Rachel Drummond
Highlands Ranch, CO
Jasmine stands apart. She doesn’t want to. Like may people of color who also have albinism, she is often not accepted or believed to be Chinese. Very few people who meet her haven’t had some strong reaction — new age folks have told me she’s New Age magical, children tell us we’re lying, silent stares, and even denial, shame or anger. (See People of Color with Albinism: http://community.albinism.org/forums/11.aspx and http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131011-albino-killings-witch-doctors-tanzania-superstition/) Albinism is also responsible for her low-vision which I think makes the idea of race and ethnicity even more mind boggling. People often tell me, “Boy, her dad must have been a real toe-head” or other assumptions about her father’s nordic background. I’m a fairly dark skinned, brown-haired, brown-eyed anglo — so she’s visually “whiter” than I am. (Gotcha Day: http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/884/1208/1024/IMG_7516.jpg)
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