Problem Pitch: Racism
When Isaac, Jack, and I first started this project, we entered with several misconceptions. We lacked a clear definition of racism. We didn’t know the difference between racism, prejudice, bigotry, and ethnocentrism. Our interviewee, Dr. Abercrumbie, the director of University Student Affairs, has many strong opinions on the subject, having been a victim of racism his whole life. He was six years old when “separate but equal” was ruled unconstitutional but growing up in northern Kentucky resulted in him having blatant prejudice thrown in his face. He has been at UC for 45 years and has been one of the pillars in the black movement here. Dr. Abercrumbie was one of the people who first pushed for the AACRC, and ended up being its first leader. He was very keen on the notion that prejudice and racism are very different beasts. Our group defines prejudice as having a bias toward or against a certain group, while we defined racism as acting on your prejudices based on color or ethnicity.
Before this assignment, we approached the issue of race with far too broad of a view, while at the same time being too close-minded. Dr. Abercrumbie made it clear to us that many of the common conceptions we hold have just been told to us by the system and the majority, and that we have just been raised to accept their logic as true. He pointed out how the only people saying racism is a declining issue are those who created the issue in the first place and those who really refuse to accept any responsibility for it. He argues that ethnocentrism from the white perspective has really been counterproductive towards minorities because it convinces many of us that the fight for equality is over, even though we know that’s not true.
Professor Eric "Doc" Abercrumbie, the first Director of the AACRC, celebrating at the Tyehimbe ceremony
Abercrumbie pointed out that racist jokes and comments are bad enough on their own, but their effect becomes even worse when the people they target accept them. We can not make everyone passionate about racial equality, but we can at least educate the ignorant and raise awareness. We have to target those who are already passionate about racial equality in order to make them more passionate, that’s how actual change is enacted. Racism is a far more complex subject than we expected, but thanks to research and the wisdom of Dr. Abercrumbie, we have a slightly better understanding of the issue and how to fight it and make a difference in the world.
June 2020: Looking back on this project, I wish we had spent more time addressing the passive realities of racism. When recognizing how a large chunk of the population benefits from a system that directly oppresses BIPOC, we have to recognize it is our duty to show up and show out in the face of bigotry. A show of solidarity is a great first step, but we can't expect action to stop there; we must continue doing the grunt work of contacting our legislators, speaking up against the system that continues to discriminate, and listening to the many individual voices that need change most.
We can not allow anti-racism to be a trend: it has to become the norm. If we stand silent, we have chosen the side of the oppressor, and are therefore complicit.