Cassandra Paternosh, Post #2

When I first started reading the poem about the Venus Hottentot, I did not understand it. So I looked it up, and found a ton of information about Sara Baartman. It reminded me of an African class I took, where the teacher discussed human zoos in America, and treatments they received. I remember I could not understand then, what would possess a person, to lock up another person and put them on display. Then I read this poem, and we watched this documentary and I felt even more disgusted about it. I felt pity for that young women, who was subjected to peoples scrutiny. It makes me repulsed to think about people who were put in slavery, and had no control over their bodies. How people could stand and watch while people are being subjected to that kind of treatment.

Also with the book reading that we had this past week, that was all about ethnicity, race, and racism. I cannot get over how in today’s society people still misuse terms such as race and ethnicity. How people are still full of such judgment. How easily people can stereotype people into a group. One thing in today’s society that gets me the most upset, is the misunderstandings about the Islam religion. How many people look at the radical Muslims, and believe that, that’s how the religion is. That they just look at the surface and make judgments that are both incorrect and unfair.

Cassandra Paternosh, Post #1

My heritage is a little mixture of just about everything. On my mom’s side, my grandmas family is mainly German, but also there is Swedish, Irish, and a little bit of Cherokee Indian. On my grandpa’s side there is mainly English, we even have two relatives that came over on the Mayflower, there is also German and Welsh mixed in. On my dads side there is German, Dutch, and American Indian. The only way I identify myself is being an American. I am Caucasian, but I did not even know what that meant until I had to fill out forms that asked for my ethnicity.

I cannot pinpoint a time when I became aware of race or ethnicity. In either the 70’s or 80’s my grandparents on my mom’s side sponsored two different refugee Laotian families. The second family stayed in contact with my family throughout the years. Ever sense I was a baby I have been around them. When I was little I can remember playing with Laotian children. I never once thought that there was something different about them. Obviously now that I’m older I understand differences between ethnicity and races, but I do not think that it makes any difference.

I also was never directly taught or told anything about ethnicity or race from my parents. I had indirect lessons, such as the fact that it does not matter what color a person is. Once I got old enough to understand what my grandparents did for both those families I felt pride. I guess that was a certain lesson, that it does not matter who or what a person is, but if you have the ability to help people in need, that you should.

My views of ethnicity and race have not changed overtime. I still do not see a color or beliefs as a reason to dislike or discriminate. Two of my best friends are Mexican, and I never see them that way. In all honesty I always forget that they are of another race, the only time I think of it, is when someone brings it up. As I have gotten older I understand even less how people can discriminate. How people feel they have the right to put down other humans. I do not understand how people can put such emphasis on race and ethnicity when people are just people. Yea there are differences, but I do not think they matter.

Yes I have witnessed instances of racism. Two of my best friends, are twins, but they are also Mexican. We went to high school together and were in the same grade. In our graduating class, we had some male students who were to put in nicely ignorant, and extremely racist. I remember one time during a class one of the students began talking about Mexicans in derogatory terms, and made my friend upset. It got so bad, that I finally had to say something to the student talking to get him to stop, and my friend left the class in tears. Later on the teacher found out what happened, and told the student that if he heard of him speaking like that again he would be kicked out. This is not the only instances that my friends have been hurt by derogatory terms. I know they had classes with the male students that were the worse, and they would straight out call my friends names.

Baartman and Beyonce's "Freakum Dress"

Hi everyone,

When I teach about Sara Baartman I frequently show students this Beyonce music video. I think many comparisons can be drawn between Baartman and the way Beyonce is portrayed in this music video. The question is, does Beyonce challenge problematic stereotypes about black women, or does the video end up reinforcing them? Just another example to think about in our consideration of Baartman...

Shaun Wade Post 2

I forgot what we were talking about last thursday that sparked me to think about the issue dealing with the changing of the Mark Twain books over the winter break. I would like to see what everyones opinion is on that issue. It was either change the books and change it from "nigger" to "slave" or not change his books at all.

Shaun Wade Post 1

I am of Irish, English, German, Dutch and French heritage. I have been told I am what they call a "mutt" meaning that I have many different backgrounds that make up who I am. I guess it can be compared to a dog that is a mix of many breeds. I identify mostly with my Irish heritage. My great-grandparents from my moms fathers side were born in Ireland and came here sometime in the 1800s. The older I got the more I wanted to know but since my grandfather was born in 1907 and died when my mother was 17 (1977) I was clearly a long way off from even being a thought in her head.

I would say that in middle school I became aware of the issues of race and ethnicity. In elementary school i really never paid any attention to for example the color of a friends skin or anything like that. I did not even think of them as black or yellow or whatever. They were my friends and that was all that mattered. I would say it was not in any class that I was first aware of race or ethnicity. It was probably centered around derogatory language towards someone who is black.

I was also taught that race should have no importance to me in my life because it is all about who the person is on the inside not what they look like on the outside. I agree with what I was told and taught because it does not matter what your race is, it only matters who the person is inside and how they interact with you.

My views on race and ethnicity have not really changed over time. I have though witnessed many instances of racism in my life. It is actually one of my best friends dads. He is always using derogotory language towards people who are black. He is very southern orientated and very much a person you could compare to someone who would have been all for slavery and keeping blacks from getting any rights. My friend is not the same as his father and neither is is mom or sisters.

Autobiographical post (1)

Geoffrey Simmonds

My personal ethnic heritage is that of Irish Protestants, Welsh yeomen, Scottish Highlanders, and German from the border of France. Ethically though I believe I am an American first. I know it sounds weird but I started watching Star Trek an early age and it gives me a different attitude towards what race actually is. I have always thought of myself is just human. I never considered anyone who was different not to be the same race; I considered them just to be different. One of the issues I have with race classifying and boxes, is that when it comes down to it we are all individuals. You can try and classify someone down to the point where their individuality actually becomes the most prominent thing you see. I think my parents had a big influence on the way I see things, but it is also hard look back and realize whether there were specific things that were done or said that influenced this. Or if it was just a general attitude that they had that I learned purely by being there. I feel that being in the military really opened up my thoughts more toward racism, especially after 9/11 and post-9/11 military. In the situations I was in, when deployed overseas, I could care less about the ethnic background of the person who was supposed to back me up in a situation, as long as they backed me up in it. Of course, I now realize this is not how everybody sees things and the fact that I have never actively done anything against racism or ethnic profiling or however you want to see it, because of this close-mindedness to the fact that there is a problem makes me just as guilty as those who actively push racism. Actually looking back now I realize that what I was doing ship boarding in the Gulf, the other boring team members never wanted the one guy to be their partner. And because this was so close to 9/11, I now can see looking at it, it was because the guy was Muslim. And that was what the moaning and groaning is about, because nobody knew if they trusted him or not. I never had an issue with him because I knew going into a room that was unknown, that he would be right behind me. And to me that matter more than what he believed a religiously.

Mary Daloia, Post #2

This past week we have been discussing the definitions of the terms that come along with the issues of ethnicity and race, along with certain events that also deal with these topics. The Omi and Winant article laid down the definitions of some of the important words that deal with his subject. Though not the most interesting article to read, it was good to have read it to get another perspective that so many speak and write about.
After reading the poem about the Venus Hottentot, I wasn't quite sure what to think. I was trying to connect the first section of the poem to the second but, without any background knowledge to the poem I couldn't. Once we got in class and watched the documentary on Sarah the poem began to make much more sense. I had never heard of the Venus Hottentot before this poem and our class discussion about it. Over all it goes to show what lengths people went to back in those days when it came to their curiosity. The fact that they were willing to have Sarah and other women like her up for exhibition, for people to poke and prod as they liked showed that they had no limits to other people. As for Sarah I can only imagine what that must have been like. To be seen as an exhibit even though there are tons of women just like herself from back home must have been quite a difficult life.

Brigit May, Post 2

I thought the story of the Venus Hottentot was such an interesting story, and I found myself throughout the video feeling so sorry for that girl, and wondering how people could do that to someone. Seeing as I am the same age as Sara was when she was taken from her home in Cape Town, I thought about what it would be like if I was in her shoes, and it was making me feel sick. I think stories like this are so important for people to hear. When I hear stories about racism, I always find myself thinking how could a society accept something like that, like black slavery and things of that nature, and then it also makes me think about if I lived back during those times, how would I react to slavery, or stories like Sara Baartman.
A few weeks ago I watched a documentary about the oldest Siamese twins in the United States, who are 50 years old. Throughout their story, they kept mentioning how when they were little, their father took them to fairs all over the United States, and people would pay money to go in and look at the twins, so essentially they were part of a freak show. When we were watching the video about Sara Baartman's story, I thought about the story of these two twins. Their father had entered them into all these fairs when they were young boys, and I believe it was for 30 years, they worked and the money they made from their freak show act supported their entire family, and continues to support them now that they are retired. When the two men talked about their time working, they seemed to take a lot of pride in the fact that they supported their family by doing this, and they also seemed to look back on those years fondly. However I couldn't help but think at first how cruel and sort of sick it was that they were part of an act that people would go to see, because they were essentially "freaks". I know their situation and circumstances were different from Sara's, but the one common thing that ties them together is that in both stories, Sara and the Twins were put on display because they were different from other people, and people would pay money to observe them. I am sure the twins were treated with much more respect than Sara Baartman was, however I can't help but wonder how it must feel to be put on display, and have people come in and gawk over how different and weird and whatever else they say, simply because you aren't the same as them. Both stories really made me think about how people can be so closed minded when it comes to others who are different. Watching Sara's video, I couldn't help but think how something like this was ever acceptable in a society, but then it also made me wonder, in 100 year will people be looking back at our society, and be disgusted with some of the things we deemed as acceptable as well?

Ryan Fleming Post #2

After reading the Omi and Winant article I thought it was very interesting how they addressed the fact that we as humans seek to identify the race of a person in order to understand them. That if we are unable to identify someones race it makes us uncomfortable. At first I thought that seemed like such a racist thing to do, and it seemed like an awful way to judge someone, but then as thought about it more I realized how true it is for most people including myself. The very fact that all of us were so frustrated that we could not indentify the race of the two women in the Toni Morrison story was proof enough that as humans we have a tendency to want to use race as an identifier for who a person is. Once I began to realize this, I started to notice how often people, myself included, constantly use race as a way to figure out who a person is, where they come from and what you can expect from them. It really was an eye opener more than anything else for me to see how often we use race to identify who a person is without even realizing we do it.

Josh Steffen, Post #2

When I first read the "Venus Hottentot" poem, I did not quite understand what was going on, but after some research, the viewing the documentary on Sara Baartman, and discussing everything as a class, I realized the extent and historical significance of human exhibition, dismemberment, and dissection. It was shocking and inhumane to me that something like this occurred, and I would not want to wish it on anyone. I also felt that the poem and the documentary complemented each other well, and allowed us to have reinforcement and better discussion. As I mentioned in class, the Western Europeans felt justified in doing human exhibition as they promoted colonial domination, and believed "non whites" needed to be disciplined and taught how to be civilized. While this seems barbaric and ridiculous in my eyes, this was unfortunately thought to be "right" during that time period in history. Hopefully we will never see something like this again.

Josh Steffen, Post #1

1) My personal ethnic heritage is Polish descent from my mother's side, and a mixture of Dutch, Irish, German, and Slovak from my father's side. My racial heritage is Caucasian, and this how I would identify myself.

2) I first became aware of issues of ethnicity and race when I was younger. I would go to doctor's appointments at Children's Hospital in Buffalo (quite a switch from my small hometown Olean, NY). I noticed and recognized there were people who looked, acted, or spoke different than me, but I treat everyone the same, regardless of their racial or ethnic identity.

3) When I was growing up, I was always taught and agreed that equality was the best way to handle issues of ethnicity or race, even though I knew that that inequities still existed in the world. These things were reinforced in everything from my parents to my teachers to Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 album.

4) My views on ethnicity and race have changed over time, especially by being exposed to new people. For example, when I first met my best friend over 5 years ago I always thought she was Black, and never pondered it any further. Later on, she told me her Mother is Creo, Cherokee Indian, Puerto Rican, and Chinese, and her Father is Black, Indian, and Mongolian. People often ask her if she is Hawaiian or Dominican, so I think it is interesting how perceptions differ from person to person.

5) I have not experienced or witnessed any instances of racism first-hand, but it is still socially prevalent. I am not sure if this is a definite example of racism or not, but my Mom once told me about a coworker of hers that is White and married to a Black man. They recently went to a restaurant together, and were not waited on for a long time. Whatever the case may be, treatment of this kind makes me livid.

Peter Ferguson Post #2

On Thursday we discussed the reading about the Venus Hottentot. At first after reading I had no idea what the poem was about nor the purpose of the reading, and after doing the research and discussing it in class I was blown away that anything like this had ever gone on. The embarrassment and humiliation that Sarah Baartman was put through had me sick to my stomach. The way they were portraying her in the movie with curves that were bigger than usual and at one point having a male examine her as if she was an animal, was utterly sickening. When Sarah was sold in the movie to an animal owner in France I was speechless, to think they used her as a circus act for money, and who knows if she saw any of the money or how badly she was treated behind closed doors. The fact that something like this had ever went on was revolting and I was at least happy to hear that they had returned her back to her home in Africa. It was something that should of been done 200 years ago when she first passed away, never should she of been put on display after her passing, its unjust and heartless. I really better understand the focus of this reading after the discussion in class and it really gave me a chance to better understand the Venus Hottentot.

Hubbard post 2

For this post i wanted to talk about the Venus Hottentot. The thing that was so shockin to me was the drawings of her. The fact that they made her butt so large and obnoxiuos seemed like they were making humor out of her. This is sickening to me. Not only did they treat her like an animal but they would also use her for pure entertainment. SOmething like this shows the pure ignorance of the time. I really hope that people in our time dont do things this disgraceful. I cant think of any examples but i am sure that there are some people that are treated less than human....strippers for one and models are used just for thier bodies. After seeign the video my opinion on how i veiw people has changed a great deal

Jenny Huot Post 2

I think one to the things that astounded me the most while watching the documentary in class about Sarah Baartman was the trouble the South African government was having trying to get her remains back from France. The fact that she had died in 1815 and was still on display and being exploited into the 1990's was shocking. What claim did the French government have to her body, and why did they think they had the right to deny her the respectful treatment she deserved after a life of being poked and mistreated for years?

Jenny Huot Post 1

My background is Irish, English and French. I identify most with my Irish background since I am 75% Irish and my sister is 100% Irish. 3 of my grandparents immigrated from Ireland as well as a few of my great aunts and uncles so when any member of my family talks about their heritage it is about their Irish heritage, the French and English part isn't talked about much since it was only on my fathers fathers side.
Until I was 5 I lived in the Bronx in a fairly diverse neighborhood, so I got used to seeing people who were different than me, but I can't remember ever thinking of any of the people around me as any different. My parents taught me to treat everyone the way I wanted to be treated, and at some point must have explained to me about racial diversity but I was most likely so young I don't remember. I don't think if ever occurred to me that though some of the people around me looked physically different than me that they were actually any different. The first time I think I actually realized that everyone wasn't just like me and my family was when one of my friends in elementary school asked me to explain Santa to her, this was the first time I remember actually realizing that people lived their lives differently than my families.
I honestly can't think of any racism that I have come across in real life.
J Huot

Laura Kalinowski Post 2

I agree with Jennifer G. about the scientific racism associated with the “Venus Hottentot.” I felt the movie, along with the poem, really reinforced the idea of how people use science to justify racism. In the movie, they talked a lot about how Sarah was so interesting to the Europeans because of the differences in the way she looked, but not all about her skin color. Her body size and shape were the main factors in why she was put on display. It was her physical features that really made her “a freak” to the British. This shows the people’s feelings and possibly their justification of this kind of behavior. They may have used this “scientific exploration” of Sarah to justify their display and appalling treatment of her. The fact that parts of her body were taken, and never returned, really shows how terrible the views towards other races and human beings were. They didn't care enough to even show respect when she died, by giving her proper arrangements. They could see that she was another human being because they examined her after she had died, and yet they still treated her as an animal.

Staci Becker, Post 2

The Venus Hottentot was an eye-opening poem. As I was reading, I didn't understand the historical context behind it. I had heard of the "freak shows" in history, but I did not connect the poem with those shows. Truth be told, I had never really thought about these shows too much. In school we always focused on the slave trade and the prejudice against African Americans. Putting the poem and the movie together completely opened my eyes to this tragedy. I was completely horrified by the suffering of Sarah Baartman. She had very few choices of her own in her life. In a time where people are free to create their own future, this was hard to understand. She had the choice of going to Europe and being exhibited, or staying in Africa and being sold into slavery. I cannot imagine living a life like she did. What really upset me was the fact that even after her death, she found no peace. European scholars used her body and her body parts to justify and "prove" scientific racism. To put the woman's body parts in glass jars instead of burying her in her native land is an insult to her and her people.

What I was confused about was the fact that Sarah was baptized as a Christian woman. How they could justify this is beyond me. As I looked around the room when we were watching the film, I noticed that many other people looked angry, sickened, and disgusted. I will never understand how people could do this to others.

Jennifer Graham Post #2

Although the story of The Venus Hottentot made me very sad and heartbroken it really drove home the definition of scientific racism for me. After the readings on Tuesday from both Omi & Winant and Marger I still didn't quite have a grasp on what was going on but after seeing the documentary on Sara Baartman a connection was made. I was very interested in the documentary and finding out more about Sara's life after only doing a quick search on the internet to make more sense of the poem. I think Elizabeth Alexander depicted her perfectly and really gave her the voice that she never got to speak.

Victoria Rader Post 2

On "The Venus Hottentot"

These are really just some notes I was jotting down in class. I wonder why do things like the events in this poem and the documentary we watched really surprise us? Horrific acts go on in this world each day. People are denied rights all over the planet and even in this country, in our very own cities and towns. Stoning, slavery, the sex trade, systematic rape - these are all problems that are prevalent throughout the world. The sex trade and human trafficking is actually a huge problem right here in the U.S.

Of course I'm not saying that any of these issues are good or right, and I'm not defending them in any way, but I think it's kind of awful how people think we've come so far when really modern people aren't really all that different from the ones that have committed atrocities throughout history. We're not all that different from Cuvier.

Our own rights are being taken away and we have the power to stop it, but it seems as if we're so apathetic. Sarah was powerless to stop what was happening to her and I think our general apathy and ignorance is an insult to her memory and the memories of so many others that we study that have been repressed throughout history.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying nobody in the class is doing anything to help anyone, it's just something that I've observed. Perhaps incorrectly, I'm not sure. I'm always open to new things...

I'm also not saying that it's anyone's fault that much of America seems so ignorant, especially given the news sources that we are stuck with.

Victoria Rader Post 1

1. My own personal racial and ethnic heritage - As far as I know I am Polish and German from my mother's side. I have no idea what I am from my father's side. I don't really identify with either of these except that I love Polish food and using Dyngus day as a way to go out and drink and eat Polish foods. And hit people with pussywillows. Other than that I am a Caucasian American.
2. I first became aware of issues regarding ethnicity and race in the third grade. I went from an all white Catholic school to a Buffalo city public school where many of the students were bussed in from another section of the city. White kids were actually the minority, though that was never something that I was uncomfortable with. Looking back I noticed that the (white) teachers treated the black kids differently, but I don't know if they did this because many of them had behavioral issues, or if they had behavioral issues because the teachers treated them differently. The white kids all lived in the area and walked, while the black kids were bussed in from the East side of Buffalo, which is frequently seen as a bad part of town.
3. I don't recall being told much about ethnicity or race growing up. When I was in the public school we were all friends with each other and it's not something that was paid attention to. Then we moved to the suburbs where everyone was white so the issue was not something that ever really came up.
4. My views have evolved over time simply from paying more attention to the news and reading more about the world around me. Also, taking Women's studies classes has made a huge impact.
5. I have witnessed instances of racism, probably too many to list. Living in and around Buffalo I've grown used to some diversity and I noticed that many people will treat Arab (is this the correct term?) people as less than others. I've seen black men and women followed around in electronic and department stores. My own boss frequently found completely bullshit reasons not to hire non Caucasian folks.

Meredith Cotter Post #2

During our discussion about chapter one from the Marger text, someone brought up the point about the human tendency of categorizing people. I completely agree with this concept, that it is engrained in us to feel more comfortable if we can place a person in a certain group. That way we can enable our preconceived notions (stereotypes) to figure out this person before really knowing them and we can put our walls way up and maintain our comfort level. While I am admitting this is a true fault of human nature, not something I am proud of and something all of us, I am sure, are working to eliminate, my mind couldn’t help but think of ways in which this kind of thinking is instituted, even fueled. Then my mind went to the Affirmative Action legislation that we have in the U.S. This legislation was rooted in the 1960’s under the Kennedy administration with the Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity. This idea was intensified with other forms of legislation including the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 which established the four-fifths rule, meaning that firms contracting with the federal government should not be allowed to hire any race, sex, or ethnic group at a rate below four-fifths that of any other group. Affirmative Action laws have morphed throughout the years, but the principal is still evident.

I definitely see how this legislation is beneficial to minorities, including myself as a woman. I believe it was needed during the time that it was passed (a time where gender, racial, and ethnic minorities were subject to major abuse in their fight for equality) and that it was a milestone for the federal government to step in and defend minorities. But now, looking at it though a 2011 lens, I see this legislation not as racism eliminator, but a racism enabler. This forces us to categorize ourselves to reap the benefits that the federal government has provided us, just to turn around and say that categorizing is wrong. What pride is there in receiving a job, if you know that a more qualified person (white male) didn’t receive it because you were hired to fill a quota? In this system reverse racism is the effect. I feel that this system puts anti-racist sentiment at a halt because the federal government has made it a requirement to categorize. How can we as humans defeat our archetypal tendency and dispose of our general assumptions of stereotypes attached to groupings of people, if we have legislation that forces us to retreat back to this way of thinking?

Brigit May, Post 1

Hello everyone! Okay so to start off my heritage is mostly German and Italian, and I am also a bit of Irish and English as well. On my mother’s side of the family, my Grandpa is 100% Italian, and on my father’s side both of my grandparents are mostly German. Neither side of my family really identifies with our heritage nor is it ever a big topic of discussion, although my grandpa does make excellent Italian sausage every Christmas, which is probably the one “Italian” thing that he does. I would just have to identify as Caucasian American, and that’s basically it.
Thinking back it’s hard to pin point the first time I became aware of the issue of ethnicity and race. I guess learning about slavery back in elementary school was the first time I was ever taught about the issues of race. When I was growing up my parents always taught me to be nice to everyone and treat everyone how I would want to be treated. I can never remember my parents saying racist comments, and they always taught me to accept everyone. I would agree with what my parents taught me, and I think acceptance is such an important thing. I remember my mom saying to me quite a few times…just because something is different doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I agree with what I was taught growing up, and I would definitely raise my children with the same understanding and respect for everyone.
I would say my views have for the most part stayed the same over time. If anything I have grown to accept more, because I have seen and lived through more in my life. Growing up I lived in a majority white neighborhood, so I didn’t really interact with many people of other races or ethnicity. However as I got older, traveled to more places, and went to college, I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds. One major turning point for me was when I did a field placement in the Dunkirk elementary schools and the classroom I was in was mostly students whose ethnicity is Hispanic, and 90% of them qualified for free and reduced lunches. It gave me more of an appreciation for the way others live, and if anything it allowed me to open my mind to the fact that there are different norms everywhere you go. I can’t think of any one instance when I’ve experienced racism at the moment, but I am definitely not naive to the fact that it’s out there and still a huge problem.

Justin Hubbard 1st post

1) My personal ethnic and racial heritage i would describe as mixed race. My father is half african american, quarter blackfoot native american, quarter german. My mother is mostly swedish but overall a WASP. Therefore, i have always identified with being multiracial or mixed race.
2) I first became aware of race when i was young. My mom always let us know they we were not just "white" as we looked but that we were mixed race. I remember my skin being very tan and other kids would usually notice.
3) I was always told by my mom that i was part black and should have pride about that. My dad told me that i should be more than just proud of being part black but be proud of all of my ethnicities. I was told by many teachers that race should be accepted and yet then did not believe that i was a minority myself, they didnt get why i wouldnt jsut assimilate with all the other white kids. I was taught about things like MLK day and black history month and i felt wierd expressing my connection to them.
4)My views have changed a little. I feel that we should take pride in ethnicity and race while not making it too important to our identity. When i was a kid i wish i would have just not worried about what everyone else thought of me and just was ok with my own identity.
5)I have experienced racism many times. My parents are divorced but would occaisonally hang out with eachother at my sister and my school events. They always got wierd looks when they were together. I remember one parent who was talking to them saying "oh that's how it works" when they said they were my parents. Towards myself i always felt that i was always "the black kid" with my white friends and the opposite with my black friends. When i was in drumline we all had shirts given to us by seniors with nicknames on the back. While the other guys got cool unique names that noted on their personality i got the name Negrothunder cuz i was the black kid. That really sucked and i felt the only thing unique about me was that they thought i was black, and thats not even how i identified.

Frank DiMaria Post #2

So, for my second blog I wanted to elaborate on the point I made in class regarding the Venus Hottentot. As I said, I think the treatment of Baartman is terrible. It’s so sad to hear about her life. It seems that she was completely misguided and taken advantage of. She left her country, in my opinion, seeking a better life and the possibility of riches for herself and family. When I hear the descriptions of her treatment I cringe and feel so sorry for her life. But, I also want to address the historical context happening. We as a modern audience look at what Cuvier did as a terrible thing. He did indeed exploit her, but was what he doing wrong when put into context of the time period? Again, looking at the account from a modern standpoint I don’t think the treatment of Baartman was right, however I feel that we need to address the fact that there was a shift in thinking during this time period. This time period was fueled by the Enlightenment (The Age of Reason). People were looking to make meaning of the world around themselves through science and rational thought. So, with this in mind, was Cuvier wrong in what he did? He was not the only person to be doing such experiments, and of course I am playing devils advocate, but I feel that it’s important to see both sides of the coin. We as a modern audience have a tendency, rightfully in this situation, to see the treatment of Baartman as wrong. But, this time period would disagree. They had never seen someone like Baartman before and wanted to make sense of who or what she was. Also, though the treatment was not right, it was accepted to question a native as being an animal and piece of property. And, this notion didn’t have to do with a religious aspect. There is a difference in early whites coming to America and feeling that they were better than Indians and Blacks, compared to scientific racism. When we deal with the religious aspect it needs to be addressed that the people felt that God made them superior and that it was their job to make the lives of natives better and to civilize them to His will. But if we say that religion caused racism we are generalizing. People initially came to America to have religious freedom and were of many different beliefs and sects of the church. From a scientific standpoint I don’t know if scientists like Cuvier were wrong in wanting to know more about the world around them. They were wrong in how they represented Baartman, which serves as a foreground for scientific racism, but I do feel it’s important to evaluate one, the time period and two, ourselves as a modern audience.  

Sara Ceraso, Post 2

The poem "The Venus Hottentot" really caught my attention. I don't always comprehend poetry the first time around, but once I do it is a very interesting read, especially with being an Art History major and constantly having to read these factual articles, texts and blogs.

To first talk about the fact that is was in poem form is beautiful in it's self. Elizabeth Alexander could have written a short story or an article to express her feelings towards this issue, but instead made it in the poem format. With anything I feel that poetry is a way to express one's true feelings through words and emotions that at first glance might not seem fit.

When I Googled (answer for everything) information on the background of this poem, even before we watched the documentary, especially concerning the part where Sarah Baartman's body had been casted and studied, I was completely shocked. It was like she had absolutely no right to a proper funeral. She was an object that once died off could be used for scientific research.

I have obviously heard of racism and slavery. I have heard of ignorance and close mindedness of the people of the olden days, and still a little bit right now unfortunately, but I have never heard of this case of Sarah Baartman. Now obviously what they did was horrible. She was basically being sold for profit. And for what reason, because she looked different? The tables would sure turn around if a white woman of that time was put on display in the African region where Baartman was from. Just to play devils advocate.. what if the only reason these scientists kept her body was strictly for scientific purposes. I mean there are obvious differences between Baartman's forms and the forms of a white woman, or an Asian woman, or one of any other decent. Studying her body could open up doors in the scientific world. Would it still be wrong then? I would say yes just because of my morals. Now of course these people did these things for the absolutely wrong reasons, but today we have bodies studied and experimented on for cures for diseases (of course with valid permission). It is just something to throw out there. I am glad that her body has been returned to her homeland. I think in the end that was the best and most respectful thing to do, especially due to how she was treated within her short lived life.

I am glad I have grown up in a world with out racism that goes to that extent. It would be a horrible thing to witness. I am enjoying this class so far and eager to learn and discover other historical instances where ethnicity and race have come into play like this.

Week 1, Post 2

After reading this week’s assigned readings, I cannot say that I know much about race and ethnicity. From the readings I understand the two terms as highly debatable and a little vague. Race and ethnicity are often used by many of us to label people when we first meet them; however, these labels often provide little to no information on who the individual is as a person. I can see both the benevolent and harmful effects of using race or ethnicity to define people. By identifying oneself with in a specific racial or ethnic group you feel a sense of belonging and togetherness with others sharing your same background. On the other hand, sometime you may fall into certain stereotypes simply because you have believed them to be true, not because they are actually apart of whom you are. Labeling others can cause either a sense of togetherness or an initial fear of the other; therefore, this two can be benevolent or harmful. I think one of the biggest challenges when discussing race or ethnicity is realizing the stereotypes that I place on people. I do not really consider myself racist or ignorant but when we are discussing race in class I begin to realize the different stereotypes that I associate to people of different races or ethnicities. Regardless of if these stereotypes shed good or bad light on the group we are discussing, I am bothered that I recognize any of them. I even stereotype the groups that I am a part of. For example, I always associate the touchy-feely, food-loving, loud and attention-getting part of myself with my mom’s Italian side of the family; when in reality, those qualities are probably just part of who I am. So far, I am pleased with this class because I feel as if it has heightened my awareness of problems within different racial and ethnic groups, and I now appreciate my awareness of my own preconceived notions about different races or ethnicities.

Meredith Cotter Post #1

I have an Irish and Italian ethnic background. My mom is 100% Italian and my dad is 100% Irish which puts me at 50/50. In terms of identifying myself, I never really took to one side more than the other, although I always believed that my personality tended to be most like that of my Irish relatives. I always loved my heritage for it’s rich history on both sides. When asked I would say I’m Irish and Italian. Since early childhood have always observed a difference between my two sides of my family. As typical as it may seem, my mom’s Italian family is always loud, they’re always cooking and they could be fighting one minute and hugging and kissing the next. They are always very ‘touchy-feely’ and warm. On the other hand, my dad’s Irish side tends to be a bit more standoffish. Although the love is certainly there, it is just shown in a different way. It’s not so much in your face. I always took this difference as simply different groups of people behave a certain way, and the reason they behaved a certain way was because they were of different heritage fixed with their own traditions, history, culture and customs. No one ever told me per se, but it was normal to me, having grown up with an equally, yet very strong, Italian or Irish influence coming from either side.

For me, school and teachers taught me the more liberal ideas concerning race and ethnicity that always made more sense in my mind. Schoolteachers always advocated equality and working to fight racism of any kind. While on the other hand, my family offered the more conservative viewpoint. With my old-fashioned grandparents handing down their views to their children and exposing them to me, allowed me to see the much more clinical point of view on issues such as immigration (legal and illegal), domestic policy regarding minority groups. Although I disapprove of their outlook, I am thankful that I have been exposed to it because I feel its important to see other sides of issues, and it gave me the opportunity to take the opposing side in debate and voice my own views.

My views have changed overtime because the more I study (especially Unites States History), the more I see how complicated these issues really are. I always had the ‘cant-we-all-just-get-along’ mentality but the actual delving into legislative documents, reading first hand accounts of both the victims and perpetrators of racism as far back as the colonial era, and studying the complex formation and violent struggle of the Civil Rights Movement, Gay Liberation Movement, American Indian Movement, Feminist Movement and others revealed how this was in no way a simple process.

I have never had first hand experience with racism or directly witnessed an act of racism. It was something more exposed to me through media and pop-culture like T.V. shows and movies.

-Meredith Cotter

Mary Daloia, Post #1

When referring to my ethnic and racial heritage I come from a number of different backgrounds. The one that I come from the most is Italian, along with German, Polish and a small amount of English roots. Not only do I look more Italian then any other background that I come from, but my family I am surrounded by and the way that I act most closely relates with this group. My father's side of the family that is completely Italian, are more true to the traditions and actions that their relatives before them lived by. Just as their way of life trickled down to my dad, aunts and uncles, it has done the same with my sisters cousins and I. But these are just small things in my that take place in my life. Overall when identifying myself, I consider myself a white American female.
I would have to say I became aware pretty early in life of issues of ethnicity and race. I have also been surrounded by a diverse group of people since I was young. Not only has my school been diverse since grade school, but my family and friends brought about differences. Having the knowledge and understanding that there were different ethnicity's and races came along the issues with them. The complexity of these issues obviously became more known to me the older I got but over all I would say starting in 3rd or 4th grade I understood there were differences and issues that came along with them.
To be honest, I don't remember too much when it comes to being taught or told about race and ethnicity. I do know that it has always been an open and easy topic. If I were to take a good guess as to what I was told, it had to have had a positive impact on my way of viewing these two topics. For as long as I remember I have always been very open towards diversity and embraced differences in the people I am constantly surrounded by. I also know that my parents and teachers have always told me to be open to people who maybe different from you and I can say I have followed this tip throughout my life.
My views from when I have younger haven't changed. If anything my views towards race and ethnicity have grown stronger. For anything to work, it is important for people to take people for who they are and not what they may look like or act like. Not everyone is going to get along all the time, but being open towards things and people different from you are imperative.
Racism. I feel that there can be a form of it everywhere you look, sometimes it is just harder to see compared to other places. Though I can't say that I have seen it a lot, I can say I have seen it before. One example of racism that I have seen was a group of people, thinking they are "discreetly" talking about an individual, but that person can and is listening to them being talked negatively about. It is one of those things that is going to take a very long time to be close or completely gone.

Post Your Event Announcements Here

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to mention that if you are part of any groups/organizations on campus that are putting on events related to our course to feel free to post advertisements/announcements to the blog for everyone to see.

See you in class,
Jeff

Frank DiMaria Post #1

As far as personal ethnic and racial heritage is concerned I am a mutt so to speak. I have roots in German, English, Irish, and Italian. I must say though that I associate, because of my surroundings and family, more on the Italian side of things and ask my father or his parents what heritage I am and they would all say one hundred percent Italian. The concept of being Italian in my family has always meant closeness together, Sunday meals, and a sense of being in everyone’s business for better or worse.

I don’t really remember when I first became aware of issues of race and ethnicity. I don’t really ever remember any instances when I was younger and from my childhood that would have shaped the way that I address either issue. My parents were, and still are, pretty accepting of other races but of course every once and a while I’ll hear a joke about race from my grandparents usually towards blacks. It seems as though children are color blind so to speak until adults bring the issues of race and ethnicity to light. I don’t ever remember seeing people, or basing friends off of race and the differences never occurred to me. I really only started to become award of race problems when I was older in English and History classes in high school.

It seems for the most part (from memory) that teachers have always advocated the idea that everyone is equal. This idea of equality remains true in my home. I don’t think that I ever really had a skewed idea of a certain ethnicity or race growing up. I see now that I am older, that my parents and grandparents prejudices have come out on their treatment of certain people, but I don’t think that ever really influenced me. My parents as well always encouraged me to have my own thoughts and beliefs.

I wouldn’t say that my views on ethnicity and race have changed all that much. Now that I am older I have a better understanding of issue involving ethnicity and race and can understand others sides more easily. I suppose I also go into things now with a more open mind when thinking about issues like ethnicity and race.

The only time that I can recall that I can really remember seeing racism was when I was in seventh grade. I went to the store with my friend Steven, who is black, and we were just picking up some drinks because we had just played football. I remember watching the store manager say one of the employees under her breath to, “watch the black kid,” and the woman followed us around the whole store right until we checked out. The funniest part of the whole thing was that while the store employee followed Steven and I, I saw two white kids putting candy in their pockets. I know that this isn’t a huge case of racism but I’ll always remember watching the employee single Steven out.

Pete Ferguson Post #1

My personal racial heritage is Caucasian. I would identify myself as an Irish Catholic that loves sports and cooking. I first became aware of racial issues at a somewhat young age because growing up my best friend was African American, and it just became more clear overtime. I never had an event that promoted the issue just learned about the past through my schooling and parents. I was told to treat everybody with respect and equally, there has never been a color boundary in my family and I guess I am lucky that my parents are so supportive and non judge mental like many other Americans growing up in their time period. I totally agree with my parents I mean I have been with my girlfriend for a very long time now and she is half Iranian, her father was born in Iran and moved here when he was 18 but after 9-11 so many people are judge mental of that culture and I have come so close to that family and it has never once bothered me. I have never experienced any racial instances I have seen some things being said and I have always given my two cents but I'd rather not get into details.

Peter Ferguson

First Blog! (Sara Ceraso) Autobiographical Post

(1) I would describe my personal ethnic and racial heritage as a white female, with heritage backgrounds of Italian, Irish and British. I usually only identify myself as Italian, mainly because that takes up the majority of my heritage and most of my cultural experiences. I do often refer to myself as Irish though because my physical appearance is more on the pale skin, light eyes and freckles side. Unfortunately for me I am 75% Italian and have a really hard time holding a tan.
(2) I can't really bring myself back to a specific time where I realized that issues of ethnicity and race originated. I guess they were always there. That kind of sounds horrible that I can't remember a time where race didn't matter in the world I have grown up in. If I had to narrow it down at all I would probably say in middle school. Kids can be cruel and jokes of minorities are everywhere, even if we were too young to even know what they meant. But I am very proud to call myself "open minded" and I do not consider myself prejudiced at all.
(3) My mom and dad are very open minded as well when it comes to race and diversity. My dad especially. I think part of it comes from me actually. I remember getting mad at people, specifically those in my extended family who are not as excepting. My dad would always see how mad and frustrated I would get and ultimately took my side every time. So although my parents taught me to be accepting of everyone I can't lie and say that there hasn't been some negative influences in my family in regards to people of other races. I am just glad I was and still am smart enough to ignore or disagree with certain ignorant comments and that they haven't influenced my beliefs.
(4) My views on race and ethnicity have always been the same. I would probably say that I have actually gotten better at accepting there are people who are not as open minded and nothing will change there mind. Their loss though right?
(5) I think everyone has seen instances of racism in their lifetime. I am just glad I grew up in a time where it was decreasing. I remember in high school my boyfriend of the time was half black and half white. Some "friends" weren't really all for it and told me that my parents wouldn't be either and that they would never tell their parents if they were me. I went home to my parents and was almost scared to tell them that my boyfriend was a different race because of what my friend's said. But I did and they came back with the comment, "did you actually think we would care about that." I'll never forget that.

Ashley Miranda, Post 1

My background is Italian, German, Polish and Welsh. I predominantly identify myself with my Italian heritage because that is what I am most familiar of. I am a very pale person, so when I announce that I am Italian I am usually laughed at because Italians are expected to have very dark skin, so I then go on to say I’m Welsh (which explains the light skin) and that I’m Polish as well as German. People start to understand my looks a bit more when I run through my entire background rather than just shouting out that I’m a stubborn, loud Italian.

My family has documents from the early 1900’s showing that my great, great grandfather Dominico came to America from Poggiomarino, a small farm town from Italy. Both my mother’s and father’s side of the family have Italian backgrounds so this is what I grew up knowing. We would say “Buon Natale” for Merry Christmas and when I was younger my grandpa would say, “manja manja” which means “eat! eat!” My grandfather taught me to be a good Italian wife by having me learn to cook in the kitchen with my grandmother from a very young age.

Growing up I was pretty ignorant to race issues. I’m still learning about them today to tell the truth. I’ve read about the history behind them but am sad to say a little on the naive side of knowing what surrounds race issues today. Much of the older generation of my family is what I would call semi-racist. They say things about different races that I am completely taken back by because I don’t hold those beliefs at all or would I ever think to say those things. I would have to say this is where my first encounter with racism began. To this day I still disagree with what I hear my family saying, but most of the time I just keep my mouth shut because I know that my family is very stubborn in their ways and refuse to admit that they may be wrong in saying negative things about others.

Over time my views of race and ethnicity have shifted drastically. I have always been one to be open to all types of people, regardless of any skin color, ethnic background, or anything of the sort. My family like I said before was not always as accepting as I was to take people for who they are. Before judging somebody I try my hardest to allow them a fair chance to show me who they are before I make any generalizations about them. From a young age, my parents didn’t ever push their views on me, but it was hard not to hear what they and the rest of my family were saying. I started to believe what they had said but then remembered that I had my own mind and could think however I wanted to, my parents couldn’t control that. In middle school I opened up to many people, including my group of friends who became a melting pot of races and ethnicities. I was able to get my own little taste of how different races and ethnicities interact and it was a great experience.

I haven’t personally experienced any extreme forms of racism, but I most definitely have heard racial slurs that have been directed at many different people. My high school was predominantly white, so when students of other races had come from the city and moved into our schools it seemed to cause tension at first, but other than the first few initial days all the students, no matter what race, were back to normal.

Laura Kalinowski, Post 1

My heritage is mostly Polish, English and German. My father’s side of the family is 100% Polish, but they didn’t ever talk about their background much. They were very much focused on being Americans and not "Polish Americans." My mother’s side heritage is a mix of many different European countries, so her side as well was focused on being just American citizens. I identify myself as Caucasian or sometimes Polish if asked about my history.

I can’t remember when I first noticed ethnicity and race issues. Throughout elementary school, my best friend was black and I don't even remember thinking about her being black. I knew she had a different skin color, but I didn’t consider her different than me, I just thought of her as my best friend.

I feel my parents were very understanding parents, and always taught me to treat everybody as equals, and that people’s looks or race shouldn’t make them any different than myself. I think that also my school was good at having a multicultural environment that helped students feel comfortable in the classrooms.

Since I am an education major, I’ve spent a lot of time at different schools throughout Western New York. I have seen all kinds of people and families and I feel this has really impacted my views on ethnicity and race. Having this exposure to people really shows me that stereotypes aren’t always right, and people should not be judged based on how they look.

I can’t think of any occasions where I have witnessed blatant racism. I know there were some kids in my high school that would make racist jokes, or joke about not liking somebody for their race. Even though they don’t come out and make an action against somebody, the fact that they still think and talk about being racist is an issue I have witnessed.

Staci Becker, Post 1

My name is Staci Becker. My personal heritage is German and English. My family traditionally identifies mostly with my father's German heritage. My grandparents speak German and English and I was raised by what my grandmother calls a "proper German upbringing." To this day, I'm not sure what she was talking about. Through my mother's side of the family, I mostly identify with religion. Through our Baptist Church, I recognized a sort of community at an early age.

I was raised in a very small town, in which everyone knew each other (and nearly everyone was related in some way). The kids I went to high school with were the children of the people my parents went to school with. My town was not racially diverse. As a result, I was not aware of issues in ethnicity and race until nearly middle school. In my 8th grade year, two new families moved to the area. One was a large family, and many of the children were adopted. There were 4 African American children, one in the grade right below me. The other family was a Muslim-American family. One of the kids was in my grade and I eventually became very good friends with him. I became aware of race and ethnicity then, when my mother and a friends mother began talking about the new families and how they should treat them. I was curious then about why they would treat the families differently. I had met the new kids and I had liked them. What was the problem? When I asked my parents about it, they told me that there were some people that were different from the people I was used to and had grown up with. I don't think they were necessarily racist, just brought up in a different time and in a small, sheltered town. Luckily my parents also raised me to form my own opinions and to stick to them. At the dinner table, debate is strongly encouraged. Teachers in my school never actually commented on racial and ethnic issues, just gave us the history and facts. Debate did not occur in these classes. My peers were much more open with the new kids. Everyone in my class was friends with each other, so nothing major ever occurred in school. While my parents tend to be more close-minded about race and ethnicity issues, I disagree with them and tell them this every time it comes up.

While I do not recall ever changing my views on race and ethnicity, I do remember my mother gradually did. She began working for Economic Opportunity Program (EOP) in Elmira, she began to work and become friends with people of different races and ethnicities. She has become more open minded since she began working there.

I have witnessed verbal attacks about race and ethnicity, mostly African Americans from different family members over time, but fortunately they have been few and far between. However, sexual orientation is something that is becoming a much talked about topic in my family. My parents and grandparents are quite negative about this, while my sisters and I hold an entirely opposite view. Negative remarks bother me, but I am not quite sure how to handle it. I generally tend to ignore anyone who makes such remarks, and walk away. I have found that arguing with my family does little. Many view me and my sisters and cousins who share my views as being naive. I see it as being more lucky than anything, as I was able to form my own opinions about race and ethnicity. Hopefully this open-mindedness will last, as I'm sure I still have much to learn about this topic.

Ryan Fleming Post #1

My heritage is Spanish, English, Irish and Scottish. I predominantly identify myself as being Spanish and English due to the strong influence from both cultures in my family. My mothers family is from Spain and I grew up having my cousins from Spain spend their summers in the U.S with us. This greatly influenced my connection to Spanish culture. On my dads side of the family, my grandmother moved here from London when she was twenty-one and still strongly identifies herself as an English woman. This strong identification led my fathers family to be raised with complete English culture influence, which has in turn affected the way I was raised.

I first became aware of issues of ethnicity and race when I was very young, probably around the age of five or six. I am from Niagara Falls, which is a very racially diverse community and from a very young age the schools started to teach about the issues of ethnicity and race. At times I almost felt that the strong push of teaching racial issues at such a young, impressionable age, caused more harm than good. At such a young age my peers and I did not see racial differences. I don't want to seem naive in saying this because of course we all knew we were different from each other but it did not affect the way we interacted with one another because we did not know that it could, or had in the past. When the school started really pushing the ideas of racial differences, it almost forced us to see differences in each other that we hadn't before and put a divide between everyone. Of course the schools intention was not to create a divide, but somehow the constant stress of the issues put ideas and stereotypes into our heads. Learning about these issues definitely had their positive affects as well and taught us to not have racial prejudices against one another, but at such an impressionable age it more so turned our focus to see the differences we hadn't before causing a racial divide that was nonexistent before.

At home, my parents always placed a strong focus on treating everyone like equals. The differences of race were not stressed upon so that I would never judge a person based on their race, everyone was equal. My entire family is very open to ethnic differences and always accepted everyone as equals. I have always agreed with this idea and have tried my best in life to not accept ethnic and racial stereotypes.

Over time my views on race and ethnicity have changed a great deal. When I was younger I did not want to accept the fact that there were still ethnic and racial issues in the world and in someways did not think they truly existed anymore. I also thought racial and ethnic issues only occurred between blacks and whites, the fact that all ethnic groups were affected by these issues was not a focus being taught in the schools until I got older. As I got older I started to see ethnic and racial issues more and noticed how predominant they still are today. I distinctly remember a time when I was in fourth grade that myself and two other girls were playing in our neighborhood. One of the girls was African American and the other girl and myself were white. The three of us walked to meet a friend at her grandmothers house and when we got there, our friends grandmother told our African American friend that she was not allowed into her house because she was black. The grandmother was a white woman that had grown up in the south and was set in her ways. At first we didn't know what to do, but soon quickly left her house and ran back to my house. None of us had ever experienced or witnessed anything like that before and were in complete shock. That point in my life was a defining moment when I realized that racial prejudices still existed and I was devastated to find out that they were existing in my own community. Coming to college was another huge eye opener for me. The friends that I made were all mostly from predominantly small white suburban areas where they had been sheltered from any ethnic diversity most of their lives. It was amazing to see how unaware of other racial groups they were. It was also amazing to hear all the stereotypes that my high school had because of the diverse lower income community it was in. It was news to me but apparently because of the high school I went to, I was " in a gang, was a criminal, brought weapons to school everyday and it was amazing I made it to college." It was actually very humorous yet frustrating to hear all of the stereotypes I held just because of where I was from. Coming to college made me appreciate where I came from so much more than I ever had. I know that growing up in a racially diverse community has not only allowed me to be aware of different ethnic cultures but has also allowed me to look past racial differences and to see a person for who they are and not their race.

Week of 1/31 Post 1

My background is Irish, German, and Italian. Although I am only 1/4 Italian that is what I most identify myself with because my maternal grandmother was 100% Italain and her sisters immigrated to America around 1920. This identification began since birth; my mother’s family was very Catholic and would attend church on Sundays. Afterward, we would all gather at my grandmothers for the day for her homemade sauce. Her dining room had one huge table where me, my brother, and my cousins would sit while the adults were in either the living room or kitchen. Although my grandmother has since passed, my mother and I still try to recreate her sauce recipe and hold the same family values. The crowd is not as huge as it was back then, but almost every Sunday we have a family dinner with at least 9 other friends and family members.

This may sound a bit naive, but I didn't become fully aware of racial issues until I was in middle school. That was when I first heard a story about a boy who used a racial slur to describe a friend of mine. I never understood what it meant until I saw how clearly upset it made everyone around me. My family never fully addressed the issue of race at home. My parents were both very accepting of people of other races, religions, and sexuality. It wasn’t until quite recently that I became aware of my grandparent’s ignorance towards other races. I think as I was growing up my parents tried to shield my brother and I from this because they didn’t want us to adopt those views. While I am aware of the stereotypes placed on different races and ethnicities, I usually take people as they come and just let their personality shape my opinions of them.

Looking back, I appreciate them for raising me this way but at the same time I wish I would have been guided. One thing I would do differently with my children is make them aware of the stereotypes that are often portrayed in the media. While I never felt any trace of racism from my parents, the media played a huge role in my perception of race. It was through the mass media where I learned about stereotypes and I think it would have been helpful for me to have my parents guide me as I was growing up so that I could better understand how stereotypes were conceived and how they are largely unreliable. All in all my personal experiences with racism have made me uncomfortable because the issue was never addressed in my household.

My Intro

Well it looks like I'm the first one to post so I'll just jump in. My heritage is Swedish, Irish and Scottish. My Father is actually a first generation Swede, both of my grandparents emigrated from near Stockholm, Sweden. The Irish and Scottish come from my Mothers side of the family. As far as religion goes I'm a Christian but I do not follow any organized religion as far as being Catholic, Protestant etc. I just go my own way following God. If I were to identify myself I say I'd be a Caucasian female, I've got auburn hair and fair skin much like my ancestors.

My first awareness with ethnicity and race has come at several points in my life. I remember hearing stories from my sisters and brother growing up in Virginia where my father was a minister. Once my Father served an all black church, he said it was the best congregation he had ever had to pleasure to lead. He did this on his own time because they were without a minister. One night after my siblings were in bed there was a knock at the door, my mother opened it and there was a group of men wanting to speak to my father about the church. My brother was told to stay at the top of the stairs with a baseball bat to protect my sisters (I had not been born yet). All of this because of spreading the word of God to someone with a different skin color. The next instance was as a mother bringing my first daughter to work and seeing the look on her face when she saw her first black woman. She was maybe 6 months old but you could tell she didn't understand why this woman looked different. It really bothered me. I didn't realize it would be such a shock.

As far as what I was taught growing up, I mentioned my father was a minister. He retired from the ministry when I was very little, still there were certain things you just didn't do. Dating someone from another color was frowned upon, Gays in my mothers eyes are a sin. For the most part I didn't think anything of it until I actually went back to school in 2009. I was introduced to a lot of different materials and information and it really opened my eyes. One of the biggest things was a movie called "For the Bible Tells Me So" regarding the church's stance on homosexuality. I have many gay friends who I'm very close to but as far as bringing them up to my parents I'd rather write a 20 page essay. After seeing the movie and actually doing a presentation on it for a communications class I went and sat down with both my parents and told them what I found out. My Dad was actually very open to what I had to say. He was happy that people have started to interpret the Bible into today's society and stop focusing on what it said 1000s of years ago. We won't go into what my mother had to say. Going back to college has definitely opened my eyes and made me a better person and that I have passed on to everyone I know including my children.

I cannot think of any act of racism that I have encountered. I guess that's a good thing but it also makes me think maybe I'm just not looking for it. I'm really looking forward to what everyone else has to write. See you in class.