Spellbound (2002) by Director Jeffrey Blitz
Beverly Daniel Tatum’s (1997) “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”
One major emphasis of the article is that white friends cannot offer support to Black friends in the same way that other Black kids can. Tatum claims that they are not “prepared” to be supportive in the same way, and are even sometimes dismissive of the racist experiences that Black kids share with them.
Is there a way to make interracial support structures in high school more supportive? Or does same-race support offer a unique community that cannot be emulated by other races, and that cannot even be offered by other students of color? Would it make sense to create a specific curriculum that can help white kids relate to their Black peers more effectively, since the Black kids are seeking out their identity at an earlier stage in life than their white friends? If yes, how race-specific should this curriculum be? Is something like SET, which the article describes as counter intuitively segregated, a good (or even necessary) option? Does a program like SET go far enough (i.e., maybe one period of the day isn’t enough)?
- by Rachel/Yaa/Henry
Though I do think it is important for every student in our schools to learn about different races and cultures, I do not think any kind of curriculum will make it more effective for black middle and high school students to talk to white students then themselves. I agree with Tatum that the white students aren’t ready to discuss matters that they not have been exposed to or experienced themselves because it would be mean that they must discard what they grew up believing and to take the word of the black students instead. I feel that white students will have to be very mature to believe that racism exists in a society where it has become so institutionalized. An ability to look through the hidden discrimination in society and schools for white students seems tough to me which is why I do not believe that classes can help as much as we want them to. Unless a class specifically identifies the inherent problems in our society today then I am not sure how the white students will be able to understand and appreciate the situation that black students are in.
I also see that it is important that black students have conversations with each other because it is not only a way for them to know that they are not alone, but also it is a tool of reflection that will help them move past that. As we saw in the SET program in Tatum’s chapter, these students need an outlet for their frustrations and talking to their peers is one way of doing this. Though I believe that every culture should learn about each other, I also strongly think that blacks need to concentrate on their own culture as well so that they can learn from that to help each other progress through the difficulties in schools and society.
While it is not impossible to have an interracial support structure in high school, it’s not quite the same as having a same-race support structure. Like Stany mentioned, it is difficult to be able to understand experiences that they themselves have never been personally exposed to. White peers, especially, as a part of the dominant culture, will find it difficult to relate and may even discredit certain experiences. Even other students of color may not be enough as issues of race, while having commonalities, are uniquely experienced by members of different races. Thus, in my opinion, only some one of your race or ethnicity can really provide the necessary support.
I do believe that it is not impossible, but within the environment of high school, it is very difficult. High school is already a confusing time for people in terms of their own identity, and incorporating a curriculum to promote understanding of another’s situation or culture can be difficult to take. In addition, the quality of the teachers and the maturity of the students will be strong factors in the effectiveness of the curriculum. Personally, I think high schools should put the focus on developing one’s own identity in the context of greater society. I’m not saying that they should throw away the goal of creating better understanding between races, but that the majority of efforts should be put towards self-identity as it will bring about the most results.
With that said, I have to say that SET is a good option, maybe not necessary, but a good option to promote discussion within one’s own racial group. It can be freeing to let out one’s frustrations and find support in people with similar experiences. This is especially important when there are intergroup conflicts as seen in the articles about African Americans and achievement being equivalent to acting white and the divisions with Korean/Asian/Asian Americans. It can be a good outlet for these issues that may ultimately be helpful, even if it may not seem like it at the time.
This article was a little bit strange for me to read, because I actually went to elementary and high school with Beverly Tatum’s son, David. He is tall, incredibly tall. He was on my soccer team in middle school and he had to buy specialty cleats. So regardless of how his identity developed, I think height, along with other things, will probably always be a salient identifier for David Tatum. The kid’s huge.
Sorry, had to share that anecdote.
It sounds like programs like SET do a good job of promoting positive racial identities, and allowing African American students the opportunity to relate shared experience and struggle. I think it’s incredibly important for students in low income areas, operating in middle and upperclass suburban schools, to feel like they have allies for both support and encouragement. And I agree with Stany and Micheal that it is a lot to expect of white students to comprehend the existence of racism, which they themselves have never actually experienced, especially in the attitudes of teachers they respect.
But I also, I worry about a sort of cliquishness as a possible outcome of programs like SET. Might it push away students who are already different because of their status as being bussed in? Also, I think it’s tremendously important for white students to hear that racist attitudes exist right underneath their noses. Even if they don’t believe their friend at first, they will be more ready to accept the hard truths the next time a friend of color shares their experience. Something to consider.
I’ve heard of things called Learning Communities. I guess they function much like homerooms but a little bit more about trying to develop small communities within large schools. Could programs like this do more work, if we spend the time to develop and strengthen them?
hahaha thanks Dan!
Since the civil rights era I think that there has been a shift from overt racism to covert racism. This racism can be seen through the structure of our society and the re-segregation occurring in schools. I think that one thing that has contributed to this covert racism is our inability to speak about race especially in the high school setting. Everyone has become so politically correct and supposedly color blind that the issues that African American students need and want to discuss with one another should be also discussed and made real to the greater public.
This is something that I have personally struggled with wanting to be a teacher in a more urban setting (whatever urban is meant to mean). There have been many studies done that show that students and teachers that are the same race as their students are able to be more effective. I understand, especially after reading the article as to why this may be true. However, I think that Learning communities, as Dan mentioned, are a good idea and important for students to have a support system within the school and a safe place that they can talk about race. I think that SET seems like a great program and provides support for African American students which I think is necessary. However, in learning communities students and teachers alike would have a safe place in which these tough discussions about race can be initiated. It is important for white students to understand the history of oppression of African Americans and further understand in what ways racism still exists today and even in what ways they may be contributing (even subconsciously) to such racism. As I mentioned earlier I have struggled with a way in which I can connect with students that are of different races and backgrounds than myself since we have had very different like experiences. I think that one of the focuses of these learning communities should be on our humanly connection. Whether or not a white student or black student has experienced the same event they can connect on an emotional level. Both students understand what it means to feel embarrassed or sad. If the focus is on the emotional feeling, maybe white students can begin to grasp what the black student is feeling. However, I also understand that it is important to have a support system within the African American community as well through a program like SET in addition to such learning communities.
I like SET. I think it may have created cliques in both my middle school and my high school. Dan touches on that a bit. Friendship circles are often formed by the people we have classes with, especially in those six years of school. SET offers a great way for black students find develop a voice and talk about issues that they would not be able to talk about in most school settings. However, it does run the risk of becoming “clique-ish” because students may open up to some of others in the class and not to their peers who are not black.
I struggle with the idea of SET and with the idea of introducing more accurate African American history so that all students have a better understanding of the hardships faced. I struggle because it sounds amazing from a personal and educational standpoint, but thinking about the current controversies regarding current-day school curriculum, the government and uneducated parents would have a field day arguing against this. (I understand that digression was unnecessary, but it just seems that it would be a uphill battle getting both of these programs institutionalized)
I do think that a great place to start is with school administrations educating themselves on how to foster comfortable interracial communities and being proactive about racial acceptance. When teachers are still favoring the token Indian student, as we saw toward the beginning of Spellbound, it influences their behavior and other students notice those small subtleties and becomes something else to talk about in a SET program. From there, It’d be great to have a program teaching white students how to interact with Black students, but who would teach such a program?
As much as I would love each of these programs, I still can’t seem to get myself past to issue of implementation. I also foresee running into trouble because these programs should address all races and cultures, not just one.
How pessimistic was this post…we’ve got a long way to go…
I agree with Jay, we do have a long way to go. I’m glad SET worked for students at that school but I definitely do not see it as a solution for every educational setting. Due to phenomena such as stereotype threat, programs such as SET could possibly cause even more anxiety for minority students. White students would wonder what was happening at the “secret” meeting the black kids were going to and this would further emphasize difference. I understand how important it is for black children to have a safe space at school, even if it is for one period, but I think that SET only addresses half of the goal. The other half of the goal and other part of the problem is cross cultural collaboration and understanding. Critical race theory should be mandatory for all children, black and white. They should be made to understand how race influences every aspect of life: from educational outcomes to life expectancy, average income to political clout. Tatum notes that black children suffer from decreased self esteem beginning in middle school because they become aware of their “devalued status.” Social signals point out that black students have undesirable traits, social status, life outcomes, etc. As they become aware of their racial identity, they become aware of their “otherness” and their place in the periphery of the school (and society) rather than the core.
This is a two way problem. It does not lie solely within the hearts of minds of black students, but also in the hearts and minds of white students. They too have been primed, consciously and subconsciously, to think of themselves as superior. While not necessarily racists, white children have internalized privilege and recognize that this advantage benefits them greatly. I would advocate a forum/safe space where black children and white children could voice their concerns to one another, dispel myths about race/ethnicity, and work on being sensitive to the situation of the other. I would also advocate community and parent outreach because thoughts and ideas are manifested at home and to change a child’s thinking also includes changing the thinking of their parents and communities. We must move beyond tolerance to acceptance. I am confident that this is an achievable (though far away) goal if we take it one step at a time and open our minds.
Definitely a long way to go. Like was mentioned above, it worked this time, but will it always work? I mean, try implementing SET in say, East L.A. or even Northeast Houston. I don’t know how many students would really be up for an hour of time where all they do is talk about how they feel. I do, however, believe that there should be a place where students, especially in high school, can freely express the role their culture/ethnicity place in their lives, their friendships, etc. I don’t necessarily agree that it should be implemented in the curriculum. Like was mentioned above, although having these roundtables might be effective in accepting one another and minimizing the gaps students have with one another because of their differences, it would be very difficult to institutionalize a program like this. On the opposite end, I also believe that a program like this might even go as far as segregating the high school scene more, instead of unifying it. Would always talking about race and racism make you more defiant instead of understanding?
Everybody has made excellent points about the SET program and in the areas where it falls short. Like many above, I feel that the SET program does very well in providing a safe space for Black students to address their needs and concerns while fostering positive identity development in the case of this predominantly white suburban middle school. However, I echo Jay’s concern that in order to maximize the effectiveness of this or any similar program, other cultures and races of color must also be considered. Despite the successful efforts of the METCO program in this Massachusetts middle school, Jess is right in that this program might fare much differently in other parts of the country, where not only Blacks but Latinos and Asian Americans would oftentimes feel alienated or discriminated against. How would such a program be structured in more racially dynamic schools? Would all minority students be dumped in the same classroom or would there be sessions specifically tailored for each group? Would either of these options further divide the student body into racial “cliques”?
Considering these outcomes, a curriculum designed for white students might seem more appealing, as it may go as far as educating these “privileged” students of the racial insensitivities permeating both social and educational systems. However I share the sentiment with Michael and others who feel that, although interracial peer support can be effective, there will always remain a sense of disconnect if the person from whom one is seeking support is of a different race than their own. It boils down to the comfort in relying on someone with shared experiences. Anyone can listen (which one might argue is enough to be supportive), but it takes a person who can genuinely empathize with the individual in distress to form an effective support structure. In any case, it is in everyone’s best interest that these issues be addressed, and in the end it is the school’s administration who will undoubtedly face some very tough decisions.
I’m really conflicted about how to approach this topic, whether the benefits of same-race support (at least as demonstrated in the article) are worth the inherent divisions along racial lines. Of course, if this segregation exists anyway, it doesn’t seem harmful to explore the issues within the groups, but at the same time the idea of a “white curriculum” seems a little strange to me. I would think that all students could benefit from learning about racial diversity, and if the aim were to educate specifically about discrimination or racism, it seems to me that white students would have a lot to learn from their peers (of color), which would be lost by removing them from the classroom. I’m not really sure how realistic it is to expect high school students to be able to effectively communicate across racial lines if there is a lot of tension and/or they don’t feel the support of a same-race group (which perhaps should exist in addition to the larger-all students-discussion). Like people have been mentioning, implementing a program must depend on the racial make-up of the particular school and the racial relations that exist in that community, because as complicated as this issue is, I don’t think a cookie-cutter answer will exist for all schools (expect that to address the development of racial identity in adolescents, particularly those of color, is necessary).
I really like Esther’s point about there not being a “cookie-cutter answer” for all schools. Some high schools and their surrounding community could naturally experience more racial tensions, meaning programs like SET can unfortunately serve to further racially segregate the high school student population (and their families). And this is the not the intention of the program’s creators. If SET is used as a safe space for black students to discuss issues they specifically face as a group, to learn from each other when fighting discrimination in school, to reflect on their identity and their experience with perpetrators of racism, etc., I feel like there’s a chance that these kids might walk out of the classroom after this one period with more frustration and anger inside of them. So when they encounter students of other races, it will be nearly impossible for them to enjoy harmonious relations. Especially if the school curriculum instills a class that aims to allow students of all races to come together and dispel myths, voice concerns, and learn about each other’s experiences, the students from SET might be too flustered and upset to hear or understand other students’ words. Then furthermore, it would make it much harder for the other students to comprehend their complaints. The SET students’ anger might just make the other students feel and act more defensive.
I understood, though, that the SET program along with this type of “cross cultural collaboration and understanding” program (as coined by Jessica S.) has a greater chance of succeeding in a school where the racial relations are not as tense. Such a school can enjoy an effective social support system where students of all races can be respectful listeners and give the other students a chance to express themselves. This is piggy-backing off of the “emotional connection” idea that Jessie E. was describing earlier.
I remember having assignments in high school history classes in which we had to write diary entries or enact skits from the point of view of an African American during the Civil Rights Era. Would having such assignments in high schools help students better understand and better emotionally connect to students who face discrimination?
It would be reductive to assume that people’s experience from this context would be the same or similar in that context; social realities are largely shaped by sociocultural/historical contexts. While some are intentionally good attempts, “cookie cutter solutions” are often suspicious as several of you have pointed out. Cultures derive from who’s involved and what’s made possible by participants of a particular context. SET and its various forms may work for some, but it may not for others (i.e., causing further stigmatization). The attempt centers on the individual (to fix) and not the structure (to change). In thinking about joint efforts and coalition-building with and beyond the black/white spectrum, it might be good for us to also consider the contributions of standpoint theory. Below is a tidbit from wikipedia.
__________
Standpoint theory is a postmodern method for analyzing inter-subjective discourses. “Developed primarily by social scientists, especially sociologists & political theorists. It extends some of the early insights about consciousness that emerged from Marxist/socialist feminist theories and the wider conversations about identity politics. It endeavors to develop a feminist epistemology, or theory of knowledge, that delineates a method for constructing effective knowledge from the insights of women’s experience.”[1] It arose amongst feminist theorists, such as Dorothy Smith, Nancy Hartsock, Sandra Harding, and Patricia Hill Collins.
According to this approach:
* A standpoint is a place from which human beings view the world.
* A standpoint influences how the people adopting it socially construct the world.
* Social group membership affects people’s standpoints.
* The inequalities of different social groups create differences in their standpoints.
* All standpoints are partial; so (for example) Standpoint feminism coexists with other standpoints.
Standpoint theory supports what Harding calls strong objectivity, or the notion that the perspectives of marginalized individuals can help to create more objective accounts of the world.
Everyone has brought up some really good points! To answer the first two questions – I would say yes and yes – that yes, there is a way to make interracial support in high school more supportive, but at the same time same-race support provides a sense of shared experience, connection, and understanding oftentimes difficult with interracial support. I think the need for the latter (same-race support) derives from the very fact that current interracial support structures, more often then not, are what they should be. I think most of the time this is the case because many of these structures, especially if they are at predominately white suburban schools, are led by or co-opted by dominant groups – this goes back to the question, how many persons of color do you see represented in high level school administrations? That is a huge bottleneck, I think, in fostering safe spaces in schools where students are given the support to navigate through these complex identity questions. I agree with Jay B that this must begin with “school administrations educating themselves” and larger systemic changes like that – but not only school administrations educating themselves, but increasing representation of people of color on these boards in the first place. Leadership at both the national, district, and school/classroom level are crucial to addressing these issues, and I think it is a responsibility, an obligation of people in such top administrations to recognize these issues of race/class/gender identity development and how they impact student achievement and success. What we see at the school level is not solely, but definitely significantly dependent on what happens at these larger levels.
I think programs like SET are very beneficial – everyone has brought up really good points about the implementation of it, and although I don’t have all the answer and would need to really explore this more (the experiences of student in SET or not), I do agree that it should be expanded in some way so all students are educated and exposed to these issues, especially those of the dominant groups – as we know, with inherent privilege and that status in our society hierarchy often blinds people from even being conscious of it in the first place (yes, we do have a long way to go). I think not having programs like SET where students are given a safe space to share their experiences, feelings, etc denies difference among students and goes back to the “we should be colorblind” argument (which we know is problematic) of the White middle class norm dominant in our society. I am a huge advocate of interethnic coalition building and solidarity, and I think institutionalizing programs similar to SET or something like it (mandatory ethnic studies classes or all, with a big emphasis on discussion and self-reflection as opposed to memorization of facts, etc?) is a tremendous leap forward.
Whoops, for my first paragraph, I meant to write:
“I think the need for the latter (same-race support) derives from the very fact that current interracial support structures, more often then not, are NOT what they should be.”
BIG emphasis on the NOT what they should be! Sorry about that.
To repeat the sentiment that’s already been echoed quite a bit, SET is by no means a universal panacea, though it looks like it works in the context described in Tatum’s work, particularly in an area where it appears that race relations are defined in primarily black/white terms (having read Tatum’s entire book a couple of years ago, I definitely feel like Tatum’s treatment of race outside the black/white dualism is tokenistic at best, but that’s beside the point). Some form of racialized community, however, is almost always valuable, obviously; the question is what form it takes shape as. Community can take the form of oppositional culture, or it can come from something like SET, but I don’t think that this either/or scenario applies everywhere. What about low-income schools where students underperform regardless of race, or schools with extremely mixed populations (i.e. Asians, Latinos, etc.)? To cite an example of the latter, I had a lot of friends who attended Hercules High in the East Bay. During their time there, these largley Asian American friends explained their scorn at the African American students receiving additional support and even Black history holidays when Asian Americans didn’t receive anything, attributing this to the fact that the principal was Black. Granted, it wasn’t anything quite like the SET program, but the separate-support paradigm operates with more complexity outside of a black/white context. Naturally, I’d support some form of support group like SET, but it would have to adjust to the landscape; it would have to be of treating any and all groups effectively. Perhaps the groups would be treated in isolation, perhaps not, but there comes a particular danger in mandating the treatment, since that could potentially reduce all of the students’ problems to the downward social constitution that is race, when it could be a number of different things.
But I wanted to address the concern of whether or not white students should get training on how to be more racially sensitive. In something like that, approach is everything. The pedagogy of “cultural competency” can oftentimes very easily become stereotyping, even in higher echelons of learning. Some folks may disagree with me here, but I really take issue with how a certain cultural psychology class is taught at Stanford. Week to week, we learn about the traits of different cultures and how these cultural models influence how people in these cultures think. The class features movies and videos in which we see how these cultural traits get played out; like we’d watch a clip from a Chinese movie and all laugh in class at how what we just learned in the powerpoint was true. Too many people leave the class feeling like they can explain why people of other cultures do what they do; it becomes a form of scientific stereotyping, in which Asians follow “interdependent cultural models” and are thus less individualistic, explaining their apparent passivity in the classroom.
It is much more effective to teach cross-cultural understanding from the perspective of understanding power and privilege, since the disparity in power and privilege is really the source of the issue, not merely racial difference and cross-cultural miscommunication. There are lots of workshops, privilege games, etc. that can confront this issue; explanations of white privilege, male privilege, heterosexual privilege, etc. are probably what would be most valuable to students of more privileged positions, rather than a form of cultural catering or “how to treat students of color better.”
After reading the little snippet on SET in Tatum’s chapter, I could not help but reflect on my schooling experience and how a slightly similar program to SET helped me in ways I never thought possible. I am an alumna of the Prep for Prep program which was started as a way for minority students in New York City to have an academic support group, and eventually to help them prepare for placement into private independent schools through a rigorous 14 month component beginning in the 5th grade. Like SET, students would meet outside the classroom and discuss issues with an someone (in our case, an “advisor”). Unlike SET, however, we met with not only Prep students from our respective schools, but with Prep students from all over the city for at least 3 hours every week. It has been very helpful in my schooling and I honestly don’t think I would have even made it to Stanford without them.
Even having had a positive experience with a program similar to SET, I have to agree with some of my classmates when they say that implementing a program like SET in every integrated school might not be the best idea. Like Jessica S, I do think that students would regard SET meetings as “secret” meetings and begin to form even more stereotypes and say more inappropriate comments about minority students. Being a Prep student, I do remember having to deal with those types of comments, not only in my public school, but later on in my private school. The only difference is that Prep for Prep has worked to long establish their excellent reputation in the city, so those types of comments came from people that were unfamiliar with the program.
I know that in my high school, I sat at “the black table” and it wasn’t really seen as separation by my white peers. I was just understood that, in a sense, we were creating a support system for ourselves in that predominantly white school. We also had support systems like clubs that promoted cultural awareness. We invited non-minorities to join in order to add different perspectives and in fact, it was a great success in my school. However, I could not really see those kinds of clubs or programs being completely successful at larger integrated public schools.
As stated in the beginning of this discussion, the article states that white friends cannot offer support to Black friends in the same way that other Black kids can and that they are not “prepared” to be supportive in the same way, and are even sometimes dismissive of the racist experiences that Black kids share with them. My first reactions to the article and both speculation and afirmation. I agree to some extent that kids need support from and understanding peer, however I don’t believe that we can state that only black kids are sympathetic to black kids. I think that people that have been in similar situations can provide support and understanding. For example if student A has been discriminated agaisnt due to his race and student B has also been discriminated against due to his race does it matter that student A is arabic and student B is chinese? They are both undergoing the same situation.
I think the film does a good job of ilustrating that same point. The children in the spelling bee where undergoing the same type of pressure and social outcasting from their peers because of their study habits. This was independent of their race. If you put all of these children in a room they could provide support for eachother because they were undergoing the same dificulties. Addressing the questions posed by the blog on support structures, I like the idea of SET. I think that addressing the racial issues of an institution in the curriculum is a step in the right direction. They are giving attention to the problem and encouraging a dialogue. This is something that we saw in the MSNBC videos last week.
It is important to acknowledge the issues and no longer ignore the problem or the lack of racial integration in our communties. This article also made me think about the broader picture. Tatum mentioned the students being bused in and not living in the community where they go to school. We are trying to integrate our schools, but our communities are not integreated. The redlining that began occuring in the 1930s further segregated our communties and until we address these issues its hard to ask our students to feel supported and represented equally in their schools.
I was specially interested in the students seeking their identity and that black students seek their indetities sooner than white kids. I’m sure that applies to all minorities, not just black students.
While SET provides exposure of students to other groups and I would love all students to be intgrated at all times, interactions with students own racial groups is important. I would not want to discourage that. The idea is not to erase their ethnicities, it is to encourage acceptance and interactions. I would add and ethnic studies class to the curriculum for every grade, also. I feel that information and education is key to fight racism and ethnocentrism.
I forgot to add that while SET is a good start, each school needs to find the best way to integrate students. I am not a fan on importing solutions without tailoring them to specific issues
This may come off as pessimistic, but I do not think a program can help white students understand the problems faced by their white counterparts. As Tatum stated in her book, I do not believe white students or children are ready to discuss and understand issues such as racism, especially when they have not encountered it themselves. Part of the problem is very few people are willing to come out and acknowledge racism is still an issue If, you get white students to start discussing it in class, GREAT, but when they go home and experience subtle racist cues from their parents, the news, TV programs etc. all the work done in class will be washed away. Racism has been institutionalized to a point where most people (mainly those who are outside of the race in question) do not even realize it is happening. Additionally, I feel it is vital for black students to continue having discussions about race with one another. It is only through the sharing of experiences can students learn they are not alone and others are there for them. It is important for students of color to relate, understand and speak to each other. Since, they are the only ones who can truly understand their struggles and experiences within race discussion groups do offer a “unique community that cannot be emulated by other races”.
Lastly, I feel creating a separate course such as the SET program explained in the Tatum peace for white students to understand the plight of black students could create further segregation. I am not sure how middle school children would react to having a class where they learned to be more tolerant and excepting of their black counterparts. This kind of class could simply reinforce the idea that there are differences between the races. This kind of class will make everyone plainly aware of race. Yes, it show students subtle racism exists and should not be tolerated, but I am not sure it would do much for bringing the students of different ethnic backgrounds together.
As mentioned by a few other people, I don’t think it is impossible to have successful cross-cultural support groups. It is important to keep Tatum’s findings in their context in that this was a predominately white school and it was important for this isolated group, the Black students, to have a forum to express their problems/concerns. However, it is also important for the white students to engage in the conversation so that they are aware of the types of issues their peers are confronting. The situation reminds me of the quote from Tim Wise in the MSNBC clips we watched when we said: “we’re trying to have a conversation where one group has read 400 pages of the book and the other group has only read the preface.” Inferring from his statement, it is important for white students to begin engaging in a conversation about race with their peers so that they do not rely on images and ideas they receive from the media or Eurocentric curriculum.
On another note, the Black students group’s value was also rooted in the sense of community they felt with each other. This can be applied to ethnic minority students attending predominately white colleges. There is a study by Harper and Quaye(2007) that looks at the positive effects on graduation rates in relation to ones membership in an ethnic student organization . The ongoing debate over the necessity of ethnic theme houses and student organizations may not be taking into account how the positive results for the members of these groups may outweigh the issue of these groups being exclusive(not that I think they are).
I agree that while cross-cultural discussions are difficult, they are not impossible. It is necessary for people of all backgrounds to listen to and learn from the experiences of others no matter how uncomfortable the situation may be. Yet because it is also important for people to understand themselves before they begin to explain to others, discussion needs to happen earlier than high school. If more classes incorporated a more multicultural cuuriculum and more programs existed such as SET that allowed students to continually discuss issues as they grow and face them, students would become more accustomed to dealing with issues of identity, race and interaction with the other. However, with the implementation of these programs comes the necessity for genuine and trained teachers and/leaders of these programs. The facilitation of these programs can be very delicate in terms of the impressions and sensitivity of the topics, and therefore qualified and trained people need to be in these positions in order to foster positive learning environments.