Call me stupid, but I had really begun to think that racism had ceased to be an issue in my time, maybe because I never thought I was being racist. And of course, if you ever were to ask me if I have racist friends, I would say of course not! Why would I befriend judgmental people? But in the midst of this critical thinking we have been doing in AIS, all this picking apart and scrutinizing and questioning, I decided maybe it wouldn't be too bad of an idea to take a critical look at my own beliefs.
So on the Wednesday of last week, my volleyball team and I tied up our hair and set off on a song and laughter-filled, 45 minute drive to Waukegan school. We were excited. Why? Because New Trier had a long history of absolutely crushing Waukegan, as did most teams in our conference. In fact, I'm pretty sure Waukegan has a 0-14 record so far this season. I am looking at this critically now because Waukegan has a greater percentage of African American and Latino students than any other school in the area. Was it racist of me to assume that we could easily beat them?
If I was indeed being racist, I wasn't the only one. The second we walked into the gyms, the west bleachers erupted in hollering and laughter. 'Ooh, big shot New Trier girls! Aw, cute they all have matching ribbons! I'm surprised their jerseys don't have collars!' This was coming from the group of African American boys, undoubtedly the Waukegan girl's boyfriends and fans. Undoubtedly, these stereotypes are becoming even more apparent every single day, and I am personally beginning to feel that there's nothing I or anyone can do to change the way people think.
Kasia,
ReplyDeleteHow cool is it that the AIS (Amazingly Incredibly Sweet) discussions apply so readily to everyday life? It's not a bad thing to recognize that there is a correlation between race and volleyball scores. Maybe it is not a matter of race but a matter of socio-economics; in class it was brought up that race often reflects income. If money is tight, volleyball is probably not at the forefront of the Waukegan girls' minds. Thanks for this post- it makes me think about how race effects my own life.