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Instructor says stereotypes 'perpetuated in the media' limit portrayals of black people
The Advocate
“What’s the big deal?” was the name of the panel discussion held in the Lake Room Wednesday to consider the continued relevance of Black History Month.
Naomi Abrahams, MHCC sociology instructor, opened with results of a study conducted by Devah Pager, a sociologist and faculty member at Princeton University. According to the study, black and white males, with fictional but identical resumes, received considerably different treatment when seeking employment.
White males received more than three times the callbacks for second employment interviews as black males. In addition the study showed that whites with fictional criminal backgrounds received the same percentage of callbacks for second interviews as blacks with resumes showing no criminal backgrounds. Abrahams said racism, although more subtle in modern times, is still very much alive.
Nicole Bragg, psychology instructor and Black Student Union adviser, spoke concerning stereotypes perpetuated in the media that tend to limit portrayal of blacks as athletes, rappers and criminals. She said many historical achievements made by blacks are unknown to most people.
One example Bragg gave was Ralph Bunche, the first person of color to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Fourteen years prior to Martin Luther King being awarded the same prize, Bunche was recognized for his work negotiating peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict. He later helped establish and administer the newly formed United Nations.
Other notables in black history Bragg mentioned include: the first African-American federal judge, William H. Hastie, 1946; the inventor of the blood bank, Dr. Charles Drew, 1940; the first African American Ivy League president, Ruth Simmons, 2001, at Brown University; the first black patent holder,Thomas L. Jennings, 1821, for a dry-cleaning process; and Sarah E. Goode, 1885, the first African-American woman patent holder.
Students were encouraged to visit the website infoplease.com to find biographies of notable African Americans and related Black History Month information.
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