Thomas R. West and Keith Gilyard on Multiculturalism

In Chapter Two of Signs of Struggle by Thomas R. West, readers finally come face-to-face with someone who calls out the perks of being white or “whiteness.” West starts off by explaining that for liberals to claim that there are no differences within a race, to say we are all the same, and to not look at color is to ignore social, political, historical, and economic inequity. Unlike Jan Nederveen Pieterse, West and Louis Gates Jr. believe that thinking about cultural difference in racial terms is a present and active part of today’s society. West would like his students to be able to use race to talk about social tension, ideological conflict, and cultural difference in an intelligent manner instead of belittling it as a “well-that’s-just-my-opinion” conclusion. West believes that if his students use valid examples from race issues of the past, the take on racism and prejudice may be more sufficient at reaching a mid-point or a level ground to improve.

Just as Michael Eric Dyson’s introductory statement says, West believes that race affects civilization, nationality, morality, biology, culture, and blood. If liberals continue to practice their color-blind theory, a slipperiness will allow people to ignore the powerful effects that race has on everyday living. West believes it would be better to explore than to try to convince ourselves that “we are all the same on the inside.” (pg. 37)