Reference no: EM133741170

Dear Students,

In Talking About Race, Module 1 (an excerpt from Skin Deep, a documentary directed by Frances Reid) students from the University of California, Texas A & M University and The University of Massachusetts, candidly share their views on these topics:

• Their expectations about going to college;
• Self-separation of racial groups;
• The campus climate toward talking about race;
• Forms of discrimination;
• Affirmative action policies, and
• Individual responsibility for change.

Since this documentary was filmed in the late 1980s, we can expect to see some fashion choices we might well deem outdated - and funny - from our current vantage points. But why listen to people interviewed 30 some years ago? Because it is important to look at the past to understand the present. In the 1980s, about twenty-five years after the Civil Rights Movement shook up the United States, racism and racial tensions seemed to still be very much alive in this country. Perhaps less obvious or overt, but very much alive and present. Here the big question: What about today? Do we talk about race openly? Why? Why not? Let's practice some introspection: After watching this clip, think about your very own college experiences and address two or more of the questions/points below.

• What were your expectations about whom you would meet at college? How have your expectations differed from reality?
• Since you have been at college do you find you are friends with the same "kinds" of people you knew at home, or has there been a change?
• Have you experienced the desire to be around people who are like you? When is this important to you? When was the first time you became aware of your racial/ethnic identity?
• How do you feel about Freda's comment that "all the white students sit together?" Have you observed something similar on your campus?
• Think about your own history/histories. Describe an experience that you think has made a significant impact on who you are today. Tell us how and why you think it has influenced you.
• What factors in your life have led to the development of positive feelings about your own ethnicity/cultural heritage and background? What factors have led to negative feelings, if any?

Here another resource for you to explore when thinking about a topic that is very, very complex:

In her Ted Talk, finance executive Mellody Hobson speaks about the benefits of being color brave instead of being color blind. She encourages us to openly talk about race with the goal to not fear, but seek diversity (especially a "diversity of intellect") so we can not only build a better business environment but, most importantly, a better society.

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