Comments on: Week 6: Barbara Major

By: VernonB

VernonB — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:51:44 +0000

This was, if nothing else, our longest class! But i’m reminded of the phrase ” Long, but strong” Ms. Majors hit the ground running, so to speak. She waisted no time at all beginning to tell us who she was and what she stood for! Ms. Majors stands as advocate against racism and its effects not just here in new orleans, but all over America. Ms. Majors has worked with many organizations and groups to battle the ugly beast known as racism. Ms. Majors uncovered some well concealed racial ideologies of America and humanity as a whole. She along with her cohort Mr. David shed light on the vicious and sometimes hurtful scars of racism in the past and also its affects in present day society. I was taken back when Mr. David made the comment that “all those who don’t believe that racism is an important issue shouldn’t be able to obtain a degree”. All i could say after that was WOW. When dealing with people we deal with the idea of race in some type of way. The one thing that I didn’t know that Ms. Majors brought to our attention was that Race is a fairly new concept. The comment that stood out to me the most during this class was the often familiar phrase, “when you know better, you do better” . This class brought a whole new meaning to that adage for me!

By: Corey Allen Worman

Corey Allen Worman — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:39:33 +0000

Barbara Majors was maybe my favorite guest. I felt like we were getting into some real talk, my favorite thing. I hate overly polite discussion, I hate cowardice to talk about what really matters. Barbara Majors is real, and courageous.
It was really disturbing hear so many people in the class say that they did not think racism is still a problem in America. I would have expected to hear this from the ignorant teenagers in my high school back in Michigan, but not college students in New Orleans. I guess I am ignorant, out of touch with the majority…
“I couldn’t understand why white people had been created” I will probably will never really understand what it was like to grow up when and where Mrs. Majors did, but this is an insight into the profound fear and contention present between races. It might be difficult for our generation to understand this conflict, but it’s important that they do. David Billings and Barbara developed a friendship that healed that great rift for her.
“ ‘race’ was created to serve white American interests” It was great to hear this said, that it wasn’t just about oppressing blacks, but to pit the poor folk against each other so that the rich could maintain power. Overcoming racism will be central in America’s continued movement against unethical power.
“the Government was afraid of a organized black population” It’s important to understand that those in power are afraid, they aren’t insurmountable, but they will do whatever they can to keep power. The first thing that needs to change is the fear the oppressed have been be taught from birth, the training they have received to accept oppression as normal.
“our kids are suffering because we are unwilling to have this discussion” Better to say too much than too little, too much is at stake. The new generation is growing up ignorant of the current racial politics, many are taught that “racism is over”.
“The majority of children don’t have good schools, so they turn to crime.” This is convenient for the prison industry, the police industry. More arrests, more prisoners, more money for them and it hamstrings the black communities, not just taking their young people away, but making them harder in prison, and labeling them “criminal” with no chance of recovery from that label. Violence begets violence and communities degenerate.
A few criticisms. I appreciate Barbara’s passion, and I personally prefer a good shouting match, but I think it doesn’t reach a lot of students. This is certainly something to be enraged about, its “fucked up” but to really get another person to reevaluate their values they can’t be made to shell up, to hide, to defend. This is a complex subject, despite how obviously wrong racism is. The time given in class just wasn’t enough to articulate this power structure, especially to a group of students, the majority of which haven’t even taken a basic political science course or even a critical reasoning course.

By: RyanJ

RyanJ — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:15:17 +0000

If I were to sample the class as it walked in the door, I believe everyone who entered the room would agree that racism is an ugly beast. It has plagued our kind for many centuries and is unwelcome. I believe that if I sampled the same group of people on their way out of this classroom that I would receive the same result. In no way did this lecture offer, at any point, any hint toward a solution. We walked in knowing the history and scope of racism and walked out with our minds refreshed of how ugly it can be. No solution offered. No hope alluded to. It is 2012, as young Americans we understand the perils of racism and have witness countless examples to suggest that it is completely wrong. As young Americans we believe as a generation that we can be the change we want to be. I don’t believe this lecture changed anyone who listened mind’s that racism has existed and a very real vestige is alive today.
I would hope that people knew about the 3/5 vote before this. Honestly it was evil. Let’s think about that framework. The northern states did not want to count slaves as part of a vote at all because that would give the southern states an advantage in numbers. Delegates opposed to slavery generally wished to count only the free inhabitants of each state, delegates supportive of slavery, on the other hand, generally wanted to count slaves in their actual numbers. Since slaves could not vote, slaveholders would thus have the benefit of increased representation in the House and the Electoral College. The final compromise of counting “all other persons” as only three-fifths of their actual numbers reduced the power of the slave states relative to the original southern proposals, but increased it over the northern position. The result is ugly from either angle. Despite our past, I believe in the American doctrine than all men are created equal.
This came about around the late 1700’s. We just found out about electricity. Vehicles would not be invented until 140 years from then. We are a nation now of infinite information availability. We have a black President. It is up to each individual to decide their own destiny. Sure some may have it easier than others but the ceiling is not glass. You can succeed to your greatest imagination as long as you are persistent and persevere. Nothing was given to me. I have the scars to show my climb to just where I am now, but I will all ways cherish this experience. Each African American guest and others we have, with the exception of Mrs. Major stressed this fact. Your destiny is up to you and only through hard work does one achieve their goal
To quote Barbara majors, “If you don’t talk about it, everything stays the same.” To quote George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. …” We are a nation of young individuals who will eventually run this great country. To continue the path of recognizing the divide between races would be unfruitful and stagnate. We as a whole, as a country, have the power to change. I believe we can do this. We need only continue to recognize personal achievement and reward great deeds regardless of those committing them. A man is as good as his character and accomplishments no matter the origin of his background. If you are not on board with the advancement of our modern society and instead choose to resort to the bigotry and nearsightedness of our past then you will be left in the dust.
Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices – just recognize them. ~Edward Roscoe Murrow, 31 December 1955
One day our descendants will think it incredible that we paid so much attention to things like the amount of melanin in our skin or the shape of our eyes or our gender instead of the unique identities of each of us as complex human beings. ~Franklin Thomas

By: Sgaudin

Sgaudin — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:00:26 +0000

In this weeks class Irvin interviewed the one and only Barbara Major. I don’t say this because I knew of her before this this class, but because I certainly will never forget her. This woman had one of the most straight forward, take no shit from nobody, you’re going to hear me whether you want to or not attitudes that I have ever seen and I absolutely loved it. This attitude is so beneficial to her because her goal in life is to educate everyone she can on racism and truth be told nobody really wants to hear it. They either don’t want to hear it, are scared to hear it or think they already know it, and this is where the problem lies.
Growing up white, living in a suburb and going to a Catholic school all my life basically sheltered me from the concept of racism. I knew it existed and I even thought I knew what it is before this class, but now I know I’ve had a blanket over my eyes this whole time.
I always thought racism was just one ethnic group discriminating against another. Boy was I wrong. I also thought the roots of racism was “white” people and “black” people hating each other during slavery. [wrong again] Ms. Barbara and Mr. David accomplished a small goal during this interview because they succeeded in opening my eyes to the truth about slavery.
I learned that racism has been around for ages, even before slavery. I also learned that racism did have its roots in slavery dealing with the United States but not the way I thought it did. Racism became what it is today because the people in power needed a way to make the “white” people feel empowered without actually giving them power. Therefore, racism started not because of race but because of ethnicity and a class system of hierarchy. Racism was created by the founding fathers out of fear of revolt.
Another aspect that I have never noticed but looking back I now realize is how race gives individuality. Whenever a white person does something wrong the other white people say “it’s alright, that was him not me”;whereas, if a black person does something wrong it’s like the entire black community does that something wrong. But why is this the case? It was made clear to me why when Mr. David explained that during the days of slavery, when a slave did something wrong the whole group was subjected to punishment. This state of mind stuck around and still exists today.
Some people are naive enough to think that racism doesn’t really exist. I admit that I was misinformed of the reality of slavery, but never did I think it was a myth. Other people think race is subject to their opinions and/or experiences, but this is not true either. Racism is a fact which truly exists, but is understood by few because of the lack of education. Some believe that if they stay oblivious to racism it will just go away. This would be nice, but the truth is unless the world becomes educated on racism it will never cease to exist.
Ms. Barbara and Mr. David gave me such a new outlook on the subject of racism, and I will never look at it the same way again. I believe in that short class period they taught me more about racism than most people learn in a lifetime and I believe I am a better person for having learned it.

By: JenniferS

JenniferS — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:41:58 +0000

Barbara Major is a community organizer who works with anti-racism organizations on the local, state, regional, and even national level. I had never heard of her before this class, but I am definitely glad that I was able to hear about her ideas, struggle, and life’s work. She showed up with a posse, which I found to be very interesting for such a confident woman. I felt that she would be more likely to stand alone to share her opinions, but I am glad that she brought her support system with her to show us how her field works and the type of people who are involved in anti-racism activism. As close-minded as this sounds (and is), I was actually surprised to see that one of her close friends was an older white man who was fighting for the same issues that she was. She introduced him as David Billings, “one of the baddest white boys she’s ever met”, which both made me laugh and think at the same time. It took me nearly the entire lecture to truly get to the bottom of who Barbara Major was, but I immediately understood what she stood for, which I found to be very impressive. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, which I think is a very admirable train. I’m also sure that her candid demeanor comes in handy in her with community organization. Her friend, Mr. Billings, was also equally as honest and upfront, which was refreshing. Neither Ms. Major nor Mr. Billings tried to sugar coat their opinions, which I loved. Overall, I thought they were both great speakers and really enjoyed hearing their opinions.

By: JenniferS

JenniferS — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:41:33 +0000

When Barbara Major was introduced, I was honestly nervous about where her lecture would go. I’ve honestly never been confronted with race issues head on like I was in this short class period. I grew up in a “suburban” neighborhood in Baton Rouge and attended private Catholic schools my entire life before moving to New Orleans and coming to UNO. Needless to say, I wasn’t often confronted with complex race issues, if even at all. I hadn’t had much extensive interaction with people of many different races and, unfortunately, I didn’t really see race as an issue in our society today because I was never really exposed to it and the tornado of problems surrounding it. I used to feel that racial inequality was a thing of the past that was solved by things like the Civil Rights movement. Clearly, this is not the case. My view on race and racial issues has definitely changed throughout my time in New Orleans as I have been exposed to more diverse racial groups and able to understand the complexities of race in our world today. It was extremely interesting to see race discussed the way that Ms. Major discussed it. She is not afraid to confront the issues head on and helped me understand that race and inequality are still real issues today. Her passion and enthusiam inspired me to think about my former stance, or lack thereof, on race issues and seek to take a stand for all types of equality in my everyday life.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:53:36 +0000

Before Barbara Majors came in to get interviewed, I never thought about racism as such a big, crucial part of a lot of people’s everyday lives. That is most probably because I never let it affect me. Whenever the topic would be brought up, I would just ignore it or brush it off, because I see no reason to argue about it. My view on racism is that it is a problem that affects everything in the world, some directly and others indirectly. The way I see it, it will never be stopped and there really isn’t anything to fix it. One of the main reasons racism exists, is how parents teach their children and what kind of environment the children will grow up in. The main racism in New Orleans is between black and white. When topics arise and I cannot avoid them, I throw out a few facts out. If I hear a “white” person saying something about killings caused by a “black” person on the news, I remind them of all the “white” serial killers in the past. Hell, what about Hitler killing thousands of Jewish people? Barbara Majors was well prepared for her interview and even brought with her a few colleagues, one of which she called “one of the baddest white boys she has ever known.” She was truly passionate about racism problems. She said that every system created in the United States serves specifically white people. I disagree with that statements because if that was true, how is Barack Obama the President of the United States? To me, racism is strictly put in someone’s head based on what their family thinks about it, and who that person surrounds themselves with.

By: EmekaD

EmekaD — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:25:22 +0000

Barbara Major is definitely interesting. Her view on race relations was very eye-opening but obscure in a sense. I love that fact that she is so passionate about this topic. However, in 2012 I feel that social norms have changed to an affect that race is no longer an issue as it was in the time and journey of Barbara Major. By no means misinterpret my disagreement with being oblivious to the fact that racism exists but to go to the extreme of saying and I quote “the constitution should be rewritten” is reaching. While saying that, her passion in this topic has encouraged me to read more about race relations and culture. I believe that it is still an issue. I even commented that I didn’t realize that I was in my own education that I was trying to refute stereotypes placed on me as a African American man. But it is an issue that’s intensity has dramatically decreased in the time of my generation.

By: Casie

Casie — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:53:05 +0000

Barbara Major was nothing that I expected; she is full of life and extremely passionate on the topic of race in comparison to ethnicity. Barbara spoke very little on her past; most of what we know about her is from her biography. She was born in Franklinton Louisiana. In college, she studied Sociology. She is currently a community organizer and connects that to training for people and institutions that live in or work with struggling communities on anti-racism. She has held many positions in the city to help improve the underprivileged communities, but she says her greatest accomplishment is her family. Barbara began by defining race as the way you look and the way you are stereotyped, in contrast to ethnicity which is your geographic bloodline. Race she says is new and is based on the idea of white supremacy this is evident in South Africa, Germany, United States, Australia, and Italy. And because of this the United States social class is defined by race and all systems in the United States serve “white” people. Barbara’s class was a bit choppy in my opinion she jumped around a lot and spoke very quickly. She brought with her to class “one of the baddest white boys she has ever known” Reverend and Doctor David Billings. David expanded on some of her points of race. He participated in the Ole Miss civil rights movement and was asked to leave Mississippi because of it. Barbara in her youth witnessed segregation first hand. I guess when you learn in history class about segregation happening up until the mid 1960s, you don’t connect this to being only 60 years ago. I can then understand why she is so passionate on this topic. Before this class, I had never thought of race as anything more than being prejudice against others due to skin color. So when Professor Mayfield asked the class if race is important to us and why, I was the only student to say no. I said this because of how I had previously defined race. I don’t think of myself as prejudice, so how could it be important to me. The more you spend time talking about a topic the more important it becomes to you. Well I was wrong in making that prior statement. Race is important to me. I believe that with Barbara Major’s work and each of us with a conscious effort we can eliminate race as a way of defining people. People should be judged as an individual not by their race! I respect people of different ethnicity now, because too often they have been profiled by their race. Everyone should have equal opportunities in this world, it is not fair that the idea of “white supremacy” even exists and still runs many decisions in the United States, especially in the south. Much has changed since the Constitution was written but there is still work to be done and I commend Barbara for dedicating her life to this topic.

By: EmekaD

EmekaD — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:24:07 +0000

Webster defines racism as a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and
that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

This very notion I was raised to reject. To not be judged by the color of my skin but the content of my character. The principle that all men are created equal. I believe these truths to be self-evident. Sort of… In my mind I believe if you work relentlessly hard you can knock down any barriers that prevent you from attaining goals, if the goal is truly destined.

So when Ms. Major came to class I refused to receive that racism is now and has always been an immense determinant of this predetermined dislike and/or hate.

Then tragedy strikes in a gated community in Sanford, Florida…

My views became to come into question. Am I just another black man that’s a target as Ms. Majors alluded to? I’m not naïve or ignorant to the fact that racism exists and/or occurs. But when I look at Trayvon Martin, I see myself… a young person trying to get to his destination.

Will I be shot down physically, emotionally, or unintentionally by predetermined biases? I can’t answer that question. However, I can tell you that I have never and will never let my race question my ability to do well and succeed. Plain and simple.

Yes, clearly racism does still exist but I believe if we focus more on the solution, what we can do as nation to really do to change stigmas of race, rather than every time a racial issues come up start a rally and march and forget about it in a couple months.

I intend in no way to downplay the situation that occurred with Trayvon Martin. But in reference to our class. I kind of get tired of talking without action. If we want America to change I think we have to look at ourselves and ask how can this change start with me. I believe this class didn’t focus enough on the solution. However, I was enlightened by the conversation we had and thoroughly enjoyed the discussion.