U.S. government speaker: embrace your race
Marissa Lang
Issue date: 10/15/07 Section: News
Rowland Roebuck, the Multicultural Affairs Coordinator for the U.S. Department of Human Services, told students not to judge themselves or their peers exclusively by race in a speech Thursday at the Nyumburu Cultural Center.
About 50 students attended the speech, which focused on racial and ethnic understanding.
Roebuck began his presentation by telling the students that Americans are often torn between identifying themselves racially or identifying themselves geographically. But he said people don't have to pick one or the other.
"In this world of racial relations we need to be very clear as to who we are," Roebuck said.
Self-identification is made even more difficult by societal identification, Roebuck said, because a Latino who may be seen as white in South America can come to the United States and be seen very differently.
This becomes especially difficult, he said, for those who must navigate the road between two identities, such as himself. While many feel forced to choose between the two, Roebuck said that everyone should be proud of all that they are.
"Do not deny any segment of your identity," he said.
Roebuck also discussed the consequences of identifying others solely by race, cautioning that prejudice manifests itself in many forms.
Roebuck, who is married to a Mexican-American woman of light complexion, demonstrated the varied reactions he and his wife receive when they walk down the street. As students laughed appreciatively, Roebuck imitated the "curiosity look" he said whites give the couple as they try to guess his wife's race. Roebuck said the looks they get from Latinos seem to say, "Damn, he got one of ours," and African-Americans often look at him like he is a traitor.
Glenda Industrious, a sophomore psychology major, brought her Afro-Latina mother, Gloria Dejesus, to the lecture. During the question-and-answer period, Dejesus described instances where she had seen blacks discriminate against Latinos and vice versa. People felt safe making ethnic slurs in Dejesus's presence because they did not realize she was Afro-Latina, she said.
"It's hurtful," Dejesus told the audience. "This is the United States. People shouldn't be judged like that."
La Unidad Latina Lambda Upsilon Lambda, a Latino fraternity on the campus, organized the lecture. President Dennis Maravilla said Roebuck provided a change from common beliefs by saying that racial differences should be embraced rather than ignored.
"We really wanted to show a different side of things," Maravilla said.
Students seemed to appreciate the change in perspective as well.
"I love that he wants us to embrace both our racial and ethnic identities," said freshman public and community health major Brittany Hollis. "It really celebrates our uniqueness."
"It's a shame more people didn't come," said Jennifer Contreras, a junior criminology major. "The campus can sometimes be a really divided community. I think people would have learned a lot from this."
newsdesk@dbk.umd.edu
About 50 students attended the speech, which focused on racial and ethnic understanding.
Roebuck began his presentation by telling the students that Americans are often torn between identifying themselves racially or identifying themselves geographically. But he said people don't have to pick one or the other.
"In this world of racial relations we need to be very clear as to who we are," Roebuck said.
Self-identification is made even more difficult by societal identification, Roebuck said, because a Latino who may be seen as white in South America can come to the United States and be seen very differently.
This becomes especially difficult, he said, for those who must navigate the road between two identities, such as himself. While many feel forced to choose between the two, Roebuck said that everyone should be proud of all that they are.
"Do not deny any segment of your identity," he said.
Roebuck also discussed the consequences of identifying others solely by race, cautioning that prejudice manifests itself in many forms.
Roebuck, who is married to a Mexican-American woman of light complexion, demonstrated the varied reactions he and his wife receive when they walk down the street. As students laughed appreciatively, Roebuck imitated the "curiosity look" he said whites give the couple as they try to guess his wife's race. Roebuck said the looks they get from Latinos seem to say, "Damn, he got one of ours," and African-Americans often look at him like he is a traitor.
Glenda Industrious, a sophomore psychology major, brought her Afro-Latina mother, Gloria Dejesus, to the lecture. During the question-and-answer period, Dejesus described instances where she had seen blacks discriminate against Latinos and vice versa. People felt safe making ethnic slurs in Dejesus's presence because they did not realize she was Afro-Latina, she said.
"It's hurtful," Dejesus told the audience. "This is the United States. People shouldn't be judged like that."
La Unidad Latina Lambda Upsilon Lambda, a Latino fraternity on the campus, organized the lecture. President Dennis Maravilla said Roebuck provided a change from common beliefs by saying that racial differences should be embraced rather than ignored.
"We really wanted to show a different side of things," Maravilla said.
Students seemed to appreciate the change in perspective as well.
"I love that he wants us to embrace both our racial and ethnic identities," said freshman public and community health major Brittany Hollis. "It really celebrates our uniqueness."
"It's a shame more people didn't come," said Jennifer Contreras, a junior criminology major. "The campus can sometimes be a really divided community. I think people would have learned a lot from this."
newsdesk@dbk.umd.edu
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