Tatum p. 131-155 Identity Development in Adolescence

 This chapter is the massive question of "Why ARE all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?" This is a loaded question for many people to understand. If you are not a Black, Hispanic, Asian, or non-white person, then you might not understand why they are sitting together rather than mixing with other students. Reading this chapter, Tatum goes into a case with a student named David. David is a tall black student with many hobbies. He notices that when he was growing up that people would say that he was tall for his age, but would never say that he was black for his age. They would point out different aspects of his appearance, but they would never say anything about him being black. Rather than saying that he was black, he noticed things that others would do when he was around. White women would clutch their purses, lock their cars when he walked by, police officers asking if he actually owned the bike or if it was stolen. These were micro- agressons that he had to suffer with constantly. This chapter specifically talked about identity development in adolescence, and this specifically focuses on racial identity. Tatum goes in basically stating that growing up, black students question their identity a lot and their racial identity is pushed in their faces. Students of color are put under many different stereotypes and assumed identities, and their racial identity cannot just be taken off like clothes. Therefore students of color need to understand who they are and what their identity is because they can't escape it. Having pride in your race in culture is something that students of color get to look on as something positive, but finding their identity is a requirement so they can defend it. Students of color are sitting at the same cafeteria table not because its the best table in the room or because they like it, they sit there because they are tired of defending their identity and want to be around people who are similar to them and understand the struggle.