Lincoln Soutwest High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, with 1,763 white students and 122 “students of color,” recently held a “Multicultural Awareness Day.” According to an article about the event, “six speakers from different cultures” were invited “to talk about their experiences in Lincoln and other areas of the world.”
One of the six was Jose Soto, “vice president of diversity, multicultural education and affirmative action” (I didn’t make that up) at Southeast Community College in Lincoln. He argued that racism may be virtually invisible, but that has only made it more insidious.
Racism has taken on a more polite tone, he told students gathered Friday at Lincoln Southwest High School.
Now it is symbolic, unintentional, passive.
Speaking at Southwest’s first annual “One World” cultural celebration, Soto said racism is hidden in the workplace, schools and public places.
People believe they are open and inclusive.
But racism is real.
….
Many just don’t even see the problem.
They won’t admit race plays a role in the decisions people make everyday.
They say the Civil Rights Act cured the problem.
They say great progress has been made.
They say they don’t discriminate. One of their best friends is African-American or Hispanic or Asian.
But racism is a current event, he said, in classrooms in every school in the city, the state and the country. In every workplace.
Attempting no doubt to make the invisible visible, gave a striking example of this powerful, pervasive racism from his personal experience.
To illustrate his point, Soto told the students about his experience after an article appeared in the Journal Star on a speech he gave on diversity.
He got a letter in the mail containing a copy of the article with the words, “Soto Sucks,” written on it. A balloon was drawn over his picture with “I’m so cool,” written in the balloon. Across the bottom of the article the sender wrote: We have come up with a solution to make us all happy. Move your pompous ass to New Jersey.
What, you were expecting a lynching? The man said racism was hidden, smbolic. So what if he sees “New Jersey” as an insidious new “N-” word? His racism detector is simply more highly refined than ours.
Although another speaker, Carleen Sanchez, an assistant professor of anthropology, geography, and ethnic studies at the University of Nebraska, is Hispanic, she presumably was a representative of the culture of the “different.”
Sanchez’s ancestors became American citizens in 1848 when a treaty with Mexico granted Texas, New Mexico and part of California to the United States.
Over the years, her people have been punished, she said, for speaking Spanish on the playground. For not looking or living right.
“We’re problematic,” she said.
But the professor, who has 16 piercings — in her ears and in her nose — loves being different.
“I assert my differences every single day,” she said.
The freedom to be different is one of the primary reasons people live in the United States, she said.
Patrick Jones, another assistant professor from the University of Nebraska (history and ethnic studies), had some similarly interesting things to say on the theme of multiculturalism.
Jones said the “white” race was not created by biological differences but as a way to justify inequality and create distinctions, he said.
Well, it’s good to know whites are white for a reason, not just some oversight or accident of pigmentary deficiency. The notion that they exist in order “to justify inequality” must provide great comfort to any “white” students Prof. Jones may have.
“Today,” Prof. Jones added,
white people don’t see the privileges they have…. Many will deny any benefits from their skin color.
“We need to take the opportunity to untangle that knot and recreate it,” he said.
At first I couldn’t figure out what, if anything, he meant. But on reflection I think I’ve got it: civil rights laws were useful “to untangle that knot” or racial privilege; racial preferences are necessary to “recreate it.”
“word? His racism detector is simply more highly refined than ours.”
What did NJ mean?
“Well, it’s good to know whites are white for a reason, not just some oversight or accident of pigmentary deficiency.”
John, I laughed out loud when I read this. To think, I spent all these years thinking I was white because my mother was British as were (probably) my father’s ancestors. I had no idea we were white to perpetuate racism!
“What did NJ mean?”
Well, I realize my subconscious racism didn’t kick in, but I actually thought NJ meant liberal, given its proximity to New York. But then, I didn’t realize I was white to perpetuate racism, either.
This sort of nonsense is happening at schools across the land. In districts near me it is called “Difficult Dialogues” or some other such hilarity, where the only “difficulty” is when white teachers/administrators try to rebut notions like those expressed in this post — b/c they are “corrected” or “educated” (sometimes quite loudly) on the “reality” of racism in today’s society.
I suppose those who are seduced by the logic of invisible racism also believe in unicorns, fairies, dragons, and leprechauns.
Maybe they have a future at Earthlink.
“Well, I realize my subconscious racism didn’t kick in, but I actually thought NJ meant liberal, given its proximity to New York. But then, I didn’t realize I was white to perpetuate racism, either.”
Maybe it just meant trashy. Ever been there?
Maybe it just meant trashy. Ever been there?
Speaking about subconscious racism actus, your flip comment about NJ definitely fits into that category because the only parts of NJ that would fit your comment are the Black inner cities of Newark, Trenton, etc. But then again you are a Liberal so you can’t be a racist.
“Speaking about subconscious racism actus, your flip comment about NJ definitely fits into that category because the only parts of NJ that would fit your comment are the Black inner cities of Newark, Trenton, etc. ”
Ever seen the movie ‘clerks’? That’s what I’m talking about. Jay and Silent Bob trashy.
“Speaking about subconscious racism actus,”
I’m not the one that jumped from ‘trashy’ to ‘black.’
Ever seen the movie ‘clerks’? That’s what I’m talking about. Jay and Silent Bob trashy.
Well if it in the movies it must be true. I guess I must have gotten the wrong impression of NJ during the seven years I lived there.
I’m not the one that jumped from ‘trashy’ to ‘black.’
Well I guess people get the wrong interpretation of what you meant when you comment on things that you don’t know anything about.
“Well if it in the movies it must be true. I guess I must have gotten the wrong impression of NJ during the seven years I lived there.”
Well its not possible that there’s trashy parts of jersey that aren’t black? That’s really, really odd dude.
“Well I guess people get the wrong interpretation of what you meant when you comment on things that you don’t know anything about.”
Having lived in the delaware valley for years, that tends to happen.
“Maybe it just meant trashy. Ever been there?”
Here we have a perfect example of statism, even more damaging and invisible than its weaker cousins, racism, sexism, agism, and abilityism. When will we learn to live together?
Dom (proudly being different in the Garden State)
“But racism is a current event, he said, in classrooms in every school in the city, the state and the country. In every workplace.”
If after all these decades of determined and visionary black and white people fighting racism it is still so pervasive, we might as well give up and stop trying. Really, what’s the use.
“But racism is a current event, he said, in classrooms in every school in the city, the state and the country. In every workplace.”
If after all these decades of determined and visionary black and white people fighting racism it is still so pervasive, we might as well give up and stop trying. Really, what’s the use.
Laura – Based on Vice President Soto’s example, maybe all this means is that pompous students all over Lincoln are being told they suck and should move to New Jersey….
“If after all these decades of determined and visionary black and white people fighting racism it is still so pervasive, we might as well give up and stop trying. Really, what’s the use.”
Why do you hate america?
“Why do you hate america?”
How is this saying she hates America? I find it extremely frustrating that the debate has shifted from people purposely discriminating against others based on race to “subconscious racism,” which is something no one can “consciously” change. What is the point in trying when the goal keeps getting moved?
All this nonsense does is keep people “employed.” It’s an industry — the racial grievance industry. In order to keep your industry going, you need a product, even if it’s “invisible.”
Shelby Steele’s books explain this phenomenon very well, that of finding racism where it is not or insisting that nothing has changed in one hundred years although things have. It’s a fear that if you stop insisting on it, people will revert to old forms. It’s also a fear of having now to measure up to expectations. In case you can’t, racism is everready excuse.
“How is this saying she hates America? ”
Because of her defeatism. That’s whats causing us to lose the war on racism.
Actus, I guess you thought you were being humorous. However, what you say has to make sense in order for someone to get the joke.
actus, I’m not going to honor your brainless comment with a response.
I am getting very close to actus saturation point on this site, which will be a shame because I’ve enjoyed it for several years.