Nicholas Ellis,
Somerville, MA.
Being referred to as simply “white” strips me of my ethnicity, of which I am very proud. I look Slavic, I am Slavic, why should I be OK with being referred to in any other way? My people were also slaves, in fact the word “Slave” comes from an old French or Medieval Latin term for Slavic people (who were enslaved), and Slavic history is fraught with conflict and micro-cultures. My mother and grandmother were treated terribly in Yugoslavia and also in America, as new immigrants, but they persevered with no help, despite the judgement and predjudice they faced. To be made to feel as though I have no culture, past, ethnicity, simply because my skin is light strips me of my ability to be proud of my people, without having to apologize for it. We (everyone, not just me) are more than colors and shades, and we all have history and culture of which we should be proud. I am Slavic, not “white”.
