Hello Everyone,
I'm a black student at a small overwhelmingly white college in New Jersey. More specifically, rich white kids. I transfered there three years ago and I'm about to graduate in May. Looking back and reflecting on the past three years, I feel like I've been cheated out of the true college experience. The academics are fine but socially I feel that people of color, especially blacks are shut out from the social circles here. The few black students on campus have to stick together in order to have any chance at not being alone all the time. I have dealt with some obvious racism in my years here but most of it is subtle. The lack of eye contact, unfriendly body language and just overall unfriendliness of the other white students leads to frustration on the part black students. I have made only one white friend during the three years I've been here and one day he asked me an interesting question. We were in the dinning hall eating and he asked me, "why do all the black students sit at this table?" I thought for a second then I answered his question with a question of my own. I pointed to all of the many white tables and said "why do all the white kids sit at those tables?" He immediatly understood my point. It seems like any sort of contact between the two races has to be initiated by blacks or there is none at all. It's like saying "you join us, we're not joining you."
When I'm walking back to the dorm from a late class, I can see the fear of the white students when they walk past me. They lower their heads and avoid eye contact at all costs. I've had people walk into deep into the grass by the sidewalk to avoid me. I mean this one person damn near dived off the sidewalk to avoid me. Keep in mind that I had books in my had and a backback on so It was obvious that I was a student. And I don't dress thugish at all. I guess black criminals go undercover as college students now. Maybe that girl thought I was going to rob her with my textbook.
At parties they are so cold and unfriendly, when you try to get into a conversation they seem to ignore you or get all shy and stop talking. They make it clear that your presence is unwanted. My roomate is white and is one of the coolest peopld i've ever met. We'll definatly be friends for life. He invites me to those parties and I go just to be polite but I always end up leaving really early. The last party we went to together, he noticed the subtle differences in the way people interacted with me. He was amazed that people are still like this and said he couldn't be sure that he'd never acted that without realizing.
And dating for a black student at this college is a ridiculous experience. I went to a fairly diverse high school where I was attracted to girls of all races, I never gave race much thought when dating was concerned. That changed when I got to this school. Because about 95 percent of the girls here are white most of the girls i've been attracted to are white. I wish there were more black girls because the white girls here are afraid to date black guys. I can tell that a lot of the girls are attracted to me but wont have any part of it because they're afraid of their on campus reputation being ruined if they date a black guy.
If I had it to over, I would have gone to an all black school or at least a school that's more culturally diverse. Over the 3 years i've been here, my preception of whites has changed to a negative one. I now have a lot of frustration towards white people, has anyone here had a similar experince? Also I know that in the business world, I'm going to have to deal with whites. how do I deal with the pent up anger that I have now?
Please don't think I'm white bashing, I'm just sharing my experience over the past three years.
P.S If you're black Don't go to Monmouth University in New Jersey, you wont be welcome there.
I'm a black student at a small overwhelmingly white college in New Jersey. More specifically, rich white kids. I transfered there three years ago and I'm about to graduate in May. Looking back and reflecting on the past three years, I feel like I've been cheated out of the true college experience. The academics are fine but socially I feel that people of color, especially blacks are shut out from the social circles here. The few black students on campus have to stick together in order to have any chance at not being alone all the time. I have dealt with some obvious racism in my years here but most of it is subtle. The lack of eye contact, unfriendly body language and just overall unfriendliness of the other white students leads to frustration on the part black students. I have made only one white friend during the three years I've been here and one day he asked me an interesting question. We were in the dinning hall eating and he asked me, "why do all the black students sit at this table?" I thought for a second then I answered his question with a question of my own. I pointed to all of the many white tables and said "why do all the white kids sit at those tables?" He immediatly understood my point. It seems like any sort of contact between the two races has to be initiated by blacks or there is none at all. It's like saying "you join us, we're not joining you."
When I'm walking back to the dorm from a late class, I can see the fear of the white students when they walk past me. They lower their heads and avoid eye contact at all costs. I've had people walk into deep into the grass by the sidewalk to avoid me. I mean this one person damn near dived off the sidewalk to avoid me. Keep in mind that I had books in my had and a backback on so It was obvious that I was a student. And I don't dress thugish at all. I guess black criminals go undercover as college students now. Maybe that girl thought I was going to rob her with my textbook.
At parties they are so cold and unfriendly, when you try to get into a conversation they seem to ignore you or get all shy and stop talking. They make it clear that your presence is unwanted. My roomate is white and is one of the coolest peopld i've ever met. We'll definatly be friends for life. He invites me to those parties and I go just to be polite but I always end up leaving really early. The last party we went to together, he noticed the subtle differences in the way people interacted with me. He was amazed that people are still like this and said he couldn't be sure that he'd never acted that without realizing.
And dating for a black student at this college is a ridiculous experience. I went to a fairly diverse high school where I was attracted to girls of all races, I never gave race much thought when dating was concerned. That changed when I got to this school. Because about 95 percent of the girls here are white most of the girls i've been attracted to are white. I wish there were more black girls because the white girls here are afraid to date black guys. I can tell that a lot of the girls are attracted to me but wont have any part of it because they're afraid of their on campus reputation being ruined if they date a black guy.
If I had it to over, I would have gone to an all black school or at least a school that's more culturally diverse. Over the 3 years i've been here, my preception of whites has changed to a negative one. I now have a lot of frustration towards white people, has anyone here had a similar experince? Also I know that in the business world, I'm going to have to deal with whites. how do I deal with the pent up anger that I have now?
Please don't think I'm white bashing, I'm just sharing my experience over the past three years.
P.S If you're black Don't go to Monmouth University in New Jersey, you wont be welcome there.
), which includes the KKK, Black Panthers, La Voz de Aztlan, etc. In the past we've had some very f*cked up policies but we've made great strides and are changing things, but still discrimination/racism is runs rampant through our society. I mean, if I went to an all black college, would I get the same experience as you did going to an all white college?