Is This What Race Means to You? 

Of course, these little paragraphs don't represent all the ideas and attitudes about being a member of any of the racial groups in America.    These pages merely make an attempt to capture some of the more common ideas regarding race and the identities attached to race.  

What were your reactions as you moved through the different ideas of what being a person with a racial identity?   

If you weren't reading these on a web page but rather hearing it from an individual in actual conversations, what would you think of the different persons voicing these viewpoints on what one's race can mean?  

How do these ideas interact with your own ideas about being part of your racial group?

Which do you think you would more easily and more comfortably interact with?  

Which would be harder for you to relate with? 

 What would make some easier and some difficult?  

  One of the most complicated aspects of dealing with tensions between different racial groups is that there is such diversity within the groups themselves.   This includes diversity regarding what race even means, in general, and what one's own racial identity means.   Think of the various ways in which Being a Racial Being is described in these pages.  

If you got all of the individuals represented in these pages together, what would be the challenges faced in pursuing racial harmony?  

Is it possible to achieve racial healing without first exploring the meaning of race in our lives? 

 What difficulties might arise if we ignore the differences in what race means among all Americans in all racial groups?

As you go through the different perspectives, ask yourself these questions again and see how your thoughts and emotions on race relations change.