Where Do You Sit in The Cafeteria?

Part of Exhibition: Race: Are We So Different?

Review

of an Exhibit

by Wendy Pollock

Published on May 04, 2007 , Modified on November 01, 2007

  • Description:

    This compelling area of the Race exhibition clearly derives its authenticity from the insights and involvement of the high school students with whom it was developed – and the invitation to visitors to contribute their own reflections. The form of the exhibition itself pulls a visitor into the experience of choosing where to sit in a school cafeteria – an experience that will resonate with anyone who has been a teenager. At the end of the table is a video of young people speaking about their own experiences with stereotyped expectations and interactions around racial identity. The 8-minute video was produced by students at St. Paul’s Central High. (Captioning makes it easy to read from a distance.) At the end is a box of cards and pencils and an invitation to respond to the question “How does race affect you at school?” Visitors can add their cards to a binder with plastic sleeves – and read what others have written. The materials and size of the writing surface, and perhaps the fact that visitors have control of whether or not their comments are added, seem to encourage thoughtful response. I’ve seen the exhibit on two occasions, and on both it was surrounded by people sitting and standing, talking and writing, completely absorbed.