Reply to Why do teens self-segregate along racial lines ?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Spent a week this Summer at a teens’ coed summer camp and noticed this happening.  The African-American kids in particular seemed to really self-segregate and only sit with AA kids during mealtimes.

Our troop is about 40% white, equal amount Asian/Indian, with a few Latinx and AA kids.  But at summer camp 2025, they all just seemed to separate this way.

Why are kids still doing this in 2025?  Any suggestions to stop it? [/quote]

The same reasons adults do.[/quote]

Sure, but that doesn’t make it ok; don’t you agree ?[/quote]

DP but it doesn't make it wrong either. Forcing them to mix is wrong. [/quote]

It’s a red flag for sure. Not associating with any other race than your own is not healthy or admirable in any way no matter what your excuse is. It’s wrong to discriminate based on skin color. [/quote]

Doesn’t it depend on who is doing the self-segregating? My sense is that it’s not okay for white kids to self-segregate and exclude but it is okay for Black kids to do so.

I think it goes back to the idea that Black kids need a “safe space” but white kids do not.

(Though personally I would understand if white kids DO need a safe space to be with white kids… 10 years ago, I’d say that is crazy but today, people are so aggressive with the race stuff, I would understand if everyone, all races, want to segregate MORE than they did 10 years ago). [/quote]

I think what you are missing here is that White kids are generally surrounded by plenty of other White kids so their culture (you know, talking "white", styling their hair "white" (e.g. straight), engaging in activities that are predominantly done by white people in their communities -whether it be swimming, lacrosse, hunting) is constantly being validated. The notion it's not okay for White kids to hang out with other White kids is bizarre. Of course it's okay! It's the norm in our culture. And when Black and Asian kids hang out with them, the White kids are not expected to adjust their behavior beyond not being explicitly racist.

Black kids and other POC often are in settings where their cultures are not validated and the racism they experience is not acknowledged. Spending time with other kids that share their culture and experiences of racism is extremely helpful and in some cases a matter of survival.[/quote]

This is only true if you are used to white-dominated spaces. There are lots of spaces that are mostly black or hispanic kids. My white kid used to attend a school that was like 98% black. While all the kids at that school certainly experienced racism in their lives (I think it's impossible not to experience some forms of racism as a black person in the US), they did not struggle with feeling validated or a sense of belonging at school. The culture of the school was black and it was the handful of white kids who were the outliers.

I do think people would have thought it was weird if the white kids at the school only hung out with each other though -- it would have come off as racist. However it wasn't really an issue. My kid was one of two white girls in her grade, and the other white girl had totally different interests and a different personality, so they were barely friends. There were a few white boys but at that time she was very sexist and didn't want to be friends with boys, lol. So all her friends were black girls. She never felt excluded by them. Sometimes she'd feel a bit out of place or left out (most notably regarding hair, very occasionally regarding other cultural touchstones that she didn't know about). But mostly they bonded over shared interests and preferences. There's not a racial component to liking gymnastics or crafting.[/quote]

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