My White Roomie

One of the chapters in “White Privilege” that we recently read discussed the discomfort we often feel when discussing racial issues. The chapter indicated that black people are usually much more comfortable discussing race openly than whites. My experience has been that I am much more comfortable discussing racial issues with other black people than I am with whites, especially those I’m friends with. I have a roommate who comes from a very conservative background, and as much as I love her, there are times when I sense that she doesn’t quite understand the racial oppression black people have had to deal with. On issues of racial equality, I’m usually a total hot-head, but I’ve had difficulty discussing anything racial with her. Part of it is that I do value her friendship. She’s a great roommate and she’s not at all racist. However, I’ve heard her make comments that show she is really undereducated or just miseducated on racial issues. Inside, I’d like to sit her down and explain my way of seeing things, but on the other hand, I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable or think that I’m judging her in some way. After reading this chapter and reflecting on some of the classroom discussions, I’ve realized that my dilema with my roommate is a problem for many. Racial issues often persist because we simply don’t want to talk about it. It’s not necessarily that it doesn’t matter to us; because it does, but we don’t feel like we’ll be heard or even understood. My hope is that the next time we’re watching tv together or whatever and something racial comes up that I have a strong opinion on, I’ll be able to speak up. I have a feeling that she’d be a lot more receptive than I realize.

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