C.A.R.E.- Still Confronting Race: From Dialogues to Action (ex. cred.)

Does Bowling Green State University have unity, diversity, or neither?

First off, the moderator in this presentation was white and the four guest speakers appeared to be of different ethnicities, or “races.” I thought it was a little weird, or ironic that this was the situation. Anyway, one of the first major points that I got was that racism could be a conscious or an unconscious act. Also, racism is based partly on institutions such as Bowling Green State University. The first speaker, Dr. Anderson, spoke about how he views the Confederate flag as a racist symbol and that we may be placing too much emphasis on culture or habits. The second speaker, student Laura Saavedra, mentioned how race is not just black and white, and we all have a responsibility and need to raise awareness of the problems with race. She also said that in the Bowling Green State University mission statement diversity was encouraged, but due to the lack of, we need to work together to make changes. The third speaker, Dr. Chen, brought statistics showing that there is more white faculty based on percent than there should be compared to Ohio’s population census. Minorities are underrepresented at Bowling Green State University. She also said how guilt put on people dealing with race can lead to them withdrawing themselves. The final speaker, Dr. Adams, mentioned how race is structural and capitalism prevents equality. He also said that people need to be vulnerable in order for changes to be made. Whites need to be allowed to make mistakes, and people of color need to be allowed to be angry. Based on all of the speakers, Bowling Green State University has neither unity nor diversity. Maybe there is a little of both. It was pointed out that staff and faculty are just as much related to the issue of race as students are, and they should attend such presentations as this just like students do. Dr. Adams also pointed out that the U.S. flag, the stars and stripes, is just as much a symbol of racism as the Confederate flag because “the stars and stripes committed genocide on the Indians, and the stars and stripes took the land away from the Mexicans.” To sum up the presentation, we need to take action and come together in order to do something about the problems and troubles we face with such issues as race.

Could equality exist in a capitalist society? I believe equality could exist in a capitalist society. What Dr. Adams did not mention was greed. Greed and ambition make people strive for more money and power which is allowed in a capitalist system. Therefore, it is not capitalism that prevents equality, but the people and their human flaws that prevent equality. Greed and ambition lead people to do whatever it takes to get to the top and stay on top even at the price of another group of people.

I agree with most of what was said during the presentation. We have to realize that white people do make mistakes and people of color do have some anger. Also, we do need to come together in order to make changes and do something about the problems with race. Also, a student from the audience pointed out that the other isms must also be considered when talking about racism. The speakers agreed, and just as Johnson stated I also agree. I do not completely agree with the Confederate flag being a racist symbol though. I think that the ideas and actions of the past from a certain area, the South, have made this flag become to some a symbol of racism. However, the flag itself symbolizes the area of the old South, and then the old South, through harsh treatment of blacks, represents slavery and idea of racism.