In the book, White Privilege (2005) Dalton, the author of chapter two, asserts that most White people fail to see or understand themselves in racial terms. Dalton makes a clear distinction between ethnicity and race. Ethnicity is one’s culture which describes aspects of their heritage, while race exist only in relation to another. For example, Blackness does not exist without Whiteness and the opposite would be true (p.16). With those differences, most people draw significant strength, pride, and understanding from knowing their cultural heritage (i.e. - Chinese-American, Irish-American, Native American, and etc).
The author purposefully makes the distinction between ethnicity and race because he believes that the quality of one’s life (at least in terms of the United States) is greatly impacted by these two categories. White is not an ethnicity, it is a physical characteristic given as an inherit birth-right, which comes with a set of advantages (p.18). A person of color in the United States is often times acutely aware that their race and/or their ethnicity will put them at a disadvantage. The author would claim that most White people are oblivious to the racial consequences for people of color because their Whiteness is the norm and White is the dominant group.
Within the larger historical contexts of the United States, I agree with the ideas that the author writes about. After speaking with a friend/colleague of mine, (who I believe identifies as German-American) I have begun to see this same topic from a slightly different perspective. She has shared some of her experiences as a blonde-hair, blue-eyed White girl in the predominately Mexican community of Dinuba, California. In Dinuba, she was the minority and considered the “other.” She would argue that the concept of White Privilege is situational. I have never considered this as being a reality for anyone who is White. In this context, she was the minority. Based on her personal experiences, she was at a societal disadvantage in the most immediate sense for that particular location and within the surrounding communities. Her story and those like it are important and should be considered when addressing White Privilege theory. I am paraphrasing but she would say that White Privilege theory needs to modified and updated for the future when Whites will be the minority (in terms of numbers).
I agree with her that she was the minority and at a disadvantage in Dinuba, however, I would contend that she was not the minority in sense of power as part of a larger people group within the context of the United States. As an adult, she could relocate to most parts of the United States and rejoin the ranks of the privileged. It is a far more uncommon experience that those deemed White in our society must survive the adversity of living in a community where they endure the perpetual disadvantage of being the minority. I would argue that her experience is unfortunate but rare for the majority of Whites in this country.
During our conversation, we both agreed that we would replace the terms minority/majority with dominant/non-dominant to accurately reflect the concept of White Privilege and so it can be utilized on a broader scale. When a particular group is the dominant group, they intentionally or unintentionally, do not see their privilege and possess the potential to marginalize the other. Whether intentional or not, the negative impact is felt none-the-less. For example, as a supervisor of an emerging program called Renaissance Scholars, I did not immediately notice how aspects of my identity could marginalize others. I am Black and Asian American but physically appear to be more African-American. The other staff person in the program happens to be African-American as well. When I was developing a student brochure for Renaissance Scholars, originally I put pictures of the staff and pictures of graduated students. Me, my staff, and the pictures I had of graduates were all African-American. When I circulated the brochure for edits, I received questions like, “Is Renaissance Scholars just for African-Americans? Do you have to be Black to be in this program?”
The Renaissance Scholars Program is not intended for Blacks but for high-achieving former foster youth and independent youth at the university. I did not realize how “my normal” was marginalizing others. Needless to say, I removed all photos of just African-Americans and intentionally found pictures of diverse student groups. I believe we all have prejudice and/or bias. We must be intentional about recognizing those bias and work toward being sensitive and inclusive, while respecting the differences.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Chapter 1: The matter of Whiteness
“As long as race is something only applied to non-white peoples, as long as white people are not racially seen and named, they/we functions as a human norm. Other people are raced, we are just people” (Rothenberg, 2005, p.10).
This chapter, The Matter of Whiteness, focuses on the racial imagery of White people. The ideas, values, and norms of the Western cultural are centered on Whiteness. To be White is to be normal. To be normal, which is the standard that all other ethnic groups are measured against, is the equivalent of “being human.” Dyer, the chapter’s author, gives examples of how the racial imagery of Whiteness are perpetuated in everyday life. This White imagery is especially highlighted in daily use through speech and visual images. When White people speak of the “other” White people name the ethnicity of the other. For example, Whites often refer to the Blackness or Mexicaness of friends, colleagues, customers, or clients but do not refer to the Whiteness of White people they know (Rothenberg, 2005).
Dyer also writes about the invisibility of Whiteness and its power. White people have access to this power and privilege and intentionally or unintentionally participate in it. “White power, nonetheless reproduces itself regardless of intention, power differences and goodwill, and overwhelmingly because it is not seen as whiteness, but as normal (Rothenberg, 2005, p. 12).
An everyday, routine activity such as thumbing through a magazine stands out in my mind when reflecting on this topic. My senior year in high-school, (which was a predominately White school) I brought a magazine to school so I could thumb through it before class started. This was a common practice for many high-school girls. I was so excited to have the newest edition of Essence magazine (which was geared toward African-American females). A White girl behind me asked if she could look at my magazine. I didn’t mind because she often shared her magazines with me. She asked me, “Why are there only Black people in this magazine.” I was so offended but I didn’t have the vocabulary to articulate my frustration at the time. Instead I snapped at her and replied sharply, “I don’t know. Why are their only White people in the magazines you read?” Then I snatched the magazine away from her and faced forward in my seat.
Looking back on this situation, I know now that I got tired of consistently getting bombarded with images of Whiteness because it did not give voice or value to my existence, experiences or my norms. In that moment, with that White girl, I was mad that my Blackness was named and her Whiteness was accepted as the normal. What was worse is that she could not see it and I felt frustrated because I did not know how to speak about it. This incident is one of many in my life that re-affirmed that power of the invisibility of Whiteness which equates to privilege and can easily marginalize the other.
This chapter, The Matter of Whiteness, focuses on the racial imagery of White people. The ideas, values, and norms of the Western cultural are centered on Whiteness. To be White is to be normal. To be normal, which is the standard that all other ethnic groups are measured against, is the equivalent of “being human.” Dyer, the chapter’s author, gives examples of how the racial imagery of Whiteness are perpetuated in everyday life. This White imagery is especially highlighted in daily use through speech and visual images. When White people speak of the “other” White people name the ethnicity of the other. For example, Whites often refer to the Blackness or Mexicaness of friends, colleagues, customers, or clients but do not refer to the Whiteness of White people they know (Rothenberg, 2005).
Dyer also writes about the invisibility of Whiteness and its power. White people have access to this power and privilege and intentionally or unintentionally participate in it. “White power, nonetheless reproduces itself regardless of intention, power differences and goodwill, and overwhelmingly because it is not seen as whiteness, but as normal (Rothenberg, 2005, p. 12).
An everyday, routine activity such as thumbing through a magazine stands out in my mind when reflecting on this topic. My senior year in high-school, (which was a predominately White school) I brought a magazine to school so I could thumb through it before class started. This was a common practice for many high-school girls. I was so excited to have the newest edition of Essence magazine (which was geared toward African-American females). A White girl behind me asked if she could look at my magazine. I didn’t mind because she often shared her magazines with me. She asked me, “Why are there only Black people in this magazine.” I was so offended but I didn’t have the vocabulary to articulate my frustration at the time. Instead I snapped at her and replied sharply, “I don’t know. Why are their only White people in the magazines you read?” Then I snatched the magazine away from her and faced forward in my seat.
Looking back on this situation, I know now that I got tired of consistently getting bombarded with images of Whiteness because it did not give voice or value to my existence, experiences or my norms. In that moment, with that White girl, I was mad that my Blackness was named and her Whiteness was accepted as the normal. What was worse is that she could not see it and I felt frustrated because I did not know how to speak about it. This incident is one of many in my life that re-affirmed that power of the invisibility of Whiteness which equates to privilege and can easily marginalize the other.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
What's New?!
What’s New?!
I hope this new post finds all of my friends in good health and in good spirits. It has been a while since I last posted on my blogspot.
I am excited to share and dialogue with others about my current reading on the second edition of White Privilege: Essential readings on the other side of racism by Paula Rothenberg. White Privilege is a collection of writings from multiple authors on the topic of White privilege and explores how certain groups benefit from this racial bias.
This book, along with others, is required text for my Diversity class. The expectation for this reading is that students summarize and reflect on each chapter of the book. I have included the book’s ISBN number and citation at the bottom in case others are interested in reading along. I encourage your thoughts, questions, and feedback. Stay tuned, there is more to come….
Rothenberg, P.S. (2005). White Privilege: Essential readings on the other side of racism (2nd edition). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. ISBN: 0-7167-8733-4
I hope this new post finds all of my friends in good health and in good spirits. It has been a while since I last posted on my blogspot.
I am excited to share and dialogue with others about my current reading on the second edition of White Privilege: Essential readings on the other side of racism by Paula Rothenberg. White Privilege is a collection of writings from multiple authors on the topic of White privilege and explores how certain groups benefit from this racial bias.
This book, along with others, is required text for my Diversity class. The expectation for this reading is that students summarize and reflect on each chapter of the book. I have included the book’s ISBN number and citation at the bottom in case others are interested in reading along. I encourage your thoughts, questions, and feedback. Stay tuned, there is more to come….
Rothenberg, P.S. (2005). White Privilege: Essential readings on the other side of racism (2nd edition). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. ISBN: 0-7167-8733-4
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Too few women of color with doctorate degrees....
Based on data from the National Science Foundation here are some statistics on women of color doctorates: In 1973, 33,755 doctorates were awarded nationwide to women and men of all races and ethnicities. Of that number, Black women doctorates were. 0.5%, Hispanic women doctorates were 0.13%, Asian or Pacific Islander women were 0.6% and American Indian or Alaskan women were 0.006%.Twenty-five years later in 1998, 42,683 people received doctorates. Black women doctorates were 2.5%, Hispanic women doctorates were 1.9%, Asian or Pacific Islander women doctorates were 5.9% and American Indian or Alaskan women doctorates were 0.2%.
found on the aawu website
found on the aawu website
Monday, August 30, 2010
The life of a young, professional mommy
The word that comes to mind when I think of being a young, professional and a mommy is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!
There never seems to be enough time in a day. I rush from home to school, school to work, meeting to meeting, work to home, school functions, birthday parties, school field trips, and fit in bedtime routines. In between all of that I desperately try to squeeze in a doctoral program and time for my beloved husband.
I have a great life but it is definetly a balancing act. Someone once told me, "You may be juggling a lot of balls all at once....some are made of plastice and some are made of glass. Just be sure not to drop the glass balls."
It all seems so important at the moment but when I stop and think about it...the glass balls are loved one. In the end, loved one are what matters. I thank God for my wonderful life, my supportive spouse, and ecouraging family and friends.
With that said, when I think of my life....the word that comes to mind is blessed.
There never seems to be enough time in a day. I rush from home to school, school to work, meeting to meeting, work to home, school functions, birthday parties, school field trips, and fit in bedtime routines. In between all of that I desperately try to squeeze in a doctoral program and time for my beloved husband.
I have a great life but it is definetly a balancing act. Someone once told me, "You may be juggling a lot of balls all at once....some are made of plastice and some are made of glass. Just be sure not to drop the glass balls."
It all seems so important at the moment but when I stop and think about it...the glass balls are loved one. In the end, loved one are what matters. I thank God for my wonderful life, my supportive spouse, and ecouraging family and friends.
With that said, when I think of my life....the word that comes to mind is blessed.
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| Daughter's bday party at preschool (during my work lunch hour) |
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| Attending my son's award ceremony |
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| Making it to daughter's pre-school graduation ceremony |
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| Rushing off to the first day of school |
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Summary and Reflection of my readings
Summary and Reflection
(Learning Log #4)
It is that time again! I will summarize and reflect on current readings from Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design (chapter 10), It’s all about Jesus!: Faith as an oppositional collegiate subculture (chapters 4-7), and Writing up qualitative research (chapters 3-6). Chapter 10 in Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design addressed the concern about the quality of qualitative research. How does one know if qualitative research study is quality? This chapter discusses the various methods researchers use to validate qualitative studies. How does one know if the information collected is reliable? The technique a researcher uses to verify reliability of data can be dependent on one’s perspective ranging from postmodern to interpretive thought. Overall, this chapter covers strategies and methods for reliability, validity and quality regarding the five approaches to qualitative research.
While reading this chapter, there were a few things that stood out to me. I did paid close attention to the quality, validity and quality of Narrative research since this is the approach I am utilizing for my study. On pages 213-214, I found that I agreed with Denzin, who advanced guidelines for interpretive research, favoring meaning and interpretation over the preoccupation of method, validation, reliability, generalizability and theoretical relevance. Perhaps I concur with Denzin’s idea of favoring meaning and interpretation when this seems to be an easier task for me at this point in the research process.
From a Critical perspective, I resonated with Angen statement that “our research should raise new possibilities, open new questions, and stimulate new dialogue. …our research must have a transformative value leading to action and change.” I agree with Angen and have hopes that my future research will be a “call to action” for many of the readers. Lastly, I was inspired by Lather’s suggestion that one’s research would move a reader from “judgment to understanding.” This is a beautiful and perhaps an idealist approach to research but one I will strive for. The goal is that I develop research that matters and makes a difference!
In chapter 4 – 7 of It’s all about Jesus!: Faith as an oppositional collegiate subculture the authors focus on the various rituals of SSC members. Chapter 4 goes into some depth about a few individual members to provide some contexts for the importance of their rituals as Evangelical Christians.
The phrase “we’re not weird…” struck me as odd in chapter 5. The authors’ word choice- “weird” could be perceived as offensive yet they continuously used it to discuss the theme of this chapter. Although some of the SSC members actually used the phrase…”were not weird” it seems somewhat disrespectful.
I understand a researcher often times should take the participant’s lead but I have my doubts if this was the most appropriate theme for this chapter. I really think there could have been a more appropriate word choice.
Chapter 6 identifies the rituals that set the SSC organization apart from other Christian organizations on campus. Christians are often time already a marginalized group on a public campus but the SSC org tends to pride themselves in being even more marginalized within their own Christian community. This marginalization is one that the SSC organization seem to wear as a badge of honor. They set themselves apart as serious and devoted Christians. On page 105, Caleb commented, “Legitimate Christians on campus are clearly the minority.” This pissed me off when I read it. Caleb’s statement come across as a very self-righteous and elitess way of viewing their brand of Christianity and demonstrated to me why they display their extreme marginalization as a brand of honor.
In chapter 7 the authors focus on the rituals of SSC members during bible study groups. What I found most interesting in this chapter was the researcher’s ability to intermittingly interject his behaviors and reflections into the writings with smooth transitions. This is a technique I want to experiment with in my own writing.
To be honest, I was in a mentally frustrated place when reading chapters 3-6 in Writing Up Qualitative Research. This frustration limited what I was able to glean as far as writing techniques. What I did get from these chapters were glimpses of encouragement and laughs with some of the authors ideas. I have some of my favorites listed below:
* Writing is a labor of love.
* Don’t get distracted about the length too early.
* Regardless of whether you are underwriting or overwriting, you are writing.
* Editing obviously can become an escape from writing.
* If you can’t write well, write shittily. You have to have something written before you can begin to improve it. (My favorite one!)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
We fall down but we get up.....
No one said that being in a doctoral program would be easy. I had a huge blow to my ego today! Without getting into all of the excruciating details, I have 3 ½ weeks before I go back to my doctoral seminars and I realized that I have done 3 major assignments wrong. I misunderstood the directions and now I have more work than I planned for. I’m not sure I can get it all done in time.
How could I have been so careless!! I am not sure what will happen now with my assignments or my class standing. I will have to try and re-group with a new assignment timeline but most importantly re-group emotionally. The only way I can recover emotionally is to reflect on lessons learned from this experience.
• Read my syllabus often throughout the semester and multiple times when working on each and every assignment. I thought reading the syllabus at the beginning of an assignment was enough but I missed details that turned into huge problems for me.
• Check in more often with professors and classmates when working on assignments to make sure I am headed in the right direction. It is so frustrating to put so much work into an assignment only to find out you’ve done it wrong.
• Lastly, remember to be kind to myself! I have made this a difficult day for myself. We all make mistakes and I AM SURELY NO EXCEPTION. I can only try to correct the mistake I made. Lesson learned!!
How could I have been so careless!! I am not sure what will happen now with my assignments or my class standing. I will have to try and re-group with a new assignment timeline but most importantly re-group emotionally. The only way I can recover emotionally is to reflect on lessons learned from this experience.
• Read my syllabus often throughout the semester and multiple times when working on each and every assignment. I thought reading the syllabus at the beginning of an assignment was enough but I missed details that turned into huge problems for me.
• Check in more often with professors and classmates when working on assignments to make sure I am headed in the right direction. It is so frustrating to put so much work into an assignment only to find out you’ve done it wrong.
• Lastly, remember to be kind to myself! I have made this a difficult day for myself. We all make mistakes and I AM SURELY NO EXCEPTION. I can only try to correct the mistake I made. Lesson learned!!
This photo is what "correcting my mistake" looks like. Which means I am up late at Denny's
(pass midnight on a Friday night) ....Ugh!
with my computer, books, highlighters & pen, and a lot of coffee.
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