BLENDED CULTURES: INTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIPS

Diversity is the concept of being accepting and respectful of differences in culture, race, religion, and opinion. Diversity is evident throughout daily affairs and interaction. Mixing race in the South has traditionally been controversial but challenging social norms is a test for people today.

Susan Ragsdale and Geoffrey Enchill are two entirely different individuals from different races, cultures, and religions. Both Ragsdale and Enchill, freshmen at the University of Mississippi, are brought together by their differences. They are involved in a romantic, interracial relationship.

Interracial relationships are becoming more common each and every day. However, these relationships are tagged as different and controversial due to racist tendencies and cultural and religious pride. When people date outside their own culture, race, or religion, they are subject to negative attention from their peers, friends, and even family.

“I don’t know why people take such offense that I am dating a Caucasian female,” Enchill said. “We have a lot in common and come from a similar family structure. We have been together for some time now, and I don’t see what all the fuss is about me, an African-American, dating a white female.”

One of the biggest struggles for the couple was facing fears of being ostracized by their friends and family because of their commitment to each other.

“I was really worried about telling others, especially my parents,” Ragsdale said. “I had never really approached the subject with them, and I was a little hesitant, but as soon as my mom met him and grew to like him, she understood why I am dating him.”

Enchill admitted to being nervous about the couple’s reception at Ole Miss at the beginning of their relationship. Enchill recounted one African American girl growling at him on campus because he was dating outside his race.

“I was dumbfounded because that was the first time I had witnessed a negative reaction to our relationship,” Enchill said. “I had no idea what to do about the situation but ignore it and keep walking.”

The University of Mississippi has made effort of informing students about the acceptance of different races, cultures, and religions. Journalism professor, Robin Street, is the head of the Diversity Rocks program at Ole Miss.

“Diversity Rocks is a weeklong program filed with lectures and information sessions on different aspects of diversity. From interracial relationships to honoring religious differences, the program is meant for the greater welfare of the university in recognizing and being tolerant of different people,” Street said.

“I have a student involved in an interracial relationship and it didn’t faze me in the least,” Street said. “I think it is up to the individual. Maybe, do you think, I should only be in relationships with people who have the same color hair as I do?”

With programs such as Diversity Rocks, people are being educated and informed on racial, cultural, and religious differences and learning to accept and respect them. Many speakers participated in the Diversity Rocks lectures, such as Rose Flenorl, Manager of Social Responsibility for FedEx, who discussed what she learned from being the first African American president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association. The week was filled with different activities, such as a photo and essay contest in which participants took photos and wrote essays about their personal definitions of diversity. There was a tent festival on the Farley Hall lawn where Chik-Fil-A sandwiches were served to students who had participated in different Diversity Rocks activities.

For more information on the Diversity Rocks program at the University of Mississippi, please visit http://www.diversityrocksonline.org/. Please visit http://www.lifescript.com/Life/Relationships/Love-101/Biracial_Relationships.aspx for more information on interracial relationships.