of White privilege -- that is, basically, we need some historical perspective which she goes on to provide a little of.

1. She talks about an exercise she had students do to write an essay on whether they think affirmative action is good. She quotes and analyzes what one White woman wrote. (See last 2 paragraphs p. 115 - 116)

C. What Is Affirmative Action?

1. Dr. Tatum is particularly good in this section, sorting out the difference between GOALS and QUOTAS and GOAL-ORIENTED and PROCESS-ORIENTED programs. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY ALL OF P. 116 AND P. 117, where she clearly explains these distinctions and provides some historial background.

a. On p. 117 mid., she arrives at her own definition of affirmative action: "...affirmative action can be defined as attempts to make progress toward actual, rather than hypothetical, equality of opportunity for those groups which are currently underrepresented in significant positions in society by explicitly taking into account the defining characteristics -- sex or race, for example -- that have been the basis for discrimination."

b. Dr. Tatum then goes on to talk about PROCESS-ORIENTED vs GOAL-ORIENTED programs and she raises some important critical questions about the PROCESS-ORIENTED type, which is considered the weaker of the two. (See bottom p. 117-118)

D. She then goes on to discuss some interesting research which clearly indicates that even the most well-intentioned programs, especially the process-oriented ones, may still favor Whites over people of color because of what is called "AVERSIVE RACISM."

1. They studied how White and Black applicants were rated based on different levels of qualifications. Somewhat surprisingly, bias crept in with regard to the highest qualified Blacks, as Dr. Tatum explains. (see top p. 120) Also, check out what this study's author said, top half p. 121.

a. In short, this research strongly questions whether we can trust a process-oriented program to be operated objectively.

E. Dr. Tatum talks about her own experience on a college search committee and how easily highly qualified Black candidates can be overlooked or an excuse can be made such as: he or she is too good; he or she would never stay here; or they just would not fit in here, which she believes is a problem.

F. GOAL-ORIENTED affirmative action is preferable, but it is important that administrators clearly articulate the organization's diversity goals -- "keep your eyes on the prize".

1. Again, she cites a common complaint but responds by saying that this is more a matter of a poorly administered program. (See middle paragraphs, p. 124)

G. She closes by stressing again how an understanding of what affirmative action is and is not, coupled with an understanding of White privilege, can help eliminate feelings of White disadvantage.

H. We should keep our eyes focused not so much on ourselves but on what is right in terms of society. Affirmative action is only one strategy, we need to discuss others and consider other groups which have been discriminated against. "Racism is not just a Black-White thing," which sets the stage for Part IV.

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That's it for now. Be sure to copy these notes and pay attention to page references throughout.