Week 4 Popular Media Review

After reading the Coates book, I was reminded of the Switched at Birth episode arc that dealt with racism. One episode follows three African-American supporting characters and their experiences with racism in college. One girl, Iris, began a hunger strike in response to the light punishment given to students who had left cotton balls in front of the Black Student Union. Another girl, Sharee, recalls experiences with being called the n-word in her childhood. The third student, Chris, is initially unwilling to get involved with the campus movement in fear of losing his athletic scholarship. However, after being assaulted by campus police who mistakenly thought he was stealing his own bicycle, Chris joins Iris and Sharee in the protest against campus racism.

It was so important that the story be told from the perspective of the African-American characters. Because the main characters, Bay and Daphne, are white, telling a story about campus racism through their perspective would not have done the issue justice.

Something that was particularly striking was Daphne’s involvement in the movement. Though well-intentioned, she inserts herself into Iris’ movement and tries to give advice. Because she’s never experienced racism like that, she didn’t fully understand that it wasn’t her place to advise her friends how the movement should be organized. For example, she goes to the Dean of Student Wellness on behalf of her Black friends despite being told that it’s unlikely the administration would go to great lengths to find and punish the students who committed the act of hate. It was an important message about how we can be advocates and allies to the movement without undermining the experiences that Black individuals go through.