Black/White Race Relations in a New Immigrant Destination

• In Event: 205 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Paper Session. Race and Ethnicity in Everyday Encounters

Abstract

To the casual observer, black/white relations in Greenville, SC are notable for their absence of conflict. In sharp contrast with the images of blacks and whites clashing in the streets during the Civil Rights era, the contemporary South is today often associated with a remarkable ease of interracial interactions in public spaces. On the surface, blacks and whites typically exchange friendly greetings, hugs, handshakes, and smiles; they dine together, root for the same sports teams, and shop at the same stores. Yet behind these cordial interactions lies a racial discourse that belies the easy-going amity characteristic of many interactions. During the course of a year-long participant observation study of native-born receptions of new immigrants to the Greenville, SC metropolitan area, I learned that immigrants are potentially integrating into a complicated racial landscape of superficial comity that obfuscates undercurrents of mutual suspicion. Mistrust and negative stereotypes compete with images of camaraderie and unity between native-born blacks and whites. The many pleasant interracial interactions of daily life that immigrants will witness over time likely contribute to a perception that racism is a thing of the past, that we live in a society where race no longer matters.

Author

• Monica McDermott, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign