Sorting People By Race

       The PBS activity on sorting people by race was frustrating and difficult.  I found myself becoming very irritated and also enlightened by this exercise.  It was evident as I began to sort that I was not capable of doing that. My ability to choose who belonged to what race was inadequate.  So, why then do we, as a society, think we are capable of sorting people by race.  It made me keenly aware of how I have bought into this concept over my lifetime.

        I was caught off guard by many of the statistics regarding race and felt I should know these but one of the issues I had to think about was that race is not genetic.  Had I been told it was or had I just thought that or was it implied in my family.  Regardless:  race is not genetic and even if it were, it should play no role in how I view others.

         Until I did this exercise I had not considered how I had just blindly accepted categorization. The chapter on the Roots of Racial Classification by Wander was thought provoking and proved to be  difficult in swallowing this idea that we, me, our society have labeled by color for our own personal gain. It makes complete sense although truly turns my stomach that we have degraded people based on their outer appearance so that whites can maintain this status quo or better than that, superiority over those who don't look like them...truthfully:  Sickening!

        Another statistic I had to admit I did not realize was that race justified social inequalities.  I had not stopped to consider that we needed to perpetuate the idea of race beyond slavery.  In order to have a lesser society, we made race an important factor, so others could gain economic and social status.

       I could not agree more that colorblindness will not end racism. As a society we need to pull our heads out of the sand and agree that racism is still a prevalent issue in this country.  Our need to label and categorize jeopardizes all groups from race to religion to sexual identity.  The tools of stereotyping remain so that we can justify oppression.  It is critical that continued attention is brought to this matter. As others are enlightened and engaged in this topic, one can hope that the oppressed will be no more!

A Response to Ben Herbert

       My response to Mr. Bob Herbert's New York Times article, A New Civil Rights Movement, is one of a partial agreement;  Yes, we do need to try to instill values and learn new behaviors.  However,  I believe, Mr. Herbert, that your broad swipe of the pen in addressing the issues among African Americans is not so easily solved by a summit committee of values and behaviors. Let's address issues of values and behaviors in all communities, regardless of ethnicity or color.  Our nation has a problem, Mr. Herbert, and it does not just lie within the confines of the African American neighborhoods.  My hope would be that there would be committees to address the portion of our society that believes the misconceptions that all black boys in hoodies are worthless and all black women are looking for a way to milk the system by becoming pregnant.  How do you expect a committee on values and behaviors working with the black community to change the hearts and minds of others?  Let's get to the core of the issue, Mr. Herbert, and begin to address hearts and minds of those who have biases and prejudices against their fellow man.