Kelli, Placentia, CA
Don’t fake equality for your convenience.
Meah, Raleigh, NC I see too many times, people faking their support for minority groups when they want to come across inclusive. Once they are surrounded by people, they are “comfortable” around; they reveal their true identity as racist and noninclusive. It is convenient for them to be able to hide in a place they […]
I am not my skin color
Jaylah Davenport-Acosta, Palo Alto, CA
Be A Voice For Other People
Sydney Turnmire, Fleetwood, NC Wilkes Community College. Be a voice for other people. Stand up for others. Be kind to others. Help others out. Be a voice for them and stand up for them when they can not for themselves.
Abuse, Poverty, Mental Illness, but Race?
Torleif Soderstrom, Palo Alto, CA
White people, leave my culture alone.
Molly Mara, Manchester, NH
Born with chains. That never disappears.
Faith, Richmond, VA
Happy Turkish girl that celebrates Thanksgiving
Seyda, Boston, MA
You need to get a tan
Malena, Sparta, NC Growing up, I was always the child that would stay outside from morning to night. Even though I was always outside I never tanned, I only burned. Till this day now all I do is burn and then peel.
The luxury of not considering race.
Pat Manning, Manchester, NH Manchester Community College One of the biggest benefits of being white in the U.S. is the fact that you are almost never forced to consider your race.
I am who I am. No apologies.
Maci Heimsoth, LeMars, IA
You’re Mexican, but not really
Cecilia Torres, Sparta, NC I am a full Mexican, but I was not born in Mexico. I grew up in a Mexican household following my Mexican culture. People believe that just because I was not born in Mexico I do not experience racism and I don’t get stared at in certain places because of the […]
Come on, pick a side already.
Sophia, Chattanooga, TN Growing up biracial, I never knew where I fit in outside of my home. Two cultures, two religions, two completely different lifestyles. I did not want to be Arab most of the time. I wanted to fit in with the majority of my school, who were white Christian Americans. It was an […]
Don’t allow ignorance to excuse racism
Alexis Balkissoon, Bloomfield, NJ
Wait, so what are you exactly?
Ysabella Woods, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sociology 101, Knoxville, TN
Yes, your uncle is still bad.
Anonymous, The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Sociology 110, Knoxville, YN
Ignored black man, looking for boss.
John May Franklin, MA I was a salesman of warehouse equipment . On an ordinary sales call, I would drive to a warehouse and try to meet with the boss to deliver my sales pitch. Most times I would go in a back door, loading dock, or other path that would avoid the receptionists and […]
My skin is white, not evil
Joe Zuercher, Sergeant Bluff, IA I chose this because I feel that too often, all the sins of the world are blamed on all white people. I’m not saying that white people haven’t done terrible things to other peoples, but instead that I should not be blamed for those misdeeds.
Ignorance is not bliss with racism.
Sydney, CA
How Can I make a Change?
Carter Pittman, Maryville, TN The University of Tennessee of Knoxville, Sociology 110
You’re Mexican with a Black Name?
Nikkishah, Manchester, NH A am half Mexican and half Puerto Rican. Throughout my life others have commented on my name referring to it as “black” and that I “Don’t look like my name”. Who’s to say what race the name Nikkishah is and what that person is supposed to look like? In fact, the origin […]
No way, Miss, you’re not white!
Joan Evans, Lawrencevillve, GA. And I am 100% white. But (far too many of) my students associate “white” with oppression and bigotry. When they tell me I’m not white, they are trying to tell me I’m not a racist. Telling me I’m not white is a compliment. Pretty damning, huh?
I don’t fit in your boxes.
Dave Lawrence, Mechanicsville, VA For most of my life, when I was asked my race, I was forced to choose just one — and I chose the race I mostly closely resembled: white. Back then, I had to choose carefully. My mom and I had been threatened with death in the early 1960’s for not […]
You’re entitled to opinion, not hatred
Fernando Vega, Renton, WA
Learn from History, Change the Future
Jerry, Leonardtown, MD Embrace the good and bad about our Country so we can make it a more perfect Union.
Not all cops are bad cops
Abby, Sparta, NC Everybody thinks that just because there are a couple of crooked cops out there, that all cops are bad. My dad happens to be a cop and everybody loves him. He does his job very clean and keeps everybody safe. He’s not biased and treats everybody fair. Along with the rest of […]
I am not racist.
Aubie Hartman, Sioux City, IA I chose these six words because I think that a lot of people see white people as racist. I am not only white but I also live in the midwest. I had a teacher who moved to my hometown from a big city. When this teacher came they always tried […]
Listen to others besides your own
Kaitlyn Marek, Knoxville, TN All too often, I hear my white friends and family members only promoting their own ideas about society and race amongst themselves, which usually creates an “us vs. them” dynamic. All I ask of my other white folk is to genuinely listen to other people and believe their experiences instead of […]
“Southern heritage” is a convenient copout.
Inmymamaname Peppars, Submitted via Twitter: @TrnGangDatabase #theracecardproject
Let’s go. She doesn’t speak English.
Nora Woodman, Fishers, IN. What one Jehovah’s Witness said to the other when I opened the door and had yet to say hello.
Am I from here or there?
Laura Martinez, Hays, KS. I was born in Mexico and came to the USA as a child. I am so proud of my culture and love Mexico, but I also love the US. When I visit Mexico with my mom people in Mexico see me as not a “true” Mexican, because I haven’t actually been […]
Encourage education and tolerance for everyone
Chris Smith, Submitted via Twitter: @burning_wind @michele_norris
You’re lucky you look ambiguously minority.
Cristina Gonzales, Denver, CO. All throughout my life I’ve worked hard to succeed only to wonder if any success, any award, any accomplishment was truly earned, or if I am just helping someone make a quota, create a statistic, or justify an extra dollar or two. The worst is having a seed of doubt planted […]
Chicana Falsa I Am Not!
Amber Nicole Gutierrez, Hemet, CA. Everyone grew up with a different life-style, just because I look of Mexican decent does not mean I am the same as every Mexican stereotype. I am an American and have grew up in the middle of both worlds of “American” and “Mexican”. I understand Spanish and speak some. I […]
I fight against my inner fears.
Submitted via Twitter:@GWjaredwj My six words on race during @michele_norris’s “Eavesdropping on America’s Conversation on Race” session at Educause 2018.
Vision failed. Opportunity passed. Never again.
Seth Yaffo, Submitted via Twitter: @SethYaffo.
The Pinoy Debate: Asian? Pacific Islander?
Vince Domingo, Fresno, CA. I’m proud to be Filipino. And I’m also proud to be an Asian Filipino. No, not a “Pacific Islander Filipino”, whenever you see them, avoid them as much as you can, they’re terrible people. They hate puppies. Okay, okay, I jest. They are just misunderstood. This is not even a geographical […]
I look white & I’m not racist.
Lynn, Great Falls, SC. I tend to look white; especially when not in the sun. I’m actually a mix of: European (German, Irish, & British), Native American (Seminole, Cherokee, & Muskogee Creek), Black (African -sub-sahara regions- and Melanesian), and Middle Eastern (Syrian, Turkish, Indian (India) & Iranian)…….Somehow I ended up looking more European instead……I hate […]
Grandpa, ‘white’, sits @ back of bus
T Storm Heter, Stroudsburg, PA.
Open Conversations about race always matter
Michael Goldberg, Dallas, TX. Race conversations should always be happening no matter your background or skin color. Stop the finger pointing on both sides and start talking to solve the problems.
You’re foreign. Not American. No way.
Franke Santos, Los Angeles, CA. Despite being born in the U.S., speaking only English, and being given a white-sounding name, I am routinely asked “where are you from?” When I respond, “Los Angeles,” I get the follow-up “where are you really from?”
Everyone hates the mixed race child.
Alexeana Lopez, Saint Louis, MO. Segregation doesn’t always come from white people.
Teach them young to be one
Jessica Clark, Chesapeake, VA. We are not born racist.
Noir, Schwartze, Negredo – I Am Black
Courtney Jones, Denver, CO. People hide behind the stereotypes, racism, politics, and labels to avoid CONNECTING with others. Are we afraid people have more in common with us than we allow our differences to believe? My pride in my race contributes to my Life & community. It takes nothing from you & we all gain […]
Bigotry lives on; so does hope.
Matt Neal, San Antonio, TX.
A “white girl” with a unique heritage
Ashlyn Rachelle Sharp, Azle, TX. I hate the term “typical white girl”. Why does a girl whose taste buds enjoy pumpkin spice lattes have to be categorized automatically in some stupid stereotype? I may be “white”, but my heritage is so much more than just a typical white girl. My veins are flowing with the […]
I am myself, not your expectations
Jaee Lofton, Long Beach, MS
Colombian? Where is your accent?
Yessica Guarin Arias, Boston, MA. Yes, I don’t have the same accent as the actors and actresses on TV. The reason to why is because they were born in a specific part of the country in which I am not from. However, people only hear these people speaking “Colombian Spanish”. When in reality Colombia has […]
Gay doesn’t make me less Black
Exodus Rex, Submitted via Twitter
Grandmother ate in kitchen with housekeeper
Alice J Walker Gay, GA This concerns a story told to me about my grandmother, who died in 1960 when I was five years old. In the mid-fifties, she lived with my aunt and uncle and their boys in Rome, Georgia. On one rare occasion, she was home alone when Carrie May, the housekeeper came […]
It is not a heritage thing
Sara Lachance, Springdale, AR. Seeing Confederate flags on the back of trucks and outside people’s houses makes my stomach hurt. I once encountered a person with the confederate flag on their sunglasses right between the lens, like it was staring me down. I am forced to be associated with those people because A. I am […]
Not enough people really do care
Iesha Washington, Mesa, AZ. I said it all in six words.
Thought we were a melting pot
Raven Beverly, Caret, VA.
Be the good in the world
Ashley Garneau, Virginia Beach, VA.
An excuse to separate us based on fear
Melanie, Boston, MA
Searching wounds heals? Healing hardly begun.
Beverly J. Brown, Rochester, NY. Such a hard topic to discuss for some of us. But, a discussion that is sorely needed. I would love to be part of the solution, of creating a world where all beings are valued, but where to begin??
You belong and so do I
Alicia Doody, Virginia Beach, VA
We must stand together as one
Ryan Dodds, McCook Lake, SD I believe in times like these, we must stand together against the evils of this world. I believe that many things can be done to achieve this. White people must understand that their lives are very different from minority lives. They often take everything as an insult. They believe that […]
Racism runs light, medium, and dark
Tori Carter, Sioux City, IA My name is Tori, and I am a senior at North High School. I am dual-enrolled at Western Iowa Tech Community College. I was assigned to create a race card, and this project got me thinking. When you hear the word “racism”, you think of slavery, internment camps, or the […]
Shame is a source of power
Issie Gotto, Piedmont, CA
Don’t speak Spanish, still Mexican
Anonymous, USA I was raised as a part of a mixed family, both of my parents were half-Mexican, and so am I. But no one in my family speaks Spanish. Even though, we still celebrate and do many of the same traditions. I’m still Mexican, I still am a part of that culture. I just […]
Hard working parents means I’m spoiled?
Emily Chamberlain, LeMars, IA Growing up my family did not have much but after years of hard work from both my parents, we began to have nicer items, a house, and cars. Then as I began to switch high schools every year at every new high school I got called the same thing repeatedly, “spoiled […]
My actions can shape others perceptions
Jason Jones, Brooklyn, NY
One people in heart and mind.
Jon Castor, Woodside, CA
My skin isn’t black, it’s rebellion.
Sam Shippen, Philadelphia, PA.
I’m More than, Less than Accepted
Nicole Reynolds, Virginia Beach, VA. Race often goes hand and hand with self worth. Who am I in the world? What does that answer mean? How does it affect my life? Is there anything I can do to change that? I have Ugandan Blood, Taino Blood, Spanish Blood, Past African American Slave blood. What race […]
Girl! You sounding extra white today!
Siobhan Osborne, Little Rock, AR.
No, I do not know karate.
Kimi Redd , Submitted via Twitter: @alaKimi.
My life’s as precious as yours
Patricia Burns, Los Angeles, CA. Thank you.
The color that matters runs red
Jeri Grigsbay, Magalia, CA.
I will always just be Human!
Matthew Workman, Oviedo, FL. We are all human beings. I’m not saying to throw away what race you are but to open your mind to a greater picture. We come into this world the same way and will leave the same way.
I don’t know where to begin.
Elizabeth Johnson, Arlington, VA. There are so many things I wish I could say but am worried they will come out the wrong way. I want to say I see you’re struggling. I want to say I see racism among my friends and within my own family. I want to say it’s wrong. I want […]
I don’t see you as Muslim.
Mohamed Abdallah Italy I have received this backhanded compliment in my adopted home, the US, and around the world many times, and I have commiserated with many African-Americans, Hispanics — substitute any race, creed or nation for “Muslim” — about how grating and disheartening it is. Despite what you have achieved, if you don’t fit […]
Privileged, What exactly does that MEAN?!?
Janet Davis, Huntsville, AL. I live in the South where we have always had a larger black population as long as I can remember & we have always gotten along. It’s insulting when I see so many people talking about the Southern states being such a hotbed of racists. No place is perfect, but I […]
Yes, that is my real name.
Hyosim Nancy Collins, Beaverton, OR. My middle name is Nancy. I was born in South Korea and arrived in the United States when I was 4 years old with my Korean family. Soon after we arrived in California, my father decided we should all have “American” names. When I became a Naturalized Citizen at the […]
Race was constructed by white men
Robert Symens Bucher, Oakland, CA. Aspen X I am a white man, and I realize that the concept of race was created by people like myself a long time ago. The purpose of race was to create a tiered society in which white people had superiority to the other races. It is important for all […]
You’re beautiful, mysterious. I’m white, curious.
Mary Karpen, Grand Rapids, MI.
If oppressed here, why not leave?
Dee Johnson, New York, NY. To start, I should say that I do not think that African-Americans should leave America. I think that the U.S. is still the land of freedom and opportunity for everyone, regardless of skin color. My question is for those African-Americans who feel that the U.S. is intolerably racist and that […]
No, my daddy didn’t buy this
Rita Slowinski Phoenix, MD
Trouble is, maybe I’m a racist.
Matthew Hartter, Seattle, WA. The feeling of uselessness leads to a desire for superiority.
What is a mad black woman
Lashauna Vaughn Warren, MI What is a mad black woman people look at it being loud, angry, violet but I think it is misunderstood for confident, determination ,and strong verbal skills. All these requirements are asked in a job application so who is mad?
“I’m Native American too!” — says everyone
Alyssa Cartee New York City, NY Queens Every time race and culture comes up, when I mention that I am a registered Cherokee I get the same response. My grandmother was born on the reservation and we are dual citizens with the Cherokee Nation. But apparently I’m just as native as every single other person.
Vietnamese is difficult, love is stronger
Tho Nguyen, Greenbelt, MD. Tho is from Vietnam and grew up in Tacoma Amanda is from Oroville, grew up in the Tri-Cities Tho and Amanda met at the Barnes and Noble in the U-Village while Tho was writing his dissertation Tho and Amanda lived in Vietnam for 4 years since 2008 Amanda learned Vietnamese. Tho’s […]
Living liberal in a conservative home.
Quinn, Lake Elsinore, CA Both my parents are very conservative when it comes to politics and everything. I grew up learning from them, but once I hit college, my views started to change. Both my parents have Masters degrees and were principals for most of their careers. They were born in the 50’s and I […]
Why isn’t my hair work appropriate
Zuleka Grant, Summerville, SC If you ever look on google for work-appropriate or professional hair it is full of straight hair and Caucasian styles, but when you look up what is not, it’s natural black hair: afros, curls, and kinks!
Fear doesn’t define who you are
London R Holcomb, Bonner Springs, KS Fear does not define who you are. Neither does race. Your personality defines who you are and anyone who doesn’t take you for who you are, are irrelevant.
Discussing racism makes me feel uncomfortable
Charles Stremel, Mission Viejo, CA To preface, I am white, I’ve grown up well-off and never really had to worry too much about things. My parents divorced around my birth, but I was too young to even remember, so I wouldn’t even call that a hardship. My views on the current topics that discuss commonly […]
Why Do They Think We’re Racists
Josh Parker Grimm, Kansas City, KS I hate it when minorities, in general, think all whites are racists. I even have a black friend who calls me a racist cracker because I’m white. It doesn’t make sense, I wasn’t born in the 50’s, and I think we all need to be equal. Maybe because of […]
Who will love this black girl?
Gabby Mbeki, Boston, MA. In the fall of 1997, I started 6th grade at a day independent school in Connecticut. I grew up in a predominately West Indian neighborhood surrounded by faces like mine, but my father wanted me to have a more rigorous education. I entered the school being one of three students of […]
Fear turns the world upside down
Marissa Breault, Amsterdam, NY Amsterdam
All Italians Are In The Mafia
Frank Heeg, Pittsburgh, PA I love this idea, it encourages the people to overcome obstacles of peace and love
We Do Not Look The Same
Le Hoang Nhat Vy, Huntington Beach, CA As an Asian American growing up, I have been continuously been called the looking same as my other Asian friends even though we are two completely different people regardless of what any people say. It really irritates me when that happens. I grew up in Vietnam for my […]
I’m not white in my family
Lisa Craig Washington, DC It’s a bit complicated. My father’s family consists of Scottish, Swedish, French, German, English, Mexican, and two different Native American tribes. My mother’s family consists of French-Canadian, English, Inquit (Alaskan Native Americans), and some other ethnicities that I am not aware of (I am not close to them). All of my […]
You Don’t Look Like Your Name
Jessica Davila, Rowlett, TX I am a tanned skin, brown hair, brown eyes, Mexican American woman. My married name was Jessica Phillips. I worked at a doctor’s office on the “rich” part of town while getting my degree in biology. On multiple occasions, during phone conversations with patients, I would get the compliment on how […]
I love white partner and son
Hudson Giles-Lavender, Columbia, MO.
Not what I thought I was
Nancy Jane Grimes Smith Pittsfield, IL After being asked most of my life if I was any Indian (Native American) and saying no, mostly Irish, some Scot, And English my mom recently found that she is part Cherokee. I’m thrilled and would welcome DNA testing to find out what else may be part of me.
Culturelessness: how the oppressor oppresses itself
Katherine Rand , Submitted via Twitter: @itsalldhamma.
You see me as I’m NOT!
Sonya J Van Alstyne, Submitted via Twitter: @SonyaJordan #theracecardproject
Why Are You Afraid Of Me
Mark Smith, Submitted via Twitter: @MESmitty
Black women can be vulnerable!
Angela Clark Walker Chicago, IL
Always, what are you? Long story.
Mariko Lockhart, Seattle, WA. Collected from The Race Card Project, On Location: Seattle Community Colleges My dad was black, born in Panama, as my grandfather from Monserrat went there to work on the Canal. My grandmother was from Jamaica. They moved to Chicago where my dad grew up on the South Side. My mom’s parents […]
Hold my hand, cancer doesn’t discriminate.
Imari DuSauzay, New York City, NY. Brooklyn My friend is full of ideas and fighting with cancer…We hold hands to share love. I am experiencing too many friends facing cancer, it makes no difference what your color is.. Cancer does not discriminate.
It took 25 years to appreciate being Latina
Cecilia Joy Contreras Solano Riverside, CA
Not white, but my kids are?
Rob Silva Oakland, CA First generation with Indo-Dutch/ El Salvadoran heritage. Family has seemingly always been the non-white in the group, especially when listening to the my parents’ stories of assimilation. So strange then when my son was bullied at his new school in Berkeley for being the white kid.
You’re Indian? With Dot or Feather?
Sam, Morris, MN. I have a grandfather that is fully Native American, from the White Earth Tribe. So my mother is ¼ Native American, and I am less than ¼. My father is mostly German. So I have fairly light skin, and my hair is light brown. In most situations I consider myself Caucasian and […]
No one box is correct.
David Kung, St. Mary’s City, MD. In 2000 when I filled out my census card and was finally allowed to (correctly) check more than one box, I cried. David’s story was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition. Listen
My mixed-race son looks All-American.
Emma Alvarez Gibson, San Pedro, CA. My husband’s heritage is Japanese/Portuguese/French. Mine is Mexican/Irish/Scottish. Neither of us fit in anywhere while growing up; both sides of each of our families considered us oddities at best. People never knew what to make of us. I was too white for the Mexican kids and too uptight about […]
I’m part white, Can’t prove it
Justice Littlejohn Cherokee, NC Being Cherokee and living on a reservation you don’t grow up white, even if you are only half cherokee and half white. Tourists that come to the reservation always claim they are part cherokee. They are so proud of it. I don’t understand why they kinda get offended when I say […]
Teacher of black youth, ancestors slaverholders
Ernie Lee Savannah, GA Struggling with my whiteness and my student’s blackness until we connect. I am a good teacher and after a while I don’t color just students who want to learn. It is more of a socio-economic divide, but I will never know what it means to be black as my students will […]
White trash married to black man
Tamera, Evans, GA. I still hear this comment from people even after being in a 32 year long loving marriage, having 3 children, and 5 grandchildren. I have heard that comment or a similar one from whites and blacks and that is truly sad to me. Love has no color boundaries in my eyes and […]
The experience of “White African Americans”
Kevin Hayes, Ackerman, MS. “Love sees no color”. “What the world needs now…”. Pretty much says it.
Our inheritance hate, our legacy love
Pat Grauer, DeWitt, MI. We are the comma. We are the now. We are the small point between great ancient forces and a future of positive change in human relationships.
Something so important, but also not.
Sheri Baxter, Washington, DC. Race and identity are things that are so essential and important to who you are as a person. But also it’s not. Because when we meet people, friend people, love people, help people, work with people….those who live without hate and bias do all of these things without any consideration of […]
She loves me, her family can’t
Christian J. Collier, Chattanooga, TN.
Dating an Arab, not just him.
Maggie C Portsmouth, VA My friends and family notice his skin color first, instead of his amazing personality or how much he loves me.
Calling someone a “white-girl” is offensive.
Abby, Minneapolis, MN.
I just want to be respected
Simone Bouyer, Riverview, FL I don’t want to be followed around the store while shopping. I don’t want to be pulled out of line at the airport. I don’t want to pay more for my house or any other purchase. I don’t want to be eyed with suspicion. I am a professional. I work hard. […]
I will never really ‘get it’.
Celia Beasley, Seattle, WA. Being an upper-middle class white woman, I know I will never truly understand what it feels like to be a person of color in America. Despite my attempts to be aware of racism in this county through conversations, news stories, interviews, books, this website, etc, I know that I will never […]
But you played with dolls growing up.
Trisha Salerno, New York, NY, Colorbrave Circle 1 For as long as I can remember, I have been fluid with my sexuality. I love… everyone. I never made it a thing, I never came out with some grand proclamation. I just happened to start seriously dating a girl that I fell in love with. Of […]
Your perception is your faulty knowledge
Jiale Chen, China For centuries humans have constructed systematically around the false perception of purity that is connected to color. The whiter the people are the more superior they are. The added characteristics of features if appearance add to the racial identity but also to racial discrimination. The idea of the current generation being most […]
Inequality, Segregation, Defining, Evil, Degrading, and Culture.
Tyler Henry, Ladera Ranch, CA In history, race has been used to segregate, define, and degrade people. It also has been used to raise people higher than one another creating inequality in humankind. All of these are different acts of evil. A person’s culture is a product of race. It allows people to connect with […]
You’re Mexican? And you don’t eat _______?
Verenize Arellano, Chicago, IL
I feel like I’ve been sorted.
Jaclyn Huelbig, Edison, NJ. I’m white. When I was a child, I lived in a city (the type that hipsters remain uninterested in!) and I had friends of all races and religions. I had the benefit, for example, of having a conversation with my friend when she chose to don a hijab (her older sister, […]
WTF IS WHITE PRIVILEGE
Mara, CANADA. I am not a racist. But I feel the world (politicians and social activists) are turning me into one. I am so fed up with the race card on every corner. You can’t have a normal discussion anymore. And DON’T gets me started on “reverse racism” It’s all so wrong. The world has […]
Blood. Sweat. Tears. Soil to Skyscraper.
Jason Williams, Nashville, TN. Take pride in this great nation, remember those who built it.
We are all humans doing life
Jolynne, Chino, CA. If someone makes me nervous it’s usually because they’re different to me. Different than what I’ve been exposed to. It’s hard to emotionally stay with the difference regardless of what that difference is. The brave ones of us stay.
To be colorblind is a visual Impairment
Nicole Turek, East Lansing, MI.
Black Fathers Love Black Children, #Shutup!
Nvizaboman, Syracuse, NY. Pointing a gun in the face of a Black boy or choking a Black man, is not a common cultural practice in the Black community. I just feel that needs to be said. Please stop killing us because our lives are an appointment we don’t want to miss. Thank you.
Thank you for pointing that out.
Lani Broederlow, Salt Lake City, UT. I am Polynesian. I have been told that my appearance does not reflect my last name. It is of Dutch descent and the funny thing is, it’s not even my last name; it’s my husband’s. It’s strange how we tend to sort each other into categories and labels. I […]
Debilitated by shame of my heritage
Tindol, Tuscaloosa, AL.
Half Japanese Half Irish Hapa? Whateva
Lois Ann Knezek, Sanger, TX. I was born and raised in Hawai’i to a Hawai’i born Japanese woman and an Irish Bostonian. Luckily, in Hawai’i, everyone is mixed so I didn’t feel any different. Then I married a haole from Texas and moved to a culture where people didn’t know what I was. I wasn’t […]
Up with this I won’t put
Amy Hartman, San Antonio, TX These are the words of Lucretia Mott, suffragist, who was sick and tired of women not having the right to vote. I need to proceed with next right action steps, in the footsteps of people who model this for us.
White wife to a black husband
Rachel Varney, Keller, TX I try daily to understand what my husband lives and what my 3 boys see and experience. I am very aware of the privilege I have that they do not.
SHELTERED WHITE PEOPLE ARE THE PROBLEM
Anonymous, North Versailles, PA YUPPY WHITE PEOPLE, who look like fools walking in marches supporting a cause that is racism at its finest, After the protests are over try walking in the same neighborhoods at night with the same people who you marched to support and see how far you get, I’m white and grew […]
Oh, I expected a Black woman.
Jamila Wolters, Portland, OR I am a White-passing, Mexican woman with an Arabic name and have heard this statement from people of all races. The difference is the looks on the faces of the people who say this to me, their own race always and prejudice is always written right there. I am a proud […]
WE ARE ALL HUMAN! EQUAL JUSTICE!!!
Shirley, Brewster, NY All LIVES WON’T MATTER UNTIL BLACK LIVES MATTER TOO!
My actions shapes will impact perception.
Jason Jones, Brooklyn, NY
Righteous cops and journalists. Stand tall.
Hank Kula, Rochester, NY I worked in both the media and law enforcement. The image I took at the wedding last summer of a black police sergeant and his Hispanic wife. Subtly, not so subtly, it communicates the blending of families, and acceptance of all races. The barely-visible blue bracelet — that police are human, […]
I’m Me, You’re You, Both Beautiful
Mary Engleman, Tacoma, WA I get told all the time I must be racist because of my heritage. But you don’t know my heritage. I don’t happen to look like my ancestry (Hmm, wonder what that could be from? Could I be two different races for some reason? Think hard.) I didn’t get to choose […]
Give invisible minorities a chance at brilliance
Anne, New York, NY. Minorities in America are often discriminated against for no good reason other than the color of their skin or the language that they speak. Asians, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Mexicans are never given a fair chance. All of these people are just as equal and should be able to […]
A border town taught me understanding
Christian Diego Cintron, El Paso, TX. Culture and race should be celebrated. Growing up in a border town taught me people are different and we should all be understanding. I am Hispanic and I love my culture and the way it blends with all the other cultures.
Playing by everyone’s rules is exhausting
Anonymous, Madison, WI. To Fred down the street I’m half-Asian; to Nick the bus driver I’m from southern France; Veronica thinks I’m obviously Native; McKayla says I’m White; to Esme I look like one of those pochos who thinks he’s too good to be associated with “them.” Sometimes it’s okay for me to talk about […]
You’re Mexican? Then why are you white?
Anahi Miranda, escondido, california, . This is my exact face when people tell me this. Every where I go there’s always one person who asks ” If you’re Mexican then why are you white?” Especially at my job many hispanic workers won’t approach me because they think I don’t speak Spanish, and once they hear […]
Strength intelligence spice loyalty nobility earth
Erika Grisselle Morales Montalvo, Newark, NJ I was born in Puerto Rico. I grew up learning that a Puerto Rican is blend of three: white European (Spaniard), Native American (Taino) and African (Black slaves). We don’t to measure ourselves through color but the heritage and knowledge acquired from these three great races. In Puerto Rico […]
How is your last name Sanchez?
Chelsea, Burlington, NC I am constantly referred to as white, and I do not speak Spanish. I am mostly Puerto Rican and Italian and have the least amount caucasian in me in comparison to my other heritages.
We’ve been here longer than you!
Moon, Houston, TX That’s what I want to tell Donald Trump and any other racist that has a problem with Mexicans. My maternal family has been in Texas since before it was a part of America. My paternal side came from Spain and Central America since before it was America. So, technically this isn’t YOUR […]
Taught all wrong, now teaching others
Steve Jones, Durham, NC. I grew up in a segregated community and the concept that African-Americans (of course, not the word that was used) were inferior. It took a long time to get out of that mindset and even longer to acknowledge the privilege that comes with my white skin. It’s a privilege to be […]
I dislike hate because of color.
Darrick Gilmore, Washington, DC.
I’m only allowed to be white
Carrie Hunsinger, Wilmington, DE. I am a 1/2 first generation American. My Mother is American (Detroit) and my father is Dutch (Holland). He’s been here almost 60 years and he still speaks with a heavy Dutch accent and therefore I speak English with a bit of a Dutch accent. When 9/11 happened I was in […]
In Indonesia I am asked “Dutch”?
Nancy Deschu, Anchorage, AK. My Dutch ancestors arrived in New Amsterdam in 1624. Now, four hundred years later, I live in Alaska but my roots in New Jersey are strong and deep. While traveling in Sulawesi, Indonesia 15 years ago, locals would ask me, “Blanda?”, or what I learned was a slang term for “Dutch”. […]
I grew up in the 98118
Guy Godefroy , Seattle, WA. Submitted via Twitter: @mrfatlace Additional information for the 6-WORD ESSAY: http://southseattle.komonews.com/ news/arts-culture/ 445093-census-bureau-98118-most-diverse-zip-code-us
Blacks Would Go Extinct Without Whites
Miranda Metto, Richmond, CA. Very tired demands from racist aggressive, rude, uncivilized ignorant black people and their white fan club to pity and apologize to people who aren’t contributing anything equal or better than anyone and to be expecting all white people to dumb ourselves down so they can keep up.
I’m not your damn “china virus”
Todd Inoue, San Jose, CA Stay vigilant. Protect yourself at all times. And wear a damn mask.
They say we don’t tip well…
Taylor Harris O’Fallon, IL
We are all brothers and sisters
Christina Williams, Aliso Viejo, CA. Race is such as small idea in comparison to bigger ideas like love, togetherness, family, connection and happiness. I wish to raise my children in a world where people are celebrated for ideas and compassion and not for superficial ideas such as skin color and ethnicity. Race is outside of […]
Not Really Indian, American Born Desi.
Rahul Iyer Mesa, AZ Not Really Indian, American Born Desi is what could be used to describe me. Not Really Indian (NRI) is a term that is often coined to describe people of Asian Indian background who were born outside of India. The actual legal term used by the Indian Government is Nonresident Indian (NRI). […]
I get pissed at my own race
Anonymous, USA.
All suits. Same deck of cards.
Denise Taylor, Temecula, CA. We love movies with popcorn, breakfast for dinner, prayers before bed, and extending kindness. Just love… a lot of love.
Different skin, same desire for equality.
Allison Greenfield, Bloomington, IL.
I get sunburned in ten minutes.
Christine Leach, San Francisco, CA. If the sun is intense enough, I can and have gotten sunburned in ten minutes, literally. I joke with my friend in Nigeria that I can’t visit him because it’d be too painful, physically. It’s a silly point, but one I’ve joked with friends about, who are black, hispanic, or […]
As powerful as the Red Sea
Andrea M, Houston, TX. Discrimination due to race is as powerful as the splitting of the Red Sea; splitting a society into many parts, when we were only meant to love as one.
A missplaced comma, in fluid sentences.
Anil Oommen Eugene, OR University of Oregon I am brown, a Malayalee, a person of Indian descent in a primarily white setting. This is often awkward. It is not unusual for me to feel like a misplaced comma, in the fluid sentences of white experience. Only when I limit what I say and refrain from […]
“Basic white girl, you’ll never understand.”
Rebecca Robrahn, Holland, MI. No matter how much I try to learn and read and participate in conversations, I’m told I can’t understand, will never understand, that my privilege blinds me. I know I can never truly feel the experience of living in America as a black, Asian or Latina woman, but I *AM* trying. […]
America’s Dominant Race is HUMAN Race
Sarah Sanchez, Midvale, UT. I am Hispanic, black and European but you couldn’t tell by looking at me and I am okay with that. I believe that there may always be a larger number of a particular race through out America but that does not make them the majority nor minority. I I feel that […]
Latin, Bald, Tattoos = Thug = Mistaken Identity
Eduardo Meza, Albany, NY. I get it! I look like the typical thug you will find in disadvantaged neighborhoods throughout most of California. I know I am immediately judged by my cover. People mistake my form of self-expression for some sort of territorial gang branding. I am gay, latino, well-educated (Master’s Degrees), family-oriented and a […]
White people in Jamaica no tourist
Rubani Streete-Hamilton, United Kingdom I remember one of the first times I went to Jamaica for holiday and to see my family. I’m British born but both my parents are Jamaican. We were out in the bush when these two white people with dreads came through cutting down the bush with a mustache. They greeted […]
Being black in a white town.
Noel Hudson, ME I go to college in a pretty white community. There are about 10-20 black people out of 600 students. I grew up in a town just south where the population was very mixed; Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. The high school I went to rarely had any cases over racism as the […]
Being black doesn’t mean I’m struggling
Mikaella Mondesir, Upper Marlboro, MD
I want you to be authentic
Samantha Kaindi, Columbia, MD When I think about all the microaggressions said to me prior to this comment, I get really sad and wonder, what did I do to deserve this?
I fight for Americans, whatever color
Damon Williams, Florence, CO. I served four years in the 82nd Airborne Division from Jan 2001 to Jan 2005. Served in three tours and would do it all again for my family and fellow Americans! Airborne, H-Minus, All the way!
I choose to love and persevere
Johna Speller, Laurinburg, NC p>I chose the words “I choose to love and persevere” because I believe that it best represents my standpoint on racism and racial inequalities that I face and see others face within our society. I stated that I “choose” because I feel that at the end of the day we all […]
Ex-military, don’t understand my country’s culture.
Alan Hill Minneapolis, MN Why don’t veterans speak of their experience? Because of the culture barriers to understanding. Military veterans don’t yet understand (as a population) that they have a different culture than their country, a separate, distinct, yet invisible, identity. The worst part is they are disconnected from it and therefore unable to express […]
Military families: ahead of the curve.
Monique Hollis-Perry Alpine, CA Military bases overseas were homes to many biracial families like mine, and my sister and I went to school with classmates who looked like us. It was many years and thousands of miles from being sent to Fort Gordon, GA as a test case in the 1960s to see how (or […]
The world has a beautiful tapestry.
Mel, Sharpsburg, GA The world would be very boring if we all looked the same. I love the variety of colors we see in the world. I see the beauty in all races and all faces. I appreciate all the cultural differences and talents that each culture brings to the world table. Form their cultural […]
Teaching My Children About Racism – Disturbing!
Octavia, Louisville, KY. In 2014, our 11 year old son would play outside everyday with the neighborhood little boys. Our son was told by the 10 year old friend and next door neighbor his mom said my son could not come inside his house. He was also NOT invited to the 10 year next neighbor’s […]
The invisible Arab until 9/12.
Jennie Clement Riverview, FL Thank you for doing this project. I noticed how my university applications changed in the wake of 9/11; how there was all of a sudden a magical radio button for being Arab. I had previously been invisible; moderately enjoying white privilege until 9/11. I was no longer “white”; which was a […]
Entered world of race after 9/11
Lesley Thomas George Frisco, TX My perfect little world was broken up into different races post 9/11. As an Indian-American, I escaped much of the profiling that many African Americans face. After 9/11 much of that changed.
Wearing your difference on the outside.
Mona Khadr, Washington, DC. “But where are you from, originally?” is a question I get a lot. When I was younger, I answered proudly (“Egyptian!”) because my heritage was something that made me unique from my mostly white-American peers in the suburbs of MD and PA. As I got older and entered high school, college, […]
Sir, it’s just a random search.
Naim A., San Francisco, CA. These are the words I hear every time I go to the airport. Being Arab-American, I always face discrimination whether it’s from peers or random people on the street or social media but never let it get to me. The airport is the one place that always seems to get […]
By protecting her, I’m oppressing her.
Adrienne Kern, Keller, TX. My daughter was two weeks from turning one on September 11, 2001. She is one of them. An Arab (pronounced with a Texas drawl: A-Rab). A camel jockey. A rag head. She is Turkish and Saudi and Egyptian. She is not white like me, her mother, who is also mixed race. […]
White husband became Iranian September eleventh.
Maren Robinson Chicago, IL I watched how my American-born half-Iranian husband went from being perceived as white (Iranians are Caucasian) to being perceived as vaguely “middle eastern” (eliciting double takes on trains and extra searches at airports) after September 11th. He is an actor, so I have also watched him play characters who are Caucasian, […]
I passed Citizenship test, can you?
Avanti Iyer, Chevy Chase, MD. I’m tired of not been seen as having the same rights as white people (especially after 9/11). I had to pay hundreds of dollars in fees and take a test to become a citizen of the US. I am curious how many native-born white people have the equivalent civics, history […]
Suburban white kids nicknamed me Chinaman
Aaron Yeh, Las Vegas, NV. White mother, Chinese father, I was raised by my mom and don’t speak Chinese. Sometimes I look in the mirror and my Asian features surprise me. It’s startling how I identify more with being ‘white’ than anything else. The “other” box on forms asking my ethnicity has always comforted me, […]
The Day After The World Changes
Duryan Bhagat-Clark, Aberdeen, NJ. My father is an immigrant from Bombay, India. He moved here to go to college and graduate school. He is Muslim. While working at Rutgers University he met my mother; she is Jewish. They were married within a year. As I often joke, I know there will never be peace in […]
Passing under streetlights… shouldn’t we nod?
Tom Capuano Kirksville, MO In the Midwest, in small and mid-sized towns at least, people who are strangers to each other sometimes acknowledge each other with a nod, at the very least, when passing by each other, at least during the day. Sometimes even a hello. Maybe not all the time, maybe not even most […]
We’re just not understanding each other
Nancy Wilson Submitted via: NPR’s Talk of the Nation Misunderstanding is breaking my hopeful heart. I was robbed by a black man I’d smiled at on the street. I still smile at people on the street. But, I might hold my purse tighter. I was robbed by a black man I’d looked in the eyes […]
My husband calls me future girl.
Jennifer McCadney Bethesda, MD Growing up as a kid with a black dad and white mom in the late 70s and early 80s — in what was then a non-diverse industrial town — I struggled a lot with racism and my own racial identity. I felt strangely uncomfortable in my own skin and fought, on […]
Children look you in the eye
Don Weiss, New York, NY
Tired of being blamed for everything
Steve Snair, Canada. I’m a white male. By today’s definition, I’m the most privileged person to step foot on the planet. Well, let me tell you a story…it’s a long one, but bear with me. I was born to a single mother, poor, and started off life in a poor neighborhood. I was fortunate that […]
I am the lone black parent….
Rackley Love, Mars, PA. The alienation that I have experienced as a parent is an enigma. Like them, I am a stay at home mom. Like them, my husband has a white collar job. Like them we chose this community because of its highly rated schools and safe streets. And like them, my passion and […]
I didn’t change my name
Amer Husseini Oak Brook, IL After September 11, 2011. There was a lot of pressure to change my name during that time , Saddam Hussein, was the villain , and my name resemble his.
Spit towards my feet on train.
Azeem Raheem Chicago, IL Happened about a week after 9/11 as I was headed home from school on a Chicago train.
I feel invisible, while standing out.
Aman Agah, Brooklyn, NY. I am Iranian, Irish, Azari, and German. Being Iranian means being called Arab. I am not Arab. Being Iranian means being part of a group of people that so many don’t know – even if I say “Persian” – and yet I am part of a group labeled terrorist. I am […]
Only White Countries Must Embrace Diversity
Ken Cincinnati, OH “anti-racists” are not pushing diversity on to Black countries “anti-racists” are not pushing diversity on to Asian countries “anti-racists” are not pushing diversity on to Arab countries
Hockey is not a white sport.
Robin Perez, San Francisco, CA As a young kid, I never thought of getting into hockey as I had always known it to be a so-called “white sport” that disinterested people of color. I would later find this to be more of an oppressive statement than I would realize, as it is used to exclude […]
No Problems for Private School Kids
Alissa Hodges, Chattanooga, TN There is a common misconception in my city that white, middle class, private school kids have no problems. In actuality, there is a large community of kids like us who have been through multiple traumas, abuse, and tragedies.
Quit news job; wedding photos segregated.
Susan Roberts, Moscow, ID. My first daily newspaper job in 1964. Couldn’t treat people that way. Went to work with Y-Teens in low income Hamden, CT, instead. Learned a lot about others!
You can sit in the bar
Diane Graves, San Antonio, TX. My husband and I (both Anglo) were driving our adopted daughter (born in El Salvador, adopted as an infant, a U.S. citizen since she was 11 months old) to a guest ranch in Colorado. It was 2004; our daughter was 11 years old. Late on Sunday morning, we stopped to […]
I am more than 3/5ths person
Lynell, Nashville, TN. “We live in a system that espouses merit, equality, and a level playing field, but exalts those with wealth, power, and celebrity, however, gained.” ― Derrick A. Bell, Ethical Ambition: Living a Life of Meaning and Worth
Made up concept to divide us.
Lilia Hadjiivanova, New York, NY Racism sucks. I definitely experience “white guilt” in moments when I catch myself with bias and I am trying to – daily – unlearn the preconceptions my (pretty racist) parents taught me. It breaks my heart knowing what POC face, based on a part of them that they can’t change […]
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