Arlington Archives - Page 2 of 2 - The Race Card Project

Not hispanic enough, not white enough

July 5, 2016July 5, 2016 Alfida Cruse, Arlington, Dominican, German, half dominican, Hispanic, identity, Joplin, Midwest, MO, South, St. Louis, VA, white enough

Alfida Cruse,
St. Louis, MO.

Growing up half Dominican and half Missouri German (white) constantly left me feeling not white enough for the white kids and not Dominican enough for the Hispanic kids. I have been called out and subsequently shunned when my mother picked me up from school in Arlington, VA (“you’re WHITE?!”) and gotten the side-eye when my exotic-looking father picked me up in Lexington. Though I am very attached to both of my cultures, I felt like a hulking American freak among my dainty Dominican cousins in Santo Domingo and like an unwelcome weirdo seeking out platano in Joplin, Missouri. Though as an adult I am quite secure and happy in my identity, my sisters and my mixed or transplanted friends make me feel the most comfortable- people who share the experience of relating to more than one culture or location, whether that’s moving from the South to the Midwest or to the states from Colombia. Treating everyone I meet with respect and not glaring at any unfamiliar lunch/clothing/habits they have is my way of evening out the scales. We should all try that.

Fighting just to be considered “American”

January 14, 2016 American, Arlington, Christopher Kang, fighting, VA

Christopher Kang,
Arlington, VA.

Love the project–only six words is hard! 🙂

Can’t fit me in a box!

August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 ambiguous, Arlington, category, check the box, Creole, fit in a box, human nature, identify, identity, Myriah, Sicilian, unique, VA, what are you

Myriah,
Arlington, VA.

All my life I’ve gotten the “what are you?” question. It seems to be human nature to try and categorize people in order to identify them better somehow. Being French Creole and Sicilian, I have always loved being racially ambiguous, because my identity goes way beyond man made categories. I am physically part of my families roots, but I am also a product of the neighborhood I grew up in, the music I listened to, and the many diverse friends and neighbors I surrounded myself with. Our identities cannot be summed up in a checked box. It is a beautiful, unique, and multidimensional puzzle. 🙂

Coding as white isn’t the same.

May 9, 2015May 11, 2015 Arlington, Army brat, code switch, coding, ethnic, Kristina Ogilvie, military, name, Oreo, smae, VA, white

Kristina Ogilvie,
Arlington, VA.

It just struck me, I guess: on paper (i.e. a resume) I am for all intents and purposes a white girl. My name couldn’t be less ethnic, and I’ve had the privilege of getting an amazing education and having experiences that my father (Afro-Panamanian) could only have dreamed of. But I could never pass for white, physically. And for all the different ethnicities and nationalities that I’ve tried to fit in with, I’ve never identified as white. I’ve been accused of being an Oreo, trying to be white, but actually thinking of myself as such never really occurred to me. I don’t know if that had to do with growing up in the military, where race takes a backseat to other social hierarchies, or growing up overseas, where I was American first, and x second, but as much as I benefit from certain privileges the same as white folks, I never wanted to be white, and it never occurred to me to really try.

I am not just African American.

March 25, 2015 acknowledge, African, African American, Arlington, belogn, check the box, DNA, Erica Watts, father, genes, growing up, just, mother, self-worth, skin color, TX

Erica Watts,
Arlington, TX.

Growing up, I believed that I was all African American. My mother was African American and so was my brother and that is all I needed to know, to know that I was African American. However, as i got older, people began to question my ethnicity. Some claiming that I looked nothing like my mother (who people assumed was from Africa due to her skin color). I started to look at my family and began to think if I even belonged there. I was the only one on my moms side with my color. Everyone on my mothers side, such as cousins, aunts, grandmas, made it seem like I was an outcast. I recently go in touch with my dad and his side of the family and was only then to realize I am not fully African American. I gained knowledge and learned that I have as much as 7 different ethnicities within me, in my DNA. I’ve grown to love myself and all the different genes my DNA makes up. Now when I see that “Check race/ethnicity box” I dont just check “African American” I check what I am. Even if that means checking every box on that form. I will not be categorized or subjected to check only “one or two”. I will check all that applies to me! If you can not accept that, then you are not accepting me and I will not be there to let you tell me otherwise. I know who I am. I am not just African American. I am Erica. With all my different ethnicities and self worth.

Filipino in America; American in Philippines

March 5, 2015March 5, 2015 American, Arlington, blend, culture, filipino, Philippines, VA

Ryan,
Arlington, VA.

Like many first generation Americans who have tried to “blend” to American culture so deeply, it’s hard to know what your racial identity is when it seems you’re a stranger in both cultures…

America’s minority education is in crisis

April 24, 2014 African American Students, Alondra K. Poindexter, Arlington, crisis, education, identity, Lawton, Minority, Oklahoma, School USA, Texas, TX, USA

Alondra K. Poindexter
Arlington, TX

I am a doctoral candidate at Texas Wesleyan University. I am currently working on my dissertation “Cultural Identity and African American High School Teachers: The Impact On Their Instruction Of African American Students In Texas”. Less African American Teachers = Lower African American Student Achievement? Segregated higher academic achievement, integrated lower academic achievement of African American students.

Do Black People Truly Hate Themselves?

January 30, 2014February 9, 2015 Arlington, black people, Carlton Yearwood, hate, killing, support, VA

Carlton Yearwood,
Arlington, VA.

Why the killing, why the hate, why the rape and tears…why, why, why? If we cannot love and respect one another, why should anyone be willing to offer a supporting hand?

Drank from the wrong fountain: white.

September 18, 2013 1950's, 1960's, Arlington, drank, Ty Cooper, VA, water fountain, white

Ty Cooper
Arlington, VA

I was born (1950) into a family of sharecroppers in eastern NC. We lived one mile from the nearest road. I was starting school soon, so my mom paid a friend to take us to town to get my preschool health check. Sitting in the waiting room, I noticed people walking up to a device, pressing a button, and leaning over to drink water. (We did not have indoor plumbing at home; nor did we have TV, so I had never seen people drink water this way.) Curious, I decided to check it out for myself. My mother was preoccupied with my infant sibling in her arms. I slid out of my chair and raced over to the fountain to get a drink of water. Moments after I began to drink, there was a commotion. I looked around and observed disapproving frowns. My mom raced over to the fountain to pull me away. “He’s just a kid. He doesn’t know any better.” That’s the day I became aware of the concept of segregation.