The Challenge of Identity: An Interview with Martinez White

Martinez White is a man of many hats. Born and raised in inner-city Milwaukee, he is one of six children in a family headed by, in his words, "a resilient single-parent mother". White came to Madison to attend the UW where, in addition to his classes, he is a member of the Wisconsin Black Student Union and a DJ for the student radio station WSUM. Outside of the university, he is also a contributor to the local paper The Capital City Hues, which is how I became aware of him. In a recent piece White, who is a Communication Arts and Afro-American Studies major as well as an "aspiring multi-media mogul", revealed his intentions to create a documentary about the experiences of a black student at a mostly white school.

The prospect of such a documentary drew the attention of this alumnus so I e-mailed him to ask if he'd answer a few questions and Mr. White graciously consented.


(Martinez White with family)

FS: Let me begin by saying thanks for taking time to answer my questions. It is greatly appreciated.

What made you decide to attend the UW-Madison?

MW: Because of my academic success and extensive community involvement in Milwaukee, I was offered a full-ride scholarship to UW-Madison via the Chancellor’s Scholarship Program, which I could not pass up. Especially since I knew without scholarships college was not an option for me. As a PEOPLE-Program Scholar I had attended their summer enrichment program every year throughout high school and I’d been woven into a tight-knit community of scholars who I knew I would enjoy spending my college years with at UW.

FS: In what ways were you involved in your community in Milwaukee?

MW: Videographer, Assistant Producer for Strive Media Institutes "GUMBO TV" & "GUMBO Teen Magazine" where I produced 5 minute news stories about social issues that concerned me and the people in my community. Check my myspace page at www.myspace.com/intuitionproductions and take a look at my work. You can learn about strive media institute at www.mygumbo.com. Other things I was involved in: Peers With IMPACT, The Bickham Project, YMCA Sponsor-A-Scholar Program, 1290 AM WMCS Secretarial Intern.

FS: What is the PEOPLE Program and what did you get out of it?

MW: Check out the people program at the following link: www.peopleprogram.wisc.edu. PEOPLE instilled a belief in me that college was a real option. PEOPLE made getting a college degree achievable and tangible. I am first generation and not many people in my community had been to college unless they were already established in their professions. I did not know many younger people who were college students. PEOPLE embedded a passion in me to come to college and succeed. Being on the UW campus every summer for four years straight prepared me to succeed in college the way I am now.

FS: Were you at all hesitant to leave Milwaukee to go to a school as well as move to a city both of which have relatively small minority populations?

MW: I did not consider racial demographics of Madison before I decided to come to UW-Madison; that aspect of collegiate life was not on my radar.

FS: In your piece for The Capital City Hues you mentioned you were working on a "documentary film about being a Black student on a majority White campus". What has been your experience as a racial minority at the UW? I assume that you get the chance to meet and talk with other students of color on campus. Do you find that you have experiences in common? What are the fundamental differences, in your eyes, between the experiences of white students and students of color at the UW?

MW: Let me make this explicitly clear, I have completely enjoyed my time at UW-Madison. The opportunities to succeed are in abundance, many of which I have and plan to take advantage of. I love being a Badger. Being the racial minority on this campus has taught me how to be open-minded enough to actively listen to, internalize and evaluate ideas from people who have not had similar experiences with me as a Black male scholar. I am in no way regretful or resentful about being a UW student. I have cultivated and strengthened my sensitivity towards other cultures. What makes my and other Black UW scholars' – the ones who feel like I do – experiences worth critical analysis is that as a racial minority, our identity is often challenged. Before I came to UW and sat in a class with White students from rural parts of Wisconsin, I had never truly known and believed in the impact media and people’s personal upbringing had on their perceptions of me, a young Black male from the inner city of Milwaukee. There have been and will continue to be times at UW where I feel the campus culture and climate is not welcoming, understanding or engaging to me as a scholar withholding the agencies of being a Black male – It would be interesting to explore how a Black male on an athletic team describes his experiences. The situation is complicated because in many ways UW is the perfect place for me, but on days when my identity as a Black male from an impoverished family is negatively criticized, I feel categorized as “the other”. I am a very progressive person and I am highly involved in engaging in conversations with students who want to make social steps forward in terms of race relations. The most effective way to deal with the most complicated issues involving race is to engage in discussions where ideas are shared and heard, feelings are candid and there is a common desire to make progress. That’s what we need from students of all racial identities.

FS: Is there anything in particular you want viewers to get out of your film?

MW: I want viewers to have an authentic, candid view into the life and experiences of a Black student who comes from an urban community and middle to lower class background and understand what effects the UW environment has on their collegiate experience and academic performance.

FS: You DJ a hip hop show on WSUM and were featured in a UW News article about a class on hip hop culture taught by Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Are there a lot of manifestations of hip hop culture on campus? Is it easy for you to find fellow students who are simpatico in regards to identifying with it?

MW: What’s dangerous about Hip-Hop culture is that although it consists of a large population of Black people, it isn’t the summation of the Black Experience. It has been co-opted to be such which allows people to host Hip-Hop events and label them “Black events”. Hip-Hop is not innately the Black New Thing, and it should not be treated as such.

FS: In the article, you are quoted as saying, "This course is what hip-hop scholars personify as the ‘verse of our times'. It speaks to my spirit, philosophies and ideological beliefs and aspirations. I took this course to learn more about myself, the world around me and my generation.” What did the course say to your spirit, philosophies, etc? More generally, what does hip hop culture say and mean to you?

MW: I am MY Hip-Hop.

FS: Lastly, what are your post-college plans? Can you envision yourself putting some roots down here in Madison?

MW: Right now I don’t have any definite plans after college. Whatever I’ll be doing it has to give me joy!