Class Reflection

Talking about everyday experiences and topics that are related to race and ethnicity really forced me to look at my everyday actions. Participating in a class that is specifically structured to talk about hard issues such as race and ethnicity made it easier for me to open up to the class. I felt as if I was in the same position as my classmates. We were all there to learn more about ourselves, as well as others. I believe that our testimonies at the beginning of our dialogue really helped us connect with one another. I remember going into the class thinking why would I want to really open up about my struggles to people I do not know. However, after hearing the testimonials, I was taken back. I had to rethink and reconsider everything that …show more content…
I really aspire to have relationships in the United States where color did not matter. Being in Intergroup Relations, we talked a lot about our race and ethnicity. However, I do not think we ever thought of anyone being different or less than. I believe it is important that we acknowledge different colors. However, we should still emphasis friendships within different racial groups, I believe I lost sight of that before this class. I was always friendly and cordial with people of different races and ethnicities, but I never pushed myself to make friends or gain closer relationships. This struggle of friendships with others that did not look like me lingered into my trust of allyhood and what it truly meant for …show more content…
We talked a lot of privilege and how white people should use their privilege for good. It wasn't until I read the article A Message to Allies and Aspiring Allies that I really started to understand what exactly an ally should do and stand for. Something in the article that really caught my attention was when Noel Gordon said that the simple answer to whether or not a white person should support and go to a protest called Color of Change “is YES! White, cisgender, and/or heterosexual people are absolutely welcome to join us at this conference. But we ask you all to remember that Color of Change is centered on the lived experiences of queer and trans*people of color (QTPoC) for a reason!Allies are important but only in so far as they are able to work with us,not for or against us. I think I resonated a lot with what Gordon said because I struggled to answer whether or not I wanted white people to support our protests because I fear that it would no longer be about the oppressed group. I feared that they would make it into something that it is not. However, I feel as if the author makes a great point that they should be welcomed, but they should know the purpose of the events. They should know that the protest, event or whatever is being held is for that group, so the only goal they should have is to help, not work for us or against us because that may cause a group to feel as if they have lost their