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Latosha Newman
Lindsay Hastings
Comp II
September 9, 2016
Old Racism/New Racism
Vershawn Ashanti Young who wrote the story Momma's Memories and the New Equality, I will talk about
Vershawn's life and what he does. How old and new racism are alike and different. The different views
Vershawn and his mom have on racism. How Shayla's Blues and Barack Obama Non-Negro Dialect reflect
on racism from the story. What are Racial Microaggressions.
a.
b. Vershawn Ashanti Young is a performance artist, writer and scholar. Vershawn
performs his solo show called Ghetto Memories from his first monograph Your Average
Nigga, across the nation. Vershawn is currently working on two new books called The
New Equality: White People, Obama and the New Racism. As of new Vershawn is a
associate professor the division of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Media at the University
Of Kentucky. Aside from that Vershawn is married and has three children.
c. The definition of racism means prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism
directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is
superior. Old racism comes from back in the day where African-Americans avoided
Caucasians because they really get along, because back then it was supposed that
caucasian's were better than African-Americans.
d. Also in old racism you had whites only and blacks only, slavery going on,
attack dogs etc. Now in new racism you don't have a lot of stuff going on in the old

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racism, in new racism people try to make it seem as if racism doesn't exist anymore but it
still does till this day but instead of addressing the problem people like to try to avoid
talking about racism or just try to justify it now.
e. In Vershawn's story he compares himself and his mom on their outlook on
racism. Vershawn describes that he mostly works with white co workers and some of his
closest friends are white. Vershawn also says he will not stop talking about race so
Vershawn has to explore what new racism is and what are microaggressions?. Vershawn
mom on the other hand grew up with racism and has always stuck to just being around
color people at her job just having color friends, not associating with anyone outside her
race.
f. In Vershawn's Memories and the New Equality he gives an example on racism
and talks about colleague he has known since graduate school who called him about her
daughter who was put in a racism situation. So Vershawns friend got a call from her
daughter Shayla's school saying that Shaylas's playmates asked her why share you so
black, why is your but so plump, hair curly and your gums match your skin. Shayla had a
meltdown because she wasn't use to being put in a situation. Shayla also attends a mostly
majority white school so at times Shayla would be confused about being African
American because Shayla drew her mom and dad with brown and left herself uncolored
with blonde hair and blue eyes. A day later Vershawn went to a informal social gathering
held by some of Shayla's classmates. When vershawn brought up Shayla's incident and
some white people found a excuse to leave the conversation and others tried to justify
why it was right. It shouldn't be that way because if every time the subject on racism

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comes up and people just want to brush the conversation off, nothing will get solved and
racism will just continue to be this big problem.
g. Then Vershawn talks about a situation involving the president Barack Obama
where these two men had a debate basically saying because Obama skin is lighter that
why he is successful politician or president which is racist. The other man said if
someone else would of became president in 1948 we would have had none of these
problems going on right now. Which to me makes no sense at all.
h. Microaggression is a brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or
environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile,
derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color. In Shayla's
incident the microaggression was that the kids that were making fun of how she looked
never were really taught about race like that, so when they say something racist they
think it's okay because no one tells them that's wrong or you can't say that. In the whole
politician discussion is basically about being so use to having a white person as president
and not someone who was black or part black. But they try to accept it because he is
lighter skin tone which shouldn't matter at all but is racist too.
i. Work Cited

Vershawn Ashanti Young- Momma's Memories and the New Equality

https://garygilliam89.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/old-racism-vs-new-racism

j.