Shouting and Pushing against Race-evasion: Locating Alternative Racial Discourse

• In Event: 452 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 08. Race and Space

Abstract

We conducted participant observation on public buses that transport youth to and from school, and interviewed youth in focus groups to determine if, how, and when dominant codes of speech and behavior affect youth of color in multiracial settings. Neighborhood composition as well as the racial and age composition of riders shaped the racial grammars youth employed. We found that youth drew upon dominant and alternative discourse. We identify three types of alternative racial discourse: asserting racial selves, rejecting essentialist notions of race, and challenging white supremacy. The most explosive confrontations observed occurred when African American girls confronted White women. We suggest that the intensity of these conflicts arose from the cultural and structural positions of Black and White women.

Authors

• Maxine Leeds Craig, University of California-Davis

• Stephanie Dawn Sears, University of San Francisco