How do you feel about identity based housing?

Text reads: "Identity-based housing should be a protected part of the college's infrastructure not simply open to lottery year after year- 4 years is not long- and these mods 60, 85, 52, 54 (for ex) are historically + institutionally significant + are often left to students (who tend to be more involved in community organizing + activism on campus) and who may be juggling more than a typical student already... nevermind those that're trying to graduate while tracking down + securing students to fill their homes. The ident. based mods, I bet, will continue to be filled year-after-year- this college admin. should provide real institutional support to queer students, students of color, internat'l students. (not mutually exclusive)"

How do you feel about identity based housing?

Text reads: "I feel that identity based house is fine for those who choose it, however I also feel that themed housing should be allowed (i.e. French-speakers mod; soccer mod; etc). Other colleges at least have languages houses. Wellesley has a French House (maison française) where french-speakers can live together & host community events."

Meeting Notes from November 2

-racist Halloween costumes seen this year

-blackface

-sombrero and poncho

                -“Native American”: face painted and headdress

                -orange prison jumpsuit

-happened on our campus, people didn’t care or did care but didn’t say anything?

-we need to address this!

-talk to Josiah and Amnat

-we should write an article for The Climax
-some interns brought it up: this was GREAT, all of them should

-put out a question regarding this issue? Ask Melissa

                -observation: did you notice…?

                -there were racist costumes: why do you think people didn’t respond? How to respond?

-put article on the blog

-have talks and panels etc. that happen before Halloween that address racism in costumes

-this gets into issues with humor: using racism and other forms of oppression as comedy

-start with the question and then see what can come next

-post articles and websites and things that discuss the issues we are trying to address

Notes After Discussion about "How do you feel about Identity Based Housing?"

To all concerned Hampshire students:

We sincerely apologize for any confusion or anger that resulted from this question that we posed. We did not thoroughly think through the wording and the possible implications of framing a question this way. Many people came to the meeting tonight to express their concerns. We had a discussion about the mistakes that were made and how we can make this group as successful as possible. A hugely important part of any anti-oppression work is holding each other accountable for our words and actions, so this meeting was crucial. In moving forward, this group must be hyper aware of how we phrase our questions and present ourselves so that the Hampshire community understands our intentions clearly. Thank you to all who came to the meeting tonight. We hope you will continue to participate.

Meeting Notes October 26, 2010:

-Why are they anonymous?

-obscures the people speaking and makes them not want to come to the meeting because they can stay anonymous

      -students, wanting to stay anonymous

-People answer the question: now what?

-Do we confront other themed housing?

-Are we related to WARF?

-What can happen next? What will happen with the blog? Who will use it?

-Issues with the phrasing of the question: having to justify the living spaces, targeting race based housing, questions it, made people really concerned because it threatened

-not wanting to give people who have privilege the place to hide and be anonymous

-unfair just to throw out this question as a “hot topic”

-being in identity based housing because people heard that the school was

-just putting out the question out without a context and explaining our group

-we are all in identity based housing, not forgetting about the queer, disability, etc.

-coming tonight out of fear of losing identity based housing

-what if we had phrased the question in terms of housing being mostly white?

-this group should look at broader issues: why are there divides? Why do we have to fight for ID based housing all the time?

-leaves the people in identity based housing to defend themselves and get attacked?

-fear that people have of being kicked off campus and being from an oppressed group, having a harder time finding housing?

-we should work to educate people about the importance of identity based housing and work to make it institutionalized

-are we working to be trained?

-keep history of Hampshire alive, look at the archives about identity based housing

-suggestions: should be held at the cultural center, the blog is badà the anonymity let’s people be racist

      -we should leave it up! Give them a basis to know what the history is

-what are the plans in making sure that people are protected in sharing their views?

-are we having workshops?

-are we anti-oppression or anti-racism group?

-people don’t know about identity based house

-disability housing is not protected by community advocacy

-we should keep the blog, but also we should all put our posts there so it is not just a whole bunch of hate

-on the blog we should address the mistake made by the question, what was our intention?

-facilitation! We need to have trained facilitation

      -things can come up that we might not be prepared for, talk about how we can do this

      -have an outside facilitator

-do we want to raise the issue of US government?

-make clear that the posts are made by other people, not the group

-we were somehow successful in accomplishing the mission statement

-different ages and experiences come out in these discussions

-split up in little groups and discuss

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I have several issues with identity based housing. The first is that mods go to
identity based groups before the rest of the students. If a student is more
comfortable living in an environment with people with the same orientation or
with other people of color... the student is fully able to get a group together
and join the lottery like everyone else. Ensuring a mod to identity based groups
isn’t fair, in fact it’s rewarding segregation. The way to embrace and welcome
diversity is not by separating students into identity based groups. Another way
to look at it is if a group of straight white students were to get together and
go for identity based housing because they felt more comfortable living
together, that would be looked at as racist and homophobic right? Why is the
current system not seen that way?

I’m a second year, and a lot of my friends live in identity based housing. The
majority of them chose identity based housing as means to get a mod, that’s it.
I’m from Minneapolis which is a huge immigration hub and home to a beautiful
range of diversity, my family includes many different races and orientations.
In my community kids weren’t raised paying any attention to differences in skin
color or sexual orientation. Coming to Hampshire I was astounded at the focus
brought to differences in people. Really we should all focus on the connection
we have in that we are students away from home for the first time, we all have
that in common. Giving students the option for identity based housing to
increase their comfort level, tells them that they have reason to be
uncomfortable.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I disagree with it. Especially for first-years, the idea of separating people, even willingly, from each other, based on race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or even interest, is just another way of segregation, and segregation is the only thing it will promote. It's practically a form of discrimination. As someone who wants to integrate herself with people of other cultures and interests, I find it offensive that someone would not even give me a chance to get to know them.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

 feel as though at times it encourages separation when it is not necessary. It all depends on how "unsafe" someone believes Hampshire Campus is. I personally feel, though I have heard my opinion is invalid due to my identity, that Hampshire is a very safe campus.

I'd go on to ad that, during a housing lottery every individual is faced with the prospect of being in "unsafe" housing. Being with people you don't know is always scary. In the end, everyone wants the same thing.

Furthermore, I have noticed specifically that the Men of Color mod has been, in the past, full of individuals I would consider to be socially powerful, stable, and emotionally strong. A group of guys that everyone generally likes who I believe deserve the right to live together but not preference because of their identity.

In the end, I feel it's not about living with people who have a similar background as you. It's about living with people you know you can trust. Who you feel comfortable living with. And I believe that though shared identity-based experiences can add to that trust, it does not necessarily make someone a safe person to live with.

Where this can potentially become problematic is if an unsafe living condition comes around because a group of students band together merely because of their shared identity and the greater security in acquiring a living space. In a "bad" situation, these students could unintentionally end up living with an unsafe individual.

However, I've never heard of this happening because of what appears to be the reality of the situation to me: identity based housing is being used as a front for a group of friends to have an easier time living together. There have been "horror" stories of queer housing being half full of heteros, sub-free housing being full of substance users, etc. For the most part, these identity-based houses are full of a group of friends who want a leg up, from what it seems. Which makes me wonder, why do they get more of a chance? I want the exact same thing: a living situation with people I feel comfortable being myself around.

I would like to add that if this survey weren't anonymous I would not voice my opinion because I feel as though the community at Hampshire believes my views on this are invalid. So, I really appreciate that this survey is allowing me to safely speak my mind.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

So I've been meaning to find a member of the group in person to talk about this. First of all, I am extremely pleased that there is a new anti-racism group on campus. As a fourth year, I have seen many anti-racism groups come and go, so I hope that this one will be here to stay. Last week, I received a question in my mailbox (along with the rest of the campus.) "How do you feel about identity-based housing on campus?" Well. To be honest, this question startled me. I didn't know exactly how to answer that. I have lived in ID Based housing since my second semester of college until very recently. Surely my answer should be an easy one. It wasn't until I talked with one of my friends, a former housemate of mine, that I was able to understand why this question was unsettling. It was the wording of the question that threw me off. 

I feel great about ID based housing. I feel like it should exist. But what I don't feel great about is the fact that over 80% of our campus, and therefore our campus housing, is all-white. Why is it that the emphasis is put on the minority, rather than the looking at the larger issue of why ID based housing exists? This question seemed like an attack, another reason for people in ID based housing to have to defend and protect their homes. And to be honest, the fact that this is an anti-racist group, rather than an anti-oppression group, makes me feel like the ID based houses that are going to get the most heat are the ones that revolve around race. 

I think in order to truly get Hampshire to be actively anti-racist is to change our point of view. Why is the focus being put on something as personal as marginalized people's homes? Why are we not asking the larger questions instead? There is a larger issue of structural racism on our campus, and I am very curious to see how this group plans on acknowledging that. 

I am also curious about why you chose this particular question, and what you plan on doing with people's responses, if you don't mind me asking. 

How do you feel about identity based housing?

Some of these responses are generating a wonderful sense of hostility towards anyone who feels that identity based housing promotes segregation. One contributor whined for the white men to leave the rest of our rights alone...don't include me in that group, don't put your words in anyone's mouth. You'll find a lot of minority members that disagree with you

How do you feel about identity based housing?

It's great! It's a great opportunity to celebrate your identity with people that are like you. It is not segregating at all, it's just a space to enjoy with people that share similar backgrounds, culture, definitions of self, etc. LOVE IT!

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I think it is a great thing to have on campus. It creates a safe living environment on campus for those who live in identity based housing.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

It's fine, it gives people the option to have a sort of official banner to sit under. It's not like people who eat kosher are forced to live in the kosher house, or anything like that. The queer hall likes having a queer hall, and the gamers love G2. It's fine, chill out.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I was horrified by Hampshire's "women of color" housing scheme when I was an entering student. I had put down on my housing preferences form that I did NOT want to be in any identity based housing. I did not end up getting a room and was assigned the lounge. Then the night before coming to Hampshire, Linda Mollison put me in the colored hall because my "name sounded ethnic". I was able to get my way out of it, but am still left with the sense that the "women of color" hall is some sort of separate but equal thing. I can understand that some people need the support of other minorities here, but it begins to feel like segregation when such assignments are done against one's will.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

abolish identity based housing! we all identify as something, why do we segregate ourselves further by giving a name to such mods? and if a group of students want to live with each other, they will anyways, the "identity" will remain whether or not they are in a designated space for that.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I think it increases the level of segregation on campus which never solves the underlying issues at hand but helps perpetuate bigotry while providing small safe havens.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I think its great because in a school which is the majority white kids students of color are the massive minority. so when people want to maybe be around peers of all one race to talk or feel safe or just have everyone know that they have maybe had similar life experiences due to the color of their skin there home can be that safe place.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I love it. I feel comfortable knowing that I can live in a hall with other Queer students. Coming to Hampshire College is a big difference when comparing the diversity to that of the urban life. Without Identity based housing, some students may have a harder time with their social life and comfort where they live.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

i'm fine with it i guess

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I have been reading the response to this question and most of the answers really just threw me off. Hampshire is a place that is "accepting" and that is very "open minded" and yet our students are upset about ID based housing? ID based housing is not an issue. The fact that people think that it is is really disturbing. 

ID based housing serves many purposes. Many says it segregates us, voluntary segregation, but it does not. People do not spend all their time in their mods. Their mods serve as their home, serve as their personal safe spaces. Someone mentioned that if there were an all straight mod, or an all white mod it would be a problem, yes there would be! This campus already has all white mods, all straight mods, all Christian mods, and the list goes on. The fact that they are fighting the few id based mods that there are is ridiculous. 

An ID based mod is a chance to live with people that you can relate to. In this campus it is very easy to feel like the other. As a Latino male, I often feel alone, surrounded by Whiteness. It is important that I have an option to live with people that look like me, talk like me, have had the same experiences as me. 

So what's next? Saying the Cultural Center should not be running? Does the Cultural Center bother people? Do the white students want a White center? The White, Straight, Men are the majority here. The campus is yours, let the people of color, the queer people, the women, have their spaces, because you already have the biggest space of all.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

After reading some of the answers to this question on the blog, it reinforces the need for identity based housing to exist because of the blatant racism and anti-queer statements. For example, the idea of having a "European mod" or "white mod" or "straight mod" just reinforces the powers that have systematically oppressed the folks who may need identity based housing.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I think identity based housing is still needed on campus. If it wasn't then people would not be living in ID based housing now either in the mods or the dorms. There would definitely not have been students fighting for new (or reopened...) mods such as the Latino Mod, Mixed Race Mod, and the new Queer Mod. These are safe spaces for students and although they may be seen as a way of segregating students they are just spaces for students to feel comfortable at their home. 

Basically, ID based housing is necessary for certain students to feel comfortable and have a safe space that would otherwise not be available. ID based housing was fought for by students and is still serving students.

Thanks for asking how we feel, but why are you asking? It would be nice for us to know why this question is being asked...

How do you feel about identity based housing?

It allows people of under represented groups to live with people that understand them, therefore creating a safer living environment than with others that do not. To be from a minority group and to live with the majority, can be traumatic depending on the ignorance of the majority group. To question if identity based housing should exist, is to question if identity groups should exist.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

i like it

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I feel it is antiquated and creates an environment that fosters hostility and fear on a campus. I think that if you NEED certain facilities in your house that are "identity based" such as a kosher sink, that is one thing, but to allow the option of choosing an identity that you share with others and living that way is just perpetuating the idea that people of more than one "identity" can't live together. It creates an environment of discrimination and pushes the idea that mixed races shouldn't live in one house. I think unless the identity is one that all people can share and connect with, isolating it and only allowing a select group of people to join does more harm than good, and can lead to housing biases and hostility on campus

How do you feel about identity based housing?

Segregation has always been a bad idea. People will naturally migrate toward "like minded " people to befriend and ultimately live with. Why polarize different "types"of people more. It's all one big family out in the real world.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I think it depends, but in general, I'm against identity based housing. First of all, if there can't be an all-white mod (because that would be seen as discrimination), why can there be an international students mod? If there can't be a heterosexual mod, why can there be an LGBT mod?

I also think that identity based housing only separates the group in the mod from the rest of the Hampshire community. If international students spend most of their time with other international students, they aren't forced to branch out and become part of the community, which is vital. 

This issue always reminds me of George Orwell's quote from Animal Farm: "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." Why should some people get privileges (which actually harm them and the community more than help them) that others don't?

One of the qualifications for becoming an identity based mod is that "the group currently experiences or has historically experienced oppression within or outside the Hampshire community." This may sound harsh, but GET OVER IT. If you are currently experienced oppression, I understand that it may be necessary to go to extreme measures and sequester yourself, but if you belong to a group that was oppressed in the past, it seems ridiculous that you should still be expecting different treatment from everyone else. If we want to get to a point of anti-discrimination where we ignore race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, culture, etc., then we need to start actually trying to ignore it. Trying to achieve a goal of ignoring these differences by paying special attention to them just isn't logical.

On the other hand, I think that if mods were available to all identity based groups, including majorities, then that might be okay (emphasis on "might"). For example, there's a kosher mod (I think that's themed and not identity based, but still...), which implies that the residents belong to a religion that follows kosher practices, but there's no mod for Christians. There's not even a "spiritual life advisor" for Christians, but that's a whole other rant.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I think that while it is absolutely important to make sure everyone has a space where they feel safe and at home, identity based housing can also work to segregate the campus, keeping students with different backgrounds and identities from getting to know each other, thus increasing potential for and us/them mentality.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

Identity based housing plays no role in my school life and probably won't during the rest of my time here, but if it helps foster a supportive and positive community atmosphere for others, I'm in full support.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I think it's a wonderful idea and has greatly led to my social comfort at Hampshire.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I despise identity based housing. It's exclusive and narrow minded. For those who believe in social distancing theory, meaning the more we are exposed to something, the more we accept it, this idea of this kind of safe space negates concepts of integration...it puts us back in the timeline of acceptance. If people aren't forced to live with differences between people, whether it be race, sexuality, or preference, segregation would continue. Segregation perpetuates the cyclical nature of oppression. As I gay person, I have felt repulsion toward the queer mods as they have become a super clique. They pick people to live there based on popularity and if a person is brushed up on their queer theory. People who don't feel comfortable living with anyone who is remotely different should go in the lottery together and win a mod like everyone else.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

It's definitely necessary. There's something really grounding for me about living in a place where my body is not the exception and therefore isn't thought of as an object. I'm glad that Hampshire limits identity-based housing to marginalized races, sexualities, and genders, and denies identity-based requests for other types of spaces, such as "vegan-friendly". Having a queer housing option for me is legitimizing to my identity and makes me feel safer at Hampshire than I would at other schools. I'm white, but I feel like it's the same idea for identity-based housing for POC or international students, a space not to feel like "the other.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

i think it is good to celebrate culture. safe spaces are also necessary.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

It is vitally important to a lot of folks. It's a guaranteed way for many people to have their needs accommodated for in the mods (i.e. kosher, reduced allergen) as well are create safe spaces for those who wish to live with others of the same identity (i.e. queers, women-identified, mixed race, etc). As for the dorms..well some of the halls are a little silly such as gamer hall, but it was a really important experience for me to be able to live on Queer Hall, and i'm sure others felt the same way about that hall as well as the all-women hall.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

it should most definitely exist- It is essential for the hampshire community

How do you feel about identity based housing?

they are really really important. some people require them to feel safe and function on a day-to-day basis. and everyone who doesn't live in identity based houses should respect that and not try and turn identity based housing into a 'political discussion'. Its more than 'politics', its people's health and well-being. I live in an identity based house for one year.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I understand why it exists, and I feel like some people think it's very important. However, it's kind of silly to a degree. If you want to live in a queer mod or a people of color mod, why not just get those people together and do the lottery in the same way as everyone else?

How do you feel about identity based housing?

How do you feel about identity based housing?

fantastic

How do you feel about identity based housing?

schfantastic! It's necessary and wonderful!

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I think that identity based housing is there for a reason and people need to stop hating on it so much. The reason that there's no "white mod" or whatever you want to call it is because the majority of people on this campus are white. The advantages and rights of being white are something that they DON'T have to think about every day. People of color along with other identity based groups who have identity based housing need that space as somewhere that they can share their experiences and talk about all of the bullshit that they experience every day because guess what HAMPSHIRE IS NOT A POST RACIAL STATE.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I think it should remain an option.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I find it strange since it would be completely unacceptable to have a European house but it is O.K to have a Latino house.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I lived in the queer mod for 3 semesters and I did not enjoy the experience. I never felt "queer" enough to live there because I wasn't interested in going to protests and being active in the social justice side of things. My modmates were always nice enough, but it was a lot of pressure. I think some people really benefit from the experience of having identity-based houses, but personally I'm against the very idea of it based off of personal experience. Those houses create a rift, I think, excluding others from inhabiting them and excluding themselves by barricading themselves from the rest of campus. If you want to make a mod with you and all your queer buddies, that's awesome, but designated Identity-based housing seems wrong on several different levels to me.

How do you feel about identity based housing?

I feel that giving an advantage or disadvantage to anyone based on sexual orientation and race is unacceptable.

Preliminary List of Questions

These are what we have so far. We will continue to take questions from the community and edit these ones.

• What does “racism” mean to you?
• What does your “race” mean to you?
• What does “culture” mean to you?
• What can you tell me about your culture? (What does your culture mean to you?)
• How has race been discussed in your home? 
• How do you and your friends speak about race and racism? 
• Have you ever had a close friend whose racial background was different from
  yours? 
• When is a joke racist?
• How do I tell my friends that their joke or even just their laughter makes me uncomfortable because I perceive it to be racist?
• How do I go about challenging perceived racism as a white anti-racist?
• In what ways have you learned about race and racism in school?
• Have your teachers ever addressed race and racism in class? If yes, how?
• How are race and racism discussed in the town/city/community where you grew up?
• How racially diverse was the place where you grew up? How has this influenced
  your feelings or thoughts about race?
• How often do you think about your own racial identity? What usually makes you
  think about it?
• Do people ever ask you about your racial/ethnic background? If yes, how do
  you usually respond?
• When describing someone's physical appearance, how often do you use their race to do so?
• How do you respond to what you perceive as racism in your presence? (keep thinking about the phrasing of this one)
• Do you ever get questioned about your citizenship?
• What are your feelings on the current immigration debate? (think about how to add in a specific about “race” in this one)
• What does the word "terrorist" mean to you?
• What does the word "criminal" mean to you?
• Do you think that enslavement still exists in the US? Explain.
• What do you know about modern day drug laws in the US? Do you agree with
  them?
• What do you know about the conditions and demographics inside modern day US prisons?
• How do you think the current economic crisis has impacted people of color vs. white people?
• 
  

Mission Statement

We are a group of students committed to engaging the Hampshire community in an out-of-the-classroom dialogue about racism. We plan to do this by circulating questions, raised by members of the community, that challenge us to think about the impact of racism in our personal lives, our communities, and the US government. We encourage every person to contribute to this conversation. It is our hope that it will be a multiracial space and that participants will determine the direction of the group. 

We ask that you please respond with questions/topics about race and racism that you would want to ask/discuss to hampshireantiracism@gmail.com or on the back of this sheet to box #349. Thank you for your participation!

Anti-Racism Student Group Proposal by Gillian Cannon

United Against Racism 

As students at Hampshire, we have noticed that although there are many classes that discuss race and racism, there is very little activity on campus to address such issues within our own community. It seems that it is often assumed that at a “progressive” school like Hampshire, there is no issue of racism or that it is being dealt with in class and individual work and that is enough. This is untrue: racism is present and pervasive. In our experience, much of the conversation in classes takes place in a theoretical and inaccessible way, only teaching students how to talk about race on an academic setting.   As white students, we have struggled to find our place in working against racism at school. We participated on and off in the white anti-racist groups that have existed in the past and tried to take leadership roles, but the group fell apart. We want to start a totally separate project that is based in anti-racism, but that engages all community members at Hampshire.  We hope that many people will participate, thus creating a large, diverse group which has a reputation on campus of being open and accessible. 

We see this issue as beginning with the lack of communication about racism on campus. So, our idea is to put out questions to the entire community regarding race and racism, encouraging everyone to answer and thus participate in a conversation.  We will begin by putting out a note in all campus mailboxes and big sheets of paper around campus that have a short mission statement and then asks for ideas for topics/questions that people would want to discuss/ask. Then, every week we will put out one question to the community, and explain that the questions came from ideas of people at Hampshire. At the end of each week, we will have a group meeting to discuss that particular question and what it raised for the community as well as how to address the issues it raised. We will have rotating facilitation of the meetings and it will be expected that the facilitators will come prepared with ideas to prompt conversation, some background research if necessary, etc.  Detailed notes will be taken at each meeting, and all responses to the questions will be collected. We have created a blog that will house all the responses. We hope to create a publication at the end of the semester that can be distributed to everyone at Hampshire. So, part of what the group will do is edit down the responses and discussion notes for the publication. Hopefully this project will allow many voices to be heard and encourage a broad, yet grounded conversation about the personal and political implications of race and racism. 

Some ideas for questions are:

• Do you think that enslavement still exists in the US? Explain.
• What do you know about modern day drug laws in the US? Do you agree with
  them?
• What do you know about the conditions and demographics inside modern day US prisons?
• What does the word "criminal" mean to you?
• What do you know about modern day immigration laws in the US? Do you agree with them?
• Do you ever get questioned about your citizenship?
• What does the word "terrorist" mean to you?
• How has race been discussed in your home? How has this influenced your
  feelings and thoughts about it?
• Have you ever had a close friend whose racial background was different from
  yours?
• How have your friends spoken about race and racism? How has this influenced
  your thoughts and feelings on it?
• In what ways have you learned about race and racism in school?
• Have your teachers ever addressed race and racism in class? If yes, how?
• What did you learn about race and racism from growing up wherever you did?
• How racially diverse was the place where you grew up? How has this influenced
  your feelings or thoughts about race?
• How often do you think about your own racial identity? What usually makes you
  think about it?
• Do people ever ask you about your racial/ethnic background? If yes, how do
  you usually respond?
• When describing someone's physical appearance, how often and with whom do you use their race to do so?
• How do you respond when a racist comment is made in your presence?