Racist M&Ms

So, "The Little Exercise," in the previous post is quite a simple and delicious activity. For every answer, you choose an M&M with a corresponding color and add it to your transparent cup in front of you. So, if you're answer to who your childhood best friend is Annie Cage, who is White, you'd pick an orange M&M. If Annie is Black or African-American, you'd choose a blue M&M...and so on. In the end, the M&Med cup shall reveal balance or level of diversity that has played influence in your life. It's not to make people feel racist or narrow, but to raise their awareness.

As I am preparing for class and designating M&M colors to different races, Adonis is helping me with different ideas.

I am assorting all the melt in your mouth, not in your hand chocolates. They don't melt in your hand, but the color sure rubs off. I'm wondering how many germs can harvest on one M&M. I'm wondering if the students will get the point of this. I begin to worry.

"Do you think this will be good?"

"YES! I think it's going to be awesome."

"Mhm. I think Latino's will be yellow M&Ms. Native Americans, green. Asians will be brown."

"Uh, I don't think you should do that."

"Huh?"

"Well, I don't think you should match an M&M a color with a race that they may already think that race should be."

"Yeah, um, Native American's aren't green."

"Asians are brown."

"No they're not."

His eyes point to me, "You are."

"Oh, right."