Not even close to being post-racial

I thought the topic and reading for this week were especially applicable to the many discussions on race that are happening nationwide, especially surrounding the murder of Trayvon Martin. I completely agree with the Jennifer, the TA that presented on Wednesday, that as a society and a nation we are not even close to being post-racial and we need to acknowledge that in order to start a real conversation on America’s racism. One of the things that I find incredibly frustrating is the amount of people who claim that race is not an issue, that society is in fact past it’s racist history. However this type of thinking is harmful in perpetuating covert (as well as overt) racism that is usually rationalized or disguised under willingness to accept.

The reality is that murders such as Trayvon’s will continue to occur, in which race is clearly a huge (and possibly the only) factor, but many will argue that it is not the case. People who are color-blind need to realize that to be a minority in this country, especially a black man, means to be marked. Trayvon was marked for death. Black men exist in a society that clings to fantasies about their savagery and malice and used that to justify slavery. And now because black men continue to be perceived as dangerous there is a need for a police state across the nation that enables the prison-industrial complex to flourish. What can black men do to deal with the extreme hate they must navigate through on a daily basis? As a society can we really hold black men solely responsible for the manner in which they mitigate the racism against them, even if the methods may be unhealthy and ineffective?

This manifestation of white supremacy and violence does not only affect black male bodies, but all black bodies. Patricia Williams’ account of racial bias against her as a professional black woman is reminiscent of an article I read by Frances Beal called “Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female”. In her article Beal describes the concept of intersectionality as she analyzes the challenges she faces as a black person and as a woman. Neither of these women can separate those two aspects of their identity, yet time after time, they are forced to prove themselves in either category and ignore the other part of themselves.

I’d like to offer my own experience as a member of a minority group. I am a Latina woman and I come from USC’s surrounding neighborhoods. Yet even on this very diverse campus I have been met with stereotypes about my intelligence that for a long time reinforced feelings of not belonging at a university like USC. While not explicitly overt, racism continues to be prevalent and pervasive even on our campus and is a small reflection of this nation’s problem with racism.