A lunch room discussion

 Hi readers and welcome to my third blog post <3

    This week I read to page 220 of my book, "Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria. The reading was filled with talk about racial identity and discovery. Author Beverly Daniel Tatum specifically goes into an in-depth analysis of Racial-Ethnic-Cultural identity (REC), and how people develop through it.

    Tatum introduces the importance of these REC-identity groups, and how they can really shape who you are. Coming about your REC-identity is different for everyone, however discovering this idea of identifying with a certain group can help others feel safer, and accepted. REC-identity development can also take a while for some to discover, as some people's parents never introduced them to the idea of identifying with alike individuals. Now, this concept is not suggesting that you should explicitly hang out only with people of your same decent, however, sometimes it is nice to find people you easily relate to and can share similar experiences with. Something I thought about while reading this was how minority groups must feel when they are in a dominated race community. It must be very hard to feel accepted, and not like the elephant in the room or a sore thumb sticking out. I can't imagine the process they must go through for their REC-identity development, and the struggle that comes with it. Hopefully, most communities are accepting of anyone, but there are always exceptions and the idea of that really makes me feel for people going through that.

    This is where the title of the book becomes relevant to the reading. On page 179, Tatum shares the story of her telling her sister what she was planning on titling her book. Her sister's reply was "Good, then maybe people will stop asking me about it." People always like to have an explanation for why things are the way they are, and in this case, Tatum answers that by saying; "Even in corporate cafeterias, Black men and women are sitting together, and for the same reason. As we have seen, even mature adults sometimes need to connect with someone who looks like them and who shares the same experiences." However, sometimes this can lead to the opposite of stereotypes and may cause white people to feel excluded, or feel like they're being talked about because their own racial stereotypes and fears have become stimulated. I would like to point out that I am in no way saying that people of color need to change what they are doing in any way, as the idea that white people could feel not-included was introduced by Tatum herself, I just thought it was an interesting perspective. 

    During this week's reading Tatum introduced another very interesting topic, and it was about how white people may struggle with being seen as a group member, rather than an individual. This really stems from a subconscious legacy of white privilege, as "people of color learn early in life that they are seen by others as members of a group" (Tatum, 196) rather than individuals. This concept really made me realize that black people are the ones seen as a vicious, violent group that others should "watch out for," when really systemically white people are the ones who have been so brutal to others, and exactly what they characterize black people as. It is such a backward perception that has been implemented into society and is so unfortunate. A quote that accurately explained this idea is from a white woman, Connie McIntosh, who attended a course on the phycology of racism produced by Tatum. She explained "I can swear, or dress in secondhand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty, or the illiteracy of my race...I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race...I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group." This is an example of how white people are looked at as individuals instead of a group, which differs from those who are people of color. I think that this is something not everyone realizes until it is pointed out. It is unfair that people of color have just accepted this as a way of life, while white people get the privilege to not even notice the extent of it even existing. I would strongly dislike being a representative for an entire race, so this idea is most definitely troubling. 

    I definitely had some new perspectives opened during this week's reading, and this book has for sure deepened my understanding of things compared to what it was before. However, while reading about the opposing perspective that white people may have, it became hard to explain and talk about without taking away from black people's perspectives. With years and years of oppression, it seems very hard to "feel bad" for white people, or have any kind of sympathy for them. So I ask you, what is the best way to go about addressing standpoints like this? Thanks for reading my blog this week, and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Tatum, Beverly Daniel. "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the
     Cafeteria?" : and Other Conversations about Race. New York :Basic Books,
     2003.