Jessica Eaton,
Minot, ND.
My maiden name is “Hess” and carries a lot of weight for being a “Nazi name”. Growing up, other students in school would call me a “Nazi” because of my last name and distant relation to a couple of people who took part in the Nazi regime. I didn’t like it, and often times, these words came from other “white” kids. I thought it would have hurt less if it came from someone else who wasn’t “like me”, someone who wasn’t white. During my junior year of high school, I realized that this thinking was wrong. It was not okay for anyone of any race to hurt another person. We are all people regardless of skin color or ethnic identity or family background. As for myself, my family from great grandparents and later have always lived in America. I identify myself as an American, and when asked to specify, a German-American. But, most importantly, I identify myself as one who has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Regardless of how I identify myself or what people call me, I am a Christian and Christ’s love and gospel transcends all racial identifiers. We are all one in Christ.
