“A Different Mirror,” Ronald T. Takaki
Through personal reflection and historical summaries, Ronald T. Takaki explores
multicultural America. As a Japanese American, Takaki argues that the historical and
cultural influence of the Japanese, as well as other racial and ethnic groups, on
American culture is largely unrecognized. The contributions of racial and ethnic groups
must be acknowledged to fully appreciate the true essence of American identity.
Takaki illustrates how despite historical similarities, racial and ethnic groups have been
pitted against one another, and their historical presence denied. Yet, he points out, their
influences and contributions to society are evident everywhere. He argues that
recognizing the value of their experiences allows for an enlightened understanding of
our common history and the tensions and struggles evident among racial and ethnic
groups today.
According to Takaki, the cab driver he spoke with expressed a widely shared sense of
history
that views American as:
a. European in its ancestry.
b. inclusive of all racial and ethnic groups.
c. all United States citizens.
d. a mixture of people who immigrated from all over the world
“The Culture of Black Femininity and School Success,” Carla O”Connor, R.
L”Heureux Lewis, and Jennifer Mueller
Previous studies have found that Black girls are raised to be assertive and independent
with relatively high self-esteem and work oriented aspirations. However, these same
studies have indicated that these qualities of Black femininity have undermined girls in
their educational pursuits. O”Connor, Lewis and Mueller conducted a study of three age
cohorts and found that the culture of Black femininity has changed over time, and that
Black women’s socialization toward voice and power can be ” and often has been ”
productive in relation to securing an education. The authors conclude that a just society
is dependent upon schools and educators learning to build upon rather than attempt to
suppress “the socially productive nature of Black femininity.”
One experience that all three cohorts had in common as part of their socialization was:
a. family attitudes toward their getting an education
b. restrictions placed on their bodies
c. the salience of physical requirements of femininity
d. ability to use their voice and power to obtain a college degree
“The Bachelor: Whiteness in the Harem,” Rachel E. Dubrofsky
Dubrofsky argues that while the “reality” based television series The Bachelor appears
to include women of color as eligible contestants, the reality is that the purpose of the
show is for White people to find romantic partners. This process, she says, is facilitated
by the participation of women of color who are never positioned as appropriate choices
for the White bachelor. The show uses a “Westernized trope of the Eastern harem”
reproducing the “imperialist, Orientalist and oppressive racist premises’ of that image.
As potential partners for the bachelor, women of color:
a. are equal to the White contestants
b. given more attention by the cameras than White women
c. do not count
d. are favored
“Policing the National Body: Sex, Race, and Criminalization” Jael Silliman
Jael Silliman has defined policing the society within the context of race and class.
Politicians, representing mainstream America, have ignored or rarely addressed issues
of poverty, criminalization and race that are pressing for communities of color. Good
policing among the disadvantaged appear to be the new societal wisdom. Silliman
believes such a view negates dealing with the root causes of poverty and racism.
According to Silliman this new aggressive law enforcement regime is increasingly
accepted by the mainstream as the price to be paid for:
a. peace of mind.
b. law and order.
c. control and power.
d. a quiet community.
“A Different Mirror,” Ronald T. Takaki
Through personal reflection and historical summaries, Ronald T. Takaki explores
multicultural America. As a Japanese American, Takaki argues that the historical and
cultural influence of the Japanese, as well as other racial and ethnic groups, on
American culture is largely unrecognized. The contributions of racial and ethnic groups
must be acknowledged to fully appreciate the true essence of American identity.
Takaki illustrates how despite historical similarities, racial and ethnic groups have been
pitted against one another, and their historical presence denied. Yet, he points out, their
influences and contributions to society are evident everywhere. He argues that
recognizing the value of their experiences allows for an enlightened understanding of
our common history and the tensions and struggles evident among racial and ethnic
groups today.
Takaki examines how the Jewish immigrant’s view of America as a promised land led
to:
a. their participation in the fight for equal rights for other oppressed groups.
b. their acceptance by dominant society.
c. their rapid return to their homeland.
d. an absence of anti-semitism in the U.S.
“Race as Class,” Herbert J. Gans
Noting that most biologists argue that scientifically there can be no human “races’ and
that sociologists argue that concepts of race are socially constructed, Gans links the
persistent lay definition of “race” to the hierarchy of social class in the U.S. The laity,
he claims, notice variations in select physical characteristics and “see” these variations
as markers of individual races. The lay public then uses their definitions of race to place
individuals in hierarchal categories that correspond to social class locations. Gans
further claims that many immigrant groups were “blanched” or “whitened” in the lay
imagination once those groups experienced upward mobility. This was not the case, he
says for African Americans. While the reasons for this exception are a “mystery” to
Gans, he expects it to persist unless class hierarchies finally disappear “in some utopian
future.”
The only population whose social features are not automatically perceived differently
with upward mobility is:
a. Asian Americans
b. Native Americans
c. South Americans
d. African Americans
“Sustainable Food and Privilege: Why is Green Always White (and Male and
Upper Class)” Janani Balasubramanian
Food justice, Janani Balasubramanian argues, is fundamentally a race and class issue,
and food activists are not speaking about it as such. The emphahsis on local food
economy fails to recognize the importance of United States support of agriculture in
other parts of the world. Activists of color who do admirable work in their communities
are often ignored by White activist writers and film makers. Thus we do not hear the
“variety of voices’ that needs to be heard if universal food reform is to be achieved.
According to Balasubramanian, the major voices in food activism are not talking
about______________ as often as they should:
a. vegetarianism
b. buying local
c. the meat-packing industry
d. race and class
“An Intersectional Analysis of “Sixpacks’, “Midriffs’, and “Hot Lesbians’ in
Advertising, Rosalind Gill
Gil uses an intersectional analysis to examine practices of “sexualization” in
advertising. She demonstrates that sexualization is not “a singular unmarked process’.
She finds that “commodified sexiness” in advertising is linked to “the politics of
looking.” She argues that patterns of sexualization vary, having different determinants
and modes of representation, and that they are “read in radically different ways”
depending on the specific intersections of gender, age, class, sexuality and racialization.
Unlike representations of lesbians in advertising the ____________ of gay men is/are
rarely represented.
a. sexiness
b. intimate contact
c. bodies
d. negative stereotypes
“Sub-Prime as a Black Catastrophe,” Melvin L. Oliver and Thomas M. Shapiro
The catastrophe described by Oliver and Shapiro is rooted in the fact that home equity
is the most important source of wealth for families in the United States. The authors
argue this is particularly so for African American families. It was the targeting of
African American families by sub-prime lenders that robbed so many of this important
and hard-earned source of security.
Due to the very high interest rates charged for these loans, the devastating effects of
these sub-prime loans has not only taken away gains made in the recent past, but will
compromise the ability of African American families into the future, effecting the
ability to open small businesses, pay for college educations, and support retirements.
Predatory loans have left African American communities facing, “the greatest loss of
financial wealth” ever. “Institutional and racialized policy,” they argue, “are trumping
hard-earned educational, job and income advances.”
Foreclosures are projected to effect one in 25 white mortgage holders and one in ____
African American borrowers.
a. 105
b. 10
c. 3
d. 17
“Seeing More than Black and White: Latinos, Racism, and the Cultural
Divide,” Elizabeth Martinez
Elizabeth Martinez contends that Latinos, among other racial and ethnic groups, have
been largely ignored in the discussion of racism in the United States. She argues that the
growing population of these groups, along with the increased awareness of their similar
experiences, requires a broadening of the historically dichotomous view of race as
Black and White. The denial of the Latino experience reflects the conflicting perception
of Latinos by dominant society; they are viewed as invisible and a threat at the same
time. The invisibility of Latinos is reflected in either the denial of their presence or in a
one-dimensional view of Latinos based largely on stereotypes. When the presence of
Latinos is recognized, it is often within the context of jeopardizing the dominant or
other minority groups’ position. Martinez argues that the removal of Latinos from the
discussion of race has resulted not only in a denial of their experience as a group
targeted by racism, but it has prevented the acknowledgement of the similarity in their
and other people of color’s treatment thereby preventing unity in their shared struggle
against racism.
Martinez believes the oppressed have survived by:
a. becoming friendly toward the oppressor.
b. becoming experts on the oppressor’s ways.
c. becoming more similar in behavior to the oppressor.
d. becoming less available to the oppressor.
“The Culture of Black Femininity and School Success,” Carla O”Connor, R.
L”Heureux Lewis, and Jennifer Mueller
Previous studies have found that Black girls are raised to be assertive and independent
with relatively high self-esteem and work oriented aspirations. However, these same
studies have indicated that these qualities of Black femininity have undermined girls in
their educational pursuits. O”Connor, Lewis and Mueller conducted a study of three age
cohorts and found that the culture of Black femininity has changed over time, and that
Black women’s socialization toward voice and power can be ” and often has been ”
productive in relation to securing an education. The authors conclude that a just society
is dependent upon schools and educators learning to build upon rather than attempt to
suppress “the socially productive nature of Black femininity.”
A study by Holland and Eisenhart in 1990 found that as a result of how Black
femininity was articulated, Black women, compared to White women, were less
preoccupied with:
a. education in general
b. doing homework
c. preparing for a lifetime in the workforce
d. romance
“How a Scholarship Girl Becomes a Soldier: The Militarization of Latina/o Youth
in Chicago Public Schools,” Gina Perez
Gina Perez explores the complicated relationship between young Latina/o students in
Chicago and the U.S. military. Perez argues that in addition to limited economic
opportunities, gendered understandings of autonomy, family obligations, honor and
respectability influence, how young people respond to the increasingly militarized
educational context.
Young Latinas are particularly vulnerable to military appeals to their sense of:
a. self
b. family obligation
c. sexual propriety
d. femininity
“Historic Reversals, Accelerating Resegregation, and the Need for New Integration
Strategies,” Gary Orfield and Chungmei Lee
Orfield and Lee call for new strategies to integrate schools, because schools are
re-segregating as a result of recent court decisions, creating separate and unequal
educational experiences for Whites and minorities. This is particularly the case for
African Americans and Latinos, who Orfield and Lee describe as “highly likely to be
attending poorly supported “majority-minority” schools. Blacks and Latinos are doubly
segregated: from Whites and from middle-class students; Latinos experience triple
segregation: by class, race and language.
In 2007 the United States Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to
take______________ into account in order to end segregation.
a. race
b. income
c. gender
d. neighborhoods
“White Flight in Networked Publics? How Race and Class Shaped American Teen
Engagement with Myspace and Facebook,” Danah Boyd
Danah Boyd looks at the demographics of MySpace and Facebook and Facebook and
finds that these online communities reflect the same social categories of race and class
found in the larger society. In fact, she traces a movement away from MySpace to
Facebook, and identifies the trend as “White flight” ” a trend that mirrors the movement
of Whites from urban to suburban neighborhoods in the 20th century.
According to Boyd, teens chose to _______________ across the two sites (MySpace
and Facebook), just as they do in school.
a. communicate
b. integrate
c. exchange information
d. self-segregate
“Sustainable Food and Privilege: Why is Green Always White (and Male and
Upper Class)” Janani Balasubramanian
Food justice, Janani Balasubramanian argues, is fundamentally a race and class issue,
and food activists are not speaking about it as such. The emphahsis on local food
economy fails to recognize the importance of United States support of agriculture in
other parts of the world. Activists of color who do admirable work in their communities
are often ignored by White activist writers and film makers. Thus we do not hear the
“variety of voices’ that needs to be heard if universal food reform is to be achieved.
According to Balasubramanian, food reform requires:
a. a return to the family farm
b. White men to be more involved
c. a diversity of voices
d. that we stop buying foreign produce
“Seeing More than Black and White: Latinos, Racism, and the Cultural
Divide,” Elizabeth Martinez
Elizabeth Martinez contends that Latinos, among other racial and ethnic groups, have
been largely ignored in the discussion of racism in the United States. She argues that the
growing population of these groups, along with the increased awareness of their similar
experiences, requires a broadening of the historically dichotomous view of race as
Black and White. The denial of the Latino experience reflects the conflicting perception
of Latinos by dominant society; they are viewed as invisible and a threat at the same
time. The invisibility of Latinos is reflected in either the denial of their presence or in a
one-dimensional view of Latinos based largely on stereotypes. When the presence of
Latinos is recognized, it is often within the context of jeopardizing the dominant or
other minority groups’ position. Martinez argues that the removal of Latinos from the
discussion of race has resulted not only in a denial of their experience as a group
targeted by racism, but it has prevented the acknowledgement of the similarity in their
and other people of color’s treatment thereby preventing unity in their shared struggle
against racism.
No “model minority” myth protects Asians and Asian Americans from
a. inherent hostilities from the dominant society and everyday racial prejudice
b. the lack of respect endured in their minority status and stereotyping
c. hate crimes, police brutality, immigrant-bashing,
d. all of these answers are correct
“Tapping Our Strength,” Eisa Nefertari Ulen
As a Muslim and a womanist, Eisa Nefertari Ulen stands at an important intersection.
She challenges Western feminists who criticize women who embrace Islamic traditions
to consider whether women who insist on wearing hijab are “unconsciously oppressed”
or are they actually, “performing daily acts of resistance.” Are they, she asks, actually
“the most daring of revolutionaries…storming the gates for our own liberation”? She
challenges the reader to see the cutting of Western women for “beautification” as a
“virtual duplication” of the cutting of daughters by some Muslim women in the
“pre-Islamic practice of genital mutilation.” She also challenges those who claim to
practice Islam while violating its teachings by dishonoring women. Ultimately she calls
for the building of bridges among Muslims and non-Muslims, and among warrior
women who “have so much work to do.”
Muslim women inherited property, participated in public life, divorced their
husbands, controlled their own money and fought on the battlefield:
a. starting 100 years ago
b. starting 200 years ago
c. never
d. 1400 years ago
“White Flight in Networked Publics? How Race and Class Shaped American Teen
Engagement with Myspace and Facebook,” Danah Boyd
Danah Boyd looks at the demographics of MySpace and Facebook and Facebook and
finds that these online communities reflect the same social categories of race and class
found in the larger society. In fact, she traces a movement away from MySpace to
Facebook, and identifies the trend as “White flight” ” a trend that mirrors the movement
of Whites from urban to suburban neighborhoods in the 20th century.
Outsiders are _______________ targets of violence in the inner-city.
a. often
b. the only
c. rarely
d. easy
“I Hate It When People Treat Me Like a Fxxx-up,” Jeanne Theoharis
Jeanne Theoharis responds to the commonly held belief that urban minority students
fail to value education by studying attitudes of African American and Latino high
school students who attend an intensely segregated Los Angeles school. The writings of
these students debunk the myth that they do not value an education, and indicate to the
contrary, “how profoundly students value education, how deeply they wish to succeed
academically, and how much they hope to make their families proud.” Theoharis
analyzes the schooling these students receive, identifying structural explanations for
why these highly motivated students sometimes claim that “school sucks.”
According to Theoharis, _______________ are a constant and visible presence at
Fremont.
a. college representatives
b. college counselors
c. police
d. parents
“What White Supremacists Taught a Jewish Scholar about Identity,” Abby L.
Ferber
Abby L. Ferber examines the interdependence of systems of oppression. Her research
on white supremacy reveals the connection white supremacists groups make between
anti-Semitism and racism in their efforts to maintain the dominant position of Whites in
society. Ferber asserts that the changing racial classification of Jews, as revealed in their
history, demonstrates the social construction of race. Ferber contrasts her own
experience as a Jewish woman, who racially identifies herself as White, with that of her
ancestors who experienced discrimination based on their designation as an inferior,
non-White race. The variability of racial classifications directly challenges the white
supremacists view of innate, and undeniable, White supremacy. Ferber contends that in
order to maintain their position of racial superiority, white supremacists target Jews in
an attempt to deny their evolved racial classification, thereby denying the relativeness
and ambiguity of race.
Social construction of race refers to:
a. the undeniable hierarchy of racial superiority.
b. the changing classification of race within society.
c. the justification behind anti-Semitism.
d. the biological foundations of racial identity.
“Navigating Interracial Borders: Black-White Couples and their Social Worlds,”
Erica Chito Childs
Erica Chito Childs examines the experiences and challenges that Black/White couples
face within their families and communities. Although interracial relationships and
marriages are often viewed as a sign of improving race relations, she argues that these
relationships are often met with opposition from both White and Black communities.
She examines the discourse that families use when discussing their feelings and beliefs
about interracial relationships. She finds, for example, that White families often pose
their opposition to Black/White marriage in non-racial terms and stress that they are
“concerned” for how difficult society would make life for the child who is involved
interracially. In contrast to White families, Black families emphasize the importance of
“marrying Black” to their children and explicitly identify race as an issue. Her
conclusion is that because interracial couples exist in, what she terms, a “borderland”
between Black and White, her examination of interracial couples offers much to our
understanding contemporary race relations. The beliefs expressed by the both the Black
and White families illustrate the centrality of race in constructing families and identities
and, particularly, the social construction of race.
According to Childs, White families discourage their family members from engaging in
interracial relationships to maintain _______________. Black families discourage
interracial unions to maintain _______________.
a. solidarity; privilege
b. opposition; assimilation
c. family heritage; societal acceptance
d. White privilege; strength and solidarity of Black communities
“The Prison and the Closet,” Patricia Hill Collins
Patricia Hill Collins considers the intersecting relationship between racism and
heterosexism. She argues that the assumption that these two hegemonic ideologies
represent separate systems of oppression obscures the fact that racism and sexism rely
upon each other for meaning. Without sacrificing the acknowledgement of differences
in the way that racism and heterosexism manifest, the author shows that the two
systems converge and that both systems affect the everyday lives of all people.
Ignoring the heterosexism that underpins Black patriarchy hinders the development of:
a. conservative political campaigns
b. progressive political parties
c. a progressive Black sexual politics
d. patriarchy itself.
“Gladiators, Gazelles, and Groupies: Basketball Love and Loathing” Julianne
Malveaux
Julianne Malveaux explores the topic of basketball within the context of gender and
race. The author speaks of a culture saturated with basketball. It is nearly impossible to
tune out, turn off or ignore. It is a cultural delimiter, a national export, a medium
through which messages about race, gender and power are transmitted not only
nationally but also internationally.
Based on Malveaux’s assessment, when using basketball to connect an image
of sportsmanship and masculinity with product identification, it simultaneously reflects:
a. gender-specific patterns
b. gender-oppressive patterns
c. gender necessary patterns
d. male based patterns
“Our Mothers’ Grief: Racial-Ethnic Women and the Maintenance of Families,”
Bonnie Thornton Dill
Bonnie Thornton Dill broadens the dominant perspective of American families through
this historical analysis of racial-ethnic women and their families. She demonstrates how
the establishment of the “modern American family” ideal and expectations of racial and
ethnic groups as sources of cheap labor created distinct familial experiences among
women of various racial-ethnic groups in early America Mexican American families
have been negatively affected by:
a. colonization.
b. the loss of Mexican-owned land through the inability to document ownership.
c. the transient jobs in which they were employed.
d. all of these answers are correct
“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh
Peggy McIntosh explores the invisibility of racial privilege. She argues that Whites tend
to be unaware of the privilege they have as members of the dominant group. To
illustrate this point she compares her own experiences with denied male privilege to her
own limited perception of the privilege she enjoys because she is White. In an effort to
challenge this lack of awareness, she lists forty-six examples of the invisible privilege
she experiences in her everyday life that people of color do not. She points out that
these daily benefits of being white make her life easier. For example, the ability to shop
without being followed, to count on her skin color not causing suspicion of her financial
reliability, or even the ability to find blemish cover to match her skin tone reflects her
white privilege. She argues that for Whites these occurrences are largely taken for
granted. They are expected, assumed to be the normal experiences of everyday life. For
people of color, however, they are constant reminders of the struggle involved in all
aspects of life when one’s position in society is reflected as outside of the norm.
McIntosh identifies positive and negative aspects of privilege; unearned advantage and
conferred dominance. The advantage experienced by the privileged group can be
unearned, merely as a consequence of their position, or it can be created through
dominance yielded because of their position. Both aspects challenge the notion that
one’s experience in society is based solely on one’s merit, and recognizing this
challenges the denial surrounding systems of privilege and oppression. McIntosh
contends that once the privileged can no longer deny the benefits intrinsic to their
position, they must then decide to either destroy or maintain the system from which
they benefit.
McIntosh defines as an invisible package of unearned assets.
a. White privilege
b. Black privilege
c. class
d. being a woman
“Selling Sex for Visas: Sex Tourism as a Stepping-stone to International
Migration,” Denise Brennan
Addressing the myth that sex workers around the globe are simply victims of
exploitation and domination, Denise Brennan considers the case of women sex workers
in Sosua, Dominican Republic. These women – predominantly poor, single mothers
with limited educations – see sex work not as a survival strategy, but as an advancement
strategy. They have meager job opportunities and can make more money more quickly
selling sex than in any other job available to them. Ultimately many hope to obtain
marriage proposals from wealthy sex tourists, and with them visas to places with
greater economic opportunities. Brennan sites these strategies as examples of the
“savviness and resourcefulness of the so-called powerless.”
Marginalized women in marginalized economies:
a. are unable to protect themselves in any way from being passive victims.
b. come up with creative strategies to control their economic lives.
c. are clueless about how to survive, much less advance.
d. usually become very wealthy once they enter the sex trade as long as they are pretty
and compliant.
“Shadowy Lines That Still Divide,” Janny Scott and David Leonhardt
The United States looks like a classless society, the authors say, but class has actually
come to play a greater role in determining life chances over the past three decades. It is
difficult to discuss class, they argue, because the word is defined differently by different
people. Because people of all classes buy luxury items that would have been
unimaginable fifty years ago, and because shows like American Idol and The
Apprentice reinforce the rags-to-riches mythology that feeds the American dream, the
perception of class has blurred while the reality is that class mobility has flattened, and
inequality of opportunity has increased.
Class plays a/an _____________ part in American life.
a. minor
b. increasingly important
c. declining
d. negligible
“The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria,” Judith Ortiz
Cofer
In her essay,Judith Ortiz Cofer offers her experience as a Puerto Rican woman. She
discusses how cultural differences have singled her out as a target of stereotypes,
disapproval, and inappropriate treatment by members of mainstream society. Cofer
recognizes the voice her education has given her, and she uses it to open others up to
her culture and experiences.
In “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria,” Judith Ortiz
Cofer dispels stereotypes by explaining:
a. slang words.
b. terminology.
c. gender differences.
d. cultural differences.
“The Color of Justice,” Michelle Alexander
Michelle Alexander examines the racial disparities in our criminal justice system,
finding that
“rates and patterns of drug crime do not explain” the fact that “although the majority of
illegal drug users and dealers nationwide are White, three-fourths of all people
imprisoned for drug offenses are Black or Latino.” Alexander identifies two stages in a
structural process that results in the unjust disparities she finds in the system of
“racialized social control” that passes itself off as criminal justice.
According to Alexander, patterns of drug crime do not explain:
a. why people use drugs.
b. why some groups use more drugs than others.
c. drug addiction.
d. glaring racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
“Label Us Angry” Jeremiah Torres
Torres is still angry, years after an incident that he describes as “the most painful and
shocking event” of his life. Growing up in Palo Alto California, he and his friend Carlos
had not experienced overt racism until they had a confrontation with a speeding driver
who cut them off as they were leaving their high school parking lot. The events that
followed ” from the meanness of the people in the other car to the reactions of police
officers and the different ways in which the author and his friend handled their anger ”
illustrate some dramatic consequences of racist assumptions and racist labeling.
What kind of racism does the author identify as most prominent in this story?
a. covert
b. institutionalized
c. overt
d. structural
“Across the Great Divide: Crossing Classes and Clashing Cultures,” Barbara
Jensen
Jensen tells the story of Shelly, a working class college student who experiences
cognitive dissonance as she confronts the “great divide” between working class and
middle class cultures. According to Jensen, Shelly’s “cross-over experience” is typical
and can lead to emotional distress and dysfunctional behavioral responses unless the
person can add rather than subtract aspects of self. Jensen calls this more positive
response to the cross-over experience “bridging”.
The term cognitive dissonance means:
a. incorrect thinking
b. confusing inner clashing values and experiences
c. resistance to change
d. disordered thinking