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RSS FeedSame race versus cross-race youth mentoring: Does it make a difference?
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| Yes | 49% | 49 votes | Total: 101 votes | |
| No | 51% | 52 votes |
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Add to FavoritesI believe there is a definite difference between cross-race and same-race mentoring. My reason behind this belief is societal at its base. The ideal of a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic melting pot, where race is not a factor is something I believe all should strive for, but the world-at-large very often falls short of.
I do wish to make clear that while I do not believe in enforcing limitations based on race in determining the qualifications of mentors, part of what I believe is so very impactful about mentoring as an institution is the example set for youth by mentors. A mentor obviously sets a conscious example, by guiding and teaching a young person and complimenting their primary education. However, it is the unconscious example that concerns me, which can be a pivotal (even detrimental) factor in the development of impressionable minds, particularly as every adult a child is in contact with reinforces unconscious examples.
Consider the example of the grouping of elementary school children in the 2005 independent short documentary, "A Girl Like Me," by Kiri Davis. Ms. Davis revisited an experiment conducted by Dr. Kenneth & Mamie Clark, which influenced the famous Brown vs. Board of Education school desegregation case in the 1950's. Like Dr. Clark, Ms. Davis chose a control group of Black children and presented them with two dolls: One white and one black. When the children were asked which doll they preferred to play with 15 out of the 21 children said they preferred to play with the white doll. When asked why they liked the white doll, they gave responses saying the white doll was "pretty" and "nice."
When the same Black children were asked which doll looked like them, they chose the black doll. When they were asked which doll looked bad, they chose the black doll.
These children, while not being overtly indoctrinated into the belief that they or the race they are a part of are inferior or ugly, have demonstrated manifestations of subconscious messages society, at large, has sent them. There is a disconnection between what they are told they can achieve or be by teachers, parents and other adults of consequence and what they perceive based on societal imagery. With an emphasis in popular mainstream media placed on euro-centrically defined standards as being the ideal and preferred, there is no positive, self-defining, collective, Black self-image. At the same time, the most prominent images in popular Black media are defined by archetypes one can most readily associate with street culture, gang culture and offshoots thereof. When you combine these non-affirming media images and messages with what the average Black child sees in their immediate surroundings regarding criminal activity, literacy rates, domestic and street violence and ever-increasing incarceration rates, the expectation of their overall life standard ends up substantially lower than the average white child.
One way to combat such negative conditioning is with equally positive subconscious messages, which highlight and affirm the beauty and greatness of who they are inherently. They (like all children) are beautiful as human beings, but must have their identities as Black children held up as something of worth, which can be effectively aided by the example of someone accessible who looks like them, identifies with them and has overcome similar circumstance. I believe this holds true for children of all ethnic and cultural groupings, especially minorities, as theirs is an experience borne from being part of a perceived underclass from a socio-economic perspective. Armed with a positive mentoring example which a child closely identifies with, I believe a foundation has been established which a mentor of any background may build upon in a positive way.
I believe that a positive mentor of the same racial background as the young person being mentored is infinitely beneficial and an essential part of the fundamental mentoring process. The choice of a same-race mentor should not be exclusive, however, as a well-rounded youth can only benefit from the multi-ethnic socialization achieved by cross-cultural mentoring. A multi-cultural mentoring philosophy can only be beneficial when there is a fundamental, positive reinforcement of the base culture of the youth being mentored.
Learn more about this author, Briscoe Pugh.
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No
Same race versus cross-race youth mentoring: Does it make a difference?
I am uncertain exactly what this question is asking for. "Does it make a difference?" To whom are we referring? Does it make a difference to the mentor? Does it make a difference to the child (the one being mentored)? How about the parents of the child? Or is it asking if it makes a difference to me personally?
So long as we continue to identify people in terms of race and color our racial barriers will remain intact, even though we state very emphatically that we have come a long way toward our goal of racial equality. Why can't a man be called a man or a women be called a women regardless what race they happen to be? Why does the color of a man's or a women's skin even have to be mentioned? Is a man more or less of a man or a women more or less of a woman because his/her skin is a different color than someone else's? No? If it doesn't make a difference, then explain to me why it has to be said at all! We have so many countless generations of having been identified my race/skin color that we do this without even a second thought. White man, Black man, Brown man, Red man, Yellow man, etc., when did a man stop being just a man? When we speak of people of different races can't we just refer to them as men and/or women? Why do our descriptions have to include some sort of race identification tag? It's like we have to make a special point of letting who we're talking to know that, this one's brown, that one's red, the other one's whiteetc. Why does this matter? Pleasedon't mistake my intent. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your race. If a particular individual wants to be identified by his/her race, that's fine, but what I see more often than not is a lot of racial tagging that is both offensive and unwanted, and that is what I am talking about here. Personally, I don't want to be referred to as a White Man. If you are going to call me a man then just call me a man and drop the race thing. I could very easily believe that there are a great number of people who feel the same. We are just tired of the entire racial issue constantly blocking the good will between people of different nationalities. And this is particularly so when it doesn't have to be this way.
With respect to the question at hand: Are we thinking of mentoring in term of race? Does a black child sit with an oriental mentor and think of him/her in terms of what race he/she is in order to determine how effective he/she will be? I believe that I can safely answer, no, to that question and then ask, then why should we as adults? Perhaps the Debate Title here should have read, "Should It Make a Difference", to which I could resoundingly answer NO! Unfortunately for us all, including our children, in our society today, there are times when it does. Personally, to me it does not, would not, and could not make a difference of any kind, but for some it does. Let's also understand that children are not born with racial prejudice. It is a learned behavior because they are born into a world that has racial prejudice in it already. This is when and how the difference starts happening.
So then, Does It Make a Difference? I have to say that in many cases, unfortunately, it does. Should It Make a Difference? No, it most definitely should not! There is no fact or extrapolation of fact, based on race alone, which can make me believe that it should. It sickens me to think of determining a man's worth by his race or the color of his skin in ANY situation. And those who willfully do this sort of thing are fearful, shallow, socially uneducated, and WRONG.
Learn more about this author, June McGee.
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