Talking About Race: Comfort Levels of Racial Groups in Dialogue

The topic of race is and has always been a difficult topic for many Americans to discuss amongst members of different races. The social inequalities that exist today as a result of a discriminatory past are the basis for this communication apprehension toward race. Current literature suggests that constructive dialog is the best way to remediate social tensions based on race. This study measures the current communication comfort levels of 86 undergraduate students at a Pacific Northwest University, in regards to dialogs about race. The study reveals that the white majority is more comfortable in communicating about race and racial issues with members of the opposite race more so that minority racial group members