Agenda Packet 9-12-18 Work Session

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27 AFRICAN AMERICAN/BI-RACIAL YOUTH Focus Group Themes Characteristics of Racism • Eugene is a very welcoming place, never had any racist or bad things, but I’m not darker. • Don’t let the color of your skin keep you from doing something. • I don’t think race determines anything with my experiences; it’s welcoming. • I would tell a parent not to send their kid to Sheldon; I have never felt welcome there. Too white to hang out with the black kids and too black to hang out with the white kids. Hung with Asian girl. • When you talk with people here, they’re nice to your face but masters at saying one thing to your face and something else behind your back. “When you leave the room, the script flips.” • I am not a big fan of Eugene. I am a Senior and will leave here. I will return to visit my parents, but I do not want to be here. • You should probably re-title this group to be bi-racial; others’ responses would be different. Intersectionality • Racism fuels other oppressions. Institutional Expressions of Racism The City of Eugene • I find that Eugene is unique with its events. I’m really pissed we don’t have the Eugene Celebration any more. The HRC should make that a recommendation. Have the African square, the Hawaiian square, the Taste of Chicago, through food... Across the Community Police • I just got my license and I haven’t been stopped. I’ve never had an encounter with the police. Businesses • The day after Trump was inaugurated, I’ve been to that Safeway hundreds of times. I felt like people were looking at me like, what are you doing in that store, can you even afford to be there? • There have been concerns in stores, about being out at night. • You get followed in stores; it’s really bad. I always get followed in a store by the mall; they don’t train. Staring at me, I make eye contact, they look away. • They watch until you leave. • I hadn’t been followed since I was 18 or 19, but last year I was at a store in the mall and it was really obvious. I came back later and talked with the manager. That’s me at 24. I’m an adult. • It was my 18th birthday and we went to the sex store because that’s what you do, right? And they kept being there right behind us. I just left. Housing Jobs K-12 Education • As long as you’re fitting the part, taking the classes they think you should take, fitting their narrative; when you push the boundaries, they don’t like it. • Walk into physics, calculus, I was the only brown person in the class; I was the only African American taking the full IB program (only five of us in the entire city). • We have other brown students who are strong in math and other high level courses but they’re not pushing through and doing it; they’re capable but for whatever reason, they stop pushing. • Extreme amount of ignorance, the amount of knowledge when it comes to diversity, not taught in school, not enough to reinforce understanding. September 12, 2018, Work Session - Item 1