We Need To Talk About Race

Different Upbringings, Different Experiences, the Same Conclusion

America has a racism problem. During its most formative years, this country was dominated by slavery, indentured servitude, Jim Crow laws, and the constant struggle for civil rights. The motif of racism appears year after year on our news stations, our street corners, and in our history textbooks, each time under the guise of fear, ignorance, and “preserving heritage”.

The marches taking place across the country right now are arguably the most significant acts of racial protest since the Civil Rights Movement, fifty years ago. Clearly, in that time we have failed to resolve many issues of racial prejudice and discrimination, but one would think that by now we would at least be able to talk about them.

Many people are still unsure of how to go about having respectful, effective conversations about race. Many campaigns pushing for an open dialogue about racism are deemed “too PC”. I was even hesitant to write this piece at first, as I haven’t personally experienced hardships based on my race and thus have a limited perspective on the subject.

But it is through this lack of communication that the US has become a breeding ground for apathy and ignorance. In turn, it has manifested many of the problems we are currently protesting against. This is why we need to talk about race.

Getting an Outside Perspective

Growing up in the progressive, yet predominantly white town of Bellingham, Washington, the topic of race was generally shied away from. Despite the prevalence of liberal views when it came to social and environmental causes, many people there are still very sheltered from other races and cultures.

Eventually, I came to realize that this dismissal of racial and cultural differences was far from universal. On my first day of college in New York City, every ice breaker consisted of asking someone their name and then in rapid succession their ethnic and cultural background.

It was interactions like these that caused me to become curious as to how different parts of the country handled discussions on race. So, I chose to interview several friends and colleagues to hear their perspectives on this subject.

Introductions

Laiba Hussain (18, F) and Osvaldo Garcia (19, M) are both sophomores at Baruch College in New York City. Laiba grew up in Brooklyn and Osvaldo in the Bronx. As native New Yorkers these two provide insight to the surprisingly superficial and segregated nature of one of the most diverse cities in the world.

Peggy Chiang (23, F) is originally from Taiwan and later attended middle and high school in Mississippi. She shares her experiences coming from a “particularly mixed race area” in the south, compared to those who live nearby in smaller towns and other isolated areas.

Ryan Ochoa (24, M) was the operations manager for former Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang. He was born Saint Louis, Missouri and later moved to Nebraska. Ryan is multiracial — a quarter Native American of the Pomo Tribe of California, a quarter Mexican, and half white. Dylan Houston (26, M) is an aspiring actor, also from Saint Louis. He is African American. Growing up in the same city, they are able to compare their experiences with everything from enduring racist jokes to discovering cultural pride.

Marco Santos (27, M) was born and raised in Southern California. His parents moved there from the Philippines in the early nineties and they continue to split their time between the states and the Philippines. He and I share similar upbringings, having spent most of our lives on the West Coast. That being said, our interpretations on how race is talked about in California compared to Washington differ considerably.

Geographic Differences

Despite being raised in radically different places across the US, each interviewee agrees that talking about race isn’t something to be shied away from. But is this the general consensus in the places where they grew up? Thus, leading me to my first question:

Q: How would you describe the way in which race is talked about where you are from? Why?

[Dylan] I feel like it’s pretty open. Saint Louis is really conservative. Missouri is really conservative. Saint Louis is also very, very segregated. It’s a very open concept on all types of levels, from seriousness to jokes.

[Osvaldo] When I came to Baruch College in Manhattan, I noticed that talking about race was shied away from. I think it is because there were more diverse opinions on the subject compared to my high school in the Bronx where we were all mostly affected by similar experiences. People in Baruch are afraid to express their opinions because they do not want to be judged harshly.

[Peggy] It’s normal to talk about racial experiences with friends because the opportunity to really know people of different races is typical. I don’t really know anyone personally who is uncomfortable with discussing racial issues, but I know some of my friends have grandparents that do. They are usually wealthier individuals who live in isolated, small towns or gated communities. I think they don’t like to talk about race because of their limited experience with other races.

[Marco] Pretty prevalent, I think a lot of it is from Hispanic culture and the presence of other minorities in California. Race is probably one of the first ways in which people identify you, so it’s usually brought up in conversation.

[Laiba] I believe the conversation of race in New York is just as much open as it is closed in. I grew up amongst individuals who looked nothing like me, nor did I look anything like them. As this was the norm there was never a need to formally recognize one’s race, thus I didn’t grow up having many conversations surrounding this topic. However, the fact that open-mindedness and liberal views are present in a large scale of New Yorkers, this helps us begin the conversation of injustice surrounding race when confronted with it.

Sexuality and Other Subjects in Comparison to Race

Washington is one of several states known for pioneering LGBTQ+ rights and the legalization of same-sex marriage. They have also continued to work against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Because of this, I was raised around sexual diversity and with an open dialogue surrounding the matter. Race, on the other hand, was treated slightly differently. In my experience, people were more hesitant in bringing up the subject, but I wanted to see what the group had to say.

Q: Are similar subjects like gender and sexual orientation approached in the same way as race?

[Ryan] I would say yes and no. I think it mainly is affected by the regions you grew up in. The east coast is a lot more open in terms of both subjects, race and sexuality, compared to back home. I remember one time, I was getting off of the subway in New York and this transgender guy was wearing a really flamboyant outfit and my buddy from Nebraska was like “that just pisses me the fuck off”. And I was like “he’s not doing anything to you just let it go”.

[Dylan] We don’t have a lot of the people who really explore gender boundaries where I come from. The whole homosexuality thing, they were always just jokes. It came to a point when I was nineteen, we were meeting a bunch of friends and one of them was gay. I said something like instead of “ah man that’s whack” or “that’s stupid,” I said, “man that’s gay.” But then I caught myself, and I was like “oh I don’t know how he feels about that”. But again that was another concept I wasn’t exposed to growing up.

[Peggy] I think here in the South, racial issues are a common occurrence because of how often people of different races interact. Issues about gender/sexuality are less frequently talked about. It’s also possible to “hide” one’s sexual orientation but not one’s race. So I think it’s definitely more common to talk about racial problems than other topics.

Finding Solutions

Despite the progress Washington has made with subjects like gender and sexuality, many people are still not comfortable talking about race, even in casual conversation. This is in part due to the considerable lack of racial and cultural diversity the state has to offer.

Admittedly, the larger cities are active participants in the Black Lives Matter movement. This is demonstrated by Seattle’s protest zone, now known as CHOP. But venture into more suburban and rural areas, even those with liberal views, and people tend to think that it’s best to “not see color”.

This is obviously not the right way to approach issues of race. It glosses over a history of systemic oppression and harmful traditions, as well as their continued prevalence today. It is far more important to call attention to black stories, promote cultural awareness, and recognize the beauty in our differences as well as our similarities. However, none of this is possible when one’s race isn’t even acknowledged, let alone fought for.

Q: How do you think that the topic of race should be approached in schools and social settings in order to bring attention to the racism currently present in the United States?

[Ryan] I think it should be a very discussed topic. To have a good education system based on this topic, I think you need to make it more of a cultural thing. You need to have a whole unit about civil rights. You need to have TV shows with people of color more often. You need to have different forms of entertainment and social media. Because as you can see with the situation now there is a lot of pent up aggression and it’s finally leaking out.

[Osvaldo] People need to stop being afraid of debating and confrontation. Schools also need to continue to be inclusive. Universities especially should provide more incentives for students of color to join their school.

[Peggy] I think it’s very important for people first to understand that race is a superficial distinction. People are not lesser than others because of what they look like. I also think that it’s easier to understand from a direct source if a direct experience isn’t possible. Watching current videos or listening to interviews with people who have encountered racism in big or small ways is just as important as understanding historical events. The more people can relate to those of a different race, the more difficult it would be to treat them differently.

[Dylan] I feel like talking about race is like the sex talk in health class. You sign a permission slip and talk about the birds and the bees. It’s the same kind of “difficult” topic to speak on to younger people, on an educated level.

[Laiba] Race is a topic that should be talked about in a respectable and serious manner. Sugar coating and artificialiality does nothing but numb our youth to the reality that comes from one’s skin tone. Helping children acknowledge the difference between races is the first step in dismantling racial ideology. Next to this, addressing the existence of privilege, prejudice, discrimination, and so forth, which stem from the concept of race is so important. People need to realize that knowledge surrounding race is power. When we continue to remain uneducated regarding the topic of race we are choosing to maintain the issues that erupt from it.

Closing Thoughts

There isn’t a solution for racism or discrimination or oppression. We as a nation will continue to struggle with these issues for years to come. We as a species will most likely never be rid of them completely.

It can be difficult to find motivation to persevere through times like this; times of change. But it is absolutely critical that we do.

Conversation is the first step. Talking about our shortcomings, our privileges, our experiences, and our cultures. Bonding over our similarities and learning through our differences. This is where change begins. Then comes the protests, the legal action, the societal shifts, and eventually the real progress.

Conversations I have shared with my father over the years are what inspired me to write this today. Born and raised in Washington, he has seen the progress made in so many other areas of social change, and yet issues of race are only now being addressed. So I will leave you with one of the more powerful things he has said to me:

“Take a stand, be bold, radical, controversial. Don’t say what you think people want to hear, say what needs to be heard and isn’t being said. Write about the change you want to see. There is so much inequality, racism, hypocrisy, lies, misconduct, and misinformation out there. Go big and go bold. There has never been a better time.”

The purpose of this piece is to inform others of the importance of talking about race in a respectful and effective manner. While this core message has been said by countless of others before me, it is worth reiterating.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the engaging, inspiring words of Laiba, Osvaldo, Peggy, Ryan, Dylan, and Marco and for that I want to express my sincerest gratitude. Together we are able to say what needs to be heard. Together we can write the change we want to see in the world.