<p>My freshman year, I was randomly assigned to room with a black girl. My parents hadn’t accompanied me to school, so that night, when I called home to tell my parents how it was going, I mentioned to her that my roommate was black. (Yes, it was unusual enough that it was worth mentioning.) My mother gasped and asked if I wanted her to try to get me moved. I was flabbergasted that she would consider such a thing and told her no.</p>
<p>Racism is very confusing and disturbing. I was shocked that my mother said what she did.</p>
<p>And yeah, I was the first Jewish person my roommate had ever met.</p>