Introduction and Part One: Argument

Source: CNN

Hello everybody, welcome to my blog on the analysis of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, written by the president emerita of Spelman college, Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD. This book focuses on the frequently unanswered questions regarding race identity and the context of the different racial perspectives. Hopefully, by reading my analysis, you will have some questions answered.☺️

This novel has a format that uses conversations and comments about race as the main fore-fronting topic for each particular section. Through this blog I hope to provide a clear understanding of the author's claims and terms based on these comments and explanations she provides. 

↣ INTRODUCTION ↢

The novel first begins by providing a brief section about Tatum's ethos (credibility) and the purpose  as to why she had the need to write this novel.

As a clinical psychologist with a research interest in the development of racial identity amongst children, Tatum started to teach lectures on the course named Group Exploration of Racism. Here, along with the teacher and parent workshops that she led, Tatum made the discovery that amongst the majority of the population, the concept of race and racial identity is a large grey area. People were constantly coming up to her after classes and workshops to explain to her how they wished she could speak and explain the concepts of race at their schools or to others who lacked the understanding. After feeling tired over the constant requests (even though she was grateful that people wanted to learn), she decided that writing a book would be the most effective way of reaching the people that needed it. 

Tatum's purpose to write this book was to inform those who want to fully understand the concepts of race, and especially racial identity. Constantly, amongst many people and families, the topic of race is awkward and uncomfortable, and that is only because of lack of knowledge on the subject.

For example, amongst the new generations of parents, explaining race and racism to their children is frustrating and requires a deep sense of reflection. Teaching children the unpleasant realities of racism in today's society bursts the bubble of naivety. Is it more worth it to protect your child from the harshness of life or to educate them and make them prepared? If you teach your child about racism, would that prevent humanity from becoming racism-free?

It was clear to Tatum that the topic of racism and the questions regarding it needed to have clear answers, for many people (especially in today's political climate)  want to be properly informed.

In the introduction, ethos is used heavily to show the reader that Tatum is heavily knowledgeable on the subject matter of race. By explaining how she is Black (her preferred term for her race) she creates the credibility of being amongst the racial group that is known for constantly being stereotypicalized and prejudiced against, while also providing first hand experience of feeling oppressed. This credibility is also formed when she goes in depth about how she has taught the subject for many years, and so she appears to have (and probably does) a lot of knowledge because of her experience.

This heavy amount of ethos develops Tatum's argument, and creates trust for the reader. This develops it because her argument about racism is a more abstract concept, and so, to explain the meaning of it, can not just use statistical information or emotional appeal. By referencing her credibility and then stating her argument, she is able to develop it effectively. 

 To understand this, enjoy my visual for this explanation below. I apologize for the poor quality of drawing, but it will hopefully give you the gist of it.

↣ PART ONE: A DEFINITION OF TERMS ↢
          "Can we talk?"

Part one focuses on defining terms regarding race. While most words have a straightforward definition as to what that word is, terms such as race or prejudice are far more complex and abstract. Racism, in it's simplest form, is loosely defined as someone who uses prejudice to act negatively against someone based on their race. However, what creates this grey area amongst this simple definition is for when and where racism is applied.

One of the large claims that Tatum makes is the definition of racism. Unlike the majority of other terms in the dictionary, racism has multiple definitions, for the meaning of the word varies from person to person. The concept of racism has no standard universal definition, but one that is subjective. Tatum explains this through examples:

"But when I am asked, 'Can people of color be racist?' I reply, 'The answer depends on your definition of racism.' If one defines racism as racial prejudice, the answer is yes.  People of color can and do have racial prejudices. However, if one defines racism as a system of advantage based on race, the answer is no" (90).

Everybody has their own definition for racism, and theoretically, there is no "correct" one. To answer the question of "Can people of color be racist?" or even "Are white people inherently racist?" can only be answered based on what you qualify racism to be. 

This develops Tatum's argument of the book is that what complicates the ideas of racism and racial identity is the fact that there is never a straight "yes" or "no" answer to a question. There is not a correct answer, either. 

Tatum then goes on to explain her personal opinion of what her definition of racism is, and who is considered racist in her view. She explains that:

"In my view, reserving the term racist is only for behaviors committed by Whites in the context of a White-dominated society as a way of acknowledging the ever present power differential afforded Whites by the culture and institutions that make up the systems of advantage and continue to to reinforce notions of White superiority"(90).

In her opinion, the term "racist" should only be used when referencing White behavior out of respect for those who feel inferior to the White-dominated society. 

However, in my personal opinion, I don't entirely agree with what she qualifies somebody as a racist. Her opinion is valid, for as frequently stated, the definition of racism is different to everybody. Regardless, I disagree with this statement that she made because of how I do not believe that to be racist you must be a part of the race that benefits the most in society. While I do respect the idea of acknowledging the constant imbalance of a White-dominated society, I do not believe that defining a racist should be the place to put that. Only calling White people racist seems, in my opinion, a way that will make ending racism more of struggle because it further divides White people from the rest of the world even more, which is the opposite intentions for most people who want to end prejudice and racism.Therefore, to me, I define racism simply as someone who acts negatively solely because of another's race.

Compared to racism, the definition of prejudice has a more straight forward definition, but it still has the complexity and abstractedness. Prejudice is loosely defined as a preconceived judgment or opinion usually based on limited information.

To answer the question of "Are all White people prejudiced?", in Tatum's opinion, technically, yes. However, she does not blame the White population for being prejudiced. Prejudice is not something you are born with, but something that you are taught:

"[prejudice] is like smog in the air... None of us would introduce ourselves as 'smog breathers' but if we live in a smoggy place, how can we avoid breathing the air? If we live in an environment in which we are bombarded with stereotypical images in the media, are frequently exposed to the ethnic jokes of friends and family members, are rarely informed of the accomplishments of oppressed groups, we will develop the negative categorization of those groups that form the basis of prejudice" (86).

This provides the underlying reason as to why racism is still occurring today, even if we "solved all of those problems years ago". Even though people want racism to end, it is ingrained into our brains ever since we were young. Everyone is prejudiced, and the lack of initiative is what is causing racism to carry on into the next generations.

In conclusion, I enjoy the book so far, for it allows for racism and prejudice to be clearly defined and explained. While I disagreed with her opinion on the definition of a "racist" I do still value her opinion and respect her arguments. I look forward to seeing how she develops her argument on the idea of racism having varying definitions, for it has taught me to see the idea in a completely different way that I haven't thought of before. Thank you for reading my first part of my blog, and hopefully you've learned a new way to look at race the way I did.



SOURCES:
Struyk, Ryan. “Blacks and Whites See Racism in the United States Very, Very Differently.” CNN, 18        Aug. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/08/16/politics/blacks-white-racism-united-states-  
      polls/index.html.

Tatum, Beverly Daniel. Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the
     Cafeteria? New York, Basic Books, 1997.