Our society in the United States of America is comprised of people of multiple races, ethnicities, religions, cultures and beliefs. Each of these components of diversity have been the cause of much unrest and disagreement among people. In the book “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” Beverly Tatum addresses the specific issue of race. Tatum examines various facets of the fact that different races are treated differently. Additionally, Tatum peels back the layers of social identity, helping her readers to understand how one develops their own identity and how that development is impacted by race.
Identity development starts young and continues throughout multiple levels and phases. According to Tatum, identity “can …show more content…
The diffuse status is seen as the beginning phase. Not a great deal of thought has been put into the area and no “psychological commitment” has been made. The next status is foreclosed, which is when an individual has some level of commitment to an idea, but it is generally a representation of their family’s beliefs. Moratorium is the next status. This status is the exploration stage. It is when the individual is actively seeking differing ideas and beliefs in hopes of forming their own. Finally, the achieved status. In this status the individual has gone through all the stages of exploration and has formed “strong personal commitments” to their own …show more content…
Brunson passed out handouts pertaining to white privelage. These documents were very eye opening. One in particular was called, “White Privelage: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh. In this document there was a list of statements to read over and either agree or disagree with. Statements such as, “I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.” These statements are aimed to make you acknowledge the privelage that you have in your life. After reading through these statements, I realizaed how privelaged I truly am as a white American, while I did notice areas of discrimination pertaining to the fact that I am a female, it was nothing compared to the discrimination faced by those of other
Identity development starts young and continues throughout multiple levels and phases. According to Tatum, identity “can …show more content…
The diffuse status is seen as the beginning phase. Not a great deal of thought has been put into the area and no “psychological commitment” has been made. The next status is foreclosed, which is when an individual has some level of commitment to an idea, but it is generally a representation of their family’s beliefs. Moratorium is the next status. This status is the exploration stage. It is when the individual is actively seeking differing ideas and beliefs in hopes of forming their own. Finally, the achieved status. In this status the individual has gone through all the stages of exploration and has formed “strong personal commitments” to their own …show more content…
Brunson passed out handouts pertaining to white privelage. These documents were very eye opening. One in particular was called, “White Privelage: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh. In this document there was a list of statements to read over and either agree or disagree with. Statements such as, “I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.” These statements are aimed to make you acknowledge the privelage that you have in your life. After reading through these statements, I realizaed how privelaged I truly am as a white American, while I did notice areas of discrimination pertaining to the fact that I am a female, it was nothing compared to the discrimination faced by those of other