Alan Sleater 2/11/2014 Race Card Project Michele Norris, a journalist for NPR, spoke toda at the !

a lors"ille Red#ood Salt $ake Cit Co%%unit Colle&e a'out the race card project( As a )lack journalist, she al#a s ran into the topic of racis%( Michele started off her presentation con"e in& her feelin&s a'out this discussin& this su'ject fi"e ears a&o( *f ou #ere to tell her fi"e ears a&o that she #ould 'e talkin& a'out racis%, Michele #ould ha"e said ou #ere cra+ ( She #anted to 'e a re&ular journalist, that talked a'out politics, the local issues, and presidential elections( )ut, 'ecause she #as a #onderful journalist, her editors al#a s #anted her to speech 'out race, especiall durin& ,e'ruar , )lack -istor %onth( Scene this started to 'eco%e a trend for her, Michele re.uested to ha"e her topics for ,e'ruar #ell in ad"anced( !his &a"e her the inspiration to start the Race Card Project, to understand A%erica( ,or a lon& ti%e the issues of racis% had 'een "ar .uiet su'ject( )ut e"er scene her little e/peri%ent started, a fold &ate of thou&hts 'usted out, in just si/ #ords( As Michele continued her recherche, %ore and %ore people started to open up a'out different issues related to race( 0ne surprisin& e"ent that happened in her fa%il #as the 2001 elections, #hen the first )lack president #as seated in office( -er fa%il started to talk a'out the old life( !he ti%e of the 2i% Cro# la#s( Michele has ne"er e/perienced this 'efore( -er parents and &rand parents had a hand full of stories to tell e"er #akin& %o%ent of the da ( 0ne of the stories that Michele shared #ith the colle&e #as a'out Aunt 2a%i%a, the fanc dressed 'lack #o%en on the instant pancake 'o/( Surprisin&l , this hi&h class 'reakfast .ueen #as not al#a s ad"ertised as a de'utant, 'ut a sla"e( Michele3s fa%il sheared stories a'out ho# her &rand%other pla ed the role of the sla"e Aunt 2a%i%a, teachin& far% #o%en ho# to %ake pancakes #ith the eas instant recipe( 4o%en, that pla ed the role of Aunt 2a%i%a, acted as an uneducated sla"e &irl, #hile Michele3s &rand%other sho#ed the onlookers other#ise( Michele3s &rand%other al#a s

presented herself as #ell dressed, #ell %annered, and #ell educated( !his co%pletel chan&ed the perspecti"e of #hat children kne# #hat 'lack people #ere like( After sharin& her stor , Michele #ent around the roo% and e/pressed other A%erican3s "ie#s on the su'ject of race( !here #ere all sorts of responses that ca%e fro% the Race Card Project( So%e of the% nast ( So%e nice( Man inspirational( )ut, #hat captured % attention, #as the di"erse a%ount of responses a'out a topic that is all around us, et no one sea%s to talk a'out it( 4hen she #as finished #ith so%e of the responses, Michele told a'out her ne/t direction of her research( !he stud of race fro% a 'lind person3s perspecti"e( * reall enjo ed her presentation, and hope that A%ericans #ill ha"e a 'etter take on jud&in& people, not ' the color of there skin, 'ut ' their character(