Reading Reflection #2

"My father was a Negro! We were colored! After ten years in Virginia on the white side of the color line, I knew what that meant" (Williams, 32) My first reaction to the second chapter, "Manufacturing Difference" in Newman's Identities and Inequalities was one of intrigue. After reading about Gregory Williams experience with being white in Virginia and black in Indiana really opened my eyes. How confused he must have been as a child, adolescent and young adult growing up. What color did he mark on his college entrance forms? Because Gregory was multiracial it excluded him from everything to do with the black and white community. No one wanted to except someone into their "culture" if they were bordering the line between Caucasian and African American. The most empowering aspect of this story is that Gregory ended up overcoming such a major obstacle in his life, and became a lawyer and a professor. He did not let his socially defined role as neither white or black effect his identity. He had the strength to identify himself as being multiracial, and the best part is he is proud to be so.
I definitely had an "Alright! Now I understand" moment when reading this. The chapter discussed race through a scientific perspective, and a social one. It basically cleared up for me that there isn't a gene that 100% of African Americans have that Caucasians don't have. It explained how race is more of a social aspect then anything else. "The meaning of race, gender, class and sexuality, therefore are fluid, socially or politically determined, and historically or culturally specific" (Newman, 37) Newman also discussed in this chapter how Americans tend to use essentialism, and split people into groups based on their differences. There was a part in the text where Newman mentioned a Vietnam girl coming to him in one of his classes he was student teaching in, and telling him how in Vietnam all people see only Americans, not black, white, Asian, etc... She related a persons race as the same as being fat, skinny, tall or short. Imagine if everyone in the world could think like that? The construction of race and ethnicity also made a lot of sense to me, and made me realize how people create an identity for themselves. People learn that each group has certain boundaries that distinguish one group from another, each group has a social position, and finally your group is either proud to be who they are or ashamed to be themselves. This made me extremely sad. Other groups are making the minorities feel this way. It's almost scary to think about how one group has so much power over the other. I also learned how race can depend on your social class. Some white people were referred to as black because they were poor and considered lower class and vice verse. People are using the term white as if it is good, and powerful, while doing the exact opposite with the word black. The funny thing is no one is the exact same color as someone else. There are different shades of black and white, and so many in between. How is it possible to group together and say this one is white and this one is black? It isn't humanly possible to do it accurately. We should be able to learn to live and celebrate diversity and who we are. Maybe one day we will.
After reading this article I decided when I come across a question asking about my race, I am going to put human, sense there is only the human race. Maybe if enough people do that, they will stop asking the question altogether on any entrance or census form.