Cafeteria

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Beverly Daniel Tatum's, //Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteri//a? discusses the difficult and sometimes taboo topic of racism in today's society. The book begins powerfully with the first chapter explaining how we are all racist. Tatum claims that even if we are not "hatemongers," our society is so rife with racism that we take it in daily from birth. She gives the example of three year old children's drawings of Native Americans. When the children were asked to draw a Native American they were baffled by the request. The question was reworded to ask for a drawing of an Indian. The children finally understood and the resulting drawings showed people with feathers and weapons and threatening gestures. Clearly, no one would call a three year old racist, yet these babies already had a clear picture (and misconception) of the Native American stereotypes in their understanding.

Tatum also addresses the fact that racist ideas are not just perpetuated by those who hate, but are also recycled through the absence of discussion of minority and marginalized people. When a whole race of people are not widely acknowledged for their accomplishments or are never mentioned, negative conclusions are formed by the majority peoples. For example, after a discussion on failure to know black authors, a student wrote that he did not know how he was supposed to know black authors when black people did not write books. Tatum sights this statement as the result of this child never having been taught about African American authors.

The psychological take on the development of racial identity will most certainly be an eye opening look at racism in our society. As we begin our readings, we will be searching for answers to some of the following questions:
 * How does identity and understanding of the self build upon or tear down racist ideas and stereotypes
 * How does the issue of power and dominance play out in the life of our students? How does this effect their perception of self?
 * How does identity develop in the adolescent years? and into adulthood?
 * How can we relate what we learn to our classroom situations?

As we move forward in this book, I am sure Tatum's writing will guide our questions and help us all develop a greater understanding of race and racism functions today.