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Dr. Bonilla-Silva Speaks at Boston University, Unpack the Understanding of Race

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Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, the Puerto Rican political sociologist and professor of sociology at Duke University on Thursday afternoon made his expansive speech on racialized social system, called on the nation to avoid reproducing racial inequality through the seemingly non-racial “new racism” practices and that are defended by color-blind racism.

“In the current America, white racialized the standing of people’s color as an important market dynamic of critical phenomenon and they presume cultural efficiencies,” Bonilla-Silva said.

In what was at times a deeply personal address, he spoke of the experience he has faced in life to sympathize with the community in the public used to be cold-eyed or outspoken because of his skin color. Bonilla-Silva said people have irrational beliefs toward the presumed inferiority of others.

He described the differences between race and identity and said that although people show a discriminatory attitude unconsciously, they can avoid “racial mixedness” through create an intermediate racial group as sort of buffer.

“As we all share the same DNA,” he said. “As we all one species, phenotype is not the same as genotype.”

The Boston University Diversity and Inclusion department sponsored this speech at the George Sherman Union Auditorium. College students, scholars and professors attended to the talk.

Bonilla-Silva’s speech aroused a strong reactions, and he answered a wide range of questions about racial ideology anchored on the abstract and decontextualized use of the principles of liberalism to account for racial affairs.

Bonilla-Silva argued the five styles of color-blinded racism people are having at the society.

“I’m not a racist but some of my best friends are,” he said, givings an example of semantic move, which is the most common type of color-blinded racism. “I don’t know their names, but they are my best friends.”

To combat racism, he said people need a race-based social movement now more than ever.

“If you want change you can truly believe in, you must organize and fight for it,” he said.