Running head: OGL 350 Module 2 1

Lindsey Mills

OGL 350: Module 2

Professor L. Terken, Guper

October 31, 2020

Part 1: Prejudice & Discrimination

This week’s module offered many insights for me. Before this week when I thought

about prejudice and discrimination, my first instinct was to think about race and minorities and

how they have been mistreated or have not been given the same opportunities as white people. I

learned that there can also be subtle forms of discrimination and bias when it comes to

socioeconomic classes especially those linked to poverty. I realized that my perception of the

history of the United States and the Civil War was completely skewed. I was educated through

the lens of white privilege and taught that white people were doing black slaves a favor by

advocating for slaves to be free. Now while I do believe that this did take the United States a step

in the right direction toward inclusion, I realized after our reading that while white people did

“free” slaves from many forms of oppression, they also created so many others. White people

created a system through state legislation that favored white people to be able to get better jobs

and hold higher class status (Lacey, 2015 pg. 1247).

Part 1: Privilege

One of the readings that resonated with me in terms of privilege came from “supposed to

know better” (Megivern, 2011). I can relate to the author on a few personal levels. Although

being white, I did grow up in the lower to working class family. My family had points where we

would buy groceries from food outlets and while my parents did everything to provide for us, I

knew there were times when money was tight. I got a job at a young age to afford the clothes I

wanted. I am grateful that I never had to go without a roof over my head or basic necessities to

live. After reading this chapter I can see that my race has given me so many opportunities. I’m

learning that in order to change my perception of white privilege I have to view the world
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through the lens of someone else. It is when I see how others around me have struggled to have

things that came to me automatically, I realize how privileged I have been. For example, even

though I started working at a young age, the money I made was for me to use towards “extras”

that I wanted. At the time being only 15 it seemed unfair because many of my friends had

parents who could provide these things for them without having to work. Now, I realize that

others the same age as I was have had to use this money just to put necessities like food on the

table. I am grateful that I never had to choose between going to school so I could graduate or

going to work so I could eat.

Part 1: New York Times excerpt

One of the short stories from The New York Times “A Conversation on Race” that stood

out to me was the excerpt from Jennica H.. In her excerpt she talks about how growing up in a

Filipino family has taught her how important religion and the family bond is. She talks with a

sense of pride in how she was raised. She was taught that with the importance of this family

bond. and that Filipinos should marry within their own race. She goes on to say that she never

realized growing up that she would be dis-owned if she were to choose to love person of another

color and race. Because this family bond is so strong, they choose to believe the media over real-

life experiences and then attribute the things they see or hear to an entire race. While my family

would never dis-own me for loving someone of another color. I can relate to how she was raised

with a strong emphasis on religion. In my family, faith and religion are a huge part of our lives.

If I were to marry someone outside of that faith, while I think outwardly, they would accept me, I

think inwardly it would be difficult for them to acknowledge a different religion.

Part 1: Spent

Playing the game Spent was shocking. It brought a newfound sense of gratefulness in me

for the privileges and basic necessities that I so often take for granted every day. It was

heartbreaking as after each paycheck there became another hard ship for my family to overcome.

The burden of the reality of poverty facing so many people was overwhelming. There were a few

points in the game that frustrated me. I found myself asking “It shouldn’t be this hard!”. Meaning

I couldn’t believe how hard it is for people to survive. People shouldn’t have to choose between

going to their grandfather’s funeral or putting food on their table for dinner. I ran out of money

on day 26 just 4 days before my next paycheck. I can see how so many of Americans find

themselves in debt or filing for bankruptcy when they can barely put food on the table.

Part 1: Class Identification

Class identification is something I feel that I am very familiar with. Growing up I heard

my parents often talk about how we were in the lower to middle class and how this made it hard

for us at times to make ends meet. They lived paycheck to paycheck. When I was a kid I never

felt as though we were poor, but looking back on my childhood as I mentioned earlier, there

were times when we had to buy food from outlets and ate a diet that was high in carbs like

potatoes and pasta because we could not afford the luxuries of meals made with protein. As time

has gone on, I do think that my family has moved from the middle to upper middle class. My dad

was able to finish his bachelors and eventually his master’s degree in his 50s and began a job

where he could make more money. When I used the Pew’s Research Center Calculator I came in

under the middle class. I fall into the middle category in terms of where I live in America and the

income that I make. I am recently divorced and only have one income caring for two children. I
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recently had to move in with my mom after my settlement left me with a mountain of debt that I

could not pay off without some help. Although I fall into the middle class on paper, with my

current financial situation it does not feel that I have as much money and sometimes I do not feel

that I can relate to this class.

Part 2: Organization Application

One way that I have seen stereotypes present in my current organization comes from

hiring practices and the struggles I have had as a Store Manager at Starbucks to diversify my

team. One of the values of Starbucks is diversity and inclusion. As a Store Manager I strive to

hire people from all races and backgrounds. A few years ago, I had to take a closer look at the

environment of my team and re-evaluate where I have had subtle stereotyping within my store. I

live and work in an area in Kansas that is primarily made up of white, middle to upper class

families. There was a situation where several of my employees were on the floor talking about

various movies, they like to watch. At the time I had two African American workers and a few

other minorities, but the majority of my team was white/Caucasian. At first the conversation was

casual but then it turned into a heated conversation about race. It ended when one of my African

American workers said, “you’re too white, you wouldn’t understand!”. This really impacted me

and my team. I took this statement to heart and realized I needed to spend some time to re-

evaluate where I have gaps in my leadership around stereotyping and creating an environment

where everyone feels accepted and feels that they can be understood. While I know I will never

completely understand what it is like to be black, I realized I can do better at trying to see the

world through a different lens. Stereotypes are ingrained in us at a young age. Society only

perpetuates these as we grow up (Stereotypes Are, 2007). We have to make a focused effort to

overcome these every day. While it may seem awkward, the only way to see real change is to
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make the effort in my day to day interactions with all people especially those who are different

from me (Stereotypes Are, 2007).

Part 2: Team Building Discussion

The team building discussion around social classes and privilege made an impact on my

perspective. The videos we watched on the Appalachian Mountains and Indian Reservation

(Hidden America, 2009) moved me to tears at some points. It was heart breaking to see what

some kids have had to go through in our very own country. It made me realize how much I have

to be thankful for. I felt an enormous sense of guilt and responsibility to teach my kids to

understand how much they have and to help teach them how they have experienced white

privileges. Reading my classmates plans to reach these communities was very inspiring. It was

amazing to see so many ideas come together to overcome biases and stretch beyond the social

classes of poverty that have devastated these two areas. I also appreciated the feedback from the

group on how plans could be improved. I think this proves that this is the only way we are going

to overcome these challenges. That is we have to collaborate and work together to come up with

ideas and at the same time be willing to accept criticism and understand that not everyone will

see the world the same way we do.

References

A Conversation on Race: A series of short stories about identity in

America http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/your-stories/conversations-on-

race?nytapp=true

Hidden America: Children of the Mountains:  Part 2 & 3

(2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Wm4y8wQ5A

Lacy, K.  (2015). Race, privilege and the growing class divide. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 38:8,

1246-1249

Megivern, D.  Supposed to Know Better: On Accepting Privilege in Anderson, S. K., &

Middleton, V. A. (2011). Explorations in diversity: Examining privilege and oppression

in a multicultural society. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Stereotypes Are Only Human. N.P.R. (2007).  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?

storyId=7051541 (Links to an external site.)