Stop Being So Sensitive: An Examination of How Subtle Racism Is Perceived at Amherst College

• In Event: Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: Counterstories and Racialized Experiences of Students of Color in Multiple Settings

Abstract

This study examined subtle racism on a “liberal” college campus. Focus groups were conducted and recorded to examine students’ awareness of subtle racism and to learn where students draw the line between a legitimate complaint of racism and
being “too sensitive.” All-Black, all-Latino, and all-white focus groups read and discussed a series of vignettes, each of which described an ambiguous incident that could be interpreted as racially motivated. Coding results suggested that students of color are more color-conscious, more defensive when peers claim ambiguous instances were not racist, and more likely to empathize with a personal story. Further, lighter skinned minorities saw racism less often than their darker skinned peers, and white students avoided being the first to reject racism.

Author

• Amanda Rodriguez-Newhall, Amherst College