The Race Card Project
By Michele Norris
Erik Shawn Frampton,
Charlotte, NC.
I am the descendant of a line of plantation owners in South Carolina. As a gay man, my upcoming marriage will finally occur on our 20th anniversary together. My larger southern family struggles to see my identity as sacred, just as they struggle still to see minority life as sacred. But what progress. From chains to wedding bells with a gay Asian man.
Mary Fruin,
Charlotte, NC.
I think that Rev . Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Dream is nowhere near being fulfilled when our big corporations are illegally paying big bonuses to managers to hire & promote minorities and women (read: not white men) and giving soft metric well paying jobs to minorities while chasing white males out of jobs to give them to minorities in many situations. We are surprising one race to elevate others, in many cases lowering the bar. Why not hire the best person? Why not promote for good work? Many men in my community are becoming stay at home fathers, not because of want but because their wives have a better career path due to hiring practices.
Daniel,
Charlotte, NC.
I do not want to say what country I am from, because I want you all to guesstimate my ancestry? Where would you say I am from? What part of the world do my features reflect? Please explain your responses! Please share your thoughts with me.
I am NOT from the U.S.A.
I am NOT from Canada.
I am NOT from South America.
I am not from the Americas.
Stephanie,
Charlotte, NC
I’m Black and Korean. But to many others I’m Mexican. My skin tone, my hair texture, my facial features apparently aren’t Black enough. They’re not Korean enough either. So in order for people to make sense of my appearance, they tell me I’m Mexican. This has caused so much pain and confusion with my racial identity development. Growing up, I always felt like I had to constantly prove that I am Black…that I am Korean. I had to overcompensate my words and actions to prove I belonged to my identities. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more comfortable with who I am. I correct people when they assume I am Mexican, but it no longer causes me anger or shame.
Jimmy Hair,
Charlotte, NC.
A hard working black man I worked construction with 44 years ago used to say this. He meant it about his steady and prodigious work output, but I think of it now in terms of the slow but steady progress of improved race relations.
Melissa U.,
Charlotte, NC.
My Taino people would love me, from my plump lips to my curly hair. My African people would love me from the rhythm in my hips to the powerful thoughts in my mind. My Spanish people, they might deny me, but I can’t deny them. They are in my language, they are on my skin. They took over my ancestry, and hijacked my history. They came in as unsolicited “saviours,” and attempted to rob us, but we are resilience. Our roots run strong and deep. I ask myself, “should I identify with you?” And in this manner they attempt to grab hold of me, and control me, but they cannot. I am free. Though I must accept their language as my own, my soul is AFRO LATINA. It runs through my veins and propels me forward through anything that may come my way.
Taylor Berry,
Charlotte, NC
There’s not much to say. I’m not about to write a novel on a topic that isn’t rocket science. All I have to say is normalize women being able to communicate their feelings without writing them off as “emotional” or “whiney.” Specifically, normalize black women communicating their feelings without being perceived as “angry.”
It’s already bad enough that we as black women are constantly being sexualized yet dehumanized simultaneously for our curvier features. Constantly being made fun and looked over on opportunities for our culturally unique hairstyle all the while watching other women of other ethnicities appropriate our hairstyles and being glorified for it. Constantly being dismissed in healthcare settings which is the reason why we are dropping like flies during childbirth and being disproportionately affected by a global pandemic right now as you read this. We as black women go through all this sh*t and then some but if we dare speak a word on our pain, our tiredness, or our struggles, we are automatically perceived as the angry black women. Baby, I’m not the angry black woman. I’m tired of culture appropriation black woman. The tired of being discriminated against black woman. The tired of being dismissed, black woman. The tired of being overlooked, black woman. The tired of being dealt a poor hand and expected to say nothing back black woman. The tired of being disrespected by everyone black women. The tired of having to instill common sense black woman. The tired of being expected to be a single mom with prison-bound children black woman and so on. No, I’m not angry. Just tired. We’re not angry. Just tired.
Charlotte,
Houston, TX.
I grew up close to African Americans. They were guests in our home and people on the bus with us. I never noticed how taboo touching was between us until I was 30 and a neighbor girl came over to play with my kids. She skinned her knee and as I hugged her tears away. I touched her hair. It was so soft and I was shocked to realize that I had never touched an African American’s hair before.
Kim Looby,
Charlotte, NC
I thought I was Irish and came here during the 1850s. But I’m actually 16th generation American. My family is responsible for settling America and colonizing it. I’m equally disconnected from any ancestral culture and distinctly American? I have a few German relatives left in Germany but they’re over a hundred years back. Any other “family” left in the British Isles would be too far removed even for DNA to connect me to. Ancestry says they take their DNA from people whose families have been in one place for 500 years. My family has been in America for 400. Have we been here long enough to be a new culture? Have I been in America longer than my ancestors were in the British isles? Am I more American than English? Why do I have such dark features and easily tanned skin? My features are more Mediterranean. But it’s too far back for Ancestry DNA to pick up. If I came from there then stayed in Britain for 200 years then left for America for the last 400, am I culture less?
I have no food, language, dress, or other cultural identities outside of America. No family can remember the immigrants. Even my connection to my immigrant family has been lost in the records prior to the 1840s census.
Where are we as humans really from and where do we belong? How long must I be in a place before I can claim it as my cultural home and not colonized or an immigrant? Existential headache.
I met a Native American interpreter at a historic site many years ago. He complained about the English colonizers and I just shrugged internally saying “wasn’t me, I’m Irish”. But I’m not fully. I’m mostly English though my last name is Irish. I wish I could find him and apologize for what my ancestors were a part of.
Erica Tjelta,
Spartanburg, SC.
After growing up and living in rural and small-town Wisconsin for my first thirty-six years of my life–it was a shocking eye-opener to move to the racially diverse and racism-afflicted major city of Charlotte, North Carolina. My seven years spent there were the catalyst of a change-of-mind that radically altered the way I saw the world, interpreted events, and viewed the perspectives I was raised with. I am humbled and grateful. And, hope to be able to help others understand the things I now see.
Journey Brown-Saintel,
Charlotte, NC.
The system of checking off boxes to indicate my heritage is flawed.
Anon Ymous
Charlotte, NC
“Replaced slavery chains with entitlement chains”
As a white with guilt, all I can say is: I’m so sorry, twice…
Subscription to our newsletter open soon.
Indulge in timeless elegance with our hand-curated collection of luxury vintage men’s fashion. From classic suits to iconic accessories, our online store offers a premium shopping experience for the modern gentleman who appreciates quality and style. Shop now and elevate your wardrobe with our carefully selected pieces that celebrate the art of craftsmanship and heritage fashion.
