I was searching for a new topic and my KAAN newsletter popped into my e-mail. I was on my lunch break so I scanned through it to see if there was anything that popped out at me. Anyhow, one of the subject lines caught me attention. It read, “How I Handled It: A compilation of brief anecdotes about people’s responses to racism/prejudice.”

I e-mailed the editor, Ellen Liberman, to see if I could put her information in my blog and she responded quickly. Her study is not about the acts of racism/prejudice, but about people’s responses to them. Anyhow, I thought this was an intriguing approach and the results could be fascinating. So, I’m putting the information out on my blog so that anyone with an interesting response to racism/prejudice could respond to her.

You can write to Ellen at ecliberman@cox.net and she needs all of her responses no later than April 25, 2006. Here is what she wrote in her e-mail:

I would certainly share what I collect with anyone who wants it. I am still trying to gather stories -- and believe me it's not easy. If you can help out, I'd appreciate it very much. The most important part of the story is the writer's response to the racism. I'm not interested in running a bunch of anecdotes about people being mean/ignorant to others. The lesson for all of us comes from how we react to these negative encounters. Medical research shows that ignoring racism is actually bad for your physical health..

My deadline is April 25. Feel free to spread this post.

Ellen Liberman
FCCRI

I thought it was interesting that she said ignoring racism can have negative effects on your health. I had never heard that before. It’s a little disturbing for me because I have a tendency to ignore it at the time. The non-confrontational part of me never wants to make waves in a public forum. I generally come home and rant and rave about it or call a friend. Definitely, this is something to think about. The last thing I want to do is set an example for my son that is potentially damaging.

I don’t know what the final result will be and I have no affiliation with this work, but I thought it was interesting. If you would like to participate, please remember to stay within Ellen’s guidelines.