Learning & Teaching About Racism

Race is something that is still a controversial topic, as much as we'd like to believe that we have 'gotten over it', or 'fixed' racism.  It is also something that is both a nebulous concept and clearly defined physical characteristic.  It is, to put it simply, complicated.

Over the past year of school, I have read and heard multiple speakers and authors on race and racism.  Something that they generally agreed upon was that we need to acknowledge race and the connotations that have been ingrained in our society about different races.  We cannot ignore them or pretend that they do not exist, because that perpetuates racism.

The discussion of this topic has made me seriously think about my own perceptions of race.  As a white, rural-raised female, I, although taught that racism is bad, did not have a lot of interaction with people outside of my race.  Coming to university and experiencing a wide range of races in one place was strange.  And I have definitely had to overcome some assumptions and socially perpetuated stereotypes about race that I did not realize I held until they came into direct conflict with the lovely people I was becoming friends with.  I know - I sound so sheltered!  But, it works both ways - my cousins live in the Jane & Finch area of Toronto, are the only white kids in their classes, and my aunt has said that she feels as though she stands out when she comes to visit our small town because she is so used to being the minority.

Anyhow, I wanted to prompt some thinking and evaluating about your own perceptions of race, and I will provide some digital fodder for that as well.  The following videos depict a 'race' experiment that a teacher carried out with her class in the 60s, a more recent racial profiling experiment by ABC, and a current Cheerios commercial that has prompted quite the discussion.

Let me know how your own experiences and perceptions of race have impacted you in the comments.