Black Yalie's Article @ So-Called Self Segregation at Yale

Parents Forum
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<p>Cross posting this on the Yale board, too.</p>

<p>From the Yale Daily News</p>

<p>"Self-segregation’ myth affects all groups
Niko Bowie </p>

<p>Self-segregation, as alleged by Friday’s News’ View editorial (“Self-segregation thwarts campus unity”), is a myth. </p>

<p>... I am one of about 430 black students at Yale, I work at the Afro-American Cultural Center and last summer I was an aide for Cultural Connections. I also will admit that black people often eat lunch together, most of the people who go to Afro-American Cultural Center events are black and most of the attendees of Cultural Connections are students of color. Still, I think it is wrong to call these examples of “self-segregation.” </p>

<p>If, for example, the Af-Am House had a sign on its door saying “Blacks Only” or an alternate rear entrance for white students, then I would have no difficulty using the term “self-segregation.” But this is not the reality that exists on campus. Rather, the racial separation in Commons, Cultural Connections and the Afro-American Cultural Center seems to be caused less by the students of color participating than the white students who choose not to attend. ...</p>

<p>The problem seems to lie less in the exclusivity of the organizations and more in the interests of Yale students. I imagine as few white students are willing to join the Black Student Alliance as there are liberals who are willing to join the College Republicans.... I can also understand if it is difficult for white students to attend Cultural Connections or a La Casa event out of fear of being the lone white student. Being in the minority can be awkward. </p>

<p>Yet as a black student at Yale, I am confronted with the same awkwardness every time I look around and see only one or two other black people in my sections and seminars. ...</p>

<p>Nevertheless, whenever I am in the minority... I am forced to think about the element of my identity that sets me apart. This happens often at this university, and it is refreshing for me to be able to enter the Afro-American Cultural Center and not be a tokenized exception. </p>

<p>The term of self-segregation should not only apply to students of color; contentions that black students in dining halls self-segregate are no more valid than claims that the white students sitting around them self-segregate, or that the lacrosse team or Yale Dems run exclusive eating clubs. ...."
<a href="http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/19864%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/19864&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>This is a good dialog on an important topic. I know that the claim of "self-segregation" was often used at our local public high school, although the reference was between the Asian and non-Asian students. I pasted the rest of the article below, as I think it's important in its entirety.</p>

<p>"Always being in a minority can be tiresome, and spending time with people with shared interests is enjoyable. Diversity is important because it allows students to experience other cultures, but diversifying the campus must go two ways. If white students want more students of color to join non-cultural groups, they should be willing to join — or at least be familiar with — the cultural groups that they claim self-segregate. </p>

<p>I agree with the News’ editorial that students should not approach discussions about race with hostility. It may also be worthwhile for white students, and the News, to explore alternative terms to describe race relations on campus than those that presume that students of color are doing something wrong. It is unfortunate that the myth of self-segregation implicates only cultural groups. As always, white students are welcome to join. "</p>

<p>Nikolas Bowie is a sophomore in Timothy Dwight College and the publicity chair for the Afro-American Cultural Center.</p>

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<p>I do find it amusing that the question is always "why are the black kids self-segregating?" seemingly forgeting that it could just as easily be the white people who are self-segregating.</p>

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<p>There have been studies indicating that the black students at mainstream colleges are more integrated into the college than are the white students, who tend to hang out with only white students.</p>

<p>I read this in a book called, "Why do all of the black students sit together in the cafeteria," which is by Dr. Beverly Tatum, a psychologist who wrote it when she was a professor at Mount Holyoke. She's now prez of Spelman College.</p>

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<p>White kids don't want to hang out at the Afro-American Cultural Center no more than black kids don't want to go to the Irish American Culture fest, or Jewish Student days.</p>

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<p>My family (African Americans) have gone to cultural events for ethnic and racial groups that were not our own. This includes my S, 18, who went to the city's Asian festival last fall. Several of his friends -- Asians and nonAsian also went.</p>

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<p>Sometimes I wonder if race relations have improved at all since I was in college (20 years ago). During my Senior year in college, I lived in a quad with an African American girl, a Philipino, and a redhead with Irish ancestry. I am Hispanic. We all felt very comfortable mixing with all the groups on campus, but in general, loved the BCAC (the Black Cultural Arts Council) activities the best...They threw the best parties! </p>

<p>And I bet no one in CC could guess where I went to college. It is a school not usually singled-out as inclusive (although they are always trying to improve their minority numbers).</p>

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<p>why not? i thought the point of college was to do stuff like that and learn about other people?</p>

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<p>Was it Bob Jones University?</p>

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<p>Please, Garrity, no! Try again! :)</p>

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<p>Notre Dame? Guessing because from the ethnicities, there's a good chance everyone is Catholic. I know ND also tries to be diverse, but can have a hard time doing so because of location.</p>

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<p>You got it Northstarmom!! :)
My African American roomie is not Catholic, and every once in a while we went to church services with her on Sundays, and they were amazing...you could really feel a current of love (for lack of a better explanation) going through the whole congregation!</p>

<p>I learned sooo much from all my roommates and diverse group of friends from college.</p>

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<p>I'm not sure what difference it makes, but Niko Bowie grew up principally in white communities and attended elitist private schools. His mother is Lani Guinier, a professor at Harvard Law School (and the first African-American woman to receive tenure there). He is completely familiar with being the only black person in the room, and he certainly made it into his teens without practicing anything remotely resembling segregation, self- or otherwise. He's smart, self-assured, and (unless he got a sudden attack of the uglies over the past few years) very attractive -- popular with males and females of all colors and creeds.</p>

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<p>Actually, Niko attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin school--a public school with 48% minority enrolment. Previously, he attended a private elementary school, probably owing to the family's move to Cambridge.
He was National Merit Finalist, and as JHS said, is very attractive and popular as well as very smart. He's the only person I've heard of who got a likely letter--in October.</p>

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<p>There is BET: Black Entertainment Television. Has anyone heared of WET???</p>

<p>Anyone?</p>

<p>Edit: Ok, I realize this is slightly off topic, but couldn't resist.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Has anyone heared of WET???

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yes, they actuallly own BET aka Viacom who along with GE and Disney market the majority of entertainment seen on TV from a WET perspective.</p>

<p>who you do think are the majority of the people whose viewing habits Nielsen is keep ing track of?</p>

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<p>Why does it have to be black/white/asian etc.? Yes, there are ethnic clubs. But most HS's and colleges have other organizations that have nothing to do with race relations, such as theater, Quiz Bowl, Lit Club, Spanish Club, Community Service, etc., and at out school, we find that only a small percentage of the blacks join these. And the ones that do, socialize with those kids in shcool activities, at school-sponsored functions, but still sit with other blacks at the lunch table, stand with them in groups in the hallways between classes, even though they would be welcome at any other table with students of like interests. There are white kids who try to join in the black groups, but they don't stay long, and in fact, one white girl was asked not to sit with them. She felt very upset, because it was OK to talk to those kids at extracurricular activities, and have fun with them, but not get close. (She was one of my D's friends from elementary school.) I don't know - I guess that I just pick my friends for their interests and character, and could care less about their race. Yet, at the school level, common interest is still not enough. At the same time, when I was in college, I started dating a black young man - he was fun and very nice. We went to the formal together. It was only later that I found out that he asked me out only because I was white, and it gave him some status. What a let-down. Here I thought we were having fun together, becoming friends, and it turns out that whereas I didn't care a whit about race, apparently he did. So it just depends on the kid and the situation, and the pressure being put on whites and blacks to deal with the issue, and in many cases, just keep to their own.</p>

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<p>"they actuallly own BET aka Viacom who along with GE and Disney market the majority of entertainment seen on TV from a WET perspective."</p>

<p>True. Clever. And scary.</p>

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<p>Yes, they actuallly own BET aka Viacom who along with GE and Disney market the majority of entertainment seen on TV from a WET perspective.</p>

<p>Yep, and the majority of Americans are white.</p>

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<p>Northstarmom may remember that I have told the story here about meeting my first close black friend (yeah, I am as pale and European-descended as most Minnesotans) in our Chinese class at the University of Minnesota. I knew the guy by sight from high school debate, but we never got into eating lunch together, visiting during the summer, and so forth until we had a college class in common. I can't speak for anyone else, but for multicultural moi, the father of "biracial" children, it seems that people get together as they share common interests.</p>