Problem
I. What does racism "look like" to you? The PowerPoint lecture included a definition of racism, so we know what racism means, but what does it look like in real life? What are some examples of racism in contemporary American society? The Racism Iceberg may be of some help to you when answering this question. Try to include real life examples that you have encountered / overheard yourself.
II. In what ways, if any, do you believe racism has changed in American society from the days of W.E.B DuBois, for example? Here you can also refer to the claim by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva that today we live in a racist society that does not have racists. In what ways do you agree or disagree with this statement?
III. In what ways do you agree or disagree with DuBois' idea that "what race a person is seen as, and how they are treated as a result, ends up being a huge determinant of a person's social outcomes?"
IV. In what ways do you agree or disagree with Fanon's solution that as a society we have to move beyond racial thinking (black people must liberate themselves from their inferiority complex and white people must liberate themselves from their superiority complex)?
V. Putting words into action: Give an example of a situation where you may experience racism / racist remarks and describe what you think may be a good way of not staying silent but at the same time not create greater division. For example, if one of my friends made a racist remark, with the goal of building bridges and eradicating racism, I would not realize that goal if I simply responded with, "Oh my god, you are such a racist. Idiot."