On Tuesday, Feb. 28, A Rap on Race was held in Phillips Autograph Library with special guest Dr. Elijah Anderson, a sociologist from the University of Pennsylvania. This discussion was on the book, “A Rap on Race,” which consists of dialogues between Margaret Mead and James Baldwin. Different excerpts from “A Rap on Race” were read by students from a variety of majors and ages. Sophomore and business major Chris Murphy read first; followed by freshman and health science major Alyssa Edwards, sophomore and biology major Jackie Thomas, freshman and special education major, Brendon Gantt and freshman and forensic chemistry major Sabrina Hock also spoke.
After the excerpts were read, Dr. Elijah Anderson commented about the Civil Rights Movements in order to paint a picture from then to now. One of the reasons he stated the Civil Rights Movement was so important was because it wasn’t just a movement for blacks but also inspired other groups, like women and homosexuals, to speak up as well.
He also discussed the segregation between whites and blacks, and how people were separated everywhere, from universities to restaurants. However, the United States slowly took action by incorporating black people into the system. In the words of Dr. Anderson, “the United States was making America America. Little by little, one would see a black person working in the shop of a window or a black person on TV. They were small changes, but they were changes none-the-less.”
Ultimately, the changes from the Civil Rights Movement lead to diversity. If a black community became separated, Dr. Anderson felt that it was because of social structure instead of race, that the line between poor blacks and middle-class blacks was what would now separate them.
Following Dr. Anderson’s talk, the floor was open for students to voice their opinions. Brian Jones, an anthropology major, said how he disapproved of the way the mass media portrays the black community. He said, a low-grade, underclass citizen was what the media showed. Dr. Anderson responded that he agrees with the image that the media gives but again he believes that structural poverty has much to do with the portal as well. Women’s studies major, Bridget Mulrooney made the comment that she believes people are working individually on diversity but as a whole, more needs to be done.
Several students shared a story dealing with diversity and race. Scott Rawhouser, a geography major, said that people talk more openly about diversity in their own groups than with a group of more diverse people. Lauren Williams, an RA and third year student, talked about how some organizations separate people even more because the separate groups are there. A response from Meghan Verdur supported Lauren’s statement.
Dr. Anderson was very pleased with the turn-out of the Rap on Race program. He said, it was good for the university; more schools should do it and learn from it. Steve McKiernan, who is a part of Sykes student programming said that the program was very successful, a good start to conversation, and [to] be continued. As programs, like this continue to pop up on campus, students will become more aware of diversity, not only on campus but in general. Like Dr. Anderson said, educate yourself and then you have the power to educate others.