Tripping on the Color Line Ch. 2-3

Chapter 2:
"Loving our neighbor implies sticking with our own," (Dalmage, pg.71) is a great quote that portrays how the American society lives. It is sad to say but we do live in distrust and disinterest of people who are not members of the in group. Neighborhoods are racially segregated and continue to be this way. Why is this so? Shouldn't we be living in a society that values all ethnicities and promotes unification, instead of promoting segregation? The housing market has been and will continue being the primary factor in maintaining the color line. The housing industry has not only strengthened the white advantage but also provides more power to racial disparities in the community.

If neighborhoods are racially segregated, the question then becomes what happens to multiracial families? If a multiracial family moves into a white community, then the whites flee and the neighborhood starts to be redlined. As more whites flee, more multiracial or African Americans families move in, which leads to a racially segregated neighborhood once again. The invasion succession model demonstrates that there will not be a racially mixed neighborhood because of the racism that is present. Why would the land be devalued just because an African American owns it? It is hard to believe that racial stereotypes are still very strong in society today. Who is to say that whites are more valuable than people of ethnic backgrounds? They need to realize that they have the same rights, yet they still continue to treat each other differently, it’s not just whites that continue the segregation, but also the people of ethnic backgrounds who discriminate back. People still continue the border patrolling of their neighborhoods and this helps maintain the color line.

One quote that I thought was interest was, "Whites who live in wealthier communities...can afford, at least on the surface, to accept a few blacks in the area." (Dalmage, pg. 76) It is ridiculous to know that white people think that they are doing African Americans a favor in letting them move into their neighborhoods. However, it is not just the people living in the neighborhoods who help maintain the color line, the government, banks, insurers, and others of the housing industry are to blame too because they try to keep the neighborhoods segregated by denying help to racial minorities.

Multiracial families have it even tougher. Where do they fit in, in white or black communities? Multiracial families have a more difficult time with border patrolling because they belong to both sides. If they live in one area they have to prove that they are "black enough" or "white enough," like many of the people mentioned in the book. Finding racially mixed areas that are stable and will not have the "white flight" later on is difficult to find. Living in a mixed area is better for multiracial families because they do not have to worry about borderism and the color line as much, even though they still will have problems.

There needs to be changes in the housing industry or else society is going to be ruled by the color line. The question that needs to be asked after reading this chapter is what can be done to stop it?

Chapter 3:
Comparing the Rorschach test to how we identify/classify people because of their appearance goes hand in hand. I never thought about it that way but it makes complete sense. We do not know what the ink stain really is, we just guess by what it appears like, we do the same thing with people. We see their skin color, their hair, their clothes, how they talk--we do not know how they identify but we go through stereotypes to guess who they are.

The more I think about how we categorize people, I realize that is a normal thing for us. The Critical Race Theory is always at play in society, racism is deeply engrained in us legally, culturally, and psychologically. Even if it is passive racism, it still affects us. It is hard to fight racism that we do not even know we are enforcing. We have come to view it as everyday life and we have to be aware of it in order to try to stop it.

The need to stick people in certain boxes (Dalmage, pg. 107) reinforces the color line and even asserts more white power. The need to have an "us" and "them" is just a way to segregate people. Multiracial families are constantly reminded of the color line and they have to get used to it because it will continue, even though it is unfair and they shouldn't have to deal with it. It must be tiring for a mother or father when they are not accepted as their children's parents because they are a multiracial family. Their appearance does not fit together so people do not place them in the same box.

"You told us all along that we had to call ourselves black because of this so-called one drop. Now that we don't have to anymore, we choose to. Because black is beautiful. Because black is not a burden, but a privilege." (Dalmage, pg. 112) Being proud of your racial background is very important. African Americans are proud of who they are and exert their pride to others and do not want to hide because of all the oppression they faced, they want to show that they are still standing tall. Multiracial people are proud of being black and want people to know them for who they are. "Their desire for a connection to blackness runs contrary to the racist thinking of many whites, who firmly believe that all people of color wish for whiteness." (Dalmage, pg. 115) I agree with this because people know that being white gives you certain privileges, but even if you can pass for white and you choose to be multiracial, that pride contradicts the common misconception that white is better. However, not all people choose to assert their race. Some do it for business reasons in which being part of a multiracial family would interfere, so there are times in which race does influence life decisions.

Everybody should be educated about race because they are faced with it every day. How do we expect people to be aware of the racism that occurs in society if they do not understand what is happening. Educating in private is important so that the person does not feel attacked and so the person really listens to what is happening and learns from it. Also, informing people of race differences is helpful, such as introducing that your family is multiracial before they meet them so that people do not have certain expectations. Humor is also a good tool to use when talking about race. People need to be educated about multiracialism in society, and not matter which way they learn, it is important that they become aware of the multiracial society that we live in and hopefully the racial cartography becomes a multiracial cartography.

"The ways in which individuals think about race and their own racial identity influences their responses and interactions with others."
(Dalmage, pg. 129) People need to be open to multiracialism and be accepting so that race will stop being such a big factor in social inequalities and for the color line to start vanishing.