Although white people are born with white skin, whiteness and acting white are learned, said Bryant Alexander, professor of communication at California State University at Los Angeles.
Alexander was the keynote speaker during the Communicating Whiteness Symposium on Jan. 26.
His speech, “Performing to Whiteness (or Does My Complexion Give Me Away?),” explained that races follow certain scripts that define how they will act within their culture and in comparison to other races.
“While I may have a black body, my actions may be structured by the white norm,” he said. “We put on these social performances on a daily basis.
The goal should be to understand these racial roles and to try to rewrite these social scripts, he said.
Faculty and students must acknowledge the role whiteness and other racial stereotypes play within the classroom, said Audrey Thompson, professor of philosophy of education and gender studies at the U.
“During class, our teaching is often aimed at white students or the white norm,” Thompson said. “Faculty members should be encouraged to create a curriculum where students of color and white students are represented equally.”
This curriculum should eliminate tension during conversations about race so everyone is able to feel comfortable and safe, she said.
In addition to the keynote address, a panel session, titled “Embodying Whiteness in the College Classroom,” was held, and several U students shared personal experiences about racial conflicts on campus.
Unlike the white majority, a person of color finds it more difficult to join conversations of racism, Jessica Solyom, a graduate student in communication, said.
“When I walk into a college classroom, I have to live with the understanding that I may not be seen as just a student but as a stereotype that comes with the skin I am in,” Solyom said. “It is hard to be seduced into a conversation that involves racism because of the constant fear that you’re going to be drowned into a stereotype.”
Although whiteness is a dominant ideology, students should be encouraged to find their own voice without having to compare themselves to people from other cultures, Alexander said.