The Highlander

Sophomore Chaitu Cotha had his first taste of racism after moving to the United States from India. In high school, he was made fun of for being "brown."

"Why can't we see beyond color and instead judge on qualities in this country?" Cotha asked.

Regis students posed that same question about racial tension after a screening of Crash in the Ranger Grille last Wednesday.

A thought-provoking film about racial tension set in Los Angelos, Crash explored troubling interactions between different racial groups.

"It's one of the most pure and honest movies about racism in our American society," said Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, director of Leadership Development and Behavioral Promotion.

Dr. Lisa Garza, a sociology professor and the evening's facilitator, began the dialogue by asking for a show of hands of who had seen Crash before. A multitude of hands went up.

"I think you pick up on something different every time you watch this movie," Garza said.

Attendees were asked to write down their initial thoughts and reactions after the film. With those impressions as a foundation for discussion, the dialogue began with attendees sharing their personal observations of racism in everyday life.

"I think it's a problem that people laugh or make jokes out of prejudice," said sophomore Ashley Comminiello.

Others elaborated by observing that the prevalent usage of racial slurs in mainstream society, the "n-word" in particular, was troubling.

"I thought it was interesting that while we don't call other people by racial slurs, 'they' called each other the 'n-word' quite liberally in the movie," said freshman Dan Van der Vieren, referring to a scene of two black men fighting over the control of a car.

While some could argue that racial slurs could be used in endearing ways, attendees came to agreement that slurs were inappropriate no matter the context of their usage.

"I do react to that word," said Sandra Mitchell, the associate to the provost for diversity, "Folks who know the history of that word don't like it."

As the dialogue progressed, many nodded over questions about racism's impact on the educational system. Although there were no specific resolutions for institutional racism, Garza emphasized its impact on different ethnic groups by pointing out the annual 58 percent dropout rate for Latinos in high school.

"America is the land of opportunity," said a student teacher that attended the dialogue. "But only for the privileged."

In the midst of all the stories and experiences shared, dialogue participants came to agreement that individuals bear the ultimate responsibility in ending racism. Individuals, they decided, too often consider themselves separated from racism in society.

Things are better than they were before the civil rights movement but there is room for improvement, Garza said.

The film and dialogue was part of the "Choose Your Destiny" speaker series sponsored by the offices of Leadership Development, the Associate Provost for Diversity, Student Activities, and CHOICES. The next speaker series event will focus on the role of Arabs in terrorism.

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