Between Barack and a Hard place: Challenging Racism, Privilege and Denial 

Hyperlink 

After watching this video, I thought the speaker, Tim Wise made a lot of interesting points about racism and ideas that we as a society never speak of. We need to make the fact known that racism exists, whether we like it or not, and it needs to be addressed. I liked the analogies that Tim Wise made, in particular the one about people not considering themselves racist because they have black friends. The fact that a person has friends of another color, race, or nationality doesn't necessarily mean they are not racist towards others. people brush off this topic because it is taboo to talk about in public, so they make up an excuse that isn't even logical. The fact that so many people still obsess over the hatred of another race is ridiculous. The racism did not end when Barack became president. It was a large step for African Americans, but there are still people with cruel and nasty natures who will never understand what it means to accept everyone. These people obviously don't believe in progress, because instead their mentalities are going backward in time. 

When he spoke of a student of color going to a mostly white college, and how they may feel, I could connect that to when I attended Salve Regina for a year. My best friend and roommate, was from

Puerto Rico, and the came to Salve on a full scholarship. I have never met someone who works so hard, who is organized and who has been through many struggles such as herself. She was part of the minority on campus, but that never bothered her. She constantly puts herself out there and fought for union workers rights on campus. She has inspired me so much, and she deserves to be there as much as any white kid does. Yes, it was hard at first for her because she came from a school which was mostly made up of minorities, but she has worked hard and taken the opportunities she earned.  Salve has very little diversity, and that was one of the reasons I left, among other things. I admire her courage and I know she will do great, even if there are obstacles for her because of her background. I have seen white

privilege at work, and it is sad because sometimes the people who work hard are not given the same opportunities. That is why this issue needs to be addressed in teaching and in society. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/11/minority-students-worse-teachers_n_5135153.html

I have a link to an article, that talks about how minority students, usually end up receiving and education from teachers with less experience, and how this is less effective. It is sad, that these teachers don't care, and that the students are not getting the education they should in order to learn and grow.

Question: How are minority students supposed to achieve, if they are getting a second rate education. They won't be able to compete when it comes to getting into college, because they will not have received the same knowledge as children in other schools.