Comments on: Talking about race in a public setting?

By: Lindsay Auerbach

Lindsay Auerbach — Wed, 04 May 2016 23:35:10 +0000

Thank you for sharing your experience, Julisa! It seems to me that you interrupted the flow of the group of students behind you, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Looking back, I notice that you didn’t mention whether those students were White or students of color; considering White fragility, I just assumed that they were White. Those students were probably made uncomfortable because they’re used to ignoring race completely in conversation, and if you forced them to think about it even just a little more critically, I think it was a net win. Important interactions that make a difference are often uncomfortable, so props to you!

By: Jen Beck

Jen Beck — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 15:46:25 +0000

I’m also reminded really strongly of the point that there’s no one right way to do race talk, but there can be a lot of wrong ways. Race is a very emotional topic, and it’s not unusual to have these knee-jerk emotional reactions to it. But I think in perhaps being open, upfront, and clear that you will defend yourself and have a serious conversation about it, you might’ve made someone, anyone, think about the fact that race is a serious topic that’s not to be brushed off, and that people are willing to stand up for what they think is right. Maybe someone won’t be so quick to roll their eyes at someone talking about privilege next time.

By: ginellewolfe1

ginellewolfe1 — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 20:28:36 +0000

I think this situation really highlights the complexities of race talk. It reminds me of a conversation we had in class, talking about net wins and net losses. Because there really is no one right way to do race talk, I liked the idea of being able to think about the overall net worth of a conversation after the fact.