Race Relations Podcast

Race relations have evolved and become more informed. Though I was already aware of the current state of race relations, I have become more aware of historical events and their impact. My views on race and race relations have remained largely the same, but I have less patience for racism and discrimination. Taking classes that encourage critical thinking and examining the context of race relations has been eye-opening. However, the pushback and challenges faced in educational environments hinder the ability to make meaningful change. Okay, I'm Anaya. I'm Priscilla. And this is our little podcast. So, first question, how would you describe the current state of race relations in our society? What are some key issues or challenges you see? Um, I would say like, to me, the current state of like really race relations in society is that it's kind of like tense to me, like, I don't know, just the atmosphere is tense, you know, you kind of have people like, like different races going against each other and thinking different things about each other. So that's what I would say the current state is in our society. I would definitely agree with that, especially on social media, people have like, their comments about, you know, he was fighting yesterday with the 13% of the population 50% of the crime and nobody really tries to think contextually about that. So I definitely say it's better than it has been in the past, but it's still pretty tense. I would definitely agree. I feel like our race relations continues to fall back within our society in the United States. With the growing sociopolitical environment in the US, race relations has become a sensitive and like uncensored topic within media and political conversation. And as our country continues to grow, the diversity and issues are reflected on the lack of political involvement that allows people to sit on points of race relations and like policymaking, representation and equity. And especially with like world culture, I think it's being represented more now in the media, but there's a lack of representation in politics for sure. I would definitely agree with y'all. I feel like y'all, you know, definitely like hit it on the nail, race relations, you know, and within our society is kind of pretty bad. Like, you know, just to go off of like, dating aspects, you know, I feel like interracial marriages and interracial relationships are kind of increasing, but that doesn't mean that hate for them is increasing. I feel like, you know, they're increasing for multiple reasons, whether it's, you know, fetishization of other races, but I feel like a lot of cultures, you know, just in general, like I'll hear, you know, people saying like, they might not want their significant other. I mean, not their significant other, they might not want their children to date this specific race. Like, hey, I don't want my daughter to date a black guy. I don't want my son to date a black woman, you know, just stuff like that. Or, you know, simply, you know, you walking by somebody, you know, I feel like somebody had this experience here where they were walking on their own campus and then like some people, you know, chose to go the longer direction around them. It's just like, you know, things that don't even have to be said can kind of speak on the race relations within our society. Yeah, I definitely agree with you. And I would say, like, talking about some of, like, the key issues and challenges that we kind of see in our society, some of the things that, like, that I think are, like, really some key issues are kind of like going back to, like, the George Floyd thing and police brutality. I think that's still not where it should be, and it's probably going to take a while, but I just think, like, things within our judicial system and, like, how slow it is to reform things I think is something that's a very prominent issue and challenge that we have in society today. Another key issue is housing. We talked about this in class, but redlining and gentrification are major ways that challenge racial equity in the United States. There's communities that are populated by people of color, and they're targeted by banks and, or there's a lack of target involvement by banks and insurance companies that limit their ability to have affordable housing. Yeah, I literally just had a paper in which I literally talked about redlining, and I pretty much used, you know, Dr. Goodwin's lecture as kind of like a reference point in talking about how, you know, like the city of Austin, like, it's supposed to be this, you know, diverse hub, everybody's moving in, it's seen as a liberal city, kind of like a free-spirited city. So you would think that redlining may not, you know, exist in this city, but, you know, when he broke it down, it does. It's, you know, it's kind of crazy to see because it's like, oh, you think Austin is this and it's that, but it's still like every other city in the U.S. It's definitely, you know, segregated in a sense where, you know, these people are white and they have this amount of money, and these people are black and they have this amount of money, or even if a black person has that amount of money, to be on the white side, I guess, maybe, like Dr. Goodwin said, they're, the person, their realtor kind of leaned them towards the black side, even though they might have wanted to be on this side. So, you know, redlining is very prominent in every city, and it's kind of sad to see. For sure. Let's go ahead and move on to the next question. So, reflecting on what we've learned throughout the semester, how do you think historical events have shaped the current landscape of race relations? Um, I feel like, you know, this class has taught me a lot, and it's kind of easy to, I feel like, take this class and hear all of the wrong, like, America has kind of done to minority groups. It kind of just, it's easy to, like, just look and hate America, because it's just like, wow, like, you hear about, you know, the policing groups, the slave patrols, just lynching, and all this constant things that were just done to minority groups, and it's just like, wow. And I feel like it's shaped the race relation today, because, you know, you do have minorities who just hate white people. Like, just off rip, they've been taught since they were a kid to hate white people, just because of, you know, all the things that have been done, whether it's, you know, slavery, or things that weren't even taught in the school books, but that, you know, people's parents just maybe passed down to them so they would know. So I feel like, you know, it's kind of made that tension even stronger, because a lot of, you know, races just hate each other. Yeah, and kind of like, to touch on that a little bit more, like, it's hard to, like, being in this class, it's hard to learn about all this stuff that, like, the systemic racism that keeps on happening and not, like, feel some type of way towards, you know, white people or people in power. So I think that's definitely something to touch on. I definitely agree with you, especially on the, like, the superiority complex a lot of white people may have. And I think the inferiority complex a lot of people who are minorities have, especially black people and Hispanic people and, like, South Asian people with the colorism and the light skin, dark skin thing. And that you can see kind of plays in society sometimes, where I think we talked about, probably in February, where people who are lighter skinned get less, lower sentences for the same crime. And that's just one facet of it, but, like, definitely, I definitely agree with whatever you're talking about. I think history has had a major influence on shaping the current landscape of race relations. Systemic racism is one of the major leading ways in which inequities are seen through different race groups in the U.S. With the changing political climate, I think it's also important to note that political leaders continue to degrade the historical significance of the U.S. And how it continues to impact people of color, especially with, like, the continuing, like, racism that we see within our political leaders. It's crazy to see how it's just acceptable to say all these racist terms and stereotypes. And just across the medium, it's just okay to continue, like, having these people in power who continue to shape, like, policies that impact everyone in the United States. Have your views on race, racism, and race relations evolved throughout this semester? And if so, can you describe how and why? I feel like I've always been aware, as of recent, to, like, you know, the current race relations, you know, the state of race relations within the U.S. I feel like, you know, just kind of social media, and also, like, you know, the news, just media outlets, it's kind of evident, especially since 2020. I feel like they may be evolved in the way of, like, I've gotten more aware of things that, you know, have happened in the past that I wasn't taught or wasn't aware of. But in terms of, like, you know, my views on race and race relations, they're pretty much the same. Like, yeah. I mean, I'd say mine's changed personally, especially going, I've basically been a PWI my whole life, and going to places like Southwestern, you hear stuff about, like, a noose in, like, the freshman halls and stuff like that, and people putting, like, anti-Semitic stuff up. I don't know. I feel like, me personally, I just have less patience for it, because you go through it for so long, and you start to kind of, like you were saying, and I feel some type of way about it, but, I don't know. Then you take classes like this with Dr. Goodwin, and, you know, you start to think, like, critically and contextually. You gotta, I don't know. Sometimes it's hard to see progress at the same time, but I don't know. Especially in, like, a place you're supposed to feel, like, safe around, and then you take classes like these, where, like, it does make you think critically about race relations, but then there's, like, push-back against, like, from students and, like, other, like, leaders around campus. It just kind of makes you think, like, it's hard to make change or, like, learn about these things when, like, your own education environment is also, like, I don't know. It's really, like, challenging for us to, like, learn about things like this. Yeah, I would say definitely throughout the semester, my views on, like, race and race relations have definitely changed, especially with, like, the lectures that Dr. Goodwin has, like, taught about. Like, I just, I just, I feel like I've learned more about, like, the systemic part of it and how, like, things have developed over time and how things that were, like, policies that were in the, implemented in the 1700s are still kind of used today just in a different, like, way or said a different way, but they're still kind of the same, and those policies were made by, you know, racist people. So I think my view has definitely changed. What steps do you think are necessary for us to continue progressing towards a more racially just society? I think it's more equity and equality, me personally. I think it's, like, everybody has a base. We'll just say, like, white people's base is the highest. Then you can go down the list of races. But I think if, for everybody to achieve the same thing, you have to start everybody in, like, a, not a respectable, but a realistic place. Like, you can't, you can't ask a kid, I don't know, from the hood or something to, I don't know, to be an apprentice for a financial advisor when he or she doesn't have any experience with that. And if, for me personally, I think the ultimate goal would be economic, so where everybody has prospects for generational wealth and not necessarily through, you know, a lot of people. I mean, like, a lot of black people sometimes do sports or, I don't know, music, and that's not in the cards for everybody. So I think if you think most realistically, you have to give everybody a fair chance, but I don't know how much I'm going to put this. Like, everybody has a different starting point, and you have to give them a fair chance from their starting point. That's what I'm trying to say. For me, I would just, what I think would need to happen for progress is just kind of continuing to reform, like, the system that we're in. Like, I touched on a little bit earlier is that, you know, the system was kind of, it wasn't, like, it just wasn't made for, you know, minorities. It was made for, like, the rich people, and so I would just like to see, like, continuous reforms within the justice system. I definitely agree. In terms of, you know, reforms in the justice system, reforms in the government, you know, I feel like the justice system and the government is kind of in the root of all the problems. Like, I feel like that's the root of the nation. The government, that's the base, you know. It governs the nation, so I feel like, yeah, the government definitely needs some reform. Also, with what Trent was saying, you know, with equity, I feel like, like he said, not everybody necessarily needs to start from the same, like, area, because that's just unrealistic. You know, everybody's in different parts of the world and et cetera, et cetera. But I feel like, you know, everybody within their, you know, own niche or whatever, they can have an equal starting point, you know. Not having one person starting from, I don't know, just a great education and just he has all the odds, you know, just going for him. And then you have, you know, person X over here just, you know, starting in a home. They can barely feed their family, so now he has no choice but to, you know, get it by any means. He's not there. Yeah. So, yeah. Just really quick, because we're short on time, what was the most important or interesting thing you learned this semester in class? For me, it was housing segregation in the U.S., not only because of the historical significance of civil rights, but because of the major impact that policies have on the way we are taught on particular subjects and events in history. Housing segregation continues to impact communities of color, and it's crucial to be educated about how it influences food accessibility, housing, loan displacement, and education. For me, it was kind of racial covenants and redlining, kind of diving deeper into that. And like William touched on earlier, like, we kind of learned how that correlated to how we live in Austin and the areas that are, how they are the way they are. So, definitely diving deeper into racial covenants and redlining is one of the most interesting things that I've learned in this class. Yeah, I'd say for me, it's a mixture of, I don't see a lot of things, but the two things that come to my head as of right now is redlining, you know, and how prominent it really is in every city in the U.S. And then also, how underfunded HBCUs are, that really shocked me. Yeah. Learning about the origin of HBCUs in general, and then also learning, you know, that the government gives the parent school money, and it's the parent school's job to give the HBCU, you know, the money. And just, you know, as of, I don't know how recent that chart was, but you have, you know, schools that are missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars, and it's just like, wow, you know, it's kind of crazy. So, yeah, that had to be it for me. I would just say, and I completely agree with that, with everything y'all said, but I would just say in general, the importance of learning about history. I would just say taking this class, because I know he said it was basically illegal to learn about this stuff in a lot of, I think he said Texas or Florida high schools, so I guess you'd say keeping education in general, so people who are oppressed have no idea they're oppressed. For sure. All righty. This concludes the podcast. Thank you. Thank you.