Racism. There’s something within those six letters that can make even the most garrulous talkers turn tacit. Many people think the term only existed until the 1970s. There’s no longer slavery, there’s no more people being forced to the back of the bus, and you can find a melting pot of students in a classroom. Thus, racism is all in the past, so why talk about it? 
Wrong. Racism is still alive, and the evidence at St. Thomas is irrefutable.
Wanting to gain insight into the reality of racism, I posted a status on my Facebook page asking people if they’ve ever witnessed it on campus. Instantly, and unexpectedly, my inbox was flooded. Students messaged me the most appalling, emotionally loaded and disturbing stories.
Here are some of the things that were messaged to me that struck me the most:
“All those ching chong’s keep stinking up the floor with their chinky food.”
“I’m not friends with, you know, black people. I’m only friends with good-looking people.”
“Is that the wear-feathers-on-my-head-and-own-a-casino Indian or my-accents-funny-and-my-food-looks-like-barf Indian?”
“I accidentally touched this black girl’s hair today… gross.”
“Someone needs to tell all those Asians in my marketing class to go back to China. There’s too many of them!”
“If there are any black people in there, I’m going to say, ‘What’s up my n*****?'”
And there’s plenty more where that came from.
However, there was one story in particular that motivated me to write this piece.
I interviewed a student whose traumatic experience has taken a major toll on herself/himself. Since the student understandably requested anonymity, I’ll give her/him the unisex name Taylor. For the sake of clarity and brevity, I’ll refer to Taylor as a she.
Ever since the day Taylor moved into her room at St. Thomas, her roommate thought she was “weird” because Taylor wasn’t from America.
“She would talk and laugh about me when I was in the room. I would come back from class and my stuff would be on the floor,” Taylor said. “When I walk past her in the quad, she and her friends would laugh at me.”
Taylor’s roommate even went as far as cyberbullying.
“She would post mean statuses about me on Facebook and tag me in it, and her friends would comment on them,” Taylor said. “Even if people just ‘liked’ the status, it still hurt.”
To this day, Taylor claims that she cannot walk into her freshman dorm room. Even certain smells trigger the indelible pain her roommate left behind.
“Every time I smell the perfume (she wore), it makes me sick because she used to wear it. I literally had an anxiety attack in the middle of the mall in Rosedale when I smelt the perfume on some lady,” Taylor said.
Taylor has since seen a counselor at St. Thomas who told her that she has post-traumatic stress disorder, a type of anxiety that occurs after someone experiences some form of trauma.
After interviewing Taylor and reading the stories submitted by students, I couldn’t believe that racism was so prevalent at St. Thomas.
Clearly students at this university are not unintelligent people if they’re seeking a four-year degree, so how does this lapse in judgment form?
I give partial attribution to people having limited exposure to different “things.” By “things,” I mean everything from introspective things, such as religious and political views, to less abstract things, like food and music. When you grow up sheltered and accustomed to your own static lifestyle, you become less receptive to these new “things.”
I believe when these sheltered people hang out with other sheltered people, the initial reaction to others’ differences has the potential to transform into something filled with unnecessary malice. People test the boundaries of their commentary with others. If both parties accept each other’s comments and don’t regard them as inappropriate, it makes it much more difficult to see the hatred.
But that’s no justification. There is no valid reason for making racist comments. The fact that it exists at St. Thomas doesn’t surprise me much, but its ubiquity on campus definitely does.
You may think it’s harmless saying something witty, silly and borderline offensive about another race. But before you make that comment, reflect on Taylor’s story. Taylor is just one student, but there are many others who have experienced similar pain. Racism is alive at St. Thomas, but you can fight it.
Geena Maharaj can be reached at maha8007@stthomas.edu.
Stupid high school kids who never grew up, starting an article only will make them laugh, or make them scared some article will expose them… Figure out a way to stop the racism and there won’t be an issue. Notice there is no suggestions? Probably a young person writing this article who wanted to start something, but good for you it makes sense to confront it, and thats what you did, so do something? Ok, not going start accusing people as that is really what this article does, just work to stop racism with a little effort in your lifes, it is easy.
Brian, the article was not meant to force people to change their ways, but rather to make people reflect on statements they think is funny, but might actually be offensive. So get off your high horse and have an open mind.
“Clearly students at this university are not unintelligent people if they’re seeking a four-year degree” – I’m not so sure about that.
Racism is alive and will continue to be alive indefinitely. People will always have negative thoughts, feelings, and actions for people different than themselves. All one can do is speak out against it when one witnesses it. Condemning racism when it happens can be a powerful tool to changing that person’s overt behavior. But ultimately, it will take a fundamental change of heart on that person’s part to change those thoughts, feelings, and actions.
I agree with Todd… Taylor should speak for her/himself and letting people know that there is someone is making fun of them in their facebook status. Therefore, we as stthomas students will know this racist person and make sure to put a limit for them that they cannot cross because one student present the all community of stthomas and i can’t let people think of us as racist students because we are not!
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” -Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad
Ahmed, I don’t think Todd is saying what you’re saying…. The point of the article is not to “out” a student, but rather to make everyone aware of the problem. The article does not generalize St. Thomas students as being racist, but that there are some students in the St. Thomas community that do have racist tendencies.
brian fulton, We are all University students who are using this net work. Abusing someone is not the solution. I really feel bad that you used such this language on a public net work. What Geena did was just sharing her feelings about the racism and I don’t think it was a bad idea to bring it out. Remember know one is forcing you to comment.
You think this is bad? PLEASE take 30 seconds to check this out: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/223579/group/homepage/
I DON;T KNWOW WHAT TIME IT IS IN ST THOMAS BERG OR THE GOLDARN HAPPPENING OF ACTUALLY WRITING WHAT YOU DID BUT WHATEVER I WROTE, SINCERELLY ACCEPTING MY OWN FATE, DO KNOW WHAT YOU READ BECAUSE THESE BIG POSTS HERE ARE SO ARRANGED MAYBE IN THE WAY ST THOMAS WANTS IT? GOOD
HAVE I POSTED SOMETHING WRONG, ITS ABOUT RACISM AND I COMMENTED ON THE FIRST POST, I SAID THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT ARE WILLING TO STOP RACISM, YOU READ IT WRONG FOOL
Geena,
Well written article, and overdue on our campus! I think you did a wonderful job getting to the relevant points of this issue. You laid a groundwork from which discussion can grown.
Thank you for crafting such a thoughtful essay. As a teacher, I have designed many class sessions and course topics to challenge racism and other forms of prejudice. A few years ago, at the end of one such class session, a student wrote (in a reflective writing activity) that “Racism isn’t a problem until someone brings it up and we are forced to talk or read about it. We need to stop dredging up the past, and stop discussing things that only create negativity.” My failure to get through to this individual haunts me still, and compels me to continue with personal and community efforts to eradicate racism, sexism, homophobia, and all fear-based behaviors. You keep writing about this, speak your truths and the truths of others!
Anecdotal evidence. Nice. Come on TommieMedia, you’re better than that
Let me clarify. Just because there was one instance of rape on campus, does not make raping “alive and well at St. Thomas”.
This is not the first time am seeing this kind of scenerio being talked about at St Thomas. But my comment here is simply from an individual point of view. knowing St Thomas students and their backgrounds, for me its not surprsing at all that such comments are thrown at a poor kid simply because she/he is different from them. but rather this reflects directly on the fact that they grew up from families which are either super wealthy and therefore interaction with outside communities is a second option as self-sufficeincy overshadows their judgement most of the time or others grew up from only one remote surbub who have never gotton a chance to simply see a different person from them. here an example is “black people” or “Asian people” name them. so when such kids come to college(UST), they eventually bump into diversity and that is hard to deal with , so sometime they slip and find themselves reacting naturally because the situation is unique to them. personally , I think before we even look for solutions, lets look at the cause and may be that can help the victims and their aggressors realize where they should mend instead of come out full swing and start to cut out solutions to a problem we don’t have a better understanding in regard to its causes.
Overdue discussion at St. Thomas. Being a student from Africa, I have experienced racism from not only white people but surprisingly AFRICAN AMERICANS too. People are generally ignorant about race and so ingrained in their vegetative state of beliefs. We will never broadly understand the benefits that arise from our differences, if we don’t try to learn from them.
@Brian, there are better words you can use than STUPID or FOOL.
brian fulton. I understand your frustration, but letS keep this civil and purely academic based if someone post a comment that looks to be in reply to yours , it is simply a good norm to react back “softly” not ending in insulting words like “FOOL”. that is the only we will keep exchanging helpful views and insights.
thank you mr. Brian Fulton
i agree with most of you have said. i spent over 4 years at UST as a student and also worked in many capacities on campus. I worked as a teaching assistant for 4 years in biology and chemistry labs and here is what i can say about what i experienced. one: some students reacted with much surprise on their face whenever i was introduced as the TA at the start of the semester. i realized that some students are not exposed to other cultures especially students from small towns. I understood their background and used the opportunity to share my culture with them. believe me i could see a lot of change in the students by mid semester. Most (almost) all enjoyed the fact that I was not only a good TA but used the opportunity to interact. I would talk on and on about my experience but here is the thing; both parties have to be involved and speak out. like one of you said racism is going to around for quite a while so we have to find ways to deal with it and one of those would be sharing with each other our backgrounds. If I were in Taylor’s shoes I would go straight to those who posted all those racist comments and talk to them even before seeking counselling.
Couldn’t agree with this article more. Albert – you are 100% correct when you say both parties need to be involved and speak out. We learn from others through their own experiences and who doesn’t want to learn more about a culture they know little about? It baffles me that we live in an age where everything is about sharing and being well connected (ie facebook, twitter, foursquare, linkedin, pintrest, etc) and people can still be this close minded.
John Mettcalf: There is a difference between rape and racism. The point of the story is not to point that all St. Thomas students are racist or that racism is alive and well. The article stated that racism is alive. period. Geena wrote the article so that other students might be aware that they are part of the problem and change their ways.
Albert: As I read the article, it was obvious to me that this is not the whole story, but rather a summary of what happened. You have to understand that sometimes you can talk to people who discriminate against others for hours and hours, and they still won’t change their ways.
Sarah: Then this article is a waste of time. Everyone knows racism is alive everywhere. Period. If you really believe that her point of writing this article wasn’t to try damning the majority of people at UST as racist, then you are shortsighted. If you really need someone to tell you that there’s racism out there, you haven’t been outside much.
Personally I highly deny the emotion that racist jokes are racism and the people who say them are racist. There is no basis in fact on that notion, and until this is proven I refuse to politically correct the way I interact.
Not an amusing story.
You want to stop racism? Stop talking about it.
-Morgan Freeman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3cGfrExozQ
I don’t think its a matter to be taken lightly… I, for one, suffer from a very strange way of racism against my culture and my country (I am from Mexico) and even though I am not being chased down the streets with pitchforks, I can feel a small tension from other students. And it is there in their comments. It has been too many times where I get into a discussion and someone pulls the card “You are Mexican… what do you know about it?” I laugh and shrug it off, but I do notice that people here (Americans) are really biased against the people from other cultures.
Mauricio: A generalization like that sounds pretty racist.
Not to start more aliveness of a thing like racism but we talked about this in theo421 you can imagine with a view on the article, sorry of course if I offended anyone, they just kept deleting my posts that night before I go get to work all night, I was in the marine Corp and racism is more a personal thing if you can imagine men living in horrid conditions together, maybe Iraqis police living in 5 bunk storage containers we had to make a bad situation enjoyable together, magbd they are just on tgier high horses.
John: of course there is no basis in FACT about whether or not racist jokes are racist. How could you expect there to be, a fact is something that can be proven. An attitude is not. I don’t think the article is pointless, after all the author is expressing what she has to say in one of the most appropriate avenues available, and she has every right to create an article based around this topic, especially since she works for TommieMedia. In addition, she has clearly started civil discourse on the issue (the evidence being these comments). By the way, you accused her of not taking “real” action against racism – how do you know she hasn’t? Perhaps writing this article is one of many actions she takes to try to help prevent racism. Lastly, thank you for stating that you don’t believe that racial jokes are racist. Now the people on campus who are not racist and do not want to associate with people with racist tendencies can effectively avoid you.
Also – to the author: I love the article, even though the subject matter is upsetting. Thank you for taking the time to address a social issue.
Thank you Evan for the fantastic quote! I believe that unfortunately racism will continue to be a problem as we so often spend time segregating ourselves into groups. As long as Universities and private organizations continue to offer scholarships, internships, jobs, and other opportunities to students of a specific race, racism will continue to be an issue as that just continues the action of forcing people to identify with their skin color as a sole identification. (This coming from a very frustrated, well qualified white student who is unable to get an internship due to the color of my skin)
Sarah Smith I highly doubt that you are unable to get an internship due to the color of your skin because something you have going for you besides the fact that you’re are a college educated individual is your gender. The number one beneficiaries of affirmative action are actually white women; check it if you don’t believe me. Also, I don’t think people are forced to “identify” with their skin color, someone’s skin color is a part of their identity. Telling people to be “color blind” in a sense is like telling someone to ignore a piece of who they are, their culture, and their history, which I personally don’t think solves anything. I personally feel like people need to educate themselves on issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, etc. The more we know about each other, the better we can understand each other, and the less these misconceptions and stereotypes will be thrown around. Also, if you really think the best way to end racism is to stop talking about it then read this quote from Morgan Freeman: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/sep/26/morgan-freeman-tea-party-racism-obama
If we as a society stop spewing racist innuendo, then we’ll have nothing to talk about.
Lastly, great article Geena :)
Hi Tarkor, I am just responding to inform you that I have spent many months researching internships across the US and for what I’m looking at going into (pre-med) I would hazard a guess that at least 80% of the internships available are only for minority and disadvantaged students, the other 20% is then reserved for residents of the state or the super intelligent regardless of skin color (making the process of applying to these internships even more competitive than usual). I have yet to find any “female only” internships for my field, but even if I did I would want my credentials to be why I obtained an internship not just because I’m trying to full some demographic quota.
Thank you, Geena, for writing this article! I think its important to acknowledge that racism is an issue on our campus. I also do not think it matters whether this issue is ‘small’ or broad, either way it’s not acceptable. Without acknowledging and accepting racism at school, we cannot change it. I hope that people choose to read this article openly and not defensively . I hope that people reading your article will choose to respond by working individually to be more inclusive and open-minded in their actions and words. I hope that even those that feel they are not racist will acknowledge that there is always more to learn and there is always someone who may need extra support or someone else who need reminding. I think those that feel defensive while reading this should ask themselves why and maybe reflect on what it would be like to be a minority at this school.
Sarah, I can understand your frustration. I think the point that should make, however, is that we would not need those “extra opportunities” for minority and disadvantaged students, if those students had just gotten equal opportunities to begin with. The fact that students do not get equal opportunities starting at the grade school level is making a mess. I can remember in my hometown, Omaha, when the suburban schools voted to be removed from Omaha Public Schools. As a result each suburb does not have to share tax-money with the lower income city kids. The laws went further and now all the money is segregated and- as in a lot of cities – the way that money for school is divided is the same way the city is segregated skin-color wise. It’s disgusting and its happening today. Its making a bad situation worse ( over half of black kids in Nebraska, which really means Omaha, live in poverty for example, imagine making it harder for them to become educated. ) I wish you luck finding an internship, and also hope that you remember that experience next time you vote. Education reformation in the country is a major issue.
John Mettcalf: This article was NOT “a waste of time.” Geena addressed a real issue and although you may not see it or experience it, others do. Though you may not consider racist comments to be offensive, others do. I believe Geena wrote this article in the hopes that people who read this will think twice before making racist comments, even if they don’t believe they are offensive. Some people take those comments seriously, and as the story from the article shows, they can have severe consequences.
Very well-written Geena. Often racism and sexism get pushed under the rugs and people rub their hands of them… as if they are no longer a problem in our society. In my ethics course we recently learned about a campaign stating “It’s hard to see racism when you’re white.” I absolutely agree with this statement. As a white female, I am often blind to the racism around me, but VERY aware of the sexism. Obviously we don’t get anywhere pointing fingers, but I think it’s important for ALL of us to try and open our eyes. Sheltered is right… we seem to think everything has become a universal utopia of equality. A few days ago, a black female friend of mine said to me, “Follow me around for a day at work and just see what it’s like. See how I’m treated.” I did. I couldn’t believe how different people acted around someone so similar to me. This happens EVERY DAY. We’ve come far, no doubt, but we have a LONG way to go. The journey starts with the recognition and dialogue that a piece like this creates. Great job Geena.