For this post I thought I’d share the connections I’m discovering at Middlebury. In one of my classes called Education in the U.S., taught by Tara Affolter and Stephen Hoffman, we are creating a racial autobiography. It’s an analysis of several incidents that have taken place during our lives and have shaped how we came to understand race today. By the end of the writing you are to explore your current understanding of race on the Middlebury College campus. I personally wrote about how I am aware of my racial identity but have yet to think about other racial backgrounds. Because I’ve lived in Vermont, the second whitest state, I’ve learned to navigate conversations about race and spaces with white people. I’ve been observing that a lot of people of color (POC) are having a difficult time making the transition at Middlebury. Several people are coming from big cities with diverse communities. Of course there are various races in those locations but never was white the most dominant race. For them, problems with race have never been so blatantly obvious. For me, navigating race has never seemed like a problem.
This assignment drew a lot of parallels to Cane and Jean Toomer’s personal story in the forward. As explained, Toomer dealt with a lot of race and ethnicity problems. He was of mixed descent and looked “white passing.” He never explicitly claimed a particular identity, arguing that he belonged neither to the white race nor the negro, but the human race. With this in mind he was able to maneuver the North and the South. I wouldn’t say this was easy for Toomer. However it does make me think about who gets what pass and why? For me, I get a pass because I grew up in Vermont. For other POC there is no pass at Middlebury.
Tonight I saw the Howard Gospel Choir perform. The entire choir was made up of POC. While I was hearing them hit unbelievable notes and listening to their voices vibrating as one entity, I was also noting the various shades of black skin. These observations reminded me of Toomer’s poems in the novel. In these poems words like yellow, honey, and gold are used. I think of these descriptions as shades of black. These words surrounded the larger text about the negro race. This leaves me questioning, who or what defines race? What are the consequences of race in different settings? What’s the difference between familial race and capital race?
The last thing I want to note is the current political change we are seeing. In the recent election the Republicans managed to retain their control of the senate. Yet in the House 92 women won, a total of 112 women — the most women to ever serve in Congress. Women also hit a series of significant milestones. Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids are the first Native American women elected to Congress. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are the first Muslim women representing their states in the House. Even greater is the 17 African-American women who won Houston court elections. With these drastic racial power shifts, I’m excited to see where the race conversation will go!
–Hawa
Thank you for your post, Hawa. It reminds me of Claudia Rankine’s comment in the interview we read by Kate Kellaway for the Guardian, “Blackness in the white imagination has nothing to do with black people.” Also, like Lauren said, very relevant to “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background” (Rankine 53). This notion of color being a social construct and the feelings of having a certain racial identity influenced by surrounding people must be a hard adjustment for some… I always wonder what it would be like personally, how would I adjust in a majority POC community?
I am also excited to see future conversations with the changing political climate!!
Your post touches a number of different topics to probe, Hawa. The topic that struck me most was the difference between being a POC in an (overwhelming) majority white space vs being a POC in a very diverse space. You have noticed in your peers that moving from the latter to the former has been quite difficult–would you argue that the opposite shift would be easier? These are new questions for me. I am always conscious of Vermont’s reputation as an incredibly white state, but I also see a great deal of activism and movement not just towards diversity but active inclusion, from projects like the I Am A Vermonter project, which encourages and supports POC moving to Vermont, and people like Curtis Reed, who has spurred a number of state-wide initiatives including the VT Partnership for Fairness and Diversity and the VT African American Heritage Trail. I see projects like these as seeing to change the dominant demographics and certainly the reputation of the state, but as helping POC living here to better understand the issues they face on a daily basis. Is this kind of support necessary? Is more support needed at Midd?
Very on-topic for the discussion of Rankine. Your post especially made me think of the quote: “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background” (Rankine 53). But you said you don’t feel different. You’re used to it. I’m glad you’re adapting so well to Midd, but do you mind if I ask why? Most of my family members chafe by the time they hit 18 and wind up at HBCUs. Those schools offer the freedom of not having to worry about your blackness at all time. Even I, who benefits so much from white supremacy, finds the racial homogeneity at Midd frustrating. It makes me long for home where people ran the spectrum from white to black, not just the binary.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and drawing attention to the great progress made in racial discourse following the recent election. I have also observed the struggle of peers attempting to assimilate to this new community. As a primarily white campus, I think that recognition of our differences in an act of acceptance, rather than as a form of distinction, is the first step to combatting these sentiments of isolation. This type of conversation is essential in navigating such separations of identity. Your post reminded me of a film recommended by one of my professors, which was completed by a Middlebury student as part of his thesis. It delves into the experiences of students of color, revealing the alienation encountered through pursuit of higher education and interpersonal relationships. Although it takes a very pointed stance in confronting the college and its fostered racial environment, I found it to be very important in allowing these voices to be heard. The documentary can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/95435773
This documentary is definitely worth the watch! Thanks Hawa for bringing the conversation right to Middlebury, and thanks Jaden for linking up the video.
A favorite quote of mine was “We may be an accepting community, but that doesn’t mean we are a welcoming community.”
I think that the Posse program is a step in the right direction for Midd. From the consensus I’ve heard of from my friends, it is among other things a space where students can share their struggles in assimilation.
I’m going to correct myself here!! POC shouldn’t have to assimilate to Midd — the wording there is exactly what is to be worked against. Midd should be a community that welcomes POC and makes people feel like there is no difference in treatment, from staff or other students.
Thanks for addressing this topic, Hawa. Middlebury and the surrounding community, while politically correct and socially aware, could vary more in demographics and backgrounds. It’s cool how your class opened your eyes to the perspectives of other students, since you’ve become so accustomed to Vermont. Do you think POC at Middlebury need a “white passing” to fully embrace the community, or is it more internal?
Your comment about the choir songs representing different colors is similar to the critical essay we studied. Like jazz and cubism, the Howard Gospel Choir allowed personal expression and liberation of self for those singing.