Reflection 2: Under Our Skin
As I watch the "Under Our Skin" project, I felt passionate about the different aspects on racial identity and diversity. It was great to gain knowledge from the participates doing the "Under Our Skin" project by them sharing their own experiences on how each term is defined and what it means in our society.
The racial terms were simple to understand at first, but were complex to think about after learning it in a boarder perspective. For example, diversity could be anything in a variety of race or ethnic background.
I was not expecting diversity to be scary when not finding anything in common with someone of the opposite minority, gender, or sexual orientation. However, this can be the case because people who are scared of diversity would lead to a segregated nation. Diversity has been scary in the United States' history like with the wars of different minorities, the racial inequality of white and Black Americans, and the scarcity of money for minorities during the Great Depression.
It was a hard pill to swallow considering how diversity could have a negative effect that could unravel society to it's core. I believe diversity would be positive for our society, like how Oakland University welcomes racial diversity to build their community more than just majority white.
I hesitated on clicking on microaggression because the term is complicated to define due to the fact that it falls in line with racism. But it is more of an unintentional joke or a misinterpretation toward a marginalized group. After listening to the participants, I see microaggression as naïve actions that are defensive to particularly to minority individuals.
Their shared experience about microaggression was very interesting; especially with Jerrell's experience involving little white kids touching his afro hair. I thought it was strange they intentionally did that, and I thought it was hilarious when Jerrell slapped their hands.
The terms reminded me of a South Park in season 15 when going in a direction of a more politically correct show South Park had an episode regarding terms like "politically correct" and "microaggression" which I felt our society is currently in. They had a PC principle who attacked people that unintentionally saying statements about excluding minorities from society.
If I had further questions, it would be "what should be accomplished to finally have an unsegregated society or if it is ever going to happen?" I ask this question because of how society is going in a downward spiral with the terms "white privilege" and "all lives matter" as an issue.
What is "Under Our Skin?" Part 2
The story reminds of my life or experience because racism has been a constant entity and a very sensitive topic to me. An individual's color in our society have evolve the perception to how Black Americans are treated by being marginalized from the opposite group.
Personally, I haven't been through racism as much growing up, but saw some unsettling actions toward my own race. For example, a football player known as Chad Wheeler assaulted his Black girlfriend because she would not "bow to him."
It was sad news to myself because it was a scary situation that could have gone worse. I even got more frightened when I found out she almost died for this altercation which continues the trend of society going back to the racial inequality times.
It was no place for domestic violence to any race of women and should learn from past issues to become better people. I remember a movie about Ruby Bridges being to first color girl going to a all white school and being publicly attacked because of her skin color.
I watched this twice and felt that I was in her shoes as Ruby was walking through a sea of white people yelling racial slurs at her. It was a true story that represents how divided our country has developed back then.
The terms used in the "Under the Skin" project is a great example for racial tensions happening today and around the early 90s. These racial situations like the message of BLM, unarmed black men getting killed, and protesting are headlined in journalist's stories constantly.
As I think about these problems happening, personal reflection in journalist gives me I deep feeling of what's going on when writing similar stories on Black Americans. It made me open my eyes to think more freely and brainstorm possibilities in how to connect myself with the marginalized groups in my community. The thought of deep doesn't just reflect on how I am as a person, but as a Black man.
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