On November 12th I went to watch Michele Norris’s discussion on the Race Card Project. In this talk, Norris mainly spoke about different 6-word submissions that her team received for the question about what race means to you. One of the responses that intrigued me said, “Father was racist, I’m not. Progress!”. This response stood out to me because it was a comment I didn’t expect to see written out on paper. This was one of Michele’s main goals in showing the card replies–to reveal these unanticipated responses.
Although people tend to have implicit biases and opinions that may be against the norm, it is difficult to say these thoughts and opinions out loud as the responses and replies can be very harsh from those who disagree. Through anonymous cards, people feel more comfortable putting their thoughts out to the public. The comment on this card, in particular, made me aware of how those who are not people of color feel about race. It is difficult, sometimes, to understand opposing viewpoints but this card was very clear and explicit about their personal relationship with progressing to a more equal society. Instead of simply saying that they were not racist, they acknowledged the past of racism being the norm as well as confirming that they would be the person in their generation to change those beliefs. Although I’m sure there is an entire story behind these words, which we cannot see, the choice of words was very powerful to me.
In addition to admitting these implicit biases, it also struck me that many of the comments on the cards were clearly from people who were not people of color. It is often expected that people of color are the first and most vocal about race and racial problems because it affects them the most. However, Norris talked about the fact that white people, in particular, have their own truth and the cards were a way to reveal that truth. Whether that truth was that they felt guilty for slavery, felt disadvantaged because of “post-racism”, or some combination of the two–this was their truth. I think this was a very important statement. When surrounded by others who look like yourself it is easy to have an echo chamber and never encounter new, differing opinions but Norris encouraged this as a way to expand your perspective and learn more about why your opinion is what it is. It is important to allow each person, despite race, to say their own truth even if we may not agree with it ourselves. She emphasized that although cards were a good way to hear this truth the message should resonate in day-to-day conversations.
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