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Interview Paper: Daniel Coffman

Alicia Guzman

College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University

OGL 350: Diversity and Organizations

Dr. Carla Mahnke

April 26, 2023

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Interview Paper: Daniel Coffman

On Monday afternoon, I sat down with Daniel Coffman. Daniel is a Marine veteran who

now works as a civil servant. Daniel and I have partaken in many different conversations in the

past. He is talkative and is always willing to share his wisdom. As we sat down with coffee in

hand, Daniel’s first words to me where, “Guzman, this better be worth my time.” I laughed and

assured him, “it will at least be an educational conversation for me.” We both laughed.

I started the interview by reading, “Culture is complex “network of meanings”

which people communicate and make sense of the socio-environment that surrounds them. These

“network of meanings” are changing, dynamic, fluid, and even hybrid” (Ibrahim, 1998, p. 45). I

then asked Daniel what his definition of culture was. Daniel explained, “Culture is a person’s

upbringing, the environment they grew up in, and the way someone was taught to conduct

themselves. Culture is the type of music you listen to, the type of food you eat, even the type of

clothes you wear. One’s way of living as well as the values and beliefs they hold (for instance

their religion) and try to maintain in all their endeavors are important aspects of culture.” Daniel

identifies as a black African American from the rural south. Daniel believes culture is first

learned at home. He believes his mom influenced what his beliefs and even who he is today.

Daniel also mentioned that after one is initiated to one’s culture by our parents, then our

experiences and our immediate surroundings continue to shape and influence one’s culture.

Daniel believes his culture is under attack. He states, “Everything we do, everything a

man or woman of color does is perceived as exaggerated or aggressive. Think about it. You are a

woman of color yourself. Whenever you are passionate about something, don’t people perceive

that as aggression.” Daniel continues to explain one of the biggest misconceptions about people
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of his culture, “I believe that in general, black men are commonly misconceived to be criminals,

for example: thieves, drug dealers, and/or gang members. This idea of black men being more

aggressive and violent than people of other races is heavily exacerbated by depictions of us in the

media. This can be seen in many headlines that news outlets release regarding descriptions of

black men compared to white men for instance. If both committed the same crime, many news

outlets would focus on the stereotypes that a black man is believed to have which led to their

committing of the crime while a white man may be portrayed with positive attributes to lessen

the public eye in seeing them as a criminal. Also, there is this misconception that black men from

the south are uneducated.” Furthermore, these stereotypes have been perpetuated in the artificial

intelligence programs some police departments are using (i.e. face recognition and predictive

policing). “In 2018, computer scientists Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru published a paper

exploring how accurate commercially available Facial Recognition systems were at identifying

gender. The systems were accurate 99 percent of the time when identifying lighter-skinned men,

but the darker the skin of the person, the less accurate the Facial Recognition systems were-

gender was misidentified in 35 percent of photos of darker-skinned females. This begs the

question: are these facial recognition systems for all people, or just White people?” (Nkonde,

2019, p. 32).

Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but

equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral

debts, America will never be whole” (Trimboli, 2022, p. 338). Racism is alive. Daniel continues

to explain that he has been stopped while walking and asked if he was lost. He even remembers

an instance where he was stopped by the police. The police officer asked him what he was doing

in the neighborhood and Daniel replied that he was just on a walk. The officer then replied that
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Daniel looked suspicious. He has had various store clerks follow me around while shopping, but

when a person of a different race/gender enters the store; the store clerk asks that person if he/she

needs assistance. Daniel explains, “I went to make a reservation at a restaurant and was told the

wait time was an hour to seat two which I thought was too long. However, when my wife, an

Asian woman, went in the restaurant after me, they told her that they had a table available.”

As our conversation was coming to an end, I apologize for everything he had to endure

and ask him one last question: What can be done about racism and prejudice? He answered, “I

believe the beginning of racism and prejudice starts at a young age. In order to try and fix racism

and prejudice, parents/guardians need to teach their children at a young age about what racism

and prejudice is and the effects it has on society and people’s lives. Through early education and

an openness to have these difficult conversations in school and in the household, it is essential in

bringing racism and prejudice out of biased media and into reality.” Daniel continues, “Education

is important for the future of society. Education is the foundation for members of society to

expand their knowledge of the world, critical life skills, self-image, and moral habits, fostering

responsible citizenship. The impact of education on our personal growth and development is

undeniable and everyone has a right to quality, equitable education. Education, especially as

future generations continue to advance, is essential in ensuring that individuals understand

struggles and experiences that a group of individuals that they themselves are not a part of may go

through. This leads to a more just and diverse society in which individuals are treated with respect

and equality. Education is important to bring harmony and union between people of different

backgrounds.” However, in 2016, 82% of the those awarded a bachelor’s degree in education are

white (Vera et al., 2016, p.295). While classrooms across America are becoming more diverse,

those in charge of teaching are not. This could become an issue. Without an awareness of this
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sensitive issues, teachers may not be able to relate to their students and unintended racism may

occur (Vera et al., 2016, p. 295)

 
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Appendix

1. What is your definition of “culture?”

2. What is your cultural and/or ethnic background?

3. What would you say is, from your perspective, the most commonly held misconception about

people of your culture?

4. Have you been discriminated against?

5. Have you ever experienced racism? In what form?

6. What can be done about racism and prejudice, in your opinion?

7. Have you ever felt excluded based on your gender or culture?

8. How do you define success?

9. How much importance is placed on education?

10. Thank you - is there anything else you would like to share? 
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References

Ibrahim, A. e. K. M. (1998). 'Hey, whassup homeboy?': Becoming Black: Race, language,

culture, and the politics of identity. African students in a Franco-Ontarian high

school (Order No. NQ35192). Available from Black Studies Center; ProQuest

Dissertations & Theses Global. (304475455). http://login.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login?

url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/hey-whassup-homeboy-becoming-

black-race-language/docview/304475455/se-2

Nkonde, M. (2019). Automated Anti-Blackness: Facial Recognition in Brooklyn, New

York. Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy, 20, 30-36.

http://login.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-

journals/automated-anti-blackness-facial-recognition/docview/2413005997/se-2

Trimboli, J.M. (2022) A Statistical Representation of the Inequities Encountered by African

Americans Living in Atlanta During COVID: A Time for Action. J Afr Am St 26, 314–

338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-022-09592-4

Vera, E., Camacho, D., Polanin, M., & Salgado, M. (2016). Education interventions for

reducing racism. In A. N. Alvarez, C. T. H. Liang & H. A. Neville (Eds.), The cost of

racism for people of color: Contextualizing experiences of discrimination; The cost of

racism for people of color: Contextualizing experiences of discrimination(pp. 295-316,

356 Pages). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14852-014