The Office of International Relations held a discussion forum that questioned what the true meaning of whiteness in America is, and how White American culture is typically overlooked.
The discussion was held in the University Center and featured a very diverse crowd, all ethnicities in attendance. Ironically enough, there were only a handful of white students in attendance, a testament to the very issues the forum aimed to discuss.
Among the questions asked, one of the most debated was why White culture may not feel included when the topic of diversity is brought up. Student responses seemed to place emphasis on the fact that since the White race has long been considered the majority, their cultural recognition almost goes hand in hand with everyday life. There is a lack of White representation culturally, because there is a lack of a specific White identity culturally. An intriguing fact stated at the forum was that by the year 2020, Whites will actually be the minority race in America.
Another major topic of discussion was the issue of cultural expectations, or pigeonholing a specific race to only reflect a certain quality.
“How many people in here have been told they ‘speak like a White person’?” discussion leader Kibe Barnwell (Jr.) asked the attendees.
A flurry of hands raising in response, and even more people expressing the ignorance behind the statement. “Why is being White automatically associated with living a privileged lifestyle?” was another question asked, which received a surprising response that blamed the association on the inconsistencies in opportunities provided between Whites and all other ethnicities.
Overall, the discussion panel brought out some interesting opinions in relation to the cultural identity of Whites, and the effect it has had on the other ethnicities that make up our nation. Everyone who attended walked away with a little more insight about what White culture also is, although the lack of a White audience spoke more volumes on the issue than any opinion stated during the event.
