Analysis Of Assimilation Blues By Beverly Daniel Tatum

There are numerous aspects to the writer Beverly Daniel Tatum. She has written a few books over the years like Assimilation Blues: Black families in a White Community and Can we talk about race? She was born on September 27, 1954 in Tallahassee, Florida with both parents. Later Tatum would go on to receive her B.A degree in psychology from Wesleyan University in 1975. She attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and received her M.A. degree in clinical psychology. Tatum would eventually achieve her PhD in clinical psychology in 1984. She would begin her career in higher education as lecturer in the subject of Black Studies at the University of California. Over the years Tatum would teach as several schools including Westfield State and

The book would mainly focus on black white relations in childhood and adolescence. She starts the book with giving her own definition of the word racism. “Stating that racism is a system of advantages based on race.” This is clearly evident in todays world where based off your racial make up you may be entitled to advantages that you may or may not be aware of. One example given from the book is how whites defend their racial advantages via access to better schools, neighborhoods, and jobs solely based from race. She goes on to talk about how many whites are in denial about the different advantages that come along with their race. The book speaks about the awareness of these advantages that whites may and understanding the system that was create for this to be

Tatum states that black children become aware of race at very early age. They begin to analyze the risk associated with living in racial environment children pick up on the negative undertones and stereotypes connected to their race. Tatum states that, “The impact of racism begins early. Even in our preschool years, we are exposed to misinformation about people different from ourselves." This very true in the sense of just in our class alone we were asked about the first time we were aware of race and it was clear that all the black students in the class had earlier memories than the white students in the class. This starts to change for children once they start to become adolescence this becomes more complex. Self-segregation starts during the years of puberty where children are forming their own identity. They explore numerous of different types of people and respond and react in various ways. Tatum speaks a lot about developing the positive racial identity of black people. Finally Tatum focuses on racial identity in adulthood how to develop and maintain