David McRaney  |  Journalist

Students, experts dicuss racism

Doyle Herrington could hear someone among the fans calling him names - terrible names - as took his place in left field.

Now a senior speech communication major at USM, he used to play baseball for Itawamba Junior College. He was a sophomore when he yelled back at the man hurling racial slurs at him. Eventually, the game had to be stopped, and the man was escorted from the field.

He says it was the one time he had actually been on the receiving end of what most people consider racism. But, in 2006, young blacks like Herrington are discovering racism rarely rears its head in such an obvious and blunt form.

"I keep my head up and avoid it," said Herrington. "I don't feel like its affecting me, but it's still out there, and it isn't ever going to leave. I mean, it is Mississippi."

Douglas Chambers, assistant professor of history at USM, says although the situation for minorities has greatly improved since the '50s, racism is still a prevalent part of Western culture

"The South has always been obsessed with race," said Chambers. "In fact, that's true for the entire Atlantic world."

"We're obsessed with creating categories for people," he added. "We don't think of other countries in the Americas as being racist, but Mexico and Cuba are very racist in terms of everyday life."

Chambers went on to say institutionalized racism, the kind supported and maintained but governments and corporations is all but dead in the U.S., but informal racism, the subtle kind, is as strong as ever.

"It exists in sort of fuzzy ways; there is something called internalized racism, which is having a continuing effect," said Chambers. "People have internalized concepts of race, stereotypes and expectations that determine how they treat other people. The new challenge is to end that."

According to Chambers, America now clearly sees removing the institutions of segregation and changing the laws is only part of the solution. He said the United States, especially the South, has a de-facto system of segregation based on job opportunities, residential neighborhoods and school systems.

"I think we are in a time of backlash," said Chambers. "The great success of realigning southern politics to the Republicans rise in the South is slowing the process. The Republican Party is basically the white party, and I think there has been a backlash in refusing to confront the next logical step in eliminating racism in our society."

Chambers believes change requires investment in black communities, school systems and jobs. But it will require higher taxes, and people don't want that. So, there is still tremendous disparity where class and race intersect

"A black person, if they have the extraordinary desire, can overcome all of that," added Chambers. "It puts the responsibility more on the individual. The vast majority of people are not heroic."

Sherry Price, a sophomore broadcast journalism major at USM and a member of the tennis team, feels the affects of the new racism are indirect.

"It's not like I walk around and hear derogatory comments," said Price. "But, I see it."

Price said when she played tennis at her highschool in Florida, people suggested she take up a sport more appropriate for blacks like track or basketball.

According to Price, black people are also responsible for encouraging stereotypes by suggesting certain activities and attitudes are either white or black.

"People are always suggesting you're either doing too white or not doing something black," said Price. "People have stereotypes, and I don't think you can eliminate them. We should work harder to understand each other. The reason there is hatred and racism is because people don't try to understand other groups."

Price also pointed out Sunday morning is the most segregated day of the week because Caucasians and blacks rarely go to church together. She added she thinks people are simply more comfortable that way because it has always been so - an attitude leading her to believe change will be difficult.

For Price, the media bear much of the blame for enforcing stereotypes.

"I think that when young black kids turn on the television and look at older black people they see rappers, they see football players, they see basketball players and comedians," said Price. "They don't see politicians or executives. They don't see prosperous black people."

"The media keeps us in a negative role because all we see of ourselves are sports and entertainment stars," she added. "I think if you turn on the television and read the newspaper everyday then you can't have any other opinion."

Price said she came from a family of professionals and was shown the difference between true success and the sort of success the media portrays. But, she feels a lot of young kids don't get the same opportunity.

"When you have 13 and 14-year-old black males walking around looking like thugs, that's because it is what their role models are doing," said Price. "I think it's great to see us in that light, but not if that's the only light."

Sociology professor at USM Dana Fennell believes race, albeit only a societal construct, has played a central role in the development of America.

"Racism has been present in some form from the beginning and still exists today," said Fennell.

She cited colonialism, slavery, mistreatment of Native Americans and internment camps for Japanese as a handful of examples.

"How race and ethnicity is defined, and what groups are allowed to assimilate, has changed over time in America," she added.

Fennell said many people like to point out race relations have come a long way since the days of Jim Crow and even the 1950s. However, she says, in America race still matters, and racism is still very much a problem.

"We can't just focus on positive changes," said Fennell. "If we do this, we work to deny the inequities that are still going on."

Current race theorists argue today's racism is less overt and hides behind a smiling facade of color-blindness or celebration of diversity, said Fennell. Studies since the era of the Civil Rights Movement show there are still barriers in housing, discrimination in hiring and job employment and blacks are more likely to be arrested and charged than whites."

"Racism appears very much built into the system," said Fennell, adding because discrimination isn't so blatant, people are able to ignore or are unable to see what is going on. "It is easy to create excuses. I also feel we are losing a sense of our past, our collective memory and thereby are unable to recognize remnants of past racism that are still very much in existence today."

Doyle Herrington rarely thinks of the time he had to wait for a man yelling names at him to be escorted away. He says he knows things are better in the South than they used to be, but at the same time he believes a bigot will never change.

"They may not hate on you, but in their heart they're still a racist."

Originally published in The Student Printz on April 18, 2006