The Tie That Binds: Identity and Political Attitudes in the Post-Civil Rights Generation

Chapter 5. Identity and Integration: The Liberals

Identity and Integration The Liberals The young black Republicans whose views we have examined so far believe that problems in the African-American community are not entirely the fault of whites. They also believe that even if whites are responsible in part, they cannot solve those problems . These young men are attracted to the Republican Party because of the self-help ideas of the Jack Kemp variety. Another appealing feature of the Republican Party platform is its stance on moral and cultural issues. The strong racial group identity of the Republican race men has resulted in a hybrid of traditional conservatism and nationalism. The black students at majority-white institutions, who comprise most of the students in this chapter, illustrate the developmental path that identity and ideology may take when blacks are in the minority and solidarity is both personally rewarding and beneficial in the competition for university resources. There are nine students featured in this chapter. Six are from single-parent households, two are attending historically black institutions, and only one is from a solidly middle class background. Resolving to Be Radical Lawrence Sims—Woodson University Lawrence Sims was born and raised in a large northeastern city, and projects a quiet intensity throughout the interview. He attended 5  preparatory school from the ages of fourteen to seventeen, and was raised in a single-parent home. Lawrence has a strained relationship with both parents, but seems close to his grandmother. Active in a black fraternity and other organizations on campus, Lawrence refers to race constantly. When asked about the Catholic, predominantly white elementary school he attended, he replies that it constituted his “first dealings and encounters with institutionalized racism and a white patriarchal society.” Lawrence’s most bitter memory is the corporal punishment meted out by the sisters: I remember having a hard time dealing with being beat by these women. They had what they called the board of education, which was a paddle that they would—I’ll never forget it because it really annoyed me that these women—part of it was just being a rebellious youngster, but even that these women were not my mother and particularly white women doing this to me. I had a hard time dealing with that. He was failed in the third grade, although, according to him, he was not a poor student. Lawrence feels the teachers did not understand him and underestimated his ability. When he left for an all-black elementary school, he became an honor student. His junior high school was also all-black, and Lawrence believed that because the principal and assistant principal were nurturing and supportive black women, students were inspired to perform. Lawrence was able to participate in a program for minority students that allowed him to attend a preparatory school away from home. It was here that he first became aware of his status as a black person—at least in the eyes of his white classmates. In one incident, a black classmate got the better of a white classmate in a heated debate. When the black student walked away from the class, Lawrence says that the white student commented, “What’s her problem? She must not realize my father pays her tuition.” Lawrence was taken aback by the comment, a testament to what he feels was his naiveté regarding the importance of race. According to Lawrence, this naiveté led him to befriend too many white people too quickly. He says that he looks back at pictures of himself in preparatory school and during his first year at Woodson and sees a person  | Identity and Integration trying too hard to fit in and doing “silly” things. When he became involved in the Black Student Alliance during his sophomore and junior years, he became less concerned about fitting in with whites, and his black identity grew stronger. Lawrence no longer has white friends because as he became more aware of racial issues, it was harder to maintain relationships with whites. In part it was because of their denial of the privilege that he believes being white brings. The acceptance of this privilege and power, for Lawrence, is tantamount to condoning racism. He mentions the lynching of Emmett Till, the Tuskegee Experiments, and Cointelpro as examples of why he finds it difficult to trust whites.1 Sometimes just being in the classroom with whites, observing their attitudes, and hearing their opinions on things...