Race Retreat Antagonizes Students
Charles Johnson
Last Updated: 5/1/08 Section: News
Do race retreats like those taken by OBSA, Chicano/Latino group, and Asian American Advisory Board promote integration or segregation on the 5-C campuses?
While I could wax about why these retreats are flawed, I decided that my words could never capture the range of emotions felt by the students who experience these retreats. I decided to compile an oral history of the retreat. As a white male, my invitation was not forthcoming, so you'll have to trust my faithful reproduction of the conversations I've had with several students who attended the Asian American Advisory Board retreat on the weekend of September 15. Though I know it's typically frowned upon to hide the names of your sources, my sources, fearing backlash, asked me to keep their names confidential.
At its heart, these retreats try to break down class unity. "These retreats make you feel worthless," said one international student. "You feel as if you've picked CMC, that it's a good fit for you and suddenly, you're told by your fellow classmates that there's no such thing as a good fit because 'they' - who the hell they is I do not know - are racists out to get you. Now this view is at odds with my experience. I don't know anyone anywhere who has felt any racial tension. Not from teachers, not from students, not from the administration. In fact, the only real racial tension I feel is when these groups tell me that the 'white people' are out to get me. This is just not true."
These retreats, while going after stereotypes in their discussions, apply them liberally to other races and rather than celebrating culture, increase some perceived differences. "I have never felt more 'other'," said one student. "They try to build you into this identity that you may or may be a part of-or think of yourself as being-with all these charts and graphs and sheets you have to fill out."
One such sheet had a list of possible identity options - family, age, number of parents, number of siblings, ethnicity, education, along with several other options. Students were instructed to fill a smaller circle with all the above options so as to see what identity issues the students valued over others. Some students protested that the options were too limiting and that they couldn't possibly be instructed to choose one component of their identity over another.
While I could wax about why these retreats are flawed, I decided that my words could never capture the range of emotions felt by the students who experience these retreats. I decided to compile an oral history of the retreat. As a white male, my invitation was not forthcoming, so you'll have to trust my faithful reproduction of the conversations I've had with several students who attended the Asian American Advisory Board retreat on the weekend of September 15. Though I know it's typically frowned upon to hide the names of your sources, my sources, fearing backlash, asked me to keep their names confidential.
At its heart, these retreats try to break down class unity. "These retreats make you feel worthless," said one international student. "You feel as if you've picked CMC, that it's a good fit for you and suddenly, you're told by your fellow classmates that there's no such thing as a good fit because 'they' - who the hell they is I do not know - are racists out to get you. Now this view is at odds with my experience. I don't know anyone anywhere who has felt any racial tension. Not from teachers, not from students, not from the administration. In fact, the only real racial tension I feel is when these groups tell me that the 'white people' are out to get me. This is just not true."
These retreats, while going after stereotypes in their discussions, apply them liberally to other races and rather than celebrating culture, increase some perceived differences. "I have never felt more 'other'," said one student. "They try to build you into this identity that you may or may be a part of-or think of yourself as being-with all these charts and graphs and sheets you have to fill out."
One such sheet had a list of possible identity options - family, age, number of parents, number of siblings, ethnicity, education, along with several other options. Students were instructed to fill a smaller circle with all the above options so as to see what identity issues the students valued over others. Some students protested that the options were too limiting and that they couldn't possibly be instructed to choose one component of their identity over another.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Some Pitzoid
posted 10/29/07 @ 11:47 AM PST
This reminds me of this Blue Eye Brown Eye workshop held at Pitzer one year. They brought us all to the Student Center for this event and then tried to replicate the experiment made famous by a school teacher some years ago. (Continued…)
clester
saeed
posted 6/20/08 @ 5:43 PM PST
haha charlie, the transition program must've enraged you
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