The creation of consensus is a difficult thing, but one worth thinking about. At the meeting point between the idea of consensus and the issue of race is the fear that the interests of "integration" or "multiculturalism" can be defined in such a way as to further silence the marginalized groups who are the intended "recipients" of such efforts. As Alan Freedman explains, "To say that the integrated society is an end in itself, apart from the interest of the oppressed group in its own liberation, is basically to say that the goal is in the interest of society at large or in the interest of the dominant group as well as of the oppressed one. It is hardly controversial to contend that integration is for everyone's benefit, or even that it is in some sense for the benefit of the dominant group. However, problems arise when interests diverge and the dominant group's desire for integration supersedes the victim group's demand for relief" (35-36). I will confess that it is difficult for me to move this reference to the more personal level of the stories I am telling throughout this project. Is this text a representation of my desire (as a member of the dominant group) for integration? Who are the "victim groups" in this text? How do Freedman's notions of "dominant integration" connect to Frankenberg's description of her white research subjects and their attempts at "color evasion" as a way to avoid a sense of responsibility for racism (142-3).

Compare the framework for interaction produced by Freedman, which focuses on the dangers of integrationist policies promoted by dominant groups,  to the sense of individual representation produced by this excerpt from Druscilla Cornell's At the Heart of Freedom: "The central argument in this book is that a person's freedom to pursue her own happiness in her own way is crucial for any person's ability to share in life's glories" (18).

Perhaps Freedman might be used to clarify some of the difficulties of a practical implementation of Cornell. Although the idea of telling stories and connecting them is a simple goal expressed for this text, it is a goal that is founded in an understanding of representation as a uniquely individual effort. Ultimately my efforts at self-representation must progress toward the larger effort (both in creating this project and in thinking about issues of race, ethnicity, and integration) at uniting an individualistic stance (self-representations), with a sense of movement towards integration, as well as a better understanding of how such movements might compromise various individuals and groups. While the screens of this project include my representations and stories as a starting point, their value is primarily as a way of connecting to the complicated process of representing ourselves in the presence of others.