Duluth’s Anti-Racism Campaign
February 10, 2012
Duluth has launched a campaign to try to raise awareness among whites about racism. Click here to read more and see the billboards. What impact do you think this will have? Is this a new and exciting approach? There has been some “backlash” to the campaign. Why do you think that is?
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CJS-360 Diversity Issues 
Racism is a big problem in this Global democratization dispensation and not only in Duluth Minnesota. However, for discussion purposes, I would conceptualize on the Racism in Duluth Minnesota. To solve the problems of the racism and eradicate it for all in the history of humanity, we have to try as much as possible to go back to school and Churches and teach our kids how to love one another. Again, we have to teach our children how to accept differences within our means and appreciate the varieties the Mother Nature had given humanity.
Moreover, the notion of evolutionary theories should be eradicated from our school curriculums as well as remove the old teaching of Charles Darwin because Charles Darwin Biological theories serves as a root to all these social and cultural hysteria regarding racism in Duluth and the World in general. For example, when someone is inculcating an ideals into a kid that some species of foreign colony will act-pace the indigenous species, it would make a kid to ponder upon these attributes to humanity regards how some race would out source other race. Therefore, this might lead a kid to start acting irrationally toward foreigners based on the preconceived notions.
Finally, human are smarter than animals; this application of endemic social Darwinism should not be applicative to humanity. Humanity can solve any problem that challenges them. Humanity is different from animal; therefore, we should not be acting like one.
I think the Duluth’s Anti-Racism Campaign will have lasting effects on the ones who are willing to open there eyes and hearts and be willing to change. I think this is an in your face type of approach and is necessary. We can look back at Martin Luther King and see that all he stood for made a difference. Yet, we still have racism everywhere we look. Example: In Brooklyn Park, MN we have one of the largest diverse populations and yet we have families who go home and lock their doors and peek out their windows. This white individual seen three black youth walking down the street and immeadiatly called the police as they were concerned that they were going to rob someone. Reality was that the youth lived three doors down and were biased due to the color of their skin. The backlash that has been received due to this campaign comes from ignorance as well as individuals who have always been taught that whites are the minority and that is all that matters. When in reality that is not the case.
We must treat each other with dignity and respect. We are different skin color, different hair color, different body types and different sexes just to name a few things. That is what makes a unique and special. Everyone has something different to offer that is what is great about America. I am saddened that so much time is spent hateing and being racist as that takes up more energy then accepting each other for who we are.
If people truly traced their biology back in time they would find that we are all related. Is racism how you want to treat one of your family members? I am concerned with what kids hear at home then they take that to school and tell it to other kids. There is damage done to those relationships as well as the self-esteem of the child who was being called names. Kids want to be kids and accept each other as individuals I think society could learn from kids.
We need to care about and love one another. STOP RACISM!!!!!
Carol,
While you made some excellent points on some of the ridiculousness that minorities have to go through and their lack of fair treatment by the white population. I must disagree with you regarding your assumption that anyone who had a problem with the how the campaign chooses to promote their cause are ignorant and that it’s been engrained in their mind since birth that they are better than everyone else. You talk about treating people with dignity and respect, but this is not what the Un-fair campaign is doing. Their intent is to shame and humiliate people to get them to change. That’s not treating people with respect and dignity and it never works. As a law enforcement professional, one of the first things you learn is that people are more likely to comply if you treat them as intelligent human beings. That’s how you educate people and get them to change. If they refuse to listen, they suffer the consequences. I don’t incite them. If I chose to conduct myself with people using the same approach as this billboard, I would be in fights both verbal and physical all day long. Nobody wins when that happens. Nobody learns anything either. Martin Luther King Jr. fought racism through peaceful means. He understood that behind man’s ignorance was an intelligent human being capable of change, and that how he was able to make the difference that he did.
I think this is a great opportunity for everyone to come together and get to know one another. I also feel that Duluth is one of those older towns, and they are stuck in their ways. But the reality of it all is that there is College in Duluth and not everyone looks a lke, and ther is racisim everywhere, but I think this is a great start to ending racisim, but something that everyone needs to know that reguardless of their skin, age, or sex everyone can be a viticm of racisim.
This campaign is a great idea on how to get community members talking about racism and how to address issues and concerns regarding racism. It is important that all ages of people are educated about racism and how to stop racist behaviors from happening. Hopefully Duluth strategically placed some of these billboards close to the University of Minnesota: Duluth campus in order to expose college age youth, who come from all different backgrounds and will eventually fill all different types of careers, to this thought provoking and enlightening campaign against racism. With changes to society and today’s youth growing older and transitioning into their adulthood and careers hopefully there will be a more welcoming society that is filled with less racism in our near future.
This is the type of forward thinking that should be in all communities to raise awareness. While we continue to see these acts of hate we are now understanding more then every that a large and swift response from the community is essential to putting a stop to this type of act in the future. The Un-Fair Campaign is an amazing outlet to become educated and involved. As stated on the campaign page these type of hate acts can define a community when they go ignored, and this campaign is a great way to ensure they do not go ignored. The study of racial privileges over one another is important in every aspect of our society, in the courts, communities, schools, etc. The awareness and constant exploits of these un-fair prejudice will continue to keep our country moving in the right direction when it comes to diversity.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with Duluth’s anti-racism campaign. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will have much of an impact either. People learn from experience. I don’t think reading about racism is experience enough. People need interaction with others from different backgrounds to fully appreciate their differences. Though this country has made great strides at diminishing racism, it is still prevalent in our society. Look at the criminal justice system and the disproportionate number of minorities incarcerated compared to whites. Though, it is true much of the fault must lie in the criminal committing the crime, it is still apparent the system of justice in America has not equalized.
After doing some additional research I was able to find the article in question published by The Duluth News Tribune. The article can be see here http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2012/12/30/6821365.htm and in brief it states that the anti-racism organization called un-fair.org put up several billboards in Duluth with the slogan, “It’s hard to see racism when you’re white.” This caused quite a big backlash among the city’s residents who took offense to the slogan because they interpreted the slogan as meaning that all white people are racists. This backlash caused a number of sponsors including the University of Duluth to pull funding for the campaign. Despite the backlash and the negative publicity the organizers still deem the campaign as a success. I for one don’t see it that way. They are looking from the stand point of the glass being half full and don’t see what’s actually going on in front of them. When you post a slogan like that on a billboard you are insulting people’s intelligence. That’s no way to call attention to a problem or educate people. White people can see race that’s a given. A majority of white people know about racism and are against it. The issue is like so many other things that humans do that we don’t see how the little things we do inadvertently or unintentionally without thinking shape our world. It’s important than that people understand the cause and effect of their actions. I think talking about racism is good but I don’t think the unfair campaign is going about it in the right way. It’s one thing to want to get people talking about an issue when you do it you want to come up with a slogan that not gets people attention but also gets them thinking. When you having a slogan that insults and angers people they are not going to want to invest anymore time in the issue. Which is why I found it so interesting when one of the organizers of the campaign stated in the article that if people instead of getting so upset would have gone to the website to find out more about the un-fair’s mission in the first place none of this would have happened. That goes against human nature. It’s better to come off as trying to educate people in the effort for self-improvement and thus a better world.
Racism does not go away when you ignore it, it will stay there until you face it. I like the approach this organization is taking. The build boards alone can start up thousands of conversations that may have never taken place, I think right there the group is reaching a group of individuals who may have never known the concept of white privilege.
I too had never heard of this concept until I went back to college, and honestly when I first heard of the concept I thought I was being called a racist.
However, I couldn’t of been more wrong, I wasn’t being called racist, I was being challenged to look at situations differently. This in turn gave me the tools and education to realize there is such a thing as white privilege and we need to be conscious of this and help those in our community who are without privilege.
I wonder how this back lashed to those of color? I wished the article went into depth of how this happened and what may be done in the future to make sure everyone is included in the conversations. I believe education is key in regards to racism. The more we talk about it and learn from each other the more we can gain and become a better person and citizen.