Francis Carr (District of Maine politician)

Transcription

>> TESTING ONE, TWO-- OKAY, GREAT. WELL, WELCOME. MY NAME IS KEITH ST. CLAIR, I TEACH POLITICAL SCIENCE HERE AT GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AND IT'S MY PLEASURE ON BEHALF OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT TO WELCOME YOU TO OUR ANNUAL RACE, ETHNICITY, AND IDENTITY CONFERENCE, AND IT'S PARTICULARLY MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE TODAY'S SPEAKER DR. DILLON CARR, PROFESSOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY, WHO WILL BE SPEAKING ON INVISIBLE WALLS, THE ETHNIC AND IDENTITY BARRIERS THAT EXIST HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS. AND I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW DILLON OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. HE IS RELATIVELY NEW TO OUR DEPARTMENT AND TO OUR COLLEGE, BUT HE HAS QUICKLY DEVELOPED A REPUTATION FOR BEING AN ENGAGING AND ENLIGHTENING SPEAKER. AND I'M CERTAINLY PROUD TO CALL HIM MY COLLEAGUE. AND IT IS MY HOPE THAT HE WILL CONTINUE TO BE HERE AT GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR A LONG TIME. SO, WITH NO FURTHER ADO, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME AND INVITE YOU TO APPLAUD FOR OUR SPEAKER, DR. DILLON CARR. (applause) >> THANK YOU, KEITH. IS THIS LOUD ENOUGH? GOOD, AWESOME. AND ALSO, THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL INTRODUCTION AND FOR BROWBEATING YOUR CLASS AND BRINGING THEM HERE, SO... (audience laughing) IT FEELS LIKE I'VE GOT A FULL AUDIENCE, AND SO I FORCED MY OWN CLASS TO COME HERE, KEITH FORCED HIS CLASS, I THINK PROFESSOR VURUSIC FORCED HIS CLASS AS WELL. SO THIS IS HOW WE GET PEOPLE TO LISTEN TO US, REALLY. AND WHILE I HAVE A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE, I ALWAYS JOKED THAT WHAT I SHOULD START DOING IS SELLING ADVERTISING SPACE FOR MY LECTURE SLIDES. SO, I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WORKS BUT I FIGURED I CAN ADVERTISE MY OWN STUFF, SO I'M GOING TO SHAMELESSLY PLUG ANTHROPOLOGY CLASSES HERE AT GRCC. SPACE IS LIMITED, SIGN UP NOW. >> (East European accent) GIVE US YOUR BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER, TOO. (audience laughing) >> HOW'S THAT? A LITTLE BIT LOUDER? >> SING SOMETHING FOR ME. >> I HAVE NO SINGING VOICE WHATSOEVER. (audience laughing) ACTUALLY, I HAVE A LITTLE CLIP OF PROFESSOR WILLIAMS SINGING IN SECOND, SO THAT'LL BE GOOD. THE IMPETUS FOR THIS TALK REALLY CAME OUT OF THE RACE AND ETHNICITY CONFERENCE LAST YEAR IN 2012, WHICH IS MY FIRST TIME PARTICIPATING IN THE RACE AND ETHNICITY CONFERENCE, BOTH AS A PRESENTER AND ALSO AS SORT OF THE RECIPIENT, GOING TO LISTEN TO MY COLLEAGUES PRESENT DIFFERENT ASPECTS FROM THEIR BODY OF RESEARCH, AND THAT'S REALLY WHY I LOVE THINGS LIKE THIS AND ALSO BEEN IN SUCH A WONDERFULLY DIVERSE DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF DISCIPLINARYNESS. SO, AT DIFFERENT PLACES THAT YOU GO, YOU'LL JUST BE HANGING AROUND ANTHROPOLOGISTS AND BE TALKING ABOUT ANTHROPOLOGICAL THINGS, AND YOU REALLY CONVERSE YOURSELF INTO A BOX. BUT THE GREAT THING ABOUT BEING HERE AT GRCC IS I HAVE COLLEAGUES FROM REALLY ALL OVER THE SOCIAL SCIENCE SPECTRUM, SO I'M ABLE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM, GO TO THEIR TALKS, AND THIS IS KIND OF WHERE THIS PARTICULAR PRESENTATION GREW OUT OF, IN PARTICULAR PROFESSOR VURUSIC'S AND PROFESSOR CEDRIC WILLIAMS' TALKS LAST YEAR, KIND OF GOT ME THINKING IN TERMS OF WAYS IN WHICH SOCIAL BOUNDARIES ARE MAINTAINED AND DEVELOPED AND PERSIST WITHIN DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES. SO, I TOOK THAT FROM THE RACE AND ETHNICITY CONFERENCE LAST YEAR AND THEN KINDA WORKED IT INTO ONE OF MY LECTURES. SO, OVER THE LAST YEAR OF MY ANTHROPOLOGY CLASSES, WE'VE TOUCHED UPON THIS SUBJECT-- AND I'M PRETTY NEW TO GRAND RAPIDS, SO IT WAS REALLY NICE HAVING SOME OF MY STUDENTS FROM THE LAST COUPLE OF SEMESTERS SORT OF FILLING IN SOME OF THE IDEAS AND THEIR OBSERVATIONS ABOUT REALLY THE COMMUNITY AROUND THEM THAT THEY HAVE BEEN-- OR YOURSELVES HAVE BEEN BORN AND RAISED WITHIN, AND SO THE CO-AUTHORS ON THIS PRESENTATION ARE EVERY ONE OF MY ANTHROPOLOGY STUDENTS FOR THE LAST YEAR WITH THAT, AS WELL. SO WE'RE-- ONE OF THE FIRST IDEAS THAT CAME ABOUT WAS-- LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET THIS TO WORK HERE... PROFESSOR VURUSIC'S TALK ABOUT IMMIGRATION. >> AND THE WAYS IN WHICH (indistinct) TRY TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM OF OUTSIDERS COMING INTO THEIR COMMUNITIES IS TO BUILD WALLS, RIGHT? NATIONS BUILD WALLS. NATIONS BUILD WALLS NOT ONLY AROUND THEIR BORDERS BUT ALSO SOME NATIONS BUILD WALLS WITHIN THEIR CITIES TO SEPARATE ONE COMMUNITY FROM THE OTHER. LET ME SHOW YOU-- I DON'T KNOW, I LIKE WALLS. (laughing) I PUT-- HOW MANY OF YOU LIKE WALLS? ANYBODY LIKES WALLS? YOU LIKE DOORS BETTER, GATES? (audience laughing) THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE WALLS. >> I LIKE WALLS, TOO. AND SO, OBVIOUSLY I STOLE THE TITLE OF THIS TALK FROM THAT LITTLE SEGMENT IN THERE, IN TERMS OF THINKING ABOUT WALLS. AND WHAT PROFESSOR VURUSIC WAS TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY WAS BARRIERS BETWEEN FLOWS OF HUMAN CAPITAL, FROM NATIONS TO NATIONS. IN OTHER WORDS, PUTTING UP WALLS FOR IMMIGRATION, BUT EVEN WITHIN COUNTRIES, SEPARATING OUT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PEOPLE THAT HAVE NATIONAL CITIZENSHIP FROM THOSE THAT DON'T HAVE NATIONAL CITIZENSHIP. AND THAT REALLY GOT ME THINKING IN TERMS OF APPLYING AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE TO THINKING ABOUT WALLS HERE IN THE COMMUNITY OF GRAND RAPIDS. IN PROFESSOR CEDRIC WILLIAMS' TALK, RIGHT TOWARDS THE END OF IT, HE OFFERED SOME REALLY PERSONAL COMMENTARY THAT I THOUGHT WAS AN EXCELLENT INSIGHT INTO SOME OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCE THAT DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY HAVE, AND HOW WE TEND TO MOVE ABOUT AND HOW WE TEND TO RESTRICT OURSELVES DIFFERENTLY WITHIN, REALLY, THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS. >> WILLIAM JULIUS WILSON, WHO I DO KNOW, ALSO WENT TO MY ALMA MATER, NORTHWESTERN, AND WE WERE TALKING ONE DAY AND HE SAID THAT, "YOU KNOW, WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL, "THE PERCEPTION WAS QUITE DIFFERENT. "WE DIDN'T HAVE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION," HE SAID DURING HIS DAY. THE PERCEPTION WAS WHEN HE'S IN SCHOOL, HE HAD TO BE GOOD TO GET THERE. FOR ME, "YOU'RE HERE BECAUSE WE NEED A QUOTA." DO YOU SEE WERE GOING? SO NOW, PEOPLE WANT TO MOVE ON-- WE'VE DONE ENOUGH, WE'VE DEALT WITH THIS LONG ENOUGH, WE DON'T DEAL WITH IT ANYMORE. IT'S DONE WITH. EVERYBODY IS TREATED EQUALLY, WE LIVE IN A COLORBLIND SOCIETY. RIGHT. SO, WHY IS IT THAT, LET'S SEE... MEIJERS, WALGREENS, FAMILY FARE, ETCETERA, DOESN'T PROVIDE OR CARRY ALL OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN HAIR PRODUCTS THAT-- DO YOU SEE WHERE I'M GOING? WHY DON'T THEY CARRY THAT? I'M ONE OF THEIR PATRONS. I GO TO WALGREENS, I GO TO D&W, FAMILY FARE-- WHY DON'T THEY CARRY MY PRODUCTS? ENCOURAGE ME TO SHOP THERE. THEY WANT ME TO GO TO HAIR JOY. (chuckling) WHEN IS THE MOST RACIST TIME? SUNDAY MORNING! SO, WE SEPARATE ON SUNDAY MORNING-- I GO TO CHURCH AND THEY ARE ALL AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN THE CHURCH, AND THE CHOIR COMES IN... (humming) RIGHT? NOW, WHEN I GO TO ANOTHER SECTION OF TOWN AND IT'S NON-WHITE AND THEN WE ARE ALL WITH THE CHOIR AND THE HYMNAL, ETCETERA. WHY DO WE DO THAT? >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WHY DO WE DO THAT? AND PROFESSOR WILLIAMS HAS GOT A MUCH BETTER VOICE THAN I DO, SO AT LEAST I LET HIM BRING THE MELODY TO THIS. BUT WHY DO WE DO THAT? AND REALLY, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THAT FROM AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE, THERE'S AN ENTIRE BODY OF RESEARCH REGARDING THE IDEA OF ETHNICITY, THE IDEA OF OTHER SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS SUCH AS RACE AND SOCIAL CLASS, AND REALLY WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO ESSENTIALLY IS THESE IDEAS OF "US VERSUS THEM." THAT'S WHY WE DO THAT, IN THE SENSE THAT ALL OF US NEED TO HAVE A SENSE OF COLLECTIVE BLOGGING. THAT'S HOW WE ANCHOR OUR IDENTITY OF WHO WE THINK WE ARE, WHO WE RELATE WITH, AND WHAT WE HAVE A TENDENCY TO DO IS INTERACT WITH THOSE PEOPLE THAT SHARE OUR BACKGROUNDS, OUR VIEWS, THAT TEND TO THINK LIKE US, ACT LIKE US, TO BEHAVE LIKE US, TO SHARE OUR SAME INTERESTS LIKE US. THAT'S WHAT WE DO AND THERE'S NOTHING INHERENTLY WRONG WITH THAT. YOU MIGHT AS WELL ENJOY WHAT YOU'RE DOING, AND SO ON. HOWEVER, THERE IS ALWAYS THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT IS WHEN YOU'RE SORT OF FORMING AN IDENTITY OF WHO YOU ARE, BY DEFINITION, YOU HAVE TO EXCLUDE SOMEBODY WHO IS NOT YOU... AND THAT BECOMES THE TENSION IN WHICH ALL OF US ESSENTIALLY LIVE OUR LIVES WITHIN, IS THAT WE GO THROUGH IN DEFINING OUR ATTITUDES, OUR BEHAVIORS, OUR IDENTITIES IN THE SENSE OF COLLECTING AND BELONGING TO THE CATEGORIES THAT WE FORM OURSELVES INTO, THE SOCIAL ROLES THAT WE SEE OURSELVES OCCUPYING, BUT IN THE PROCESS OF DEFINING OURSELVES, WE ARE ALSO DEFINING WHAT REALLY THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL LITERATURE CHARACTERIZES AS "THE OTHER." WHO ARE WE NOT? AND REGARDLESS, WHAT YOU END UP WITH IS THIS TENSION BETWEEN "US" AND "THEM." YOU HAVE A VERY POSITIVE SENSE OF SELF, YOU HAVE A POSITIVE SENSE OF YOUR COLLECTIVE IDENTITY AND WHO YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU GO AND WHO YOU INTERACT WITH, BY DEFAULT, YOU EXCLUDE SOMEBODY... AND THAT REALLY BECOMES ONE OF THOSE DIFFICULT TENSIONS THAT'S IN THERE. SO, A LOT OF THIS BODY OF RESEARCH THAT LOOKS AT SOCIAL CATEGORIES AND INTERACTION BETWEEN GROUPS OF PEOPLE FOCUSES ON "THE OTHER." AND WHO IS "THE OTHER" IN THAT SENSE? WELL, PRETTY MUCH ANY OTHER BOX THAT YOU CAN CHECK ON A FORM IS ONE WAY OF CATEGORIZING BOTH YOURSELF AND ALL THE UNCHECKED BOXES BECOMES "THE OTHER." THE OTHER GOOD WAY TO PICK UP WHO IS "THE OTHER" IS JUST LISTEN TO HOW PEOPLE TALK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE. AND IF THEY DON'T USE THEIR NAME, IF THEY DON'T PUT A PERSONALIZED FACE ON IT, AND THEY USE MORE GENERALIZING TERMS SUCH AS "THOSE PEOPLE," THAT'S SOMEBODY WHO YOU'RE NOT, AND "THOSE PEOPLE" BECOME "THE OTHER." THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY A FACELESS ENTITY WHO ARE LESS THAN WHAT YOU ARE. "WHY DON'T THEY JUST BEHAVE LIKE I DO? "WELL, WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?" EVERY TIME I HEAR PEOPLE USE THOSE WORDS AND THOSE TERMS, I LIKE TO CHALLENGE THEM-- "WHO ARE 'THEY'?" WELL, THAT'S USUALLY WHERE I GET THE AWKWARD EXPLANATION. OR SOMEBODY TALKING ABOUT "THOSE PEOPLE"-- WELL, WHO ARE "THOSE PEOPLE"? WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES? WHERE DO THEY GO TO SCHOOL? WHAT DO THEY DO FOR A LIVING? WHAT ARE THEIR INTERESTS? AND IT GETS PRETTY CLEAR THAT "THE OTHER" IS ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT YOU REALLY LACK ANY VERY, VERY DIRECT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH, BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A PERSONAL LIVED EXPERIENCE WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE, YOU DON'T EXPLAIN TO THEM OR TALK TO THEM IN CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS "THE OTHER." YOU TALK ABOUT WHO THEY ARE AS INDIVIDUALS. AND THAT'S INHERENTLY AT THE ROOT OF SOME OF THESE ISSUES IN TERMS OF HOW WE CHARACTERIZE OUR IDENTITY AND EXCLUDE OTHER PEOPLE. AND THE CLASSIC, I THINK, SOCIAL THEORIST DR. SEUSS-- I'M STEALING THIS FROM MATTHEW RICHARDS, WHO IS A PROFESSOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY, AND HE READS THIS TO HIS CLASS, BUT I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH COPIES OF THE BOOKS TO GET AWAY WITH THIS, BUT THE SNEETCHES. ANYBODY REMEMBER READING "THE SNEETCHES" IN SORT OF A YOUNG GRADE? WHAT'S THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SNEETCHES? WHAT WAS THE MAIN POINT? >> (indistinct speaking). >> YEAH, THEY'RE DIFFERENT. SO, YOU HAVE THE STAR-BELLIED SNEETCHES AND THEN YOU HAVE THE PLAIN-BELLIED SNEETCHES, AND THE STAR-BELLIED SNEETCHES GO HANG OUT AT THE BEACH ALL DAY AND THEY'RE PLAYING AROUND WITH THEIR BALLS AND SORT OF PLAYING CATCH AND THAT SORT OF STUFF, AND WHAT THEY CONTINUALLY DO IS EVERY TIME A FLAT-BELLIED SNEETCH WANTS TO PLAY AROUND WITH THE STAR-BELLIED SNEETCH, THEY IGNORE HIM. THEY INSTRUCT THEIR KIDS TO NOT TALK TO THE FLAT-BELLIED SNEETCHES BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT A STAR-BELLIED SNEETCH. AND SO, THE STAR BECOMES A METAPHOR FOR A VISUAL MARKER OF ONE'S SOCIAL CATEGORY, IN THAT SENSE, AND WHAT YOU SEE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOOK OF DR. SEUSS IS THIS TENSION BETWEEN THE CATEGORY OF "US" FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE STAR-BELLIED SNEETCHES, AND THE CATEGORY OF "THE OTHER" WHO IS CHARACTERIZED AS THE FLAT-BELLIED OR CLEAN-BELLIED SNEETCHES IN THAT REGARD. IT BECOMES A WONDERFUL GOOD METAPHOR FOR THE WAYS IN WHICH WE INTERACT AND MOVE THROUGH THE SOCIETY THAT ALL OF US INHABIT IN THAT REGARD. GOING THE WRONG WAY. SO, ONE OF THE PREVALENT CATEGORIES THAT WE FOCUS ON AND WORK THROUGH OFTEN TIMES AND GETS LUMPED UNDER THIS BROAD CATEGORY OF ETHNICITY, WHICH IS A WONDERFULLY HORRENDOUS TERM ON ONE HAND AND A WONDERFULLY VALUED TERM ON THE OTHER HAND. AND ONE THING I POSTED TO ALL OF MY CLASSES THIS SEMESTER-- THE VERY FIRST DAY OF CLASS. I MAKE TAKE A TEST ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS, IS ASK THEM TO DEFINE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ETHNICITY. SO, JUST TAKE FOR A SECOND HERE-- JUST THINK THROUGH THIS IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST VALUED ELEMENTS OF ETHNICITY. SO, RANK THESE ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE. SO, GIVE ONE TO WHAT YOU THINK IS THE MOST LIKELY OR THE MOST STRONG CONDITIONER OF ETHNICITY AND FIVE BEING THE LEAST. TAKE ONE SECOND TO DO THAT, AND THEN TURN TO THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU AND COMPARE YOUR LISTS. (general chatter) >> (indistinct speaking). >> (laughing) OKAY, YOU CAN TAKE TESTS QUICKER IN MY CLASS. (general chatter) ALL RIGHT, HOW MANY OF YOU HAD THE SAME LIST? SO, TWO PEOPLE HAD THE SAME LIST. DON'T FEEL BAD-- EVERYBODY GETS THIS QUESTION WRONG. (laughing) THIS IS A SAMPLE OF SOME OF THE RESPONSES I GOT FROM MY ANTHROPOLOGY CLASSES ON THE VERY FIRST DAY OF THE SEMESTER. WHAT'S THE PATTERN HERE, DO YOU THINK? THERE ISN'T A PATTERN. THIS IS USUALLY HOW IT ENDS UP TURNING OUT. IT'S ALL OVER THE MAP, BECAUSE ALL OF US STRUGGLE WITH PUTTING DOWN A PRECISE IDEA OF WHAT WE REALLY THINK ETHNICITY ACTUALLY IS, BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A FLUID CONCEPT AND IT'S INTENTIONALLY SO. THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT ASPECTS AND THINGS THAT ALLOW US TO THINK ABOUT AND WORK THROUGH THIS ISSUE OF ETHNICITY, AND IT'S ALL GROUNDED IN YOUR EXPERIENCE. BUT THERE'S NOT A SINGLE OTHER PERSON IN THIS ROOM THAT SHARES YOUR EXPERIENCE THE SAME, WHICH IS WHY WHEN YOU TURN TO THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU, YOU DON'T COME UP WITH THE SAME LIST. IF YOU'VE GROWN UP IN A RELATIVELY HOMOGENOUS COMMUNITY, WHERE EVERYBODY LOOKS LIKE YOU, THINKS LIKE YOU, TALKS LIKE YOU, YOU HAVE A TENDENCY TO ENVISION ETHNICITY OR "THE OTHER" IN TERMS OF SOMETHING THAT'S DISTANT, REMOVED IN BOTH TIME AND SPACE. AND SO, FOR YOU, WHAT YOU TEND TO EMPHASIZE ARE GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY, AS THOSE DIMENSIONS OF ETHNICITY BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU READ ABOUT IN THE NEWS. IT TALKS ABOUT FARAWAY LANDS AND ETHNIC CONFLICTS THERE. AND SO, GEOGRAPHY BECOMES A DETERMINANT OF IT. OR IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST BUT NO LONGER SO, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T IMPACT YOU IN TERMS OF YOUR DAILY LIFE BECAUSE YOU MOVE THROUGH NETWORKS THAT ARE ESSENTIALLY IDENTICAL TO YOURSELF. IF YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT SET OF EXPERIENCES WHERE IDEAS OF RELIGION BECOME IMPORTANT, THEN THOSE BECOME A MUCH MORE VALUED COMPONENT OF ETHNICITY. OR IF YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO EXPERIENCES EITHER BEING OUT OF PLACE IN TERMS OF A MORE HETEROGENEOUS COMMUNITY, OR IF YOU'RE SOMEBODY WHO FEELS LANGUAGE BARRIERS HAVE SOME SORT OF IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE, OR SKIN COLOR BECOMES A MUCH MORE STRONG DETERMINANT IN TERMS OF YOUR PARTICULAR LIVED EXPERIENCE, THEN THESE CREEP UP AS A HIGHER DETERMINANT OF ETHNICITY. AND SO, ALL OF YOU ARE RIGHT, AND THAT'S THE POINT BEHIND ETHNICITY. IT'S INTENTIONALLY VAGUE AND FLUID, BUT IT'S GROUNDED IN EXPERIENCE, AND IT'S REPRODUCED NOT IN STATIC, BUT THROUGH HOW ALL OF US ACTUALLY BEHAVE. THAT'S HOW WE PRODUCE AND REPRODUCE ETHNICITY, AS A LIVED THING THAT'S ALWAYS ONGOING, AND IT'S ALWAYS AN EMERGENT PROCESS IN THAT SENSE. YOU HAVE TO CONTINUALLY AFFIRM YOUR ETHNIC IDENTITY, BUT THE PROCESS OF DOING SO ALSO CREATES "THE OTHER"-- OF SOMEBODY WHO YOU ARE NOT. AND SO, YOU CAN NEVER REALLY GET AWAY FROM THIS ESSENTIAL TENSION WITH HOW WE ALL MOVE THROUGH. AND SO, ETHNICITY ITSELF HAS A HORRIBLY BROAD TERM, AND IF YOU ASK 15 ANTHROPOLOGISTS TO DEFINE ETHNICITY, YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO GET 15 DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS OF IT BECAUSE IT IS INTENTIONALLY VAGUE. SO, THE MORE PRODUCTIVE ANALYTICAL APPROACH THEN BECOMES, "WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS "OF HOW ETHNICITY OPERATES?" HAVE YOU EVER QUESTIONED LIKE, "WHY DO WE EVEN HAVE ETHNICITY "IN THE FIRST PLACE? "WHAT'S THE POINT OF IT?" >> (indistinct speaking). >> TO SEPARATE. >> (indistinct speaking). >> YEAH, IT HELPS MAKE SENSE OF THE VARIABILITY IN THE WORLD AROUND YOU. SO, THAT'S ONE WAY IN WHICH ETHNICITY OPERATES. IN A MORE POSITIVE WAY, WHY WOULD WE HAVE AN ETHNIC IDENTITY THAT WE FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT? WHAT DOES THAT DO? >> (indistinct speaking). >> HERITAGE, AND IT HELPS TIE YOUR ROOTS TO SOMETHING ELSE. WE HAVE A TENDENCY TO REALLY IGNORE THE VALUED PURPOSE OF THIS HERE IN WESTERN STATE-LEVEL SOCIETY BECAUSE SO MUCH OF THE REGULATORY ROLES WITHIN OUR CULTURE ARE REGULATED BY ESSENTIALLY NON-KIN, NON-FAMILY, NON-KIN-- ER, NON-ETHNIC-BASED FEDERAL AND STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BUILDING TRUST FOR A BUSINESS VENTURE BECAUSE WE HAVE TRUST THAT WE CAN JUST GO TO A COURT SYSTEM AND HAVE THAT RESOLVED IN OUR FAVOR. BUT A REGION OF THE WORLD WHERE YOU SEE ETHNIC IDENTITIES THAT ARE VERY PROFOUND AND HEAVILY MARKED AND A LOT OF ETHNIC CONFLICT COMES FROM, PEOPLE USE ETHNICITY AS A REGULATORY ROLE WITHIN THEIR SOCIETIES. YOU CAN GO ACROSS YOUR COUNTRY AND SET UP A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEBODY YOU DO NOT KNOW, EVEN IN A COUNTRY THAT DOESN'T HAVE A COURT SYSTEM THAT CAN REGULATE OR GIVE YOU LEGAL ACTION IF IT FALLS APART, BUT YOU HAVE TO TRUST THAT IT WILL GO THROUGH BECAUSE THE PERSON YOU'RE GOING TO DO BUSINESS WITH IS NOT JUST ANYBODY. THE PERSON THAT YOU'LL DO BUSINESS WITH IS SOMEBODY THAT SHARES YOUR ETHNIC BACKGROUND, AND BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING THAT TIES YOU TOGETHER, THAT HERITAGE THAT TIES YOU TOGETHER, YOU HAVE A DEGREE OF TRUST. AND SO, IT SERVES A VERY VALUABLE ROLE IN THAT ONE SENSE, WHICH IS TO PROMOTE INCLUSION, TO TIE PEOPLE TOGETHER. BUT AS SEAN POINTED OUT AT THE END OF IT, IT ALSO TENDS TO CREATE THOSE BOUNDARIES AND EXCLUDE THE OTHER PEOPLE BY THAT MERE PRACTICE OF IT. IN WHAT WAYS DO WE PROMOTE GROUP SOLIDARITY THROUGH ETHNIC IDENTITIES IN OUR SOCIETY? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS THAT YOU'VE PROMOTED INCLUSION? NOT BETWEEN GROUPS, BUT WITHIN GROUPS. >> (indistinct speaking). >> YEAH, YOU HAVE A DEFINED GROUP THAT THE MEMBERSHIP IS RIGID, AND YOU BASICALLY PERFORM THAT COLLECTIVE IDENTITY TOGETHER BY BELONGING TO THE SAME ORGANIZATION. THAT'S GREAT. WHAT ARE SOME OTHER WAYS YOU DO THIS? YES? >> (indistinct speaking). >> FESTIVALS-- THAT'S A GREAT ONE! IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY OTHER WEEKEND IN THIS TOWN, THERE IS A POLISH FESTIVAL. (audience laughing) AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GO TO HOLLAND IN, WHAT IS IT, MAY? >> TULIP TIME. >> TULIP TIME, OR AS EVERYBODY'S CALLING IT, "STEM FEST" LAST YEAR BECAUSE WE HAD TO MUCH WARM WEATHER. WE LIKE TO PERFORM OUR IDENTITY, WE LIKE TO CELEBRATE IT. WE JUST CELEBRATED ST. PATRICK'S DAY, WHICH IS AN EXPRESSION OF IRISH HERITAGE. WE HAVE TULIP TIME, WHICH IS AN EXPRESSION OF DUTCH HERITAGE. WE HAVE VARIOUS POLISH PULASKI DAYS, WHICH WILL BE AN EXPRESSION OF POLISH HERITAGE. FESTIVALS BECAME A VERY, VERY PROFOUND WAY THAT WE CAN PROMOTE THAT IDEA OF SOLIDARITY BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS. YOU SHARE LANGUAGES TOGETHER. A LOT OF ETHNIC GROUPS HELP MAINTAIN THEIR STRONG SENSE OF COLLECTIVE IDENTITY BY PRESERVING LANGUAGE USE IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS. YOU FORM COLLECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS TOGETHER, AS POINTED OUT, TO HELP REAFFIRM YOUR IDEA OF COLLECTIVENESS. SO, EVERY SINGLE ETHNIC GROUP-- OR REALLY, EVERY SINGLE SOCIAL CATEGORY OUT THERE PROMOTES A STRONG SENSE OF COLLECTIVE SELF THROUGH THESE STRATEGIES OF INCLUSION. AND WHAT ENDS UP EMERGING OUT OF THAT IS REALLY WHAT WE OFTEN DEFINE AS "IMAGINED COMMUNITIES." BENEDICT ANDERSON WAS A THEORIST THAT WAS WIDELY CREDITED AS BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR COINING THE CONCEPT OF "IMAGINED COMMUNITIES," AND WHAT HE DID WAS REALLY DEFINE THAT IN TERMS OF NATIONAL IDENTITY. AND NATIONALISM REALLY IS AN ETHNIC IDENTITY, SO TO SPEAK, IN ALL SHAPES, WAYS, AND FORMS. WE ALL, IN THIS ROOM, PRESUMABLY OTHER THAN A FEW CANADIANS THAT MIGHT BE IN HERE, SHARE THE SAME SENSE OF COLLECTIVE ETHNIC IDENTITY AS AMERICANS. WE HAVE A SHARED HISTORY, WE HAVE A SHARED GEOGRAPHY WHICH IS THE BORDER, WE HAVE A WAY TO PROMOTE GROUP SOLIDARITY IN TERMS OF CITIZENSHIP. WHAT FESTIVALS DO WE HAVE TO CELEBRATE OUR ETHNICITY? >> (indistinct speaking). >> THE FOURTH OF JULY, MEMORIAL DAY. WE CELEBRATE ALL SORTS OF THINGS. AND SO, WE DO ALL THE SAME INCLUSIVE STRATEGIES AS NATIONS DO, AND NATIONS OPERATE AS IMAGINED COMMUNITIES IN THE SAME WAY THAT THAT'S WHAT MAKES ETHNICITY PERSIST, IS BECAUSE IT HAS A FUNCTIONAL PURPOSE WITHIN SOCIETY. IT HAS A VALUED REGULATORY ROLE, TO SOME EXTENT, BECAUSE IT TIES US TOGETHER IN VERY, VERY PROFOUND, IMPORTANT, AND VERY, VERY STRONG WAYS THAT I CANNOT UNDERSTATE THAT ENOUGH, I GUESS. AND ONE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN IMAGINED COMMUNITY IS THAT IT IS LIMITED AND IT IS SOVEREIGN. THERE HAS TO BE A BOUNDARY. "US" AND "THEM," IN THAT SENSE. AND NATIONS DO THIS BY ACTUALLY PUTTING SURVEY BORDERS. I DON'T KNOW WHERE I STOLE THIS FROM, BUT I'D ALWAYS BE CONFUSED WITH THIS PERSON-- YOU GO TO YOUR KITCHEN, YOU BECOME CANADIAN. IT YOU GO BACK TO YOUR LIVING ROOM, AND YOUR AMERICAN. IT'S PROBABLY IN LIKE UPSTATE MAINE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. OR YOU CAN SEPARATE EAST AND WEST GERMANY AT A PARTICULAR POINT IN HISTORY BY ERECTING A WALL, WHICH GORDON LIKES WALLS MORE THAN I DO, IN THAT SENSE. IT'S LIMITED. MEMBERSHIP IS EXCLUSIVE AND MEMBERSHIP IS DEFINED AND IT'S A REGULATED AND ALL OF US HAVE THIS IDEA OF CITIZENSHIP THAT TIES US TOGETHER. THE SAME THING THAT ETHNICITY HAS A LIMITED MEMBERSHIP. YOU DON'T HAVE A CARD THAT DEFINES YOUR ETHNICITY, ALTHOUGH SOME PLACES DO, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, IT'S HOW YOU PERFORM YOUR IDENTITY AND WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE THAT HELPS YOU ANCHOR YOUR CITIZENSHIP WITHIN YOUR COLLECTIVE ETHNIC IDENTITY IN THAT SENSE. AND WHAT THAT DOES, THEN, IS IT PROMOTES AND CREATES AN IMAGINED SENSE OF CAMARADERIE THAT TIES US ALL TOGETHER. HAS ANYBODY HERE WHO IS AN AMERICAN TRAVELED OUTSIDE OF THE STATES BEFORE AND BUMPED INTO ANOTHER AMERICAN? (audience laughing) WHAT'S THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE? ANYBODY GOT A REALLY GOOD STORY WITH THAT ONE? >> "YOU SPEAK ENGLISH!" >> YEAH, YOU GET SO EXCITED. THIS IS AWESOME! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T TRAVELED OUTSIDE THE STATES, HAVE YOU EVER LEFT MICHIGAN AND BUMPED INTO SOMEBODY ELSE FROM MICHIGAN? WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU DO? >> (indistinct speaking). (audience laughing) >> THE OTHER HAND. (audience laughing) >> I'M FROM THE U.P., SO IT'S ALWAYS AN AWKWARD MOMENT LIKE, "I DON'T KNOW WHERE ON THERE THAT IS." SO, THEN YOU HAVE PUT YOUR OTHER HAND UP THERE AND I FEEL EXCLUDED THEN. IT'S LIKE, "WE'RE GOING TO TAKE OUR BRIDGE AND GO HOME." (audience laughing) YEAH, YOU FEEL-- "OH, YOU'RE FROM MICHIGAN, TOO? "THAT'S GREAT-- WHERE ARE YOU FROM?" "FLINT." AND THEN YOU TRY TO FIGURE OUT IF THAT ONE PERSON IN FLINT THAT BOTH OF YOU KNOW. (audience laughing) "DO YOU KNOW SUCH AND SUCH?" "NO." >> (indistinct speaking). >> EXACTLY. OR IF YOU'RE OUTSIDE, TRAVELING OUT OF AMERICA AND YOU HAVEN'T SPOKEN ENGLISH, OR REALLY SORT OF EXPERIENCED CULTURE SHOCK AND YOU'RE COMING THROUGH AND YOU BUMP INTO ANOTHER AMERICAN, YOU'RE LIKE, "MAN, THIS IS AWESOME! "WHERE ARE YOU FROM?" THEY'RE LIKE, "NEW MEXICO." "THAT'S AWESOME!" (audience laughing) TO TALK TO ANOTHER AMERICAN. HAVE YOU BUMPED INTO OTHER CROATIANS HERE IN THE STATES? >> I JUST LIKE TO ESCAPE FROM THAT. (audience laughing) >> MAYBE IT'S AN AMERICAN THING, I DON'T KNOW. (audience laughing) BUT THAT'S AN IMAGINED CAMARADERIE. ALTHOUGH THOSE 310 MILLION AMERICANS, SO YOU HAVE NO REALLY CHANCE IN A MILLION TO EVEN KNOW ALL AMERICANS, BUT REGARDLESS OF IF YOU KNOW THEM, REGARDLESS IF YOU SHARE ANY INTERESTS ALIKE, WHETHER YOU SHARE ANY COMMON BACKGROUND ALIKE, YOU COULD BE FROM DIFFERENT GENERATIONS OR AGES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT BY VIRTUE OF THEM BEING A PART OF THE SAME ETHNIC IDENTITY IN THE SENSE OF AMERICAN, YOU FEEL INSTANT CONNECTION WITH THEM. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE THEY'RE FROM, WHO THEY ARE, OR IF YOU'RE EVER, EVER GOING TO TALK TO THEM AGAIN. THAT'S WHAT AN IMAGINED COMMUNITY PROVIDES FOR YOU... AND THAT'S WHY ETHNICITY IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS THAT WE HAVE REALLY IN THE WORLD TODAY. THAT'S WHY PEOPLE REALLY WILL GO TO VIOLENCE AND DO VIOLENCE UPON OTHER PEOPLE IS OVER THIS IDEA OF CAMARADERIE. IT IS POWERFUL, AND I CAN'T UNDERSTATE THAT ENOUGH. SO, JUST THINK BACK THROUGH YOUR EXPERIENCES OF BUMPING INTO SOMEBODY THAT SHARES THE SAME COLLECTIVE ETHNIC IDENTITY OF YOU OUTSIDE OF THAT CONTEXT, AND THE EXCITEMENT THAT YOU FEEL, THAT SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS THAT YOU FEEL, AND THAT'S THE POWER OF AN IMAGINED COMMUNITY. WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? WELL, WE ALL SHARED SOMEWHAT EXPERIENCED ALIKE. ALL OF YOU WERE FORCED TO TAKE HISTORY CLASSES, SOME OF YOU WERE FORCED TO TAKE ANTHROPOLOGY CLASSES. WHO IS THIS GUY RIGHT HERE? >> (indistinct speaking). >> WHAT'S HE DOING? >> (indistinct speaking). >> HE'S GOING TO GO KICK THE HESSIANS OUT OF NEW JERSEY, AND WE OVERTHREW OUR COLONIAL OVERMASTERS AND WE GET TO BE AMERICANS. AND IF HE CHOPS DOWN A CHERRY TREE, WHAT DO YOU DO? >> (indistinct speaking). >> YOU DON'T TELL A LIE. OR WE HAVE THIS IDEA OF THE FOUNDING OF AMERICA IS WHEN THE MAYFLOWER BUMPED INTO A BIG CONTINENT ON ITS WAY TO SOMEWHERE ELSE, AND THEN THEY HAD A GREAT SORT OF THANKSGIVING WITH THE NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE THERE, AND THEN THEY LOSE SIGHT OF THEM IN THE HISTORY BOOKS. BECAUSE WE SHARE THE SAME COLLECTIVE SENSE OF HISTORY, RIGHT OR WRONG, WE SHARE THE SAME COLLECTIVE SENSE OF OUR VALUES AS AMERICANS... AND THOSE HELP TIE US TOGETHER. SO, WHEN YOU BUMP INTO ANOTHER AMERICAN WHO MIGHT HAVE GROWN UP ENTIRELY ACROSS THE OTHER SIDE OF A CONTINENT, YOU STILL FEEL CAMARADERIE WITH THEM BECAUSE YOU BOTH SHARE THE SAME PUBLIC SCHOOL EXPERIENCES, YOU STILL ARE CONSUMERS OF THE SAME MEDIA THAT TALK ABOUT THINGS THAT HAPPEN ON A WORLD SCALE. A TSUNAMI HIT OVER HERE AND ALL THESE PEOPLE DIED, AND THREE ON AMERICANS' PLANES WERE DELAYED IS WHAT WE TALK ABOUT. OR HOW DOES IT AFFECT US FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE. AND SO, YOU FILTER ALL THE WORLD EXPERIENCES THROUGH THIS HOMOGENIZED SENSE OF AMERICAN MEDIA, AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT TIES YOU TOGETHER WITH EVERYBODY ELSE THAT BELONGS TO THAT SAME CATEGORY OF PERSON. THAT'S AN IMAGINED COMMUNITY AND HOW THEY FORM, AND HOW THEY'RE MAINTAINED, AND HOW THEY PERSIST, AND EVERY TIME YOU CELEBRATE FOURTH OF JULY, WHICH HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS APPARENTLY MEANS SHOOTING OFF FIREWORKS BY MY APARTMENT FOR THREE MONTHS ON END. (audience laughing) BUT EVERY TIME YOU CELEBRATE THAT, YOU'RE REAFFIRMING YOUR COLLECTIVE CAMARADERIE TOGETHER AS AN IMAGINED COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING WE CAN ALL GROUND INTO, BUT EVERY SINGLE ETHNIC IDENTITY OUT THERE IN THE WORLD TODAY, AND IN THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE, FUNCTIONS AS AN IMAGINED COMMUNITY. AND SO, IF ON ONE HAND, WE PROMOTE IDEAS OF INCLUSION AMONG MEMBERS OF OUR GROUP THROUGH SOLIDARITY AND FESTIVALS AND ALL THESE OTHER LITTLE RECURSIVE PRACTICES THAT PROMOTE THAT CAMARADERIE, BY DEFINITION YOU HAVE TO EXCLUDE "THE OTHER," BECAUSE YOU NEED TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE NOT... WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE PLENTY OF CANADIAN JOKES OUT THERE, WHICH HELPS SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM CANADA. HERE IN MICHIGAN, WE HAVE PLENTY OF OHIO JOKES, WHICH SEPARATES US FROM OHIO IN THAT SENSE. IT DEPENDS ON WHETHER YOU GO TO MICHIGAN STATE OR MICHIGAN HELPS SORTA SEPARATE US AS WELL. I GOTTA EXCHANGE MY PASSWORD, TOO. >> (indistinct speaking). (audience laughing) >> AND THIS IS WHERE IT GETS TO THE TITLE OF THE TALK. THOSE STRATEGIES THAT SOMETIMES ARE INTENTIONAL, BUT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT ARE COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF DOING AND PERFORMING OUR IDENTITY, TENDS TO EXCLUDE OTHER PEOPLE, AND WHAT THAT DOES IS FORM BOUNDARIES BETWEEN US AND THEM, OR LIKE I LIKE TO CHARACTERIZE AS "INVISIBLE WALLS." SO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN POSING AS MY CLASSES OVER THE LAST COUPLE SEMESTERS IS, "WHAT SORTS OF WALLS "OR BOUNDARIES DO WE HAVE HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS?" AND THIS IS WHERE THE CLASS IS REMARKABLY ASTUTE, IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING A SOCIAL LANDSCAPE. THEY MIGHT NOT INTUITIVELY KNOW UNTIL THEY SPELL IT OUT, BUT EVERYBODY REALIZES THE TYPES OF WALLS THEY HAVE. AND ONE OF THE MOST COMMON ONES THAT COMES UP FIRST AND FOREMOST IS SCHOOL. WHAT SCHOOL DO YOU GO TO, WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL, WHO DO YOU INTERACT WITH IN THAT SCHOOL? AND THAT HAS A PROFOUND EFFECT BECAUSE AS I LIKE TO ASK THE QUESTION-- RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU HAVE A VERY, VERY CLOSE CHILDHOOD FRIEND FROM A DIFFERENT SCHOOL SYSTEM THAN YOU. SOME PEOPLE DO-- BUT OTHERS DON'T REALLY. THAT'S YOUR PRIMARY MEANS OF INTERACTING IN TERMS OF FORMING YOUR BASE SOCIAL NETWORK, AND THAT YOU MOVE THROUGH YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK. RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU EVER GOT A JOB BECAUSE YOU KNEW A SCHOOL FRIEND. THAT'S THE VALUE OF THOSE SOCIAL NETWORKS RIGHT THERE. THIS IS WHAT THE ANCESTRAL BACKGROUND OF GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM STUDENTS ARE, IN TERMS OF IDEAS OF RACE AND ETHNICITY, AND WHAT WE SEE HERE IS ON THIS END OF THE COLUMN, WE HAVE SCHOOLS THAT ARE PREDOMINANTLY PEOPLE OF EUROPEAN AMERICAN ANCESTRY, WE HAVE THE GREEN LINE WHICH IS THE SCHOOLS OF PREDOMINANTLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN ANCESTRY, LATINO. WHAT WE SEE OVER HERE ARE SCHOOLS THAT ARE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ONE GROUP OR ANOTHER GROUP. AND ON THIS END, THERE'S ANOTHER PART OF THE SCHOOLS. BUT G.R.P.S. IS NOT DOING TOO BAD. WE HAVE A HUGE NUMBER OF ONES RIGHT HERE IN THE MIDDLE THAT HAVE SOME SORT OF INTEGRATED SENSE OF SCHOOL AND FORMING THOSE NETWORKS THAT WILL CUT ACROSS SORT OF ETHNIC OR ANCESTRAL LINES IN THAT REGARD, WHICH IS GREAT. ALTHOUGH, THEN THE QUESTION BECOMES, "ARE THESE SCHOOLS EQUAL?" "IS CAMPAU PARK ELEMENTARY THE SAME AS NORTH PARK ELEMENTARY?" AND YOU CAN LOOK AT SOME VERY SIMPLE ECONOMIC DATA TO SHOW THAT AS THE PERCENTAGE OF WHITE STUDENTS GO UP, SO DOES THE PERCENTAGE OF FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH GOES DOWN. SO, THESE ARE VERY, VERY DIFFERENT SCHOOL SYSTEMS ON THE EDGES OVER HERE, BUT WE STILL HAVE LARGE NUMBER THAT ARE IN THE MIDDLE AS WELL. SO THIS IS ONE OF THE STORIES AND LANDSCAPE. BUT I KEPT LOOKING AT THIS-- SO I DOWNLOADED THIS DATA FROM THE NATIONAL EDUCATION STATISTICS CENTER. I KEPT LOOKING AT IT AND IT'S LIKE, "THIS LOOKS GOOD." BUT SOMETHING SEEMED OFF, SOMETHING DIDN'T SEEM LIKE THE NUMBERS WERE RIGHT. THERE'S A REASON WHY OFTEN TIMES PEOPLE USE THE TERM "MINORITIES," BECAUSE NUMERICALLY THEY ARE LESS, YET WE SEEM TO HAVE FAR MORE MINORITY STUDENTS IN G.R.P.S. IS THAT JUST BECAUSE OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION OF GRAND RAPIDS AS A CITY IS DIFFERENT? SO, YOU LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR THE CITY-- THAT'S NOT THE CASE. THERE ARE DEMOGRAPHICALLY MORE PEOPLE OF EUROPEAN ANCESTRY IN THE CITY. SO, THEN I STARTED ASKING MYSELF, "WHERE ALL THE WHITE KIDS AT?" (audience chuckling) AND SO, IF I DOWNLOAD THE SAME SET OF DATA BASE, WHICH IS PRIVATE SCHOOLS WITHIN THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, I GET A MUCH DIFFERENT PICTURE... OF WHAT SCHOOL IS LIKE, OF WHAT SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE BEING FORMED AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME. THESE ARE ALL JUST ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL WILLINGLY TRAVEL FURTHER FOR HIGH SCHOOL. BUT YOUR BASE SOCIAL NETWORK-- SO, IF I COMBINED ALL PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND CHARTER SCHOOLS IN THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS-- I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT WYOMING OR FOREST HILLS OR ANY LIKE THAT, OR EVEN EAST GRAND RAPIDS-- WHAT WE SEE ARE TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS. THERE'S AN INVISIBLE WALL SOMEWHERE RIGHT DOWN HERE THAT KEEPS TWO OR THREE GROUPS OF PEOPLE FROM INTERACTING WITH ONE ANOTHER, NOT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE GOING OUT OF THEIR WAY-- I'M NOT GONNA BEGRUDGE ANY SINGLE PARENT FOR SENDING THEIR KID TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL. THAT'S A DECISION THAT YOU'RE GOING TO INVEST IN YOUR CHILD. IT'S A GREAT DECISION. WHAT I'M ILLUSTRATING IS THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE OF THAT DECISION IS THAT IT'S PUTTING A BOUNDARY BETWEEN YOU AND SOMEBODY ELSE, AND THAT'S KIND OF THE POINT OF THIS TALK IS TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF THESE INVISIBLE WALLS THAT YOU WILL ERECT IN WORLD AROUND YOU, IN THAT SENSE. SO, WE HAVE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, AND WE SEE THE VALUE OF THOSE. WHAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS, OBVIOUSLY, IS NEIGHBORHOODS, AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I SELECTED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DATA IS THAT IT'S PROBABLY A MUCH BETTER IDEA OF THE RELATIVE DISPERSAL OF DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS WITHIN THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, BECAUSE YOU TEND TO GO TO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL VERY CLOSE TO YOUR HOME. WE DON'T LIKE TO LET FIVE-YEAR-OLD KIDS WALK ACROSS TOWN. NEIGHBORHOODS-- SO THIS IS SOME OF THE MOST RECENT CENSUS DATA AND WHAT WE SEE... IS IF YOU'RE CLASSIFIED AS BLACK WITHIN THE CENSUS FORM, WHAT WE HAVE IS A STRONG CLUSTER HERE, YOU HAVE A MUCH MORE EVEN DISTRIBUTION, BUT IT STILL HAS FIRM BOUNDARIES TO WHERE YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS TYPICALLY ARE. SO, IF YOU'RE BLACK AND YOU'RE A GRAND RAPIDS RESIDENT, YOU'RE MORE THAN LIKELY TO BE ENROLLED IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS HERE. AND SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ARE THE HISPANIC OR LATINO COMMUNITIES, WHICH ARE SLIGHTLY OVER THERE. AND THEN, THIS IS A HORRIBLE ONE TO SEE BUT WE USE THE SAME COLOR FOR PEOPLE OF EUROPEAN ANCESTRY. SO, IF YOU'RE BLACK AND LATINO IN HERE, FEAR NOT, US WHITE PEOPLE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED. (audience laughing) AND YOU CAN SEE THE AREAS THAT ARE THERE. I ILLUSTRATE THAT SOMEWHAT JOKINGLY, BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, WHAT THAT DOES IS CREATE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN YOU AND SOMEBODY ELSE BECAUSE THERE'S THIS HABIT OF HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE GOOD CLOSE CHILDHOOD FRIEND THAT GREW UP ACROSS TOWN FROM YOU? RAISE YOUR HAND. A FEW PEOPLE. HOW MANY OF YOU EVER GOT A JOB BECAUSE YOU KNEW A NEIGHBORHOOD SOMEBODY, OR SOMEBODY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? AGAIN, YOU FORM THESE SOCIAL NETWORKS AND THOSE SOCIAL NETWORKS HAVE VALUE. BUT IF YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK IS GOING TO BE LARGELY CONSTRAINED BY THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT YOU GROW UP IN AND INTERACT IN, THEN OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE A BOUNDARY BETWEEN YOURSELF AND SOMEBODY ELSE, AND THAT SOMEBODY ELSE IS WHAT WE LIKE TO CALL "THE OTHER." AND THEN, WHAT USUALLY COMES UP IN CLASS LECTURES IS WE TOUCH UPON THE TWO BIG ONES, WHICH IS GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION AND PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEMS. AND THEN THIS IS WHERE I LOVE MY STUDENTS, BECAUSE THEY BASICALLY COME UP WITH ALL THESE WONDERFUL, INSIGHTFUL THINGS THAT I'M LIKE, "MAN, I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT!" AND THINGS THAT THEY ARTICULATE ARE ALL THE DIFFERENT LITTLE NUANCED MYRIAD OF WAYS THAT WE INTERACT DIFFERENTLY AND HOW WE MOVE THROUGH THIS TOWN DIFFERENTLY THAT SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM OTHER PEOPLE THAT WE AREN'T EVEN AWARE OF BECAUSE WE HAVE A TENDENCY TO TRY TO DO HABITUAL ACTIONS. HOW MANY OF YOU LOVE TO DO JUST YOUR DAILY ROUTINE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN? WE ALL FIND OURSELVES DOING THAT. SO, WHO DO YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE WITH, WHERE DO YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE, WHERE DO YOU CHOOSE TO SHOP, WHERE DO YOU GO TO EAT, WHERE DO YOU MEET A FRIEND? HOW DO YOU MOVE THROUGH THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS ALL HAVE AN EFFECT ON YOUR EXPERIENCES. THIS IS A CLOSE-UP OF THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS. WE ARE RIGHT ABOUT HERE. SO THIS IS FULTON STREET, WEALTHY STREET, THIS IS EAST GRAND RAPIDS, DIVISION AVENUE IS DOWN HERE, COLLEGE, EASTERN, FULLER... AND WHAT THIS IS IS A MAP OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA OF THE PERCENTAGE BLACK WITHIN THE MOST RECENT CENSUS, AND WE CAN SEE WHAT OFTEN EVERY ONE OF MY STUDENTS IS ABLE TO ARTICULATE IS THE PREDOMINANTLY CORE OF BLACK COMMUNITY HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS, WHICH IS SOUTH OF WEALTHY, WEST OF FULLER, BETWEEN FULLER AND DIVISION-- I FORGET WHAT THE STREET IS DOWN THERE-- BUT ALL OF YOU CAN DEPICT THAT. AND THIS OBVIOUSLY IS EAST GRAND RAPIDS. WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN IS THESE BOUNDARY AREAS. NOW, I'M SELECTING THIS PARTICULAR BOUNDARY BECAUSE IT'S VERY, VERY DISTINCTIVE. THERE IS MUCH MORE FLUID BOUNDARIES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS THAT ARE A LITTLE HARDER, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO BORE YOU WITH A BUNCH OF STATISTICAL DATA. I JUST THOUGHT I'D TAKE THE MOST PREVALENT ONE AND SHOW YOU THE DIFFERENCE THERE. HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN A BOUNDARY LIKE THIS, THAT IS RIGID? WHERE YOU WALK TWO BLOCKS ONE DIRECTION AND YOU ENTER INTO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT COMMUNITY? HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN THAT BOUNDARY? HOUSING PRICES, ABSOLUTELY. SO, THIS IS MEDIAN ECONOMIC DATA, AND OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO MOVE INTO CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS BASED ON HOUSING PRICES AS WELL. AND THERE'S A TENDENCY FOR PEOPLE TO WANT TO LIVE NEAR THEIR FAMILY, AND IF THEIR FAMILY GREW UP ONE PLACE, YOU HAVE A TENDENCY TO GO AND BUY A HOUSE ANYWHERE NEAR THERE, EVEN IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO BUY A HOUSE ELSEWHERE. THERE IS IT THAT TENDENCY FOR THAT. SO, THIS ECONOMIC DATA WHICH IS COMPLETELY INVERTED TO THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA IS REALLY A REFLECTION OF YOUR ABILITY TO BUY A HOUSE IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS, AND SO THAT'S ONE VERY, VERY PROFOUND WAY IN WHICH WE KEEP BOUNDARIES INTACT WITHIN DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AS WELL. ANOTHER WAY WE DO THAT IS IN TERMS OF MOVEMENTS THROUGH THE LARGER REGION OR SOCIAL LANDSCAPE OF GRAND RAPIDS. AND SO, AGAIN, OUR DEMOGRAPHIC DATA... AND THEN A MAP OF THE BUS LINES. VERY FEW OF YOU PROBABLY TAKE THE BUS TO SCHOOL. MORE OF YOU PROBABLY TAKE THE BUS TO SCHOOL. HOW MANY OF YOU TAKE THE BUS TO WORK, TO SCHOOL, TO THE GROCERY STORE, TO VISIT FAMILY, TO VISIT FRIENDS? TO TRANSPORT YOURSELF ACROSS A TOWN THROUGH A BUS LINE-- I'VE DONE IT NUMBERS OF TIMES, WHICH I ALWAYS LOVE TO DO BECAUSE IT BEATS TRYING TO DRIVE IN TRAFFIC AND I HATE TRAFFIC. BUT IF YOU'RE RESTRICTED TO THE BUS LINE BECAUSE YOU CAN'T AFFORD AN AUTOMOBILE, THAT RESTRICTS YOUR ACCESS TO WHAT TYPES OF JOBS YOU CAN APPLY FOR, HOW DO YOU GET THE JOB, WHICH TYPES OF CLASSES YOU SELECT HERE AT GRCC, BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE TO WORK DOWN AT 28th STREET AND YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE BUS BETWEEN WORK AND A CLASS, YOU DON'T GET TO ENROLL IN THE FULL SELECTION OF COURSES HERE AT GRCC BECAUSE YOU CAN'T TAKE A CLASS AT 2 O'CLOCK BECAUSE YOU NEED THE HOUR AND A HALF TO BE ON THE BUS TO GET DOWN THERE FOR WORK AT 4 O'CLOCK OR 3 O'CLOCK. SO, IT RESTRICTS ACCESS, IT RESTRICTS YOUR INTERACTION THROUGH TOWN. WE CAN SEE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BUS LINE AND THE DISPERSAL OF GROUPS OF DIFFERENT ANCESTRY THROUGH THE GRAND RAPIDS CITY. YOUR MOVEMENTS ARE DIFFERENT. YOU GET TO SELECT DIFFERENT THINGS AND GO TO DIFFERENT PLACES. YOU CAN AFFORD TO MOVE OUT TO THE PERIPHERY AND COMMUTE IT. YOU CAN AFFORD TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT STORES YOU WANT TO GO TO SHOP TO. ONE OF THE LINGERING THEMES THAT HAS EMERGED OUT OF THIS IS THE MEIJER ON 28th STREET-- THE CASCADE MEIJER JUST PAST THE FREEWAY, WHICH I LIKE TO CALL "FAKE TOWN MEIJER" BECAUSE THEY BUILT A LITTLE FACADE TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A FAKE TOWN... WHICH THE BUS LINE DOESN'T RUN OUT THERE. AND SO ONE OF MY STUDENTS ONCE REMARKED THAT WHENEVER SHE GOES TO THAT MEIJER WITH HER MOTHER, HER MOTHER FEELS COMPELLED TO PUT ON A LITTLE NICER CLOTHES TO GO THERE BECAUSE YOU'RE NOW INTO A DIFFERENT SOCIAL LANDSCAPE... VERSUS GOING TO THE MEIJER ON KALAMAZOO AVENUE WHERE YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE OF WHO YOU ARE INTERACTING WITH ON A DAILY BASIS. THAT'S AN INVISIBLE WALL IS EVEN WHICH MEIJER YOU HAVE ACCESS TO, WILL DICTATE WHO YOU'RE GOING TO INTERACT WITH, AND HOW YOU'RE GOING TO PERCEIVE THAT INTERACTION, AND WHAT YOUR LIVED EXPERIENCE IS GOING TO BE LIKE, AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LIVED EXPERIENCE THAT TRANSPORTS YOURSELF ACROSS A BOUNDARY, YOU'RE LEFT IN THE RAIN OF IGNORANCE, AND THAT'S PARTLY WHERE A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS OF "THE OTHER" COMES FROM. WHAT CLASSES YOU TAKE, WHAT SCHOOL YOU GO TO, WHICH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YOU GO TO IS DICTATED BY THAT, AS WE SEE WITH THE SCHOOL STATISTICS. YOUR SHOPPING CHOICES, YOUR HOUSING CHOICES. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SORT OF JUMPED OUT AT ME WHEN YOU PLOT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE OF EUROPEAN ANCESTRY WAS THIS BLOCK RIGHT IN HERE WHICH IS GRANDVILLE, WHICH IS REMARKABLY-- LIKE 95 PERCENT WHITE. AND IT SEEMED A LITTLE ODD THAT IT WAS JUST THAT-- ONE OF THE BUS LINES RUN THERE. AND TWO, AREAS AROUND IT HAVE ROUGHLY 15 TO 20 PERCENT COMPOSITION OF MOST MINORITY PEOPLE, AND IT WAS MY LOVELY WIFE THAT ACTUALLY POINTED THIS OUT TO ME, WHICH WAS THERE'S NO RENTAL UNITS IN GRANDVILLE. AND SO, I RAN THAT AGAINST THE DATABASE THAT WE HAVE HERE FOR OWNER OCCUPIED HOUSING, AND GRANDVILLE IS ON THE EXTREME, IN TERMS OF "ABOVE 95 PERCENT OWNER OCCUPIED HOUSING." AND SO, YOU CREATE SEPARATION BY YOURSELF BY HAVING ACCESS TO A PARTICULAR HOUSE, OR HAVING ACCESS TO HOUSING, AND YOU REALLY CAN'T EMERGE INTO A NEW COMMUNITY UNLESS THERE'S OPTIONS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THAT. AND THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT BE LOOKING AT HOME OWNERSHIP, THAT'S A DIFFERENT SET OF QUESTIONS THAN LOOKING FOR A STABLE APARTMENT, OR EVEN AN AFFORDABLE HOUSE THAT YOU CAN RENT FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY. THOSE DECISIONS ARE FINE-- SELECT AND MOVE TO WHEREVER YOU WANT AND WHEREVER IS GOING TO GIVE YOU THE MOST ADVANTAGE, BUT WHAT I WANT TO ILLUSTRATE TO YOU IS THAT DECISION ENDS UP CREATING A BARRIER BETWEEN YOURSELF AND OTHER PEOPLE UNINTENTIONALLY, AND THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY AN INVISIBLE WALL, IS THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT COME UP THAT WE'RE NEVER EVEN AWARE OF BUT THEY HAVE A VERY PROFOUND EFFECT ONTO ONESELF. ANY OTHER WALLS YOU CAN THINK OF? >> THE HIGHWAYS THAT YOU CAN'T WALK ACROSS. >> THE HIGHWAYS YOU CAN'T WALK ACROSS, ABSOLUTELY. I'M EVEN SCARED TO DRIVE ON THE BELTLINE, LET ALONE WALK ACROSS IT, IN THAT REGARD. >> (indistinct speaking). >> AND THE FREEWAYS THEMSELVES WILL CREATE THAT. WE HAD A REALLY GREAT CONVERSATION IN MY 210 CLASS YESTERDAY REGARDING SPORTING INTERESTS, IN THAT WE HAD A NUMBER OF SNOWBOARDERS IN CLASS, AND SNOWBOARDING, YOU REALLY HAVE TO HAVE A CERTAIN DEGREE OF ACCESS TO SKI HILLS AND EQUIPMENT AND THAT, VERSUS MAYBE OTHER SPORTING INTERESTS THAT MIGHT BE SOCCER OR LACROSSE. YOU TEND TO GET A DIVERGENCE IN TERMS OF EVEN THOSE TYPES OF DAILY INTERESTS. AND REALLY, IT'S EVERY ONE OF YOUR RECURSIVE PRACTICES, AND BY "RECURSIVE," I MEAN JUST YOUR AVERAGE, MUNDANE, DAILY THINGS, WHAT YOU DO DAY IN AND DAY OUT, AND DAY IN AND DAY OUT, AND DAY IN AND DAY OUT. WHEN YOU DO IT HABITUALLY, YOU'RE NEVER EVEN CONSCIOUSLY AWARE OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING, BUT THOSE ACTIONS WALL YOU OFF FROM THE REST OF GRAND RAPIDS AS A LARGER COMMUNITY. EVEN LITTLE THINGS LIKE-- I LOVE COFFEE, AND THE IDEA OF COFFEE SHOPS ARE PROLIFIC, EVEN THOUGH I USUALLY DON'T GO TO COFFEE SHOPS MYSELF. BUT I'VE HAD STUDENTS DO ETHNOGRAPHY PROJECTS IN MY 210 CLASS, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COMES OUT, WHICH IS GREAT APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY, WHICH WOULD BE GREAT FOR PLANNING HERE AT GRCC TO DRAW FROM IS THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS INTERACT DIFFERENTLY, AND THERE IS A TENDENCY FOR PEOPLE OF EUROPEAN BACKGROUND TO SIT IN PAIRS QUIETLY, AND HAVE FACE TO FACE INDIVIDUAL CONVERSATIONS. AND SO, YOU NEED A PLANNED SPACE OF A NICE LITTLE CAFE TABLE FOR THAT TYPE OF CONVERSING. AND PEOPLE OF OTHER ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS HAVE A TENDENCY TO AGGREGATE TOGETHER IN LARGER GROUPS, THEY TEND TO BE A LITTLE MORE VOCAL AND BOISTEROUS, AND BY EXTENSION, YOU NEED TO ORGANIZE YOUR SPACES, YOUR RECREATIONAL SPACES TO SUIT THE DIFFERENT SORT OF STRATEGIES AND STYLES. AND A COFFEE SHOP IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO A COLLECTIVE GATHERING OF FOUR OR FIVE OR MORE INDIVIDUALS HAVING A LOUD CONVERSATION. IT'S VERY, VERY CONDUCIVE TO A MORE RESTRICTIVE PATTERN OF TWO INDIVIDUALS HAVING A POLITE PERSONAL CONVERSATION. AND SO, BY EXTENSION, IF YOU HABITUALLY GO TO A COFFEE SHOP AS YOUR PLACE OF SOCIALIZING AND MEETING PEOPLE AND INTERACTING, YOU'RE WALLING YOURSELF OFF FROM AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SEGMENT OF THE VERY SAME CITY THAT MIGHT SOCIALIZE THEMSELVES IN A DIFFERENT COMMUNITY SIZE, AN AGGREGATE SIZE. IT'S ALL MUNDANE LITTLE THINGS IN THESE REGARDS THAT HAVE THOSE TYPES OF EFFECTS. HERE'S MY JOKE-- OR, NOT MY JOKE BUT-- I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF. I REMEMBER HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH MY FRIEND JEFF, AND HE LIVES ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE. AND I'M TALKING TO JEFF AND HE IS EXPLAINING WHERE HE LIVES AND I'M LIKE, "OH, THAT'S GREAT." AND I'M LIKE, "HEY, YOU LIVE IN THE OLD LITHUANIAN NEIGHBORHOOD." HE'S LIKE, "YEAH, MY NEIGHBOR IS LITHUANIAN. "HOW DID YOU KNOW?" I'M LIKE, "I GOT A MAP." (audience chuckling) AND HE LAUGHED, AND EVERYBODY LAUGHS, AND THEN I POINT OUT I HAVE A MAP THAT DEPICTS WHERE THE LITHUANIAN NEIGHBORHOOD IN GRAND RAPIDS IN 1930 IS. AND THIS IS ONE OF RELICS OF CREATING WALLS BETWEEN GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT GOES BACK TO REALLY THE INTERWAR PERIOD WHEN WE WERE DOING A LOT OF REDLINING OF DISTRICTS. THERE'S VOLUMES AND VOLUMES AND VOLUMES OF DATA ON NEIGHBORHOODS THAT LIST THE ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND WHAT THEY USED WAS THOSE LISTS TO SELECTIVELY APPROVE MORTGAGES FOR DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE, AND THE IDEA WAS TO KEEP SOME PEOPLE APART FROM OTHER PEOPLE. APPARENTLY, YOU COULDN'T HAVE THE POLES AND THE GERMANS LIVING NEXT TO EACH OTHER, AND YOU HAD TO KEEP THE LITHUANIAN'S OVER HERE, AND PEOPLE OF DUTCH DESCENT WANTED TO BE ELSEWHERE. THIS IS WHAT EVERYONE RECOGNIZES AS THE BLACK COMMUNITY WITHIN GRAND RAPIDS. WHAT I FIND TRULY AMAZING IS THAT'S THE EXACT SAME LOCATION WHERE THE BLACK COMMUNITY WAS IN GRAND RAPIDS IN 1930. FOR ME, WHAT THAT ILLUSTRATES IS THE POWER OF THESE INVISIBLE WALLS... IS THAT IN 80 YEARS, WHAT WE LEFT WITH ARE THE EXACT SAME CONSTRAINING WALLS THAT EACH OF YOU BUMP INTO EVERY SINGLE DAY, WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL WITH, WHO YOU INTERACT WITH, WHAT STORES YOU GO TO, WHERE YOU GO TO EAT, WHO YOU SET UP AND GIVE A RECOMMENDATION FOR A JOB FOR, WHAT STREET YOU WALK DOWN-- ALL OF THAT RESTRICTS YOUR MOVEMENT. YOU SPEND ALL DAY LONG LIKE A BUNCH OF LITTLE SHEEP, BUMPING INTO INVISIBLE WALLS, AND THE EFFECT OF THAT IS MAINTAINING BOUNDARIES BETWEEN GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE MORE LONG-LASTING. IF WE WERE TO BUILD A PHYSICAL WALL AROUND HERE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DOWN 20 YEARS AGO, BECAUSE A PHYSICAL WALL IS SOMETHING ALL OF YOU CAN RESIST AGAINST AND YOU CAN SEE AND YOU CAN GO AROUND... BUT AN INVISIBLE ONE-- THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT UNLESS YOU ARE AWARE THAT YOU'RE DOING IT AND HOW IT'S AFFECTING YOUR LIFE, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY IMPACT WHATSOEVER ON YOU, AND YOU'RE JUST GOING TO KEEP GOING THROUGH AND DOING YOUR DAILY HABITS OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SO, I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING TO MY TALK. I'M GONNA GET A SHAMELESS PLUG FOR DR. EDWARD BLUM'S TALK LATER TONIGHT, 7:00 TO 8:30 IN THIS ROOM, WHICH CONCLUDES THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS FOR OUR RACE AND ETHNICITY CONFERENCE AS WELL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. (applause) >> (indistinct speaking). DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR DR. DILLON CARR? >> UM, FRANCISCO RAMIREZ-- I WORK AT THE ENROLLMENT CENTER AT GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE. SO, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE INVISIBLE LINES, AND IN A WAY, THE CONSENSUS THAT I GOT FROM YOUR SPEECH AND PRESENTATION WAS MORE THAT IT SHOULD BE AN INDIVIDUAL ACTION. ALL OF OUR INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS KIND OF HELP EITHER DESTROY OR CREATE THESE WALLS... BUT IN THE '50s, AS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT REDLINING, YOU KNOW, WHEN THERE WERE CERTAIN FAMILIES THAT WERE SELECTED FOR LOANS, AND WE'RE THINKING 96 PERCENT WERE SELECTED FOR LOANS TO LIVE IN THE SUBURB AREA WERE WHITE OR OF EUROPEAN DESCENT, AND THE ONES THAT WERE NOT SELECTED WERE EITHER COLORED, HISPANIC, OR BLACK, AFRICAN-AMERICAN. WHAT DO YOU DO IN THAT SITUATION? IN THAT SITUATION, YOU HAVE GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES BUILDING THESE WALLS, THEY'RE NEGATING ACCESS TO THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, HENCE THAT WAS THE BIRTH OF SUBURBS. WHAT DO YOU DO IN THAT SCENARIO WHEN THE INDIVIDUAL DOES NOT HAVE AN OPTION TO MAKE A CHANGE? >> OBVIOUSLY CHANGE OCCURS AT MULTIPLE DIFFERENT SCALES AND IT OCCURS AT MULTIPLE DIFFERENT PACES IN THAT REGARD. SO, ONE OF THE THINGS I TRY TO BRING OUT AND CLARIFY-- ALL OF US ARE ONE THINKER OR ANOTHER THINKER. ON ONE HAND, PEOPLE THAT SAY, "SOME PEOPLE JUST NEED TO HAVE "A LITTLE MORE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND DO SOMETHING," AND YOU PLACE YOUR EMPHASIS ON THE PERSONAL INDIVIDUALIZED ACTIONS. "WELL, SOMEBODY CAN DO THIS. "OR YOU CAN DO THIS. "OR IF I WAS IN THEIR POSITION, I WOULD DO THIS." AND THOSE ARE THE SORT OF PEOPLE THAT PLACE THE EMPHASIS ON THAT INDIVIDUALISTIC SORT OF APPROACH. ON THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE MORE LIKE ME WHICH TEND TO FOCUS ON STRUCTURAL SORT OF ISSUES, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOUR QUESTION IS LOOKING ON. AND SO, WE HAVE TENDENCY TO SAY, "WELL, WHAT IF WE JUST ENGINEER "AND CREATE LAWS OR GET SOME SORT OF IDEA OF TOP-DOWN URBAN PLANNING "TO HELP ALLEVIATE SOME OF THESE THINGS." THE IDEA OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION CAME DOWN FROM THAT LINE, SO WE HAVE HISTORICAL INJUSTICES THAT WE HAVE CREATED THESE DIVIDES, SO LET'S DO THIS AND DO THIS. WHAT YOU END UP WITH STATISTICALLY IS DATA THAT IS MIXED ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS. SOMETIMES WHEN WE TRY TO DO TOP-DOWN PLANNING, WE END UP MAKING SITUATIONS WORSE. OTHER TIMES, THEY BECOME SOMEWHAT LESS EFFECTIVE. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU PLACE ALL OF YOUR EMPHASIS ON AN INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE AND SAY, "WELL, AS AN INDIVIDUAL, "YOU CAN JUST GO DO THIS," YOU'RE IGNORING THE FACT THAT WE ARE ALL CONSTRAINED BY THOSE STRUCTURAL FORCES. SO, WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS TO SORT OF WORK YOURSELF SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE. I DON'T HAVE ALL THE TOP-DOWN ANSWERS... BUT ON THE BOTTOM HAND, WHAT I NEED TO DO IS MAKE INDIVIDUALS AWARE OF THE NUANCES OF THE STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS ON THERE. SOMETHING LIKE THIS-- ONCE YOU ARE AWARE THAT THERE IS AN INVISIBLE WALL AFFECTING HOW YOU'RE DOING THINGS, IT'S EASY TO REACH ACROSS THAT FROM BOTH WAYS, EITHER REACHING ACROSS FROM ONE WAY TO SAY, "HEY, I DON'T THINK THAT'S RIGHT. "LET'S BECOME MORE INTEGRATED IN THAT SENSE." AND THERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO SAY, "I KNOW WHERE THAT WALL IS." AND WHEN YOU KNOW WHERE THAT WALL IS, YOU CAN KIND OF WORK YOURSELF AROUND IT, IN THAT SENSE. SO, I THINK PART OF THAT IS IN THAT CONTEXT-- LET'S SAY IN THE 1940s, 1950s LIKE THAT, WHERE YOU HAVE AN OBVIOUS STRUCTURAL FORCE THAT'S CREATING SORT OF DIVIDES IN THAT. YOU SAW, I THINK, INDIVIDUALS THEMSELVES DOING SOME PRETTY INGENIOUS WAYS TO GET AROUND THAT. YOU HAVE IDLEWILD UP IN BALDWIN, WHICH IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT. YOU HAVE AUBURN HILLS HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS AS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF INDIVIDUALS THAT SAW WHERE THOSE STRUCTURAL WALLS ENDED, AND THEY SORT OF WORKED THEMSELVES AROUND IT. SO, I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD'VE CHANGED ANY QUICKER OR ANY DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE THERE'S MORE OF A COLLECTIVE MOMENTUM AT THAT TIME. BUT THOSE SAME PROBLEMS ARE AFFECTING US TODAY, AND SO I THINK THAT IS THAT SAME SOLUTION, IS THAT YOU CAN'T JUST SAY EVERY INDIVIDUAL HAS GOTTA EMPOWER THEMSELVES AND DO IT BECAUSE THERE IS STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU CAN GO TO THE OTHER EXTREME AND SAY, "WELL, WE JUST NEED MORE BUREAUCRATS TO SET UP "A PROGRAM TO DEAL WITH THIS." SO, I THINK THAT REALLY THE CONVERSATION IS TRYING TO MAP WHERE THESE BOUNDARIES ARE, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF WHAT THE BOUNDARIES ARE, AND THEN USE THAT TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT ON THE GROUND A MUCH MORE BOTTOM-UP APPROACH OF GETTING TO COMMUNITIES THAT YOU WANT TO SORT OF HELP MOVE FORWARD AND SAY, "WHAT IS THE BEST WAY-- OR WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP YOU "IN THAT REGARD?" SO, IT CAN'T BE COMPLETELY PUT ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S SHOULDER, AND IT CAN'T BE COMPLETELY AN URBAN PLAN TOP-DOWN APPROACH. I DON'T BUY INTO YOUR QUESTION OR NOT, THAT HOPEFULLY THAT'S-- THAT'S AT LEAST WHERE I'VE SETTLED WITH IT. >> IT WORKS, OKAY. JAKE VASQUEZ, GRCC STUDENT-- >> HEY, YOU'RE IN MY CLASS! DARN RIGHT I AM! >> I GET TO MEET YOU FOR ONCE. HE'S IN MY ONLINE CLASS. HOW ARE YOU DOING, JACOB? >> THIS IS WHAT I LOOK LIKE-- YOU'RE WELCOME. (audience laughing) MY QUESTION IS-- I'M GONNA START OFF WITH A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND. MY BEST FRIEND IS-- I HAVE A BLACK BEST FRIEND, A LESBIAN BEST FRIEND, A HALF BLACK HALF WHITE BEST FRIEND, AND ONE WHO'S REALLY THE WHITEST GUY YOU'VE EVER MET. AND WE'VE KIND OF CREATED, IN OUR OWN LITTLE WORLD, OUR OWN SUBGROUP OF-- YOU KNOW, WE ALL LIKE NERD CULTURE, COMIC BOOKS, BECAUSE WERE ADULTS, AND LOTS OF OTHER THINGS. I'M JUST WONDERING-- IN THE MYRIAD OF RESEARCH THAT YOU'VE PROBABLY DONE, AS MUCH AS IT SEEMS LIKE THE SYSTEMIC AND STRUCTURAL SETTINGS, IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE-- ISN'T IT JUST REALLY HUMAN NATURE TO WANT TO JUST FIND THOSE PEOPLE WHO YOU KIND OF JUST CONNECT WITH AND WALL YOURSELF OFF FROM PEOPLE WHO DON'T APPRECIATE HOW COOL YOU ARE? (audience laughing) BECAUSE WE THINK WE ARE AWESOME, AND EVEN THOUGH SOMETIMES WE ARE PROVEN WRONG, WE HAVE A VERY SET STRUCTURE WHERE WE INCLUDE THE SPOUSES AND THE GIRLFRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, IT'S THE MAIN GROUP. >> YEAH, YOU'VE TOUCHED UPON SORT OF THE MAIN IDEA BEHIND HOW ETHNICITY OPERATES. WE WANT TO DO IT AND IT SERVES A VALUABLE ROLE IN MAKING US FEEL COMFORTABLE. SO, WE SEEK AFTER IT, BUT THEN I GUESS THE MESSAGE I WAS DELIVERING IS THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO, AND THAT'S WHAT EVERY ONE OF US DOES, BUT THE TRICK NOW IS TO REALIZE THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE UNINTENTIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF THAT, AND THEN SORTA EVALUATE WHAT THOSE ARE. SO, IF YOU GO OUT OF YOUR WAY AND HAVE WHAT SEEMS TO BE A FAIRLY DIVERSE GROUP OF FRIENDS UNITED BY NERDOM OR WHATEVER-- I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ACADEMIC TERM FOR IT WOULD BE-- >> (indistinct speaking). >> APPARENTLY THERE'S A TERM FOR IT. BUT I THINK THAT YOU'RE AT THE POINT WHERE MAYBE YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THE NEGATIVE SORT OF ASPECTS OF CERTAIN WALLS, AND YOU'VE STEPPED ACROSS THOSE, WHICH GETS BACK TO THIS QUESTION OVER HERE IS... I DON'T THINK ANY CENTRAL PLANNER CAN EVER ENVISION THE UNIFYING FACTOR OF NERD... NERD CULTURE OR WHATEVER, IN THAT REGARD. SO, THERE ARE JUST WEIRD LITTLE THINGS THAT, ON THE GROUND LEVEL, ARE INTEGRATING FORCES IN THAT REGARD. SO, I THINK WHAT IT IS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT OCCURS WHEN PEOPLE SORT OF HAVE THIS IDEA THAT MAYBE THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE AS CONSTRAINED BY CERTAIN BOUNDARIES THEMSELVES. BUT FOR THE FUNDAMENTAL CROWD, THAT'S WHAT EVERY ONE OF US DOES, IS WE ALL HAVE OUR CIRCLE OF FRIENDS THAT WE FEEL COMFORTABLE IN, AND WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, WE EXCLUDE EVERYBODY ELSE. SO NOW, THE QUESTION FOR EACH OF YOU THEN IS TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND SAY, "WHO AM I EXCLUDING? "AND WHAT ARE THE SORT OF NEGATIVE FACTS "OF MY EXCLUSIONARY BEHAVIOR?" AND IN SOME CASES, IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WHERE IT HITS YOU AND YOU SAY, "HEY, I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS DOING THIS "AND MAYBE I WANT TO REACH ACROSS THAT BARRIER A LITTLE MORE." AND IN OTHER CASES, IN TERMS OF YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS, YOU'VE ALREADY REACHED ALL ACROSS A LOT OF THOSE BOUNDARIES. SO THEN, JUST KEEP ON KEEPING ON, I GUESS. THAT'S AN OFFICIAL ACADEMIC TERM. >> DILLON, WHAT A BRILLIANT PRESENTATION. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN A GEOGRAPHER, I'M TELLING YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION THOUGH, BECAUSE YOU HAVE CONDUCTED THIS I THINK OVER A RELATIVELY BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME, WHICH SHOWS THE VALUE REALLY OF THIS ANALYTICAL SKILL THAT'S AVAILABLE IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES TO REALLY RESOLVE A NUMBER OF CURRENT PROBLEMS. AS YOU LOOK AT THIS AND YOU'VE ADDRESSED MATTERS ASSOCIATED WITH URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION NEEDS THAT CAN BE EQUALIZED AND PERHAPS RENTAL HOUSING BEING MADE AVAILABLE, ARE THERE ANY OTHER NEEDS THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED DO YOU THINK THAT CAN FACILITATE SOME EQUALITY ACROSS THESE ETHNIC LANDSCAPES? >> YOU KNOW, I'M BIASED BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY I'M AN EDUCATOR, BUT I THINK SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE REALLY SUCH A RICH RESOURCE, AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE PICKED UP ON OVER THE YEARS, IS THAT WHEN PEOPLE DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN EDUCATION AND ESSENTIALLY MULTICULTURAL SETTINGS, IS THAT EVERYBODY BENEFITS FROM THAT IN THAT SENSE. SO, I KNOW YOU JUST KIND OF FED ME A SOFTBALL QUESTION WITH THAT, AND SORT OF LEADING TO-- BECAUSE I KNOW WHERE HIS MIND IS AT. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A GOOD THING OR NOT. (audience chuckling) SO YEAH, THAT'S WHERE I WOULD PERSONALLY SAY THAT I THINK YOU GET THE MOST RETURN FOR YOUR INVESTMENT. SO, WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THESE ISSUES ON A GLOBAL SCALE, IN TERMS OF HELPING OUT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, THE BIGGEST RETURN ON YOUR DOLLAR ON INVESTMENT IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT IS ALWAYS GIRLS EDUCATION. AND SO, HERE IN THE STATES, THE BIGGEST RETURN ON YOUR DOLLAR FOR WORKING THROUGH THAT IS JUST EDUCATION ITSELF, PARTICULARLY AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL, WHERE PEOPLE FORM SOCIAL NETWORKS THAT SORT OF HELP TRANSFORM ACROSS ALL THE OTHER HABITUAL BOUNDARIES THAT ARE GOING TO ARISE, BUT THEN THEY ALSO HAVE A WAY TO THINK AS THINGS FROM MULTIPLE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES BECAUSE YOU'RE BRINGING SO MANY DIFFERENT LIVED EXPERIENCES INTO AN EDUCATIONAL SETTING AND FOR ME, PERSONALLY, THAT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT TEACHING HERE AT GRCC IS HAVING TAUGHT ELSEWHERE, WHERE YOU HAVE A MUCH MORE HOMOGENOUS STUDENT BODY, THESE CLASS DISCUSSIONS GET VERY, VERY STALE AND THEY PETER OUT QUICKLY... BUT HERE AT GRCC, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL STUDENT BODY THAT WE HAVE WONDERFUL, VIBRANT DISCUSSIONS, AND I THINK EVERYBODY BENEFITS FROM THAT. >> YOU TALKED ABOUT BOUNDARIES IN THAT THERE IS ETHNIC-- OUR ETHNIC IDENTITY OR WHATEVER, HOW IT CAN BE A GOOD THING FOR BELONGING AND WE HAVE UNINTENTIONAL CONSEQUENCES. BUT HOW DOES IT FIT IN-- THERE'S A CERTAIN SORT OF GROUPS WHO ARE VESTED IN MAINTAINING CERTAIN BOUNDARIES FOR PURPOSES THAT MOST OF US WOULDN'T AGREE WITH-- HOW DOES THAT FIT IN? SAY SKINHEADS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW? >> IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT I THINK AT SOME POINT YOU GET THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF PEOPLE'S THOUGHT, AND EVERYBODY IS GOING TO FALL IN THERE SOMEWHERE. SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE ON THE EXTREME MULTICULTURAL END OF IT, THAT WHAT WE SHOULD DO IS HAVE URBAN PLANNING AND PICK EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND PUT WONDERFULLY RANDOMIZED SAMPLES OF INDIVIDUALS TOGETHER, AND THAT WOULD BE A UTOPIAN SOCIETY... TO THE OTHER EXTREME WHERE YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE THE VERY, VERY EXTREME ELEMENTS THAT REALLY IT DOESN'T EVEN APPROACH ANYWHERE NEAR A CIVIL CONVERSATION. SO CLEARLY, I THINK AT BOTH EXTREMES, WE CAN SEE SOME VERY, VERY DIFFICULT THINGS THAT I THINK ALL THE TIME WE NEED TO BE LOOKING TOWARDS THAT CONVERSATION MORE. I'M NOT TRYING TO HEDGE MY ANSWER IN THAT SENSE. I TRY TO BRING THIS OUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT TWO OF THE KEY ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORIES OF ETHNOCENTRISM AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM, IS THAT THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE A TENSION BETWEEN THOSE TWO. SO, OBVIOUSLY AN EXTREME VERSION OF ETHNOCENTRISM LEADS TO GENOCIDE, HATE CRIMES, OPPRESSION, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT ALL OF US IN THIS ROOM HAVE A PRETTY COMFORTABLE GRASP ON SAYING, "WELL, NO." ON THE OTHER HAND, WITH EXTREME CULTURAL RELATIVISM, THEN YOU WORK YOURSELF INTO ALMOST AN "ANYTHING GOES" CORNER, IN THAT IN SOME CONTEXTS, SO IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT IMMIGRATES FROM A PART OF THE WORLD THAT HAS ALL A LEGACY OF HAVING LET'S SAY A PATRIARCHAL STRUCTURE AND THERE IS A DEGREE OF GENDER INEQUALITY THAT IS VERY, VERY SEVERE... AN EXTREME MULTICULTURAL POSITION SAYS, "WELL, THAT THEY'RE VALUED POSITION, "SO WE NEED TO SORTA SOMEHOW MAINTAIN THAT "IN THIS UTOPIAN HODGEPODGE," AND I WOULD SORT OF SPEAK OUT AGAINST THAT AS WELL, BY SAYING THAT AT SOME POINT, EACH OF US HAS TO FIND SOME SORT OF MORAL LINE WHERE THAT IS, AND HOPEFULLY, BY HAVING CONVERSATIONS, EVERYBODY THAT WE CAN SORT OF-- YOU'RE ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE THOSE CONFLICT ON THOSE EDGES, BUT THE MORE OF US THAT CAN KIND OF SIT AT THAT MIDDLE THERE I THINK IS PRODUCTIVE. IF YOU HAVE PEOPLE CONVERSING ACROSS THOSE I THINK EXTREME ELEMENTS, WHICH I THINK ARE ALWAYS HARMFUL, OBSERVE PRETTY QUICKLY, AND THOSE KIND OF GET MARGINALIZED PRETTY QUICKLY. >> SO PUTTING MORALITY INTO THE MIX OF IT? >> AT HAS TO BE IN THERE A LITTLE BIT SOMEWHERE. IT HAS TO BE... BUT WHERE IT IS, I'M NOT GOING TO TELL ANYBODY. BUT IT'S GONNA BE IN THERE SOMEWHERE. >> I JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT GENTRIFICATION... AND AS AN ANTHROPOLOGIST, YOU'RE PROBABLY REALLY AWARE OF HOW ON DIVISION THAT THERE IS ALL THESE NEW YORK STYLE LOFTS THAT HAVE MOVED IN, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FORCED OUT OF THEIR REGULAR PLACE WHERE THEY WERE LIVING ON WEALTHY STREET. WEALTHY STREET, THERE'S BEEN KIND OF A REVITALIZATION, AND A LOT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN BUSINESSES HAVE CLOSED DOWN IN THAT AREA WHEN IT WAS PREDOMINANTLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN. AND WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE COFFEE SHOPS, IT MADE ME THINK THAT NOT ONLY IS IT THE FACT THAT THERE ARE COFFEE SHOPS, BUT THERE IS ALSO THIS DIVISION THAT HAPPENS WHERE THESE COFFEE SHOPS OPEN AND THEIR AIMS TOWARDS A CERTAIN TYPE OF WHITE PERSON... AND THE SAME THING WITH THE BARS IN GRAND RAPIDS. A LOT OF THE BARS ARE SEGREGATED ALONG WITH THE COFFEE SHOPS, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ON TRIPS TO KALAMAZOO, AND THEY SAID THAT THE DIFFERENT RACES GO TO THE SAME BARS AND COFFEE SHOPS. AND I'M JUST WONDERING IF THAT'S A FORM OF UNCONSCIOUS GENTRIFICATION. >> I WOULD THINK-- BASICALLY, THE PROCESS OF GENTRIFICATION YOU'RE DESCRIBING ARE BUILDING THOSE WALLS UP AND MAKING THEM MORE FIRM, AND PUSHING THE EDGES OF WHERE THOSE PARTICULAR WALLS ARE. OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE THINK THEY'RE MAKING MONEY ON IT, AND OTHER PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE IN, AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE DYNAMICS THAT PUSHES GENTRIFICATION IN THAT REGARD. BUT WE DO KNOW-- AND IT BASICALLY ILLUSTRATES THE DYNAMIC I WAS TALKING ABOUT AS WELL, WHICH IS WHAT YOU END UP WITH IS GENTRIFICATION BECOMES A VERY, VERY RIGIDLY EXCLUSIONARY PROCESS, IN THAT REGARD. ONE OF THE BEST ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES I SAW WAS A CASE OF STALLED GENTRIFICATION. THERE WAS A PROCESS OF GENTRIFICATION IN SORT OF A MID-SIZED URBAN CITY ON THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES, AND THEN THERE WAS AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN WHICH HALTED THE PROCESS OF GENTRIFICATION, SO THEN YOU BASICALLY HAVE TWO DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES LIVING SIDE-BY-SIDE, AND IT WAS PRETTY INSIGHTFUL IN THE WAYS THEY WERE BEHAVING DIFFERENTLY IN THOSE TYPES OF SPACES. SO, THE PEOPLE THAT WERE PREDOMINANTLY UPPER-MIDDLE-CLASS WERE DRIVING TO THE SUBURBS TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING, COMING BACK HOME. I DO AN EXAMPLE-- WELL, YOU WERE IN CLASS WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSES AND THE USES OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF HOUSES. HOUSES CONSTRUCTED TO DATE DON'T HAVE FRONT PORCHES BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS TO INTERACT WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS, IN THAT SENSE. YOU DRIVE INTO YOUR GARAGE AND YOU CREATE YOURSELF A LITTLE BUBBLE, IN THAT REGARD, VERSUS SOMEBODY THAT IS GOING TO HAVE A MUCH MORE SEMIPUBLIC SPACE AND SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME AND THAT SEMIPUBLIC SPACE. BUT IN THAT EXAMPLE OF STALLED GENTRIFICATION, WHAT YOU END UP SEEING EMERGING ARE SOMEBODY OF A LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC CLASS DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCE OPTIONS, SO WHAT YOU DO IS YOU BUILD UP A STREET ECONOMY, YOU BUILD UP SOCIAL CONNECTIONS THERE. AND SO, IF YOU NEED 20 BUCKS, YOU CAN'T SORT OF PUT IT ON A CREDIT CARD BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE A CREDIT CARD. BUT WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS YOU NEED TO FIND SOMEBODY THAT YOU CAN GET AN ODD JOB FROM TO MAKE THAT QUICKLY OR A FRIEND THAT YOU CAN BORROW IT FROM, AND THAT. SO, THAT'S PARTLY WHY PEOPLE WOULD USE A PUBLIC SPACE IN THAT CONTEXT, WHEREAS WHAT OFTEN HAPPENS WITH GENTRIFICATION IS YOU GET MUCH MORE COMMODIFICATION OF THAT INTERACTION. PEOPLE'S HOMES BECOME A LITTLE MORE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC LIFE, BUT WHEN PEOPLE DO INTERACT, IT'S IN THAT MUCH MORE FORMALIZED SPACE THAT ARE COFFEE SHOPS AND CAFES AND-- I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE BARS, BUT ONE OF THE MOST COMMON THINGS THAT COME UP ARE CHURCHES AND WORSHIP TIME-- IT GETS REALLY SORT OF DILUTED IN THAT REGARDS. SO, THAT'S ALL REALLY GOOD ILLUSTRATION OF THE DYNAMICS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. >> I'M TRACY, I WORK HERE AT THE COLLEGE, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW WE COMPARE AGAINST OTHER CITIES OF OUR SIZE, BUT A REALLY BIG BUILDER OF INVISIBLE WALLS I THINK HAS BEEN THE MEDIA. IT'S ESPECIALLY BEEN BLATANT THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS WITH THE MURDERS IN KENTWOOD AND NOT MINIMALIZING ANYTHING, BUT IT DIDN'T BECOME OBVIOUS UNTIL WE HAD SIX DEATHS IN SHOOTINGS IN THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS IN THE AREA THAT YOU WERE MENTIONING IN THE SOUTHEAST OR IN THE INNER URBAN AREA. AND THEN, IT ALSO AGAIN HAPPENED THIS PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. THERE'S BEEN TWO PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN MISSING SINCE FEBRUARY 14-- IT'S BEEN ALL OVER THE NEWS-- YET, A MOTHER OF FIVE CHILDREN GONE MISSING LAST WEEK, AND BECAUSE OF HER NEIGHBORHOOD OR HER BACKGROUND, SHE'S BEEN REPORTED ONCE. SO, I THINK MEDIA HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS REALLY BUILT A LOT OF WALLS. >> ARE THERE ANY MEDIA MEMBERS IN THE AUDIENCE? ALL RIGHT, THEN I THINK THE MEDIA IS A PROBLEM. (audience laughing) THAT'S KINDA ONE OF THINGS IN TERMS OF THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU GET THESE IDEAS. THE OTHER-- AND THAT REALLY ILLUSTRATES THE DANGER OF HAVING WALLS. SO, IF YOU'RE NOT INTERACTING WITH SOMEBODY ELSE WHO IS "THE OTHER," WHOEVER GETS "OTHERED" IN YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION, IF YOU DON'T HAVE REALLY ANY SORT OF INTERPERSONAL INTERACTION WITH THAT, YOUR OPINION IS ONLY GOING TO BE FORMED THROUGH THE MEDIA. AND SO-- AND WE HAVE A TENDENCY TO SEE THE MEDIA IS OBVIOUSLY A BUSINESS, SO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO IS SELL PAPERS OR SELL WEBSITE HITS OR WHATEVER THEY'RE TRYING TO SELL. SO, THAT HAS A TENDENCY TO KIND OF FUEL INTO STEREOTYPICAL IMAGES. AND SO WHAT YOU'LL OFTEN TIMES SEE IS PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH "THE OTHER" WILL DRAW UPON THOSE PARTICULAR IMAGES AS WELL. I DON'T HAVE ANY DATA OFFHAND WHERE I CAN TALK ABOUT SORT OF THE FREQUENCY OF THINGS, BUT I THINK IT'S A WIDELY RECOGNIZED SORT OF DYNAMIC OR DIMENSION THAT THERE DOES TEND TO BE A VERY, VERY SKEWED PORTRAYAL OF DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUPS IN THAT CONTEXT, YOU KNOW, ON BOTH SIDES. IF YOU'RE READING "FOX NEWS" OR "NEW YORK TIMES," THAT'S GONNA SORTA SKEW HOW YOU SEE ACROSS THOSE DIFFERENT BOUNDARIES. IF YOU READ THE "NEW YORK TIMES," YOU'RE GOING TO THINK ABOUT REPUBLICANS DIFFERENTLY THAN IF YOU-- THAT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, IN THAT REGARD... BUT THEY'RE TRYING TO SELL PAPERS. SO, IT'S-- I AGREE WITH YOU 100 PERCENT. I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE AN ANSWER TO THAT. >> OKAY, WE HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION BEFORE WE CONCLUDE. >> PROFESSOR CARR. >> GOOD-- YOURSELF, SEAN? >> WELL, I'M WELL. I WANTED TO ASK-- BECAUSE I'M ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN DOING THIS TYPE OF WORK, GOING INTO THE COMMUNITIES AND BUILDING THOSE BRIDGES, AND I'M CONSIDERING TAKING THE PATHWAY TO EDUCATION, AND I WANTED TO KNOW AS AN EDUCATOR, WHAT COULD YOU DO TO HELP RAISE THAT AWARENESS IN THE COMMUNITIES? WHAT COULD YOU DO TO YOUNG MIND-- YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE GET THEIR PERCEPTIONS AND THEIR BIASES FROM HOME AND AT SCHOOL. AND I WAS WONDERING, YOU KNOW, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO-- THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WON'T GET TO THIS LEVEL. I GUESS A LOT OF PEOPLE WON'T GET COLLEGE EDUCATED, SO THEY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE THE CLASSES-- LIKE I'VE TAKEN YOUR CLASS, I'VE TAKEN HIS SOCIOLOGY CLASS, I'VE TAKEN PROFESSOR CONNER'S, I'VE TAKEN RACE AND ETHNICITY, SO I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET MY MIND CHALLENGED AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING SOME OF MY BAGGAGE TO THE TABLE AND BE ABLE TO SHARPEN DIFFERENT FACETS OF MYSELF. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT NOT GET TO THIS LEVEL AND THEY MIGHT NOT BE WILLING TO THINK CRITICALLY ENOUGH. SO, I'M WONDERING AS A LEADER, AS A YOUNG LEADER, WHAT CAN I DO IN MY COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITIES ABROAD TO BE ABLE TO RAISE THAT AWARENESS? >> AND I THINK YOU'RE PROBABLY ON THE RIGHT PATH IN TERMS OF SIMPLY BEING ACTIVELY THINKING ABOUT IT AND HAVING A PASSION FOR IT. THE GEOGRAPHY SPONSORED ROUNDTABLE YESTERDAY, WHICH WAS EXCELLENT, HAD A REPRESENTATIVE FOR-- WAS IT BURTON SCHOOL? THE COMMUNITY SERVICE COORDINATOR. SO, I THINK EDUCATION IS GOING IN THAT DIRECTION, WHERE WE'RE SEEING THE NEED FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BE IN THOSE THAT ARE OUR LIAISONS BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS AND NOT JUST STUDENTS, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE INTERACT WITH STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT INTERACTING WITH THE ENTIRE FAMILY, IN THAT REGARD, AND SORT OF MAKING THOSE THINGS A LOT MORE INVOLVED. AND SO, THE IDEA OF A COMMUNITY SCHOOL IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST A PLACE WHERE STUDENTS GO TO, BUT THAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS YOU'RE NOT JUST EDUCATING A CHILD, BUT YOUR INTERACTING AND INVESTING IN THE FAMILIES AND THAT. THE L.O.O.P. PROGRAM WHICH IS HAVING TEACHERS FOLLOWING WITH A COHORT FOR TWO STRAIGHT YEARS TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND INVEST IN THOSE RELATIONSHIPS. SO, I THINK SORT OF AT THE STRUCTURAL LEVEL, THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GREAT THINGS GOING ON IN EDUCATION. SO, MY ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU WOULD BE TO, AS YOU PURSUE THAT, GET INVOLVED WITH AND TRY TO LOOK-- IF THERE'S A PLACE WHERE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH, AND THEY HAVE THOSE PROGRAMS, JUST TRY TO WORK YOUR WAY INTO THE PROGRAM. IF YOU SEE A COMMUNITY THAT DOESN'T HAVE THAT PROGRAM, THEN YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE MODELS YOU CAN DRAW FROM. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GREAT WORK GOING ON AT THAT LEVEL. >> FOLLOW-UP QUESTION TO THAT. DO YOU THINK THAT IMPLEMENTING ETHNIC STUDIES INTO THE CURRICULUM IN SCHOOLS-- DO YOU THINK THAT THAT WILL HAVE AN EFFECT ON PEOPLE? >> YOU KNOW-- >> BECAUSE I MEAN, I-- ONE THING THAT I CAN SAY IS I SPENT TIME AT GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND THEY WERE PRETTY MUCH RACIALLY HOMOGENOUS. AND THEN, I WENT TO CRESTON MY FRESHMAN YEAR, AND THEN I SPENT MY LAST YEARS IN WYOMING, AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WAS MORE DIVERSE. AND I REMEMBER, IN PARTICULAR FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE REALLY DIDN'T FOCUS ON IT. WE DIDN'T EVEN REALLY ADDRESS IT AT ALL, AND IT SEEMED LIKE TO ME IT WAS IRRELEVANT BECAUSE THE SCHOOL POPULATION AND WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, AND IT WAS PRETTY MUCH TREATED AS A SECOND TIER FOOTNOTE AND NOT AS AMERICAN HISTORY AS A WHOLE. >> THAT GETS DOWN TO WHAT IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS "BLUE BOX" ISSUES. I KIND OF TALKED ABOUT THAT LAST YEAR IN RACE AND ETHNICITY, IS THERE'S A TENDENCY FOR US TO TAKE THINGS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE MAJORITY OR MAINSTREAM, AND WHAT WE DO IS WE PUSH THEM OFF IN TERMS OF TIME AND PLACE. SO, WE ONLY CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH, AND THEN THE REST OF THE TIME, WE CAN GO BACK TO WHITE HISTORY. WHICH THAT CREATES PROBLEMS, SO PEOPLE CAN ALMOST TUNE IT OUT AT TIMES. WHICH I THINK THE BEST ANSWER IS KIND OF WHAT DR. DEVIVO WAS LEADING TOWARDS, WHICH WAS IF YOU CAN REALLY WORK AT SORT OF HAVING A WONDERFULLY DIVERSE AND INTEGRATED SCHOOL EXPERIENCE, AND THE CURRICULUM SORT OF FITS WITH THAT, IS THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE-- "WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TWO WEEKS FOR THIS NOW," AND WHAT PEOPLE TEND TO DO IS THEY TEND TO TUNE THAT OUT. SO, IF WE HAVE ETHNICITY CLASS, THEN EVERYONE'S GONNA BE, "I GONNA TAKE THIS," AND THEN YOU'LL SORT OF LACK THAT ENGAGEMENT WITH IT. BUT WHEN IT'S WOVEN ALL THE WAY THROUGH BECAUSE YOU HAVE SOMEBODY TALKING, "OH, I HAVE THIS HISTORY BOOK "FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE, BECAUSE MY FAMILY HAS GOT THIS BACKGROUND," AND YOU HAVE SOMEBODY ELSE, "WELL, I JUST READ THE SAME BOOK "FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE MY FAMILY HAS THIS BACKGROUND," YOU GET THAT WOVEN ALL THE WAY THROUGH, AND THAT'S THE BENEFIT OF IT, REALLY. BUT IF IT'S JUST, "IN MARCH, WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS, "IN APRIL, WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS," THEN REALLY, YOU JUST SORT OF KEEP BANGING YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL, SO TO SPEAK. BUT GOOD QUESTIONS, THOUGH. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, EVERYBODY, FOR COMING. (applause) GO GET YOUR EXTRA CREDIT. (applause) >> GOOD JOB, DILLON. >> THANKS FOR MODERATING, KEITH.