Before break I decided to stop at the Hub to get a tea when I overheard a white male student say, “can’t wait to get out of this place- so many ungrateful ethnic people”. This comment may seem, for some of you, more obvious than other more “conventional” micro-agressions, but many people actually do not understand the struggles that marginalized students of color face. 

All  the time, students of color are unfortunately and unfairly labeled as ungrateful and whiney. The comment this student made undermines the struggle that minorities on this campus face on a daily basis and perpetuates an unfair label.

While walking back from McConnell (in the big quad at Pitzer) I overheard a conversation between two White students. One of the students was complaining about how they didn't want to go to their job as a language tutor and joked that because they were White, the students probably didn’t want to tutor with her anyways because she “doesn’t look like” she “speaks Spanish”. Then, the student went on to call this hypothetical situation "reverse racism". 


Let’s start with the first part of this student’s statement. Not only is this comment completely ignorant, but it is also highly problematic. It perpetuates stereotypes by implying that most people who “look” Latino most likely are very good at speaking Spanish- which is just not true and also not fair. This stereotype enforces the idea that if a Latino individual doesn’t speak Spanish, they are somewhat of a failure. On another hand, it may also suggest that if Latino student does speak they are inclined to help other students with their Spanish homework. 

As for the second part of the student’s statement, about reverse racism- THIS DOES NOT EXIST. How can a group (white people) that has so much power possibly be the victim of RACISM (not to be confused with prejudice). As S.E. Smith write’s on her piece, “7 Reasons Why Reverse Racism Doesn’t Exist”, the author writes, "In order to be racist, you need to possess two traits. The first is privilege: A structural, institutional, and social advantage. White people occupy positions of racial privilege, even when they are disadvantaged in other ways. White women, for example, consistently make more than black women, because they benefit from racial attitudes. Furthermore, you also have to have power: the ability, backed up by society, to be a strong social influencer, with greater leeway when it comes to what you do, where, and how.” So…how does that second part of the student’s comment make sense?

http://www.dailydot.com/opinion/reverse-racism-doesnt-exist/

​I am from Texas, a fact which I was embarrassed to tell people when I came to college because of its unacceptably lasting racism, particularly against the Hispanic community. Since I was little, my olive complexion has consistently confused strangers into asking what my ethnicity is. Over the break, I went to get my eyebrows waxed by an older white woman at my local nail salon in Dallas, Texas. After pulling off the first strip, she asked me: 
“What ethnicity are you, miss?”
“Half Indian, half white.” I replied.
“Really? White girls never have this thick of hair!” she laughed. “I would have guessed you were Mexican.”
I said nothing until the end of the service and politely left the store. While I know this woman did not mean harm by what she said, I was greatly irked by her lack of consideration for the generalizations she was making about me and about Mexican women in general. 

It is the third week of November, and this week’s major news coverage has been swept away with update after update of the Paris attacks. Facebook profile photos have rapidly changed to the French flag in solidarity of the incidents while there was complete silence on behalf of the victims in Lebanon, Beirut where the American University at Beirut was attacked last Thursday, the day before the Paris attacks. This post is not meant to be a comparison of the attacks themselves. It is not meant to pose one over the other. It is simply to comment on the fact that we did place more importance through media exposure on Paris and to say that was wrong. Media coverage is, in contemporary society, synonymous with the level of importance on that issue and, to not receive any news time at all, send the message that we don’t care. Tell the people of Lebanon you care for them too; solidarity via social media can make a difference! 

My sophomore year, I went to CMC's Rage in the Cage. As I was watching the dodgeball tournament, I turned and looked behind me. Moments later, a drunk white man walked up and criticized me for "looking at him." What made me feel most uncomfortable is that he employed African American Vernacular English (AAVE), moved his head back and forth, and snapped his finger to mirror what he imagined I would speak like. In other words, he used the "Sapphire," or the angry Black woman trope to communicate with me. I left shortly after.

 I openly criticized the Multicultural Advisory Council (MAC) at Claremont McKenna College for recruiting students of color despite the lack of support resources here and used my experiences as evidence in front of prospective students, MAC representatives, and an admissions counselor. The admissions counselor who attended the meeting lied to one of her colleagues about what I said, and the next day, I received an email from another admissions counselor (who was not at the meeting) where he referred to my testimony as "factually incorrect and extremely misguided." The admissions counselor never once asked me what happened. Instead, he assumed and sent the following:

Last year, members of Claremont McKenna's Brothers and Sisters Alliance (BSA) painted a mural on Walker Wall, commemorating those who lost their lives to police brutality. A white student from Pomona College defaced the wall in front of a Black student, who promptly reported the incident. The administration did not take action even though they knew exactly who committed the hate crime. He graduated without punishment. 

My sophomore year, I was enrolled in French III, so I had to attend discussion tables. During one session, we played "Two Truths and A Lie." I don't remember exactly what I said, but my truth was that I met Derrick Rose, the Chicago Bulls' point guard. The did not know who Derrick Rose is, and I told her that he is a basketball player. She responded: "well, you are Black, so you probably met him." Before she could finish, silence fell over the class, and I laughed to conceal how uncomfortable I felt. 

 At Turf Dinner this year, I was gathering emails for the Black Womyn's Collective's mailing list. One of the members was setting up the music, and I asked what song she was going to play. She responded: "African music. You know because this is the Pan African Student Association." The student is Nigerian, and I am Black. Her response was problematic for several reasons, but what made me feel most uncomfortable is that she emphasized "African" as if I, too, am not of African descent.