Whitey McWhiteman checking in here. I read and hear about how it’s still a struggle for an African-American to get a fair shake in this country (U.S.) and it pains me. Who’s keeping African-Americans down? White people, of course, specifically: White Men. At least that’s the impression I get. Yet I don’t know what I’m doing (being Whitey McWhiteman and all) that is keeping African-Americans down. I’m not saying I’m not doing things (though I don’t think I am) but I may just be clueless about it. But as Ghandi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
What can one white man do to help the plight of African-Americans?
P.S. I guess this really applies to all minorites, I think I am focusing on African-Americans becuase it seems to be a more significant issue with this segment.
“What can one white man do to help the plight of African-Americans?”
The next time you hire someone, choose the best applicant without regard to race, creed, color, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation or national origin.
Would that it were that easy, John Carter of Mars. Sometimes the best applicant for the job is a dreaded White Male.
And, sadly, that can be a big ol’ can of worms. I’m not in a position to hire anyone (and Hey you! might not be, either) but the WryGuy is, and he’s encountered a lot of problems there. His company is going out of its way to hire “minorities” and if there are two candidates for a position, he is ALWAYS urged to choose the minority candidate. If the only applicant if a qualified white guy, the company will extend the application dates to try to get some applications from other walks of life. Sometimes, he gets GREAT applicants who happen to be black - but if he gets a fair black (or Hispanic or Asian or female) applicant and an excellent white male one, his company will insist on hiring the slightly less-qualified “minority” candidate.
(Personal note: I hate the term “minority” for a variety of reasons, but it’s handy shorthand in this case.)
Around here, we’ve recently discovered that African-American students consistently score lower on standardized tests than white students, Asian students, Hispanic students and ESL (English as a Second Language) students. When I inquired of the school district administration why this is even possible, I was told (quite seriously) that there is a completely different culture of education among African-American families. When I pooh-poohed this (I know of no black families who WANT their children to fail) I was then told that there’s a problem with racism in the classrooms. Personally, I find it hard to believe that we have so many racist teachers (especially since a good chunk of our teachers are not white men) but I then asked why we aren’t doing something about that if it were the case. “Well, old habits die hard,” was the reply, “and we can’t expect things to change overnight.”
Has anyone read Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race, by Beverly Tatum? It’s a fascinating book, and one of the ideas it deals with is the definition of racism as a system of advantage based on race. It’s more than just prejudice, and people of the favored dominant group can reap the benefits of the system even if they aren’t themselves prejudiced against people in the minority groups.
Fionn - that sounds like something I need to read. Thanks for the recommendation.
I have often wondered if racism is so ingrained in us that we are simply not aware of it. On a personal level - and I DO realize how stereotypically stupid this sounds - I have friends of many other colors and racism just baffles me, but every now and then I become aware of some inner thought or preconception and I have to force myself to examine it closely. It is not fun to find a prejudice in your own brain.
There’s also a really good essay by Peggy McIntosh, called “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” that lists 26 ways her race affects her life. These are large and small, ranging from “I can choose blemish cover or bandages in “flesh” color and have them more or less match my skin” to “I can arrange to protect my children most of the time from people who might not like them.”
SO much we take for granted… I would not apologize for being what I am (a “white” woman) because I had no choice in that matter. But man oh man - just that bandage thing… such a simple, little thing, and you never really think about it. I do remember a Bloom County strip with a comment about a little black boy wearing a “flesh-colored” bandage, and I know Crayola crayons have eliminated the “flesh” crayon (they’ve renamed it “peach”) but JEEZ! How often do you really think about how that must affect people who are not “peach-colored”?
There are a lot of things in the essay that are less mundane than flesh-colored band-aids.
But I didn’t see the author making many suggestions. Yes, because I was born white, I benefit every day from the racism inherent in my culture, even if I’m not personally perpetrating it.
The much-maligned Michael Moore had a chapter on that very subject in his book, Stupid White Men. It’s actually the only section I found very interesting.
He suggests things like being honest about being friendly with blacks – how many whites, he points out, would let their “black friend” keep their children for the weekend? How many whites ask their “black friend” to be in their wedding? How many whites treat their “black friends” the same way they treat their white friends? Hire people of other races and provide free child care for them one they’re hired. Marry outside your race. Lots more.
Hey alot of that can come down to peer pressure, people may want to let their black friends do such and such, but stigma and stereotyping ingrained in them can be a hindrence.
Nichol_Storm, see I would do all those things. Two of my best friends are black (I am a white woman). But about the free child care thing. Not too many people get that and that needs to change.
Unfortunately, I know a few people who are racist and black. And they are in high up positions at the school I used to attend. They really believe that all white people sit around and think of ways to keep black people down. If you are black, you can do no wrong because you are just expressing the anguish of being an oppressed group (can you hear the violin music in the background…and I meant that sarcastically). I was also subjected to reverse racism by those people.
I will never apologize for being a white person (which was what was expected). I am a firm believer in equal rights for everyone. I think it is infuriating when someone plays the race card because it brings others down.
Maybe it is not the kind of racism that you have assumed. Sometimes teachers of both races will expect less of Black students. The students pick up on this very quickly and expect less from themselves.
White parents tend to be more involved in school. Socio-economic factors play into the problems in some cases. For example, in poor families, there isn’t as likely to be as much reading material at home.
Some things that an individual can do to make a difference:
Move into a multi-cultural neighborhood.
Volunteer at a tutor or mentor at a predominately Black school.
Join the NAACP.
Attend a multi-racial church.
Join Big Brothers of America or Big Sisters of America.
Participate in organizations that are likely to be multi-racial and boycott clubs and organizations which are not.
Vote for the well-qualified Black candidate
Volunteer to babysit for a working single Black parent.
Donate clothes to an organization that provides career clothing for young Black women.
Ask a Black person to teach you something.
Keep asking.
BTW, LifeOnWry, women seem to me to be just as racially prejudiced as men. They are just not as often in positions where they can choose from the applicants.
I have trouble believing that there is a problem with finding qualified Blacks for jobs in Chicago.
I’m not real sure where I hinted that women AREN’T as prejudiced as men.
And you may believe whatever you wish to believe. Perhaps the problem is more that whites apply for positions within my husband’s company more frequently. He has hired black people and Hispanic people, but very often he gets nothing but white applicants for a job opening. He has found that the lower the level of skill required for a position, the more “minority” applicants he gets for that opening.
Yes I agree, which is why I wish they would do away with organizations like the UNCF
When ever I see one of these commercials I feel like it sends a message to the black youth that they wont be able to achieve their goals with out a little bit of help from the man. (BS I say)
Carefull. I’m not saying this doesn’t happen; however doing this; it can become REAL easy to see into things that aren’t there, which can lead to a whole other set of problems.
What an elusive subject – as soon as I feel that I have one of the issues in my grasp, I find that my new awareness of the issue affects my evaluation of my own behavior in a sort of feedback loop. I then have to reaquire my sense of understanding of the issue.
I feel that my evaluation of my own actions constantly wavers between “you are a decent, fair fellow who gets along well with your wide multi-ethnic group of friends and colleagues” and “you are a blind patronizing idiot who is perpetuating silent racism”
In any case, I feel that each article I encounter such as Peggy McIntosh’s goes slightly in excess to one side or another, in an attempt to compensate. As such, I feel that a true sense of position can only be obtained after reading many such articles.
The message I always got from those commercials was “There will help for you to achieve your goals.” While it’s true that some people are capable of achieving their goals without help from absolutely anyone, it’s by no means universal. I’m sufficiently interested in multicultural college student retention to make it the subject of my master’s report, and one thing that comes up again and again is that the availability of support (financial, academic, social) and the willingness to use it are important factors in determining whether or not someone finishes what they set out to do.
Fionn, not having the funding for college can be a self-perpetuating problem for generations.
Someone mentioned this is another thread, but I think I would like to see a shift from educational affirmative action for Blacks to affirmative action for the economically disadvantaged. That would take away some of the stigma attached to the racial element and, over time, might help to boost self esteem.
LifeOnWry, this was the statement that made me think that you might believe that men are more prejudiced that women:
The implication for me was that you thought that having more white men would have added to a racist atmosphere and that since there weren’t so many white male teachers, you found it hard to believe that there were so many racist teachers.
Hey, you’re doing a bad cop/good cop routine on yourself?
One reason that blacks tend to score lower than other folks (and yes, it’s happening here too) may be that blacks on average have a lower IQ than other folks. Hernstein and Murray’s The Bell Curve was a really good book that put forth this argument, and it’s sad that it seems like most of the people that are so outspoken against it never actually bothered to read it.
I don’t think it’s racist to say that blacks on average have a lower IQ than other folks (and, rememember, H&M said that Asians on average have a higher IQ than white folks, so the point of the book was NOT that whites are the best). Rather, I think IQ is just another attribute of people the incidence of which could vary by race. Other such attributes are lactose intolerance, incidence of sickle-cell anemia, and lots of other stuff.
To me, racism means the belief that people of a certain race are inherently inferior to people of another race. Because IQ is just another attribute of people that may vary according to race, I don’t think it’s racist to come to the conclusion that blacks on average have a lower IQ (just like it’s not racist to say that asians on average have a higher incidence of lactose intolerance).
Also, notice that I’m not supporting H&M’s conclusion; I’m just saying that if that conclusion is correct, then I don’t think it’s racist, and the conclusion would also seem to do a good job to explain certain facts (e.g., the disparity in kid’s test scores).
If you feel the need to flame me, please take a second to re-read the above. Thanks.
It’s possible, I suppose, that blacks have a lower IQ than whites or Asians (or Asian Americans). Do the Bell Curve’s authors describe IQ as an inherited trait or as dependent on culture? I cannot believe that blacks (or any racial or ethnic group) are inherently less intelligent, but I believe it’s possible that the educational disadvantage of being in a marginalized minority group could express itself in lower IQ scores. I’d love to hear that the authors of The Bell Curve had this in mind. But I doubt that’s what they meant.