New Course Explores Racism

Menlo’s New Course Seeds Many New Thoughts.

This fall, Menlo debuted a multidisciplinary team-taught course designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of the history of race and racism in U.S. politics. Through close examination of both historical examples and current case studies such as the recent #BlackLivesMatter and #SayHerName movements, the course introduces students to the historical, social and political context that informs issues of racial justice, including intersections between race, gender, and sexuality; race and cultural production; race and the law; the issue of police violence; and the history of U.S. protests and social movements. The course incorporates a plurality of voices and opinions, incorporating multiple guest speakers and introducing students to a range of BIPOC authors writing on the topic of race. Here’s what students in the course had to say:

Chunyu Kao ’20

“What impressed me the most was the spirit of James Baldwin. He insisted time and time again that the role of an artist is not to defend his profession, but to express his own experience, his knowledge, honesty, “and insight.

Dennis Vanin ’24

“Dr. Martin Luther King’s letter from a Birmingham jail is very touching; it was written in 1963 and it is still of such high relevance today. The wait seemed endless at that time and I think it will be the same today. ‘As long as we have to wait for justice, it will be denied’: a very profound sentence. If not now, when?“

Katrina Newman ’20

“Narratives can provide empathy; they can spread stereotypes but can also disarm them. Narratives hold a lot of power. Tony Morrison’s story ‘Recitatif’ really challenged how I looked at a narrative. I felt myself getting confused because I was trying to assign a race to each person in the story throughout so that I could better ‘picture’ in my head what the story was telling me. However, I now know that she did this on purpose to show how much weight we give “to race, even in stories.

Levin Ledergerber ’24

“Professor Poulsen’s discussion on how we ‘read race’ onto people and into narratives taught me a lot. It was impressive when professor Casper said how much more sophisticated we are becoming as consumers of content on the topic of how narratives can change our perception. This class has not only taught me a lot about things like the history or impact racism has on society but also reflecting on myself critically. I am more conscious with my thoughts about racism and I question more “why things are the way they are.

Clarence Jones:

Menlo College was proud to host Dr. Clarence Jones during this year’s Black History Month in conversation with Provost Grande Lum, and alumnus Ngozi Harrison ’19. The wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Jones including a discussion about social justice in the time of Black Lives Matter and lessons of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Menlo students, trustees, faculty, and staff all participated in the Zoom event. Early in his career, Dr. Jones served as lawyer and speechwriter for Martin Luther King Jr., and was a member of King’s inner circle. He also defended the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the renowned Supreme Court case New York Times v. Sullivan. He is the founding director of the University of San Francisco Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice, and currently serves as the Scholar in Residence at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute at Stanford University. Dr. Clarence Jones has been at the front lines of the struggle for social justice for decades, and he has inspired many leaders. The Menlo College community was deeply stirred by his presence.