EDST 391-083
Color-Blind Nation: Worthy or Worthless Ideal?

Name:
Date:
"Daily Assignment"
P/F Writing Assignment for Day 20

Readings:

For much of the course we have been discussing whether or not colleges, governments, and other organizations should be treat people in a color-blind manner. We turn now to whether we should think of ourselves in a color-blind manner. For instance, do blacks liberate themselves or do they cripple themselves when they seek to develop strong black identities and group solidarity? Carter and Kennedy answer this question very differently.

Their debate is central to many of the issues that you have mentioned in the context of college life, for example, feelings about interracial dating, self-segregation in housing and social activities, white resentment that they must integrate but minorities may segregate, and minority resentment that whites don't understand the stress of being a racial minority.

  1. What are they key differences between Carter and Kennedy in how important they think racial identity is to blacks' personal identity and welfare?
  2. To what extent do you think that UD minority students share the views of Carter vs. Kennedy? Why? (Please be specific about what particular views you are talking about.)
  3. Do you expect white students' perspectives to differ from those of minority students? If so, how and why?
  4. What questions could you ask your fellow UD students to test these assumptions about both groups?