Sarah Staples,
Nashville, TN.

I grew up in a predominantly white community in a city that was predominantly black and hispanic or latino. My best friends were always white, my parents made me study classical piano for 12 years, I played soccer, I read Shakespeare and Jane Austen, and I went to boarding school. No, I am not an “Oreo” (black on the outside, white on the inside). I’m black, specifically Caribbean American, and calling me “white on the inside” is actually saying that a person can’t be wholly black and enjoy things outside of the stereotypical “black culture.” You don’t need to explain my personality or interests by ascribing a race to it. Don’t cast me into whatever mold your debilitated mind compels you to put me into. I’m not an oreo. I’m a person. My name is Sarah. You may refer to me as such.