As previously mentioned, my first lecture and discussion with my students at EOI centered around the different stereotypes that Spaniards hold about those who live in the United States. Not surprisingly, the stereotype that most Americans are racist was brought up in multiple classes. Let’s be honest, while the United States has began to strongly confront instances of aware/blatant racism (when a person’s beliefs, attitudes, and actions are based on biases, stereotypes, or prejudices against another race, and they actively or passively employ their personal racism against a person of color) there continues to be many unspoken issues with the sneaky continuance of institutional racism (referring to an institution making choices that intentionally single out or harm people of color, such as the lasting effects of redlining on inner-city “ghettos”—another word carrying heavily racist connotations **Please watch the video below for more information on redlining’s lasting effects). While I could speak on these impacts in the United States for an entire post on its own, now is not the time nor the place.
Having lived in Spain for a month now, I have made many observations on how Spaniards react according to differences in race, culture, and nationalities. While some say Europe is a couple years ahead of the United States, when it comes to failing identifying and confronting blatant racism, Spain takes the cake. During my first night out in Spain, I witnessed someone dressed in blackface impersonating a soccer player on the Celta Football team. Not to mention, the stores that sell cheap products are colloquially called “Chinos”. Other teachers in my program have had to pull their young students aside to explain exactly why the N word is a very offensive term. Finally, during short rides in taxis around the city, I have had drivers point out persons of color walking on the street like they were exotic objects that may pique my interest.
Throughout planning and upon arrival in Spain, I had not expected this level of blatant and ignorant racism. Discussing with my classes about their opinions and viewpoints of racism in Spain, they spoke very generally. While my students believed that racism does exist here in Spain, they often made the valid point that it exists everywhere in the world. However true, speaking with other auxiliaries from the United States we are all shocked and made uncomfortable by the general usage and flagrant racist acts here in Spain. It is true that the US is not exempt from racism in all forms, but Spain displays a side of blatant racism that us from the US had not encountered back home. While blackface in Spain is a friendly portrayal of a character, blackface in the US is met as an extreme act of cultural insensitivity and racism.
I find it increasingly interesting to think about how media portrays racism in the US. Yes, racism is featured as an important cultural, social, and economic issue within news media in the US. Therefore, when persons from another country see such news emanating from the US, they come to the conclusion that racism is a large problem in the United States and Americans must be racist. What I am currently trying to figure out is why they can’t identify blatant racism within their daily lives. Obviously, examples of what is racist from the United States are obtainable. So where’s the disconnect? Spain has yet to start its own discussion of how different races and nationalities are treated within the borders of their own country. Racism may be generally recognized to exist here in Spain, but no actions or conversations have taken place to confront this issue head on. To combat ignorance is with education. As a teacher I owe it to my students as well as to my Spanish friends to share with them my discomfort pertaining to these instances and how it impacts others in extremely negative ways. I know I cannot make a national change here in Spain, however if I would be beyond happy to make a change in a few. It only takes a few in order to impact many others in the future.
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