Hannah Drillings, Chester, NY I am ethically an Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jew, but have always felt disconnected from my religion. growing up in an orthodox synagogue, the women were separated from the men, and shunted to the back of the room. I never felt seen or heard as a person. as an adult, I want […]
Your race doesn’t defined your religion
Tiffany Bethley. Growing up in the South as a African American, it’s typical for our families to join either a Christian or Baptist church. As I’ve gotten older I decided to no longer label myself under any religion and just believe. It’s okay to be open and explore different religions and cultures that fits who […]
We from the same religion place.
Yau Shing Alan Tse, Irvine, CA We from the same religion place: Our ancestors all originated in Africa, which means we all came from the same place. We are changing in every corner of the world. It may make us different from each other now, but it doesn’t change what happened in the past. We […]
Religion freedom in my Mormon faith
Paul Becstead, Salt Lake City, UT.
Am I Jewish? Ancestry vs. Religion
Alexandra Vogt Crofton, MD Because I was not raised in the Jewish faith, I feel unable to claim my ancestry on my father’s side the way I do with the family history on my mother’s side (Norwegian immigrants.) I wish there were commonly used terms that differentiated Jewish ethnicity from the religion.
Colorblind bigotry, religion is shunned here
Jo Miller-Frost, Beckley, WV. I have been explicitly informed at work to not discuss my religious background with anyone, but my students, who have never had a cross burned in their yards, can call me racist. Recently, my religious views were labeled. Part of my “eccentricities”
Is Jew a religion or race?
Hannah Herzog St. Louis, MO Guess what? It’s both (sort of). You may be of “Jewish” ethnicity without being of Jewish faith (non practicing), or you may be of Jewish faith, but may be from someplace other than Europe or Israel. Please remember that Jews come in all colors, and of all nationalities. Those descendants […]
Like religion and law historically advantageous
Warner Squire, Bartow, FL. I’m convinced that much of our society and standards are based on perpetuating manufactured truths in order to manipulate people who have become way too busy to do their own research in SO many areas; not only do they have little time and resources, but they are taught from a young […]
Race implies Color. What about religion
Robert Jones St Louis, MO
Religion is the great separator, Atheist
Anonymous, Spokane, WA.
Lakota(1), White(2). Freedom of Religion Act 1978
Kyle McGaa Santa Monica, CA Father’s Lakota Sioux (from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation) and mother’s blond-hair blue-eyed WASP. My father fought for so much in this country (Korea, Vietnam, American Indian Movement, Freedom of Religion Act 1978) and I’m astonished every single day how little people know about American Indians and the land they now […]
Jew is not Race, it’s religion
Joseph Ratner, Morrisville, NC. This is interesting because as a child friends would ask me what I was nationality and I always said Jewish. As I got older I had to evaluate the reasons and now at half a century old I think I get it now Being Jewish is an identity. we have Jewish […]
Religion. Color. Culture. Male. Food. Wealth
Anonymous Spokane, WA
Religion. Color. Culture. Male. Food. Wealth
Anonymous Spokane, WA
The religion depends on the culture
Haidar Spokane, WA
White Spain. Evangelic Religion, Eat Showormas
Jose Delmar Spokane, WA
Jew Test: Pick Up That Penny
Victoria USA I don’t know if this fits on the site, (which I love by the way), because Judaism is a religion and not a race. But I am sick and tired of being judged by my Jewishness and comments like “you don’t have a Jewish nose” or “kinky Jew-fro” and “if someone picks up […]
I am not who you think
Stella, Fredericksburg, VA White woman here. I grew up in a town that was mostly white with a small percent of Latin Americans. Black people were a rare site—I would see one maybe once a year. We had TV, but I didn’t watch much. I had no experience with black people. I didn’t, and still […]
My great-grandparents fled pogroms in Ukraine.
Britt Trachtenberg, Long Island, NY p>I think part of my story is about how I ended up being born with privilege in an affluent community in Long Island, while my great-grandparents immigrated from Russian-controlled areas of the Ukraine in the early 1900s. My great-grandparents sought to leave because of instances of religion-based violence– called “pogroms” […]
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. […]
Remember Me As A Peaceful Earthling
Dominic Hafis Cox, Dania, FL My thoughts on racial prejudice are that this state of mind present in humans must change someday, as all things do inevitably and human consciousness will evolve or else we will destroy ourselves. Common interests ultimately form bonds between people, not race. That is what I’ve learned through the years […]
You’re wearing a hijab? I’m nervous.
Camille, Castle Rock, CO. I grew up in an area where there were no Muslims. I moved to Colorado and that’s when I was first exposed to the religion. My mom gets very nervous when she sees a woman wearing a hijab. She almost leaves the store we are in every time. It’s just something […]
Muslim is not synonymous with terrorist
Fahad Alotaibi, Bowling Green, KY. I was born and raised in n Islamic country. When 9/11 happened, I had no idea that the world would turn on us as being Muslim. I was thinking that others would notice the difference between a religion and terrorism. I understand that when people get harmed, they start thinking […]
Why not love one another daily?
Jim Schneider, Long Grove, IA Despite being a 58 yr old, white male raised in an all white, rural community in central Illinois, nothing will warm my heart more that seeing America making significant progress towards ensuring that ALL Americans (regardless of ethnicity, gender, identity, religion or any other means of sorting us out as […]
Indigenous and religiously evangelical equal colonized?
Chantilly Mers New York, NY I am the daughter of parents who migrated from Palau, a small cluster of islands between Guam and the Philippines. Ethnically, I am Palauan and Chinese, and my siblings and I grew up in Hawaii. Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian is usually the box I check. In addition to my inherent multi-cultural […]
Boy From America’s Heartland, Indian American
Rahul Iyer, Mesa , AZ. I graduated high school from Dixon IL, a small town halfway between Rockford and Moline, in the Northwestern part of Illinois. Dixon IL is a small town, and boyhood home of former President Ronald “Dutch” Reagan. Cornfields surrounded the town. I am the son of two medical doctors who practiced […]
You’re Indian; do you speak Hindu?
Poonam Dreyfus-Pai, Berkeley, CA. It wasn’t easy to choose just one sentence (6 words, no less) to summarize the constant negotiation between frustration and a sort of mirthless humor that I experience when dealing with questions about my race and ethnicity. On the most basic level, “Hindu” is a religious identity — not a race, […]
I’m not White, I’m Ashkenazi Jewish
Edna Jan Jacobs, Alexandria, VA There are only 14 million Jewish people in the whole world. Is it a religion? Is it ethnicity? I am ethnically 91% Ashkenazi Jewish but because my skin lacks the pigmentation of my ancestors, I am categorized as white and I dislike it.
It’s more about class, than race
Craig Woolmington-Smith, Orinda, CA. I was raised in a military family where discrimination was everywhere and a highly respected way of life, but the discrimination was based on one’s rank and nothing else. This was true up and down the ladder from Privates to Generals and was my first introduction to meritocracy, although we didn’t […]
Alone in this world, I knew.
Francisca Herrera. As a young hispanic girl my family taught us to not have relationships with African American. I never understood that. I realized I was more than hispanic, I am Native American and Italian. My race (not sure what that is) comes in different shades. I didn’t agree with my family and my family […]
confused, sympathetic, hopeful, loss for words
Diana Hansen. Confused – not living in a large city or area where there is still racism is confusing when you hear that it does still exist – see some on the news now but I feel it is more televised now then it was before. Hopeful that all who are raising their children now […]
Differences should be respected, not ridiculed!
Paula Mathes. I was raised to believe you do NOT judge or assess a person by their color, religion, cultural background, sexual orientation, or any other difference. I was instead taught to judge/assess a person for who they are and how they treat you. Differences should be respected and thought of as making a person […]
Chanukah isn’t the same as Christmas
. As a Jew, my number one pet peeve is when people (that know I am Jewish) wish me a happy Chanukah on Christmas, as if it is an appropriate alternative to wishing me a Merry Christmas. The two holidays are not the same and most years, do not even intersect with each other, so […]
Appreciating everything that makes us unique.
Rebecca Ducote, Retail Bank We are all different in some way, it can be a different race, weight, religion, the way we think, or the things we do. It makes us who we are, if we were all the same, how boring would that be? I believe everyone is unique in their own way and […]
Feeling accepted and understood without boundaries
Shekeira. Retail Bank Some people are friendly because they feel they have to be but do they really accept who you. Do they accept your culture, ethnicity, skin color, race, or religion? Do they seek interest in truly understanding who you are? Do they look beyond your differences and not build a wall and only […]
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, […]
I don’t even know my origin
Creytisha Gray, Lubbock, TX After centuries my ancestors being stripped from my Homeland, I have no idea where I, nor my ancestors are from. The only clues I get are through DNA ancestry (which does not tell me where exactly my ancestors settled). No traditions, values, religion, or even language is known to me about […]
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 […]
What do you mean “White Latino?”
Andrea Fabiola Vazquez, Ridgefield, CT. I grew up in Ohio, but both of my parents are from Mexico. I speak Spanish, most of my extended family lives in Mexico, and I identify very much as a Mexican American. Still, when people ask me where my family is from—and people as me this a lot—they are […]
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 […]
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 […]
God painted the world in color
Cassidy Capoferri, Wayne State, Macomb, MI Growing up Catholic and in Catholic schools, we were always taught that God loves everyone, no matter what. He created all people equally. It was so simple when I was younger, but the older I get, the more I see people ignoring this. It doesn’t matter what religion you’re […]
I am not one for boxes.
Denise Duvernay, Cupertino, CA. People are always trying to figure out exactly, what I am. But does learning my nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual background, or any other particular thing tell you anything about WHO I AM? So often, I feel like people are just looking for any excuse to dismiss you, or box you into […]
America has “White-Privilege Withdrawal Syndrome”
Robert Alan Gustafson II, Butler, PA. Donald Trump is an enabler of the White-Privilege addiction. We need to elect someone who’ll transition us white folk into the new reality where no one race, ethnicity, or religion dominates America. It’ll be painful, but we’ll survive. And, despite what many Trumpers think, America’ll be better off in […]
Race is adaptation to your environment.
Tate Lee, Mission Viejo, CA Specific mutations can be specifically beneficial for an environment. In a cold climate, shorter and thicker arms would prove to keep someone warmer, while longer and thinner ones would expend more energy to keep blood circulating. We can see from history that physiological changes occur when individuals live their lives […]
Solidarity means losing (some) family ties
Jen Owen, Glen Allen, VA “I can hardly talk to you anymore.” My father said this after he’d used a racial epithet and I told him never to say that. I don’t want that hate put in my children’s’ heads and hearts. NO, you never COULD talk to me like that. We left that family […]
It’s already hard to be heard.
Natalie Skelton, Mountain View, CA Close your eyes and hear someone’s words, unfiltered by race, sex, orientation, religion, whatever. If you read what someone thinks before you know what they look like, do you have a different viewpoint? Try to remember that.
Why Racism With Sikhs In India (home country)..???
Ramanpreet Singh, San Jose, CA I am Ramanpreet Singh was living in Punjab, India. From 1947 partition we Sikhs sacrifice for the country to save its pride and nation. More than 75% of sikhs serving in military. We Sikhs are Brave Soldiers and in our religion by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, He Made Khalsa Panth […]
I am more than my name
Sam Goldberg, Chicago, IL I have a Jewish name, and half Jewish ancestry, but I am not a religious or practicing Jew. Having conversations with both Jews and non-Jews about my religion is always difficult because of my name. When people don’t know my name, often they might let something anti-Semitic slip because they don’t […]
Daughters of Muslim father are American.
Suzie Husami, San Diego, CA. My mother and father met in college in upstate New York – he, a Lebanese -Muslim-Republican named Muhammad and she, an American non-practicing Methodist-Democrat named Maureen. They fell in love and had three daughters – Najla, our olive-skinned sister, and my twin sister and me – pale and freckled. My […]
I Am My Own Unique Identity
Bradey Malave, Durham, NH People are born into a variety of races. Some races take apparent connection towards their religion while others have no correlation at all to whom they are. Your race does not set a fate of destiny that you have to abide by. There will always be people that will cast heavy-weighted […]
Love. Race shouldn’t matter. Hope
Daryl Dar’rell Brown, Asheville, N.C Understanding is important. Health comes before hate. Also in some instances race. People will learn what life is actually about. I transferred to a predominantly White high school and most of my peers accepted me. People shouldn’t disturb the peace over race. People have to eat. Respect is important also. […]
Life’s boring if everybody’s the same
Joanna Benitez, Wilkes Community College, Yadkinville, NC I chose those six words because I have realized that many people are judged based on their religion or race, etc. I believe that its good that everyone is unique. It would be better if we all just got along and instead of judging or discriminating other, we […]
Don’t ask if I eat bacon
Jessica Grauer, Denver, CO This question has bothered me for a long time, and I’ve only recently been able to pinpoint why. The assumptions other people make about me based on my religion, though seemingly benign, suggest a lack of cultural awareness, and who knows how far that bias stretches?
I’m white but NOT a cracker
Tomee Seltzer, Sheboygan, WI I don’t like to be around people who use racist slurs. I feel uncomfortable and out of place. I think what white people did and how white people treated other races was horrible and just downright wrong. I would never have done those things. I think everyone is equal. I grew […]
Is It Racist to Abhor Ignorance?
Steven C., Corbin, KY I was raised in an all-white racist community, by racist parents, and attended all-white schools where racism was not only permitted, it was commonplace. I joined the US Army at 18 and it was only then that I was around people other than Caucasians. The US Army is a melting-pot of […]
I am a mutt and proud.
Kyria Rezner, Cocoa, FL I was raised in a diverse family believing everyone is equal. When I entered the real world, it disgusted me. I was saddened over the way people learned to label themselves. “I’m Italian.” “I am German.” “My family is Irish.” The one that effected me most however was one that would […]
A brokenness often neglected, never forgotten.
Daniel Harrison, Auburn, AL. What do I mean by neglected? I don’t just mean the easily targeted racists who are the enemy to be removed or reformed. Nor do I mean to target anti-racist activists who may unknowingly add fuel to the fire with false accusations. I mean the moral problem deep within the human […]
Light Bright, Pass for White
Treysea, Tacoma, WA. I grew up in San Diego, CA in a predominantly blue-collar, working class, relatively ethnically and racially mixed community. Most of my friends and classmates growing up came from two-parent families – however strained or toxic the home, although there were plenty of kids that were also in foster homes or lived […]
Nobody seems to speak Swedish anymore
Lars Engström, Sverige. In the US people share the same language, religion, and culture. So why this race-awareness, to use a less incendiary label? In Sweden the issue is hardly about racism. Those “others” are mostly fresh to this country. I’m just shy of 50. As young, there were no immigrants in my class, none […]
LGBTQ people represent the rainbow race.
Jeff Keever Seattle, WA I just wish people would get out of their minds that the focus on “race” only includes some sort of ethnic identification. When people speak of diversity they should be speaking of all kinds of differences–differences in abilities, sexual preference or identity, religion, or any other sort of differences that may […]
We’re all a minority of one.
Dan Rice, Ames, IA. As a 55 year old white guy in higher eduction I have been part of dozens of diversity awarness workshops. I teach and present on many subjects concerning diversity issues. After 2 dozen year of such activitiy I finally simply portray and live the fact we are all different – with […]
1950’s – Mother worked for Civil Rights
Anne Elizabeth Wolfe San Rafael, CA My mother grew up in the South . She worked for Civil Rights in the 1950’s and was called a Communist. The label was erroneous as her ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War and Civil War (relatives fought on both sides). My mother was not a Communist, but the […]
At least I’m not a whiteboy
Julia Rivers, Milwaukie, OR. As a high school student dependent on scholarships in order to attend college and reach my goals of a much higher level of education, every day I am consumed by the thought of how I can make myself stand out. What will make the people in charge want to give me […]
I never met a Jew before
Bob Rosenfield, St. Louis, MO. I work in a rural area of Missouri where there is no diversity. Most everyone are white and Christian. It is a good experience for all of us. They are curious and repsonsive and they ask many questions about being Jewish and the religion.
We’re all different, and that’s OK
Denis Mena, Newnan, GA I went to a predominantly white school with not very much diversity. You noticed that people tended to form groups with those they are most comfortable with. But once I got to college and noticed how diverse it really was, it was awesome. People intermingling with one another, regardless of race, […]
Dad was racist. I fought him.
William G Doyle Jr., Castle Rock, CO. From the time I could remember my father expressed his racism against African Americans. I fought him because of it throughout my life. Usually it exposed itself the most after we would go to church and listen to beautiful sermons about God’s love for all people and then […]
White privilege makes me feel sickened.
Jaime Misky, Milwaukee, WI I chose these six words because they have been a harsh reality I have learned as I grew up. From K4-5th grade, I went to a school in which I was very much a minority. Though many teachers were white and there were classmates who shared the same skin color, most […]
Assist based on need, not color.
Bobby Chicago, IL Current iterations of affirmative action programs are a relic of the narrowminded thinking of the past century. They should be reformed to award assistance based on socio-economic status, not race/gender/religion/etc. To truly help all disadvantaged people we must break from the outmoded thinking of archaic legislation.
I’m seventy two, and race tired!
Celeste Havis, Jacksonville, FL. Science and religion alike informs us that the concept of race is an illusion. Why do we continue to hang on to this antiquated concept when it only serves to divide us? I have dedicated my life to building positive human relations and now it appears to me that we are […]
Arab, not Muslim. Know the difference.
Alice Saidawi, San Francisco, CA. Often times when I tell people I am Arab or Palestinian, they often immediately assume that I am Muslim as well; there is a huge differentiation. I’ve encountered many experiences where the person I was talking to seriously did not understand the difference. I’ve had to clarify this difference to […]
Was all the suffering worth it?
Tamara G. Cincinnati, OH When thinking of which six words I would use for The Race Card Project I had to ponder for a bit. I automatically thought of the fact that I am Jewish. Being so, I often get questioned about what holidays I celebrate or why we do certain things. Going to BGSU […]
Think Grace, Act Grace, Teach Grace
Kelsey Connolly, Wilsonville, OR. “Think Grace, Act Grace, Teach Grace” I have always been a learner at heart, but not necessarily an excellent student. In school, I learned best by looking at examples and modifying the results with my own knowledge, and that worked out very well for me… up until I left my little […]
I have been around the world
Mike Snow Spotsylvania, VA I have listened to the Race Card Project for some time on my NPR station and it has encouragd my own thoughts on the subject. I admitted to my self many years ago that I had thoughts and views that one could deem as “racist”. This smacked me in the face […]
You’re Indian AND Catholic?! No way!
Josie H Australia I am a Catholic Indian. The middle school I went to was not Catholic, and when I graduated into high school (which was Catholic), I ended up in the top Religion class, getting 80% + in all my tests. One day,a boy asked me disbelievingly, “You went to a non-Catholic primary school? […]
All races in family equals love
Val Andrew, Overland, MO. My parents taught us early on to accept all people and invited international college students of different races, religions, and nationalities to stay with us during holidays. During the Vietnam War we hosted an AFS student from Vietnam for a year. I grew up a few miles from Ferguson and taught […]
“I can marry whoever I want.”
R.E.A.L. Talk, High Tech Middle Media Arts, 7th Grade Trailblazer I never really have thought through what my grandma was saying. I was only just a little girl. I still am but after all these years, I have decoded her. She never thought she was being controlling. She never knew how meaningful all those sentences, […]
I Carry Guilt Because I’m White
Brandie Bushee, Cedar Falls, IA. In our current times we hear about racism every day. I hate it. I’m not one to say “I don’t see race; I’m colorblind”, because to “be blind” to race is to ignore the problem of racism. But I am one to say that I love everyone no matter their […]
Slight hesitation, then an extended hand.
Jessica Ruth Robkin Port St. Lucie, FL I have faced discrimination my entire life, though the moment that brought about the above sentence occurred outside of my mother’s hospital room, while she lay dying from pancreatic cancer at the age of 57. My father and I happened to meet someone who had known my mother […]
Not accountable for ancestors actions
Noah McDonald, Warren, PA It’s time to get over it! Before you point your finger at me, and call me a racist! Don’t forget there are three of your own pointing back at you! I won’t be held responsible for my ancestors actions! Educate yourself! Look at history. Every race, religion, and creed has been […]
Borderlands born. Always illegal. Always home.
Chuy Benitez, Houston, TX. When you grow up at the collision of two countries, of two cultures, of two identities, you learn very quickly the different nuances between the two cultures and you adapt to appease whichever culture you have to encounter. It makes you more observant, but of course it doesn’t occur without making […]
Happiness is accepting who you are.
Yesenia Frausto, Ontario, CA. Everyone is unique in their own ways. Whether it being race, religion, or personal qualities. That is what makes our world an interesting place, thus I believe the key to making our world a better place would start with oneself. It is important to accept who you are and finding happiness […]
I promise; It’s Muslim, Not Muzlim
Mira Elzanaty, Fairfield, CT. My father is an immigrant from Egypt and my mother an immigrant from Lithuania (but at the time she grew up it was all the USSR). Living in an affluent American suburban society, I do not necessarily fit in. Often mistaken for Hispanic, or “mixed,” people cannot determine my ethnicity. Here, […]
I take my race for granted.
Lily Waxler, NA No thanks, I’d rather not say., . I was going on my 8th grade trip for Costa Rica last year and I was with one of my best friends; (I’m going to keep their name anonymous). Wore a hijab for their religion, because of this she got stopped for three “random” security […]
Can we all forgive and forget?
Brent Pappas, Cooper City, FL. Normally, I feel it is prudent to forgive others when they wrong us, and to remember their previous actions in order to predict how they will act next and best prepare for it. Increasingly however, I have begun to feel that perhaps it would be for the best if everyone […]
Race Doesn’t Exist, We Create It
Jenna DeBell, LONGWOOD, FL. Race doesn’t exist, we create it. The concept of race has always baffled me. Judging a person’s character, intelligence and abilities merely by the color of their skin does not correlate in anyway. In fact, it seems ridiculous. Race is referred to as “groups of people who have differences and similarities […]
Stealing the children from my womb
Chrys, USA. When did my children’s race become collateral damage in your game? Pawns in the politico. As if you birthed them from your womb, you nursed them at your breast, stayed up with them long nights when they were sick to see if they were still breathing, caressed the curly locks about their face […]
Grateful for the grace of friends.
Jen Yearwood, Milledgeville, GA. I am grateful to friends that provide me knowledge and perspective as it pertains to their diverse background; whether that’s race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion, etc. These friends allow me to learn from them and gently nudge me when I may say something that I don’t realize could be offensive. […]
Sir, please take your “hat” off
Jasneet Kaur Palaha, Ann Arbor, MI. University of Michigan. Sikhism, a monotheistic religion from Northern India believes the idea of simplicity, therefore requiring to never cut your hair, along with other requests. Men usually tie their hair neatly in a turban, whereas girls commonly let it down. Wherever we were, my father would be frisked […]
You’re Not Black, You’re Too White
KayKay Mara, Lancaster, CA. I have spent my whole life being judged by my skin color. It was never a big deal to me since I was always warned that life was going to be this way no matter how hard I tried to fix it. People don’t see that sometimes the little things they […]
Respect me, I will respect you
Robert Barragan, San Jose, CA. No matter what color or religion you are. If you show respect to me, I will show the same respect back. No matter what.
“No one is born hating another person..”
Erica McCullough, Rancho Cucamonga, CA. “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion, people must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”- […]
Elizabethtown College
The Race Card Project, by Michele Norris, is proud to partner with Elizabethtown College to engage the campus community in deep and meaningful reflection related to race and identity. It all started in 2015, when Dr. Richard Newton, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, helped his Religion 101 students to start their own six-word-story initiative in […]
Race doesn’t matter; What’s inside does.
R.E.A.L. Talk, High Tech Middle Media Arts, 7th Grade Trailblazer Lots of people have asked me if I was Filipino. I’ve always had the same reply, ”I am a Jamaican and Chinese mix”. After encountering people who asked me such questions, I wondered why it mattered what race I was. I have read books where […]
Straight white male? Must be racist.
R.E.A.L. Talk, High Tech Middle Media Arts, 7th Grade Trailblazer Even if I haven’t really been discriminated against by groups of people thinking they are superior to other groups of people, I feel that as a white person I am being mis-represented by white supremacy groups and neo-nazis. I feel that certain groups of people […]
Humankind: the only race that matters.
Nora Kathryn, Starkville, MI. It astounds me that media turns so many stories into race debates. I wish we could celebrate our differences in religion, political views, sexuality, income, and ethnicities and implement more support for our fellow brothers and sisters in the human race.
African American Marine New Muslim Traitor
Vincent Simon, Fort Worth, TX. I’m a new revert to Islam, served in the US Marine Corps. Because of my new religion, I have been called a traitor to my country. The person who called me this doesn’t know me very well and didn’t serve in the military. I have been criticized by “good” Christians, […]
Cut off–that is black America.
Ian Peterkin, Bridgeport, CT. When you think about it, what do you know of the achievements of black Americans other than what you get in February? Virtually everything I’ve learned about black art, literature, culture, and religion, I learned on my own. Cut off from one’s cultural identity, point of origin, and the stories that […]
Since when did inclusion become Un-American?
Richard Perez Bay Shore, NY The conservative backlash surrounding the Coke commercial featuring the song “America the Beautiful” speaks volumes about how far the right has to go in matters of race/religion/gender and anything else non white male.
Jubanamerican (Six syllables not six words)
Deborah Gonzalez Carmichael, CA My daughter identifies herself as a Jew + Cuban + American. Being a Jew is more than a religion; it is an ethnicity, and per Hitler, a race. And for some reason “Cuban” has its own box to check on the U.S. Census; not Latin American, Caribbean, Hispanic etc. I’m not […]
We all have the same skeleton.
Jenelle Frias, Capitola, CA. Underneath our skin color, our sexual orientation, or religion we all are the same.
We Are All The Same, Human
Randa Saeed, West Bloomfield, MI. We are all the same,human. We bleed the same color,red.Are bodies work the same,yet everyone thinks the color of your skin defines how high or low you are in society. Don’t let anyone tell you aren’t good enough because of your skin color , race or whatever it might be. […]
My kids DON’T have “fractured” identities!
Kelly C, Los Angeles, CA. My husband is Japanese and I look “white” though I don’t really know what I “am” because my father was adopted. Our kids are wonderful, beautiful, happy pre-teens. Growing up in a diverse and inclusive place, they have friends from a variety of ethnicities, religions, and social classes. But in […]
What do you identify as?
Zachary Trebellas, Batavia, IL. I think so much pain over race comes from the fact that it feels like we are being defined by others. The government pics the categories and we have to fill in the bubbles. Or other people look at us and decide what they think we are. It’s frustrating for me […]
Race is about culture not color.
Hunter, Birmingham, AL. What does race mean to me? When I think of race I don’t think about skin color. I think about culture, religion, and values. Today many people do not understand what it means to have a specific culture. Even though we seem to make claims about it every day. Truth of the […]
A closed mind is most dangerous.
Rhonda Lynn, Crowley, TX. When we are unwilling to approach life with an open mind, we leave room for hate to fester and grow. With an open mind, we bring the willingness necessary to hear the other voice, learn the other experience, and try to understand the other perspective. Each of us has been allowed […]
So you must be Muslim? Arab?
Ahmed B. Middlebury, VT When your name is supposed to be an indicator of your ethnicity, religion, the language you speak, and everything else. And when you can’t change it, because you don’t have citizenship yet.
Personal Identity Creates Community And Conflict.
Ty Pethe, Seattle, WA. For better or worse, we are social creatures that innately create groups of people like us. Whether it’s race, nationalism, gender, sex, ethnicity, economic class, sexual preference, religion, culture, age, sub-culture, political identity, philosophical identity, geographic identity, etc., we all tend to find value in our own (shared) identity. It tells […]
Did not choose to be Jewish
Sarah Elizabeth Rosen, Laguna Hills, CA. I did not choose to be Jewish. But, I have come to realize as I got older to appreciate who I am and how my religion is important to me. People think I am Mexican because I am tan, but really I am a Eastern European Jew. When I […]
We are HUMANS, NOT COLORS
Nik Parttridge, TN. I am classified as White/Caucasian because of how I look. This does NOT mean that I am the same people who enslaved your ancestors, or made them go on the Trail of Tears, or genocide them because of their religion! My mother’s side is Finnish, and my father’s side is Cherokee and […]
I’m Jewish. I have worse. Promise
Jake Abraham, Statesboro, GA. I get attacked for religion and skin color and have to live my life walking a completely separate spiritual path than the social norm.
WE all want the same things
Dawn Erica Veronica Murray Nadeaud Toronto, Canada Irrespective of race, religion and country of origin, we all want and deserve the same things – peace, love and prosperity for our families and for ourselves. We are more alike than we are different. This is what I have learned over the past 48 years of my […]
Skin color shouldn’t define our needs
Olivia Sliwa, Brandon, FL. I am a freshman in college and grew up in a loving, supportive family. Myself and both of my parents are white, but the always instilled in me to treat others as I would want to be treated and to never judge anyone simply because they had a different skin tone […]
I Think That Race Is Irrelevant
Seth, Australia. My mothers family is from a Haitian Creole line but I grew up in Montana and my mother and my siblings and I are all of lighter skin but we get dark in summer so other than mom’s hair, and now my beard you really couldn’t tell. So I really grew up outside […]
I’m Dutch-Indonesian. Why do you ask?
Jessica Stagg Heber, UT They’re eyes widened. “How..?” someone asked awkwardly. I laughed. It was a reaction that I was so used to whenever someone asked me about my race. Maybe it was my milky-white skin that caused them to look in awe. “You look like a Dutch person, except for the eyes.. and hair..” […]
A Peabody Award for The Race Card Project
Respected Journalist and Author Michele Norris Grateful for Recognition and the Opportunity for Dialogue that the Award Provides (Washington D.C./April 4, 2014) – The Race Card Project received a prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in electronic communications for turning a pejorative phrase into a productive and far-reaching dialogue on a difficult topic. It […]
A Peabody for The Race Card Project
The Race Card Project Receives Peabody Honor Respected Journalist and Author Michele Norris Grateful for Recognition and the Opportunity for Dialogue that the Award Provides (Washington D.C./April 4, 2014) – The Race Card Project received a prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in electronic communications for turning a pejorative phrase into a productive and […]
Being white doesn’t mean can’t understand
Tim Fall El Macero, CA I refuse to believe that complete understanding is barred because of the color of a person’s skin. There may be other factors that interfere – culture, economics, religion – but not the amount of melanin in one’s epidermis. Being in a mixed race family and raising children who are navigating […]
Beautiful, Universal, Magnificent, Individuals as ONE!
David E. Spence NYC, nY A concept I made and copyrighted this for a children’s book and character I made for my daughter 23 or 24 years ago. I wanted to convey to my daughter Aria the importance of everything and everyone in her life whether black, white, etc. gay/homosexual, different religions, rich/poor or anything […]
Controlled by the chains of society.
Lila Jordan Denver, CO There are many demeaning stereotypes that our nation has adapted throughout history. For example, women are typically judged as weak, which is why the phrase “you can’t loose to a girl” is so prevalent among children. These stereotypes are often applied to people of a different race, color, or religion, and […]
Afghani, Moroccan, Puerto Rican. Mastering Jedi Skills.
Ravit Ortiz Mountain View, CA Our 6 year old daughter is trying to find her way with culture and beliefs that feels best for her. I was raised by my Jewish Afghani mother (who is came out when she was 40) and my father who is Moroccan (Was Jewish, now Atheist) . My husband was […]
A white minority during my youth.
Jean Millard Milford, MI I wanted to be part of the black culture around me because I could see the tight family ties they had. I was bullied by the kids I wanted to connect with. I remember when the first black family moved into the neighborhood. I was shocked by the comments I heard […]
Persecution and humiliation, my Huguenot heritage.
Andrew Steven Doss Callands, VA I learned of my Huguenot heritage when I took up genealogy several years ago. They were forced to leave their ancestral homeland simply because their religious beliefs defied the state organized religion. It’s amazing that so many other people around the world are facing this same type of persecution today.
Excruciating childhood. Beaten, tormented. Why? Jewish.
Beth A New Haven, CT My worst experience was in graduate school when an educated adult from a wealthy Connecticut town said “Oh, so THAT’s what a Jew looks like.” My response was “No. That’s what THIS Jew looks like.” Racism is not just about skin color. I have always embraced diversity and have a […]
Christian, White, Norwegian, Jewish. Still me.
Elizabeth D. Minneapolis, MN Jewish and Christian?!?! Yep! Jewish by heritage, Christian by religion.
RACE: branches of the same tree.
Judy Freudenthal Nashville, TN I derived my 6 words from a quote by Einstein: All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.
I Am Proud to be White.
Sam Canada I have absolutely no problems with the different kinds of cultures that are now migrating into Canada and the Americas. I think hearing stories and traditions from friends and strangers about their cultures, religions and ethnical backgrounds is intriguing, and makes the world a much more exciting complex place. HOWEVER. What I don’t […]
They didn’t call my great-grandparents white.
Eitan Greenholtz Madison, WI I am an Ashkenazi Jew; my great-grandparents came to the US from the Russian Empire, where they, as Jews, were not considered white, even though their skin was the same color as the tsar’s. I have inherited their skin color and their ethnicity (if not their religion)
Everyone’s too afraid to discuss race
John Swissler Jr. Madison, WI It is usually said that the two topics you never raise in polite conversation are religion and politics. But my experience is that most people can have a far more useful conversation about either of those than they can about issues surrounding race. Gunnar Myrdal is still right: it remains […]
I’m white. Don’t assume I’m racist.
Beth Secor Houston, TX This situation I am going to describe happens to me relatively frequently. Another white person, more often than not a stranger or someone I know in passing, will make the assumption that because I also am white, that I too share their racist views. This other white person will lean toward […]
Race? Do we actually mean skin-color?
SKA1 Curacao Netherlands Antilles It is worth reflecting for a moment on the term “race” as used in the United States and in “The Race Card Project”. This is especially important as the US uses “race” as a data-collection term on the US Census forms and both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of […]
Frustrated with the Concept of Race
Riad Nassar Austin, TX Up until 9/11 race wasn’t something I ever thought. I didn’t look at my Hispanic friends as Hispanics nor were my Black friends as Blacks. Being Egyptian was just a thing and they accepted me for me and not my race just as I accepted them for the beautiful people there […]
Yes Black people are racist too
Elizabeth Ragad, Covington, LA. I’m so tired of Black people pulling the race card when things aren’t going there way. And YES there are racist Black people too! It’s NOT just a “White Thing”. White people do not hold a monopoly on racism. All races have good, bad, rich, poor, kind, cruel, loving, hateful, selfless […]
“Everyone’s a little bit racist….” – Avenue Q
Lyn Needham, MA Edward R. Murrow said that we are all racist, i.s., we make judgments based on race (color, religion, gender). He said the solution is to be aware of it, thus to remake our judgment. One would hope that that would become the mental habit. The lyrics of the song quoted above include: […]
My last name doesn’t define me.
Johnathan Neufeld Canada Throughout my entire life, people have judged me because my last name is German and Jewish. People have simply assumed that I was Jewish, so they always inquired about my religion, even though I’m an atheist, and German, so they’ve inquired about my family history dating back to the World Wars, even […]
I won’t disrespect my white mother!
Sabrina Price-Durling East Windsor, NJ I am proud to be more of just one race (black, white) and proud to have more than one nationality (American, German). After 36 years living, I still find it incredibly silly that other people feel the need to put me in a category…and more often than not its black […]
I don’t belong anywhere but here.
Elena Zamarripa-Gray CA, USA Where are you from? Everywhere and nowhere. My Mexican, basque, Japanese father and Scottish, Canadian mother made me tall, beautiful, and brown. Put me in any ethnic outfit and I fit in, put me on any city street and I blend in. In my tiny California town I was raised with […]
Cascade Engineering Race Card Project
Published on May 16, 2012 by Mercedes Barragan Inspired by Michele Norris, some very ambitious employees at Cascade Engineering wanted to know how its employees felt about race. We created race cards similar to the ones Norris uses and passed them out to employees at Cascade Engineering. Over 100 employees expressed their personal feelings around race […]
Wear hijab does not mean terrorist
Penny Jessica Anwar USA I am a Muslim who sometimes wear hijab because it is the culture of my religion. every time when i wear hijab, people are looking at me like I’m from another world. they look curiosity and suspicious direct toward me. most people who don’t know Muslims think that all Muslim are […]
I am not like the rest
Rabia Syed Ann Arbor, MI These six words represent how I feel about myself when people make assumptions as to the kind of person that I am. Being brown and Muslim makes me easy to lump with a large number of people, whom I do not necessarily see myself being similar to. When people see […]
Race is fear of the unknown
Marissa Allegra ’16 Ann Arbor, MI The human race is known throughout history to have segregated, alienated, and judged others on the basis of being different. Whether this deals with religion, country of origin, cultural choices, or most significantly, one’s race, we rely on pre-conceived notions of a person based on the superficial. We wish […]
I am not like the rest
Rabia Syed Ann Arbor, MI Understanding Race Project- University of Michigan These six words represent how I feel about myself when people make assumptions as to the kind of person that I am. Being brown and Muslim makes me easy to lump with a large number of people, whom I do not necessarily see myself […]
Race is fear of the unknown
Marissa Allegra ’16 Ann Arbor, MI Understanding Race Project- University of Michigan The human race is known throughout history to have segregated, alienated, and judged others on the basis of being different. Whether this deals with religion, country of origin, cultural choices, or most significantly, one’s race, we rely on pre-conceived notions of a person […]
Disagreeing with Obama makes me racist?
Cynthia Ruccia Columbus, OH I am white but Jewish, and I grew up in a time when the Jews were barred from many many things because of our religion. My brother and I were the only Jews in our school and I was constantly chased around being called “dirty Jew” and “Christ killer” and told […]
White AND Jewish is challenging too.
Katherine Kraff Denver, CO I tend not to take negative comments about (race), religion or ethnicity personally (esp from children), but when I was teaching High School and didn’t take the day off on a Jewish Holiday (most of the other Jewish teachers and children did), my colleagues and students alike assumed that I was […]
We all bleed the same color!
Jorge Janeiro Geraardsbergen, Belgium I’ve learned that it’s not about ethnic origins, it’s about human nature. There is good and bad everywhere in this world, regardless of gender, religion, color or sexual orientation. Our humanity is the link that binds us. Lack of it, is what could extinguish us.
I’m gay. Doesn’t make me white.
SeattleBookmonger Seattle, WA My dad’s white, my mom’s Japanese. People like me aren’t new but we’re reinvented every few years. I wish I could say I’d escaped prejudice but that isn’t true, but I was raised realizing that no one language, religion, point of view, country, group (etc) is always right or the best. It’s […]
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