Panel discusses, "Do we live in a post-racial society?"
Jareb Parker
Issue date: 3/8/10 Section: News
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The student panel was held Feb. 24 in the S Building lobby at Brookhaven College.
Keshia Bruno-Garza, services specialist for service learning and civic engagement, organized the event with ideas and input from Ahad Hayaud-Din, government professor.
The panel consisted of Brookhaven students as well as members of the community and local universities.
Brookhaven students composed the questions, which focused on racial issues stemming from the past and how they affect the present and future.
"This is something a lot of people have an opinion on but don't want to talk about," Bruno-Garza said. "I hope students get to see another perspective on it."
Moderated by Edleeca Thompson, professor of humanities and cultural studies, the session began with a brief discussion of the definitions of prejudice, discrimination and racism.
Scott Randall, economics sophomore, said: "Prejudice is like a specific taste. Discrimination is holding someone back for a certain reason and racism is both."
Luis Rocha, University of Utah graduate, said he was from El Paso, Texas, and spoke about Mexican/American relations he had encountered. Milton Rojas, history freshman, said he has experienced assumptions on race depending on which area of the country he has been in.
Though the questions were not tailored to infer a specific race, most of the discussion focused on relations between whites and blacks.
The question that garnered the most attention was what effect Obama's election had on race relations in the U.S.
Rocha said, "Obama's election was not based solely on his policies."
Shaurese Linwood, Miss Texas Plus America, said: "Obama's election opened the eyes of nonbelievers. We've been viewed as lesser: as thugs, street people.
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