A Duke sociology professor gave a lecture at Dartmouth College in which he lambasted the idea that America has entered a post-racial society, or made any progress on racial issues whatsoever.
“We are not post-racial,” said Eduardo Bonilla-Silva in his lecture, as reported by The Dartmouth. “This ideology is suave but deadly.”
Phrases used by white people such as ‘I have black friends,’ are clear indications of covert racism, he said.
The lecture was titled “The Color of Color-Blindness: Whites’ Race Talk in ‘Post-Racial’ America.” Dartmouth’s website described the lecture as an attempt to demonstrate that white people have been naive about the continued existence of racism since long before President Obama’s election.
“White America has believed a version of post-racialism since the early 1980s. … The bulk of the talk will revolve around the examination of ‘color-blind racism’ or whites’ race talk in the contemporary period,” reported The College Fix.
The notion that America is entering a post-racial period is “sincere fiction,” according to Bonilla-Silva.
Unfortunately for the professor, minorities aren’t buying it. An increasing percentage of blacks say racism is on its way out, admitted Bonilla-Silva.
His views on racism were well-received by Dartmouth students, however.
“I thought he was dead on,” said Melissa Padilla, a Dartmouth student, in an interview with The Dartmouth. “We push race under the carpet. I guess we’re trying to mask it.”
Ironically, Bonilla-Silva said that it was wrong to generalize a negative experience with a few people to members of an entire race. Whether we has considered taking his own advice is unknown–he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
