Ever since beginning research for Changing Tides, I have found myself compelled to look for tables that are not comprised of multiple races when I walk through the Ferguson Center food court. At first it was a reconnoisance mission as I nervously tried to figure out who I should interview, but it eventually became a subconscious habit. Here are some woefully unscientific observations gathered from interviews and my own wandering eyes:
- Most of the diverse tables are all guys or co-ed – I met several diverse groups of guys who had found a commonality through things like sports and weight lifting. I also occasionally see mixed groups of guys and girls, but girls-only mixtures seem rare
- A lot of out-of-staters seem to mix it up – When I talked to people who said they had diverse groups of friends, a lot of them seemed to be out-of-state or even international students. These students were probably forced to build all new friendships when they arrived at college, while a lot of Alabamians could just carry over their high school friendships. And there are a lot of segregated high schools in the state of Alabama.
- It’s more noticeable at the Ferg – Maybe it’s just the way the food court sprawls out in front of you while a lot of of other dining halls are more compartmentalized, but somehow the divisions resonate more here and seem a lot more stark. Ferg Director Carl Bacon acknowledged it himself in our interview. Something about greasy fast food, I guess.
I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and girls to devour a chicken nugget.
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