Stonehill College Intercultural Affairs Office Hosts "I'm Not Racist...Am I?”

By Lianna Jordan

Twelve different teenagers. Twelve different families. Twelve different stories that combine to highlight racism in our country.

Catherine Wigginton Greene had an idea. This idea became a reality after one year, countless hours of discussions and six different workshops.

The idea took form in the shape of a film.

“”I’m Not Racist… Am I?” is a documentary that redefines what we thought we knew about racism,” Greene said.

Five students in the film had a very special role. We get to know Anna, Martha, Kahleek, Abby and Sacha on a deeper level.

“The documentary gets to the heart of racism and asks questions that many would be too afraid to ask. These courageous teens developed a more significant definition of racism than any of us ever imagined,” Greene said.

Stonehill College, a small, liberal arts school in North Easton, Massachusetts, held a showing of this film followed by a Q&A with Greene.

Stonehill College is not known for its diversity. The student population is predominantly white middle class..

Not many students had an idea of the impact this film and discussion would have on them. Some entered this film with one mindset and left with another.

“This documentary is part of a larger project to create a multimedia platform to get this generation talking and doing something about structural racism,” Greene said.

            The documentary emphasizes that racism can range from words and phrases to actions.

Erin Sanford, a sophomore at Stonehill, said the documentary was eye opening.

“I never realized that the little things we do and say everyday could be considered racism. I always assumed that because I heard certain words in songs and because people used certain words everyday that I could too. Watching this film opened my eyes up to this,” Sanford said. 

Greene spoke of ways to get involved during her Q&A with Stonehill students and faculty.  Students also came up with different opportunities to become more open about this situation around campus.

As the two-hour event came to a close, many were eager to get their last few questions in or to hear one more story about Greene’s experience.

Questions came from every corner and discussed every topic. But the most important question is the one we asked ourselves as the event came to a close; “I’m not racist… am I?”