A Forced Interaction-Is ethnicity Still a Segregating Factor?

First and foremost, upon analyzing a piece written by Mary E. Thomas I find that I am in accordance to what she is saying to a great degree. What exactly constitutes a segregating factor? Is there unconscious bias that exists that is implemented without us knowing? Perhaps one of the most striking experts that is continuously troubling to me is the fact that out of all subjects studied, the girls in the high school that was examined do not have interrelationships outside of school (Thomas, 2004, pg 1236). It seems that many youth may have forced interactions because they have to in a school setting and leave the cooperation at the door once they leave. Why is this? I believe that it may not entirely have much to do with race according to evidence provided by the text. Prior to answering this question, I would like to invite you to imagine this scenario. Imagine walking into a room before a party has started, upon seeing plenty of unfamiliar faces, you notice two close friends of yours who are standing by the refreshments. Who are you more drawn to go to? The people you know or the people you don’t. In most cases its the people you know and are familiar with. It is for this very reason that I am in complete accordance with Tatum’s claims stating that space is the outcome of identity practice. Tatum’s analysis of black females in this particular high school raised an interesting point by saying that a similarity is a natural point of convergence especially when mentioning youth. It is natural for youth to be bound by similarities (Thomas, 2004, pg 1237). Perhaps one of the most striking finds that is puzzling is when a black student by the name of Bryana stated that in the lunchroom people are segregated but when break comes everyone is united and socializing with one another. Why does this seem to be the case? Bryana raised a much more simple explanation based off of the question I previously stated. She states that its a possibility that race or ethnicity may not even be a thought but rather people just associate with those that they are friends with and have interests with (Thomas, 2004, pg 1240). I personally do think that even though racism still exists, it has slightly decreased throughout the course of history, this is why I agree with these statements. Personally I believe that social constructs particularly in youth are a bit of a mixture of both, but when it comes to the “racist” ideology, it doesn’t take shape in aggressive form. “They are constrained by their identifications and social positionings, and that race, lived also through gender and age, remains at the heart of the school’s spatiality.”  This quote sparks interest as race still seems to be at the heart of some decision making when it comes to the social practices of youth. Many black students attack black friends according to the piece and same goes for white students. Are these interactions forced? or is the concept of segregation still an unconscious factor when it comes to social interaction amongst youth?