“The reality is that the role of race fluctuates depending on where we are and who we are with. When I wake up in the morning, I don’t say, ‘Hey I’m black, black, black!’ However, when I am expected to educate people about black history, then race becomes central.”
-WNYC Radio Rookie Allison Jones
[Download the MP3 for this week]
Hi, I’m Aaron Henkin. Welcome to the NPR Station Showcase with PRX. This podcast highlights some of the outstanding local stories being produced at public radio stations around the country, and this week we drop in at WNYC’s “Radio Rookies” initiative. The Radio Rookies program gives a voice to young and talented people like Allison Jones, whose views on the role of race in society are sophisticated, to say the least. While still in high school, she put together this week’s featured story, called “Being Black.” Here’s a Q & A with Allison about her foray into the radio world and her perspectives on race & society …
What got you interested in radio, and how did you end up getting involved with Radio Rookies?
Funny enough it was actually an accident. I was at work and my boss was a big fan of WNYC. I had heard of it before, but he was always playing it and talking about it, so I looked it up online. On the front page there was a link to Radio Rookies so I took a chance and applied. I figured, why not try something new? It was an amazing and challenging experience. The producer and I are good friends and am I always trying to get involved in various radio projects. Right now, I have a monthly radio show focusing on women’s issues at Haverford.
I’ve got to compliment you on the great writing in your radio piece… Does that come naturally to you, or was it a difficult process to get all your thoughts organized and onto paper?
I love to write, and since the story was so personal I found it easy to get all of my thoughts down. But doing a radio piece is about more than writing: I had to conduct interviews (which were really hard!) and edit all of my experiences into a few minutes!
The social pressure you’ve experienced about your racial identity and who your friends are… It’s interesting that you get flak about that not only from your peers, but from your mom, too. What do you think worries her so much?
I think there is a fear of losing respect for my community. Once you go off to elite universities and programs, there is a greater chance of brushing off the struggles of your family and your community that helped you to get there. My family encourages me to develop myself as an individual yet is very community and family oriented. It is great that I have so many opportunities, but what am I doing for others, especially in the face of glaring racial disparities? How am I using these opportunities not just to better my life but the lives of others?
During your time as a student in a predominantly white school, was it ever exhausting or frustrating for you to be part of such a small minority of the student population? You mention the pressure that your friend Sam felt about always needing to be a ‘racial ambassador’… can that take a psychological toll on a person?
It really depends on how you have constructed your identity. For me, I am still wavering on the position of race in my identity. When I wrote the piece, race was on the periphery…almost accidental. However, when I got to college a number of incidents and some people I have met have forced me to more closely examine race and identity. The reality is that the role of race fluctuates depending on where we are and who we are with. When I wake up in the morning, I don’t say, “Hey I’m black, black, black!” However, when I am expected to educate people about black history then race becomes central. Or on Halloween my freshman year, when two white men dressed up as black women my race became central, and I reach for socially constructed cues on how be “black.” I challenge these notions and embrace them. In the end: identity is messy, contradictory, and frustrating. My views on the issue have changed a bit since I made the piece. Rather than dismissing the attitudes and concerns of my peers, I spend a great deal of time exploring them and have realized that many of my experiences are rooted in a lack of knowledge of black history and a dismissal of mainstream American culture that is associated with racism.
During your radio piece, you mention your admiration of Cornell West. What does he have to say that draws you to his ideas?
I admire Cornell West along with Michael Eric Dyson – both draw much of their thoughts from African-American history, and while addressing racism also address the problems within the black community. Their work is inspirational.
What kind of reaction have you gotten from people who’ve heard your story on the air?
The reactions have been amazing. People at Haverford and at my high school have been really supportive, and some have asked me to speak to other students going through the same thing. I wish that this discussion would continue on a national level. I hear people share stories similar to mine, but always in a hush-hush way. Why not address it openly?
…WNYC Radio Rookie Allison Jones. You can hear more stories from WNYC’s Radio Rookies on-line at the Public Radio Exchange. That’s where producers from around the world share their work. Log on, write your own reviews and help influence what ends up on the radio at www.prx.org.