How is it that in any given high school in the U.S., all Black youth sit at the same table in the cafeteria? That’s the question Beverly Daniel Tatum asks in his book, “Why are all the Black Kids sitting together in the Cafeteria?” For Latinx youth, “Asian-Pacifics,” and (in some regions) Native Americans, the same would be true. The phenomenon can also be observed in teachers’ rooms or in university cafeterias.
Beverly Daniel Tatum, approaching the question of identification or situational segregation of racialized groups from a psycholgical perspective, states:
“We do not know how to talk about our racial differences: whites are afraid of using the wrong words and being perceived as “racist” while parents of color are afraid of exposing their children to painful racial realities too soon.” Publisher’s Book Description
Using empirical examples, Tatum demonstrates the importance of understanding, appreciating, and taking seriously racialized identities and groups in their (emergent) context. In the book, he comprehensibly points this out as indispensable for any constructive discussion about racist conditions and their overcoming.
Beverly Daniel Tatum 1997: Why are all the Black Kids sitting together in the cafeteria? and other conversations about race. New York: BasicBooks.