My hair defines me, woman Black!
Meteorologist Rhonda Lee, Shreveport, LA. I was let go from my job as a meteorologist at KTBS in Shreveport, LA for a Facebook post where...
I wish the voice would stop.
Al, Atlanta, GA. I was born 51 years ago. I grew up with a father who would definitely be considered racist today, but was probably...
Too brown for the fancy restaurant.
Jane Medina Orange, CA My daughter Annie had just turned 21. So she, my husband, my son, and I put on our cocktail party clothes...
I’m an Arab named Dave Hall
Dave Hall, Brooklyn, NY. I get my name from my Yankee (English-American) father, whose ancestors arrived in Boston in 1630 but I get my complexion...
Riding on a train crying, mommy braiding.
Donna Monroe, Indianapolis, IN. It was the summer of 1957. I was riding on a train with my mother when I saw another little girl...
Kids’ mother tongue isn’t their mother’s
Elise DuBord, Cedar Falls, IA. Growing up in the Midwest, I started studying Spanish as a second language in high school, fascinated with learning about...
Trying to Navigate, Willing to Fight
Donna Scott, Seattle, WA. I’m passionate about social justice, but I sense the amount of space that I take up, as a white person. I...
Future Doctor. Double Standard Of Excellence!
D’Lauren Oxidine, Delray Beach, FL. As a future doctor of education, one would assume that success would be highly attainable. However, because of my age,...
She is the Black People’s Victory!
Ebony Nichole, Cincinnati, OH For three days after my birth I was nameless because my Mama didn’t know she was having a girl. Born very...
Don’t waste your time on college
Patricia L. Gadsden, Central, PA. As an African American female in the 1960’s, I was discouraged from attending college. It was explained to me that...
Police harassed undercover cop wearing hoodie.
V. USA I’d rather not share my name right now due to the sensitive nature of the incident. While working undercover, I decided to duck...
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’m Asian, not invisible, not disgusting.
Chuck, Portland, OR. It’s that look. The look I’ve seen all my life. Like you just found a gross bug in your house that you...
I Want To Know You, Too
Deirdre Stoelzle, Casper, WY. In Rwanda there were times that I was the first white person some Rwandans had ever seen. Mostly people wanted to...
Aussie, but forced to be white
Daniel Earl, Australia. Raised in a diverse suburb and school, as a kid I was just another “Aussie” with no real racial consciousnesses. Sure, my...
Two Black Lesbian Daughters. Say What?!
Shelley Ferrand, USA. After the initial shock of their coming out, I realized that THEY are the long search for fruits of my 1960’s labor...
Left Crying in the Bathroom Floor
Charlie, USA. I brought my car in for an oil change (in the predominantly black area I live in) and they told me that it’d...
Our Outer Appearance Does Not Matter
I grew up in a very divided household when it comes down to the words race and racism. When I 7 my parents divorced, I...
