Mark, a young white student attending University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is dealing with a lot of changing perspectives in his life, primarily the change in racial demographics of his fellow students at his university. Up until this point, Mark had not been exposed to many other races other than his own, white. In her book, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race, Beverly Daniel Tatum argues that there are different stages of racial development and growth. Tatum would believe that Mark is in the racial development stage called “Pseudo independent” —in which the individual begins to feel guilty for ones racial identity. This individual recognizes the problem of racism and knows that he/she is systematically advantaged in this society and attempts to associate with people of color (Tatum p. 106). Tatum would argue that Mark is in the stage because he is making an effort to get to know people of other races, like in the gospel choir.
Mark enjoys singing in a church choir; he was given the opportunity to join a gospel choir, in which he is one of the only white members. Mark is associating himself with another race beginning to empathize with them and realize how difficult it must be to be a minority in a large group. The scene in the movie “Skin Deep”, with the gospel choir is key because Mark explains how his opinions and views are evolving as a result of being a member of this choir. “The first time I was there I really felt uncomfortable. Obviously there were all African-American people there that I felt like I had nothing in common with… the major thing I realized was that that must be how they feel in my school when there’s only two other black people” (Skin Deep minute 13). However, his views are really only changing in the context of the gospel choir, not as a whole, at least not yet. Mark’s racial identity development will continue to evolve, especially during college when he is exposed to a much more racially and ethnically diverse student body and atmosphere.
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Works Cited
Reid, Frances, Sharon Wood, Sarah Cahill, Michael Chin, Stephen McCarthy, Deborah Hoffmann, and Mary Watkins. Skin Deep. Berkeley, CA: Iris Films, 1995.
Tatum, Beverly D. “why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race”New York: BasicBooks, 1999. Print.