"Black Women Have Always Worked" Barnes Facilitation Questions
1- What does it mean to argue that both people of color and white people live racially structured lives?
2- Why is it so important to look at the "racialness" of white experience?
3- What's the effect of naming "whiteness"?
4-Does every white person have the same experience of whiteness (why or why not)?
5- How far has American business come in terms of racial equality and inclusion, and what does and should the future hold for people of color in business?
1. I think that for a white person and a person of color their lives are structured differently because the way in which they experience the world is very different from one another. A white person will have advantages that a person of color will not have and a person of color may have advantages that a white person will not have. Also, the world can be very black or white so each type of person will have a different way in which they must conduct themselves in order to navigate the kinds of societies they live in.
ReplyDelete2. I think that race plays an important role especially in the United States among white people and people of color. I think race essentially is used to reinforce differences among people mainly to serve as a negative in order to devaluate certain people. Also, I think race sometimes can serve as a way for people to better develop their own identity which could prove useful either for a white person’s personal life experience or person of color’s personal life experience.
3. By identifying or calling something white I think many people think that this is a positive. By something being closely evaluated as something attributed to white people in many ways I think has been shown on the media as an ideal for some people and makes people feel a pressure to want to seek this out.
4. I do not think that every white person has the same experience as other white people mainly due to the fact that not every white person lives in the same way as others might. I think that being white doesn’t mean that every white person is going to have the same life experiences or advantages or disadvantages that others might have.
5. I think that affirmative action has played a big role in creating equality in many areas such as business and education for people of color. I think that going forward there is still room to make improvements in society for people of color. I think that by enforcing equal pay not just for women but for women color this could so help create more equality for people of color.
1. People of color and those who are white can live racially structure lives because white people will have more opportunities and advantages in life. Both groups will usually live very different lives because of this.
ReplyDelete2. I think it is important to look at the "racialness" of white experience to show how differently each race treated compared to them. I feel like looking at that can help open up someone's eyes to racism that still continues on to this day.
3. Because whiteness has been seen as the superior race, I think some would actually like to labeled as white or at least achieve that status because of the opportunities and privileges that come with it. On the other hand, I have family members who use the term "white" as insult because they associate that term with negative characteristics that white people are sometimes stereotyped with.
4. I don't think every white person has the same experience. I think part of the privileges that white people have also depend their socioeconomic income; not every white person is wealthy. Every person and family is different so their lives cannot be completely the same.
5. In terms of racial equality and inclusion, American business have come a long way but I do not think they are all the way there yet. While I see more diversity, I also still see the opposite in some workplaces and even universities. For people of color in business, the future should treat and pay all people equally because in the workplace, it is their work ethic that matters, not the color of their skin.
1. It means your life is structured by your race. You are treated differently depending on what race you are.
ReplyDelete2. I think it's because "white" is the default in Western society and everything else is "other". This means "white" is not just a race but a standard.
3. Again it's a matter of standard setting. If we know what "white" is we can judge what is not white.
4. No, whiteness still has its intersectionalities. I am a white, disabled female who is a married mother. My experience is different from a single, able bodied white male or a single white mother who is able bodied.
5. I feel like we stop and start with racial progress in business. Compare black businesses in the South and North after the Civil War and before and after Jim Crow. Progress depends greatly on whatever society is currently contending with and how it affects the majority view of black businesses. As an optimist I want to believe we ultimately move in a forward both albeit with a lot of zig-zagging, but I understand the road is still steep and every uneven.
1. It means that people of color live and white people live racially structured lives because of the differences in experiences that these two people may have. A white person may have an advantage that a person of color might not be able to get or vice versa.
ReplyDelete2. Race has affected how society views the world for better or worse. Most people often associate being "white" as being normal or boring, and I think that its important to examine and investigate the "racialness" of the white experience to see why racism continues to exist and what we can do to fix that.
3. Some may find it to be beneficial or an advantage to being labeled as "white." However, being labelled "white" can also be considered to be "boring" or "plain" in other people's eyes. Although a vast majority still correlate being "white" with having an easy life.
4. I don't think every white person shares the same experiences with one another. Some people are still more financially well off than others, while others are struggling to pay their bills. Life affects us in so many different and random ways, and its clear that no one truly lives the same lives.
5. American bushiness has made significant progress in including more people of color since the days of the past. We tend to see more diverse groups of people almost every where we look, but there is much more room for improvement. It should be noted that some may think that these diverse work environments are good, but others sometimes think that these diverse hires are nothing more than a means for a company to receive brownie points from society as a whole. For the future people of color in bushiness, I hope that their is both fairness in treatment and pay for their services.
1. Well in the text, the black women in the text feel the pressure to follow their mother's way of parenting and how to treat their own families when they do not want to. Additional pressure comes from the stereotype of the independent strong black woman which pressures the woman to display toughness in her home and work life and her life becomes racially structured due to these expectations. The white woman have different stereotypes but nevertheless, their lives are influenced by race.
ReplyDelete2. Whiteness have more positive stereotypes attached to them compared to blackness. For example, they are seen as living in middle upper class neighborhoods and get to be stay at home moms. When we look at that how whiteness is portrayed as a race, we get model of how to treat or portray other races.
3. Naming whiteness could have the same problems as naming blackness does. For example, many women are negatively pressured by the image of the strong black woman. If naming blackness can affect them in those ways, naming whiteness could be similar.
4. Every white person does not have the same experience of whiteness. There is still the problem of intersectionality where people may pick on you for other characteristics or flaws that you have.
5. While racism is better than in the past, racism still exists. And I hope that they can work full time in businesses like they wish. Many women in the text stated that the family obligations prevented them from working full time and have to work from home. I hope that some of that weight can be lifted off their shoulders.
1. I think that living racially structured lives means that move through the world differently because of experience that they have possibly due to their race.
ReplyDelete2. The white experience comes with a lot of advantages, which most white people are unfortunately oblivious to but looking at the "socialness" of their experience can provide perspective to the experience of other races in comparison.
3. Naming whiteness can identify certain levels of privilege and it can also create a stereotype or image in someones head.
4. No, not all white people have the same experience but that happens in any race, factors such as income, religion, gender and sexual orientation can create intersectionality in people's lives and give them different experiences. In the Article the women even though all black and from Atlanta had different gives on family dynamics and women in the workforce, going a show race doesn't create the same experience for everyone or play the only role in people's views.
5. American business has made attempts to be more inclusive in terms of racial equality, however there is still racism in business settings. The future for people of color in business can be better, if they start acknowledging the racism that goes on in business setting, and raising awareness to the microaggression they face.
1. Racially structured lives means that the way you make decisions and even the opportunities given to you are all revolved around your race.
ReplyDelete2. Being white has proven to be the ones with better advantages to those compared to the black and hispanic/ latin community. Each race is treated differently and the whiteness has helped establish a norm and what this country has as standards.
3. Naming and labeling the whiteness is the first step to accepting its privilege so we can move forward as a society and begin to gave those same opportunities to other minority communities.
4. I don't think every white person experiences the same things, I believe this is due to the family income and sort of social and class status the family has.
5. In the American business, there has been some improvement from the past but there is still some improvement necessary as there is still some white privilege seen in many companies. in the future there needs to be the same amount of opportunities for the black community in business as well as recognition for their triumphs.
1. Race plays a part in how a person’s life is structured. I think black people and white people can have very different lives due to their race.
ReplyDelete2. If we ignore races, including the white race, I think it does more harm than good. It is important to acknowledge the advantages that come with being seen as white.
3. I think naming whiteness can be both negative and positive. I think it depends on how people view whiteness, which can be a positive thing to some and a negative thing to others.
4. I do not think every white person has the same experience of whiteness. Everyone lives a different life with different experiences, and race does not change that. Though I think by looking at the larger picture it is easier to see that most white people might experience similar things due to their race.
5. American businesses have become a lot more inclusive and better at treating different races fairly. I think there is a lot of improvement that needs to happen and companies can still treat different races better.