Americans, for the most part, do not have close relationships with people who are outside of their race. Of course, this is not a hard and fast rule and it varies by age, geographic location, and background. But according to a 2016 study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), 91 percent of white people in America say that their social networks are also white. Meanwhile, close to 83 percent of black people say that their social networks are black. Among Latinos, that number is 64 percent. Those numbers don’t vary much when broken down by political affiliation or gender, either. So it’s no wonder we have a serious race problem. In addition to a long, complex history of racial inequality and structural racism, people simply aren’t getting to know each other across racial differences.
Urban Mediamakers wants to change that. For their 16th anniversary on Nov. 16, the group hosted a networking event with an unusual but interesting idea: the chance to “meet” a black person.
It may
sound like a "Saturday Night Live" skit, but the
"Come Meet a Black Person" event -- set for Thursday in Lawrenceville, near Atlanta -- is a
real attempt to bridge the racial divide.
It's the brainchild of Cheryle Moses, the founder of
Urban MediaMakers, a group of independent black filmmakers and content creators. [...]
The event specially asks that white people who don't have any nonwhite friends to attend.
While the name is potentially off-putting, Moses was serious about trying to get black and white people together. She says the event is a response to the PRRI study and an attempt to have people come together across race to have meaningful interaction and conversation. In addition to food (which also included vegan options) and drink, the event also had a scavenger hunt geared toward helping attendees get better acquainted and learn more about the black community.
"It's a great opportunity to start relationships," she said. "And if you have a relationship with somebody, you are inclined to treat them like yourself. If you don't have that relationship, then you'll only treat them based upon what you may have seen or read somewhere."
The cost of the event was $15 for general admission and $10 for Urban Mediamakers members; proceeds went to the Young Urban Mediamakers program for youth. The group hopes to make it a regular event starting in 2018.
This is both a curious and fascinating idea. After all, if there are dating websites for people interested in dating across race and culture, why not have designated events for people looking to make friends across race? That’s especially interesting in Georgia, given its history of race relations and segregation, coupled with the state’s rapidly changing demographics. Estimates show that the state is on track to become majority-minority by 2025.
In this incredibly divided social and political climate, what better way to work toward progress than offering intentional opportunities for people to meet and establish interracial relationships with one other?
However, in order to attract large crowds for next year, they may want to rethink the name.