The thing that stuck out the most to me in Crossing the Color Line was how much the authors talked about empathy. The first definition was “the inner world of private personal meanings as if it were your own, but without ever losing the as if quality”. To me this means, we need to respect each other’s differences. We are all from different parts of this country (and world) and no two people are exactly the same. We need to be empathetic towards each other. Another definition of empathy that jumped out to me was, “a qualitative, developmental process in which individuals not only come to share and understand another’s feelings but also consider the reasons and context that inform the other’s feeling”. This makes a bit more sense to me. I really think the most important part is being able to understand each other’s feelings and hence, setting boundaries to make sure everyone stays happy.
One final part of this essay that caught my attention was when the author said Blacks and Whites are afraid of each other. I mean, there are differences between the two groups, but I wouldn’t call it a fear. Some people who give into stereotypes may fear crossing a black man in a dark alley, but I think that is more fear of a stereotype than fear of an entire race. I could pass a black man in an alley and be cautious, but in turn pass one in the middle of the day downtown and not even notice him. I would be interested to hear this from a black point of view.
1. Do you think blacks fear whites or vice versa?
2. What does empathy mean to you?
3. What advances have we made in erasing the color line and how much is left?
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