“Brownies” is a short story written by author ZZ Packer, set at Camp Crescendo, a summer camp near suburban Atlanta, Georgia . The story surrounds a group of African-American Brownie girls, in fourth grade, who go to this campsite for a camping experience. During the trip, they encounter another group of brownies made up of white girls, all mentally disabled. “Brownies” is told from a first-person perspective, through another Brownie member of the African-American troupe, named Laurel. Because the story is set in the 1960s, ZZ Packer explores issues prevalent during that era, such as racial segregation, prejudice, and ignorance. Racism is defined as “the systematic oppression of African Americans and other people of color and the resulting consequences.” ideology of white supremacy and black inferiority” (Bohmer 95). “It assumes inherent superiority or inferiority based on perceived group attributes” (Pachter et al. 61). Racial segregation existed throughout the United States in the 1960s, particularly in the South where it was enforced by law. “When you live in the south suburbs of Atlanta, it's easy to forget about white people. White people [are] like those baby pigeons: real and existing, but rarely seen or thought of” (Packer 179). Packer conveys the reality of the times extremely well by creating the all-black Girl Scouts and the all-white Girl Scouts, but there is no mixing of races in either group. Furthermore, the two troops remain separated throughout the story and the tension created between them is reminiscent of the struggles that black people have experienced. African-Americans and whites do not share the same public facilities, particularly schools. paper...” Are we born racists. Psychology today. November 10, 2010. The web. March 24, 2014.Packer, ZZ. “Brownies.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2006. 177-94. Print.Pachter, Lee M et al. “Perceived racism and discrimination among children and young people: an exploratory study.” » Health and Social Work 35.1 (2010): 61. MEDLINE with full text. Internet. March 18, 2014. Ponterotto, Joseph G., Jerlym S. Porter, and Shawn O. Utsey. "Prejudice and racism, year 2008 - Still going strong: research on prejudice reduction with recommended methodological advances." Journal of Consulting and Development 86.3 (2008): 339+. Academic OneFile. Internet. March 18, 2014. Racism. Anti-Defamation League, New York, 2001. Web. March 26, 2014. “The new racism”. Time 88.1 (1966): 19. MasterFILE completed. Internet. March 18. 2014.