Eileen Seigfried, Greensburg, PA As a preschool teacher, I would lay out black and white sheets of paper. The students would lay their hands on them. Wow! no one matched either. The lesson was that we are all the same and should be treated the same. I retired after 20 years and hope they all […]
“Don’t act your color”? We’re radiant!
Avis Danette Matthews, Glenarden, MD “Don’t act your color.” I recall hearing that phrase a lot while growing up in the ’60s in Prince George’s County, Md., a Washington, D.C., suburb. On a 5th-grade field trip, as the school desegregation debate boiled on medium, one of my beloved black teachers gave us that instruction as […]
Small Ohio Town: Color Didn’t Matter
Debbie Spragg Brisentine Plain City, OH I was born in 1954, lived in Mt. Pleasant Ohio, pop. approx. 500. Attended school from 1959-1972. Had both white and black friends but, to me, they were all just friends – no difference! I never knew anything about racial issues until maybe 1969, 1970. It was an idyllic […]
I reflect my culture, not color.
Connie Mortara Tewksbury, MA Growing up I didn’t “know” I was Mexican American (we didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us). It wasn’t until I moved east that I discovered that I am so very very Mexican. But its not my color that speaks to my background — it is so much deeper. Family, […]
More colors more stories more gratitude
Penny Shaff Altman, Portland, ME. My father told me stories drawn from his childhood in the Ukraine. My mother told me stories about her life growing up as a Jewish immigrant. I told stories to my children. I tell them to my grandchildren. My youngest grandson’s great grandmother is famous for her stories of Gullah […]
Uniquely Made, The American Girl Today
Christina Rains, Riverside, CA. French, Indian, Mexican, Dutch, but American? It is quite clear that you cannot judge individuals by their color. Race in reality just identifies where your family has lived and what part of the world you are from. Throughout my life, I have been called “white girl” but in reality, this categorization […]
People of Quality Respect Race Equality
Saheba Cuccia, New Orleans, LA. Aspen X Adopted and raised in the South, I have seen and heard of the racial barriers that some people use to divide us. The color of your skin should not determine anything such as relationships, jobs, and social standing in society.
Imagine that person a different color
Joe Hooyboer, Lynden, WA Ask yourself, snd be honest with yourself: When you see people in everyday life, how would your view of that interaction change if they were a different color?
I’m white. But that’s too simplistic.
Bana Goldsmith, Canada. My high school teacher told me once that he was looking forward to the day when everybody’s skin was the same colour because that would decrease racism. I see his point but, apart from thinking this is not likely to ever happen totally, I feel we need to mature past racism as […]
Grateful, granny called me black boy
Kevin Browne , Submitted via Twitter: @drbrowne #TheRaceCardProject “Black Boy” for Michele by: Kevin A. Browne I was grateful; granny was prophetic, almost making me out of clay, caressing my tar with old love. black before it was a color. we come from an oily family, our skins sticky to the touch. we, who gushed […]
Pale, Irish Skin; Multi colored heart.
Emilly Kelly Kennewick, WA
Judge by character, not by color.
Helen Zhang, Camarillo, CA. When I was in middle school, I noticed that my classmates tended to form “cliques” with people of the same ethnicity. However, I preferred to learn about the values and traditions of other cultures. Speaking to people of different backgrounds continues to allow me to stay open-minded and gain new perspectives.
“Appalachian” means “none of your business.”
Amy Tanisha, Petaluma, CA. When asked the infamous “what are you?” question, I define myself on my terms. Sure, its easy for someone to understand that my mom is white and my dad is black, but “white” or “black” is not the house I grew up in. I grew up in a house full of […]
‘I don’t see color’ is cringeworthy.
Jasmine Honegan. Brazil. Growing up as one of 5 black families in an all white town in CT, ‘ I don’t see color’ was the go to phrase whenever anyone said anything controversial, racist, or condescending. I remember always feeling uncomfortable with the line, it was used as if the inability to see color made […]
A transnational adoptee, consumed by “in-betweenity.”
Rebecca York, Takoma Park, MD Fighting for visibility and validity, in white and of-color spaces is perpetually exhausting. Transnational adoptees are at the heart of America’s racial, cultural, and nationalistic legislation and cultural beliefs. Stop gate-keeping, and let us join the conversation.
I’m sorry I’m staring at you.
Jessica Flake, Amelia, OH I work as a demo’s assistant at an international grocery store which will not be named for advertising purposes. Being in Demo’s means I make samples for people to try of various products that we want to sell. I have been called various ‘slurs’ by some people of color in the […]
I will never be black enough.
Janeen Irving, San Leandro, CA. For the first 12 years of my life I was clueless to my own color (or lack thereof) growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area. For the next 20 years I tried to prove I was black. To no avail. Now I’ve come to the conclusion I’m an amazing […]
Heroic face seldom seen in media
Charles Los Angeles, CA Leaders of color are seldom portrayed in our theater, films or story traditions.
My color should not bother you
Smriti Gurung, Woodside, NY I made these my 6 words because I feel like the color of someone’s skin always seems to bother someone. That person could simply be a good person, but because of their skin color, some other people get uncomfortable and start treating them the way they shouldn’t be treated. This is […]
You sound like you are white!
Lyron Andrews, Long Island City, NY. I used to be a minister back in the late eighties and I was visiting and speaking to a group of mostly elderly and all African-American parishioners in Harlem about managing through adversity. After the talk many approached me and warmly commended me and thanked me for sharing the […]
God painted the world in color
Cassidy Capoferri, Wayne State, Macomb, MI Growing up Catholic and in Catholic schools, we were always taught that God loves everyone, no matter what. He created all people equally. It was so simple when I was younger, but the older I get, the more I see people ignoring this. It doesn’t matter what religion you’re […]
The color that matters runs red
Jeri Grigsbay, Magalia, CA.
We’re a’ Jock Tamson’s Bairns
Susanna Gourlay Wilbraham, MA This is a saying my dad taught me. I moved to the USA from Scotland and it was a phrase he told when I was talking to him about how sad it was that people get treated differently based on the color of their skin. The saying means, “We’re all God’s […]
I dislike hate because of color.
Darrick Gilmore, Washington, DC.
I fight for Americans, whatever color
Damon Williams, Florence, CO. I served four years in the 82nd Airborne Division from Jan 2001 to Jan 2005. Served in three tours and would do it all again for my family and fellow Americans! Airborne, H-Minus, All the way!
I’m An Individual NOT A Color!
Nadra Enzi, New Orleans, LA. Anyone with eyes can see that I’m a dark Black man. That and a couple dollars might buy you a cup of coffee at a trendy shop. Two terms of Obama-inflamed identity politics makes me reassert a lifelong commitment to individualism. I’m not a one-size-fits-all person. The fact I voted […]
This is your race? Go fish.
Adrea Benedetti, College Park, MD. I will not let race define who I am nor will I judge another based on the color of their skin.
Not a color, but God’s child
Sabrina Tilley, Hutchins, TX Student at Dallas County Community College District, Eastfield College
There’s no finish line to color
Omar, USA Race has two meanings, and both can haunt us. The color of our skin, hair, eyes, etc.. or the delirious desire to be the fastest, the strongest, to win the race. They’ve always been intertwined. Well, as we know now, those division lines of color, or those finish lines of race-tracks are very […]
My Mother Hated My Dark Skin
Mike Elliott Alexandria, VA My mother was brown. Her skin a shade so perfect until the day she died she was “Puddin” to her family and friends. My father a lighter shade of brown was “high yellow” and proud to be colored. He had a fraternal twin who was dark like an egg plant, blue-black. […]
See my color. I see yours.
Florencetine Bourne Jasmin, Gwynn Oak, MD. My response to those who say, “I don’t see color.” But I need you to see my color. It is beautiful! How could you not see it. If you don’t see it, then you don’t see me, hear me, or know me….or won’t get to know me.
No color barriers luckiest son ever
Dustin Marek, San Jose, CA. I was always afraid of never being accepted, since most of my very Caucasian family is scattered throughout the U.S. and when I met them for the first time they accepted me with open arms.
Rascim is not only about color
Jayden Berrios, Boston, MA.
We are all of the human race.
Tommy Edward Sarmiento, Columbus, OH. Don’t wash anything, with color, with darkness nor with white light. All human beings have a right to express and interpret and grow within themselves ideas; ideas of love, of what we fear, what makes us think “isn’t that strange?” Freedom and equity should belong to each human. We should […]
On money and color I thrive.
Ky Hopson-Fernandes, Tampa, FL
We are not the color yellow
Kevin Xiong, Sacramento, CA. Color is just a label.
Italian Boyfriend Uncomfortable Visiting Arizona Home
Mike McNamara Chicago, IL Especially in the non-winter months because he gets so dark. Growing up in Tucson, he was sometimes mistaken for Mexican, which makes sense when you look at him from afar. But only recently has he felt uncomfortable going home to visit his family based on that same mistake that people have […]
I’m caramel, you’re peach, we’re sweet!
Leah Turner Lancaster, PA One time, a little girl ask me what color I was. At the time my snippy come-back was “Choca-mocha-latte!”, but I figured that was a little much for a six year old who was honestly curious. So I looked at my skin and said “Caramel”. She said “Oh,” Looked at her […]
Entire countries meld in this body.
Isabella Thomas, Philadelphia, PA. My name is Isabella Thomas, and I’m a student currently attending Central High School in Philadelphia. The concept of ‘race’, to me has always correlated with ‘color’. Or perhaps an erasure of identity. I am not simply white, just as my peers- my friends- are not simply black, or Asian. I […]
Discovering, remembering and filtering historical resentments.
Richard R Clarke West New York, NJ This is what I see happening to people over and over again, no matter what their race, color or cultural identity.
Plants, birds, people – celebrate life’s colors.
Rose Mary Prifest, Wayne State, Harper Woods, MI If there is anything important I learned in my lifetime, it’s acceptance of peoples’ differences. The key is education. It is opening your mind and heart to learning what makes people who they are. We may not agree with how they worship, whom they love, and how […]
YOU define yourself; NOT your color.
Angie Ward, USA.
Three daughters, three hues; whole family.
Christine Alexander, Spring Valley, CA.
Soul Surfer is Light without color
NanJo Carter, Richmond, CA. I grew up in the fifties and sixties. We moved to Japan when I was 2. We moved to Montgomery, AL when I was six and I attended Capitol Heights Elementary School. These were intense times with the National Guard escorting us to class and the school. We experienced discrimination and […]
My color will define my life
Marlon, Minneapolis, MN
Why does my color bother you?
Claudia Davis, Akron, OH. I have traveled several places in my lifetime. However, this pass weekend after the Presidential election I experience a shift in the atmosphere. People think and feel they have a license to say and do what they want toward people of color. The disrespect is hitting a different level prior to […]
My color doesn’t define my success
Michala Day, Farmville, VA.
I’m white. How can I help?
Anne Huntemer, Sonora, CA. Coming from a place of privilege, how can I help welcome and fight for my friends of color? I know I haven’t experienced what you have, but I’m here to support you in any way I can.
Laundry
Allie Felsner, Wayne State, Detroit, MI Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color
No Color Leaves The World Plain.
LesleyAnn Moore, Boston, MA. Race is beautiful. Diversity fills the globe and allows freedom of expression through its inhabitants. We are born already filled with differences. Our color is our culture, ethnicity, and race. The world is a painter’s palette ready to disperse every shade imaginable. Once we recognize and become accepting of other colors, […]
The world looks better in color
Hannah Gold-Garvey, Virginia Beach, VA.
Color Doesn’t Matter. Tell My Boss.
Tina, MI. These six terms are my experience as it relates to every work environment I’ve encountered. I’ve been successful whereever I’ve worked and am now busy doing the “enterepreneur thing” (successfully). My employment experiences have all been the same. Single black female, alone in a sea of white as if no other qualified blacks […]
Color for crayons, people are people
Katheryn Ward, Tulsa, OK.
Assist based on need, not color.
Bobby Chicago, IL Current iterations of affirmative action programs are a relic of the narrowminded thinking of the past century. They should be reformed to award assistance based on socio-economic status, not race/gender/religion/etc. To truly help all disadvantaged people we must break from the outmoded thinking of archaic legislation.
My creativity eludes definition by color
Jay Fluellen Philadelphia, PA I am an African American male who teaches in the public school system in Philadelphia. I constantly defy the comprehension of my predominately African American students by talking without cursing, listening to classical music, using words they don’t understand and by dressing professionally. I push passed all of this to teach […]
Colour? All you need is love
Alan Kummer, U.K. Scientifically, colour doesn’t really exist. Thank you ‘National Geographic’ for fully opening my eyes.
Race is color, color isn’t you
Alejandra Vargas, San Jose, CA.
White’s a color, not a race.
Brittni Staufer, Lafayette, CO. I hate having to check a box for my race.
Be color brave, not color blind.
Anonymous, Norfolk, VA It’ll all be different.
What’s the point when color fades
Spencer, Wilmington, NC. Everyone dies. And when we do die, there will be no color, just bones and dirt. It’s funny that race is so important when it doesn’t last forever. We only have a short time on the earth and yet we spend so much time dividing ourselves based on something superficial, that no […]
My color does not define me.
Amaka Amanambu, Davie, FL. Love is what we should speak, act and show. Doesn’t ask where is my footprint.
Being blonde isn’t always more fun.
Heather Raymond Grand Rapids, MI Understanding Race Project – University of Michigan People say that “blondes have more fun,” but having light hair isn’t what it is cracked up to be. Many times I find myself at the receiving end of stigma when I have a “blonde” moment: dumb, human mistakes blamed on the color […]
The color of Freedom is Green
Kylee Robinson, Seattle, WA.
Ashamed and embarrassed to be black.
Nobody, Durham, NC. I would change my race to anything non-black if I could. I don’t think white people understand how limiting it is to only be seen as a color and not as a person. When you’re black you can be the Scary Black Person, the Angry Black Man/Woman, the Thug, the Smart/Articulate Black […]
I am white. No, brownish pink.
Har Simran Kaur Khalsa, Los Angeles, CA. Since I started wearing mostly white clothes along with my practice of Sikhism, it has become glaringly clear that I am not white — or rather, that my skin is far from white. I am aware that I still experience much white privilege.
Prayed God would make me White
Amber Price, Atlanta, GA. I was raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I grew up ashamed of my Blackness. I heard the n-word for the first time in elementary school. I prayed every night for God to make me white. At the age of 17 I was told to go sit with the rest of the Blacks […]
Your ticket is based on your color
Jodiah Toney, Boston, MA.
Hero. Musical Genius. Jazz is color.
Mark Lynn Honeycutt, Knoxville, TN. I’m a white, middle class, born and raised East Tennessean. But also a musician. Well, drummer. And my heroes have been black men since I was little. Jazz was tinted “black” to me, and it was/is wonderful.
Your color doesn’t make you better.
Sasha Dee, Richmond, VA. It drives me crazy that people think something as arbitrary as the color of their skin makes them inherently worth more than someone else. Your skin color should be the least of the things about yourself that give you self worth. Be kind. Be generous. Be a good person. Be proud […]
White women kill for that color.
Kavita Charleston, SC As an Indian-American woman working in agriculture, I used to frequently get some variation of this comment when I sold at farmers’ markets. Really? Should I thank you for that comment?
What color will your kid’s be?
J. Torres Kansas City, MO My father is from Puerto Rico, born and raised. My mother is Colombian. However, raised in Panama. They met in the 1950’s while my dad was in the U.S. Army. Us kids always called ourselves PanaRicans. Until my mother gave us her true background. I attended college in Michigan in […]
Why do you always act white?
Anika Moore Gulfport, MS You can not act a color. You can not be a color. Just because I speak as though I have read a book once in my life does not make me instantly “an Oreo”. Please stop.
Skin color does not effect intelligence
AMANPREET SINGH, Canada
Proud to be an African American
Brandon Watkins, Clarksville, TX. I am an African American from North Texas. I have lived here all my life. I have never been one to see color nor have I ever been one to judge or stereotype anyone. I love all, and raise my children to love all. Some of the things I see in […]
Human beings are not simply monochromatic
Sarah Martin, Wichita, KS. Perhaps this is my artistic side coming out, but when you paint a human being, they are not painted simply using white or black. No, they are painted with a wide variety of colors that blend together to make a beautiful picture. Too often people separate persons into categories that divide […]
There’s more to me than color.
Christina Veland, Virginia Beach, VA Throughout my entire life, I have heard the phrase “well, of course you’re good at that. You’re Asian!” But there is more to me than the color of my skin. Beneath the surface is a real person with real struggles. It is difficult explaining to my peers that it hurts […]
White doesn’t define who I am!
Briana, Stockton, CA. The color of my skin does not define the true person I am on the outside or even within. The color of my skin does not show you my deep meaning. One cannot judge off of the pigmentation that they see of one person. In reality, we are many things, deeper than […]
Don’t judge me by my color
Melanie Best, Princeton, WV. Everyday the color of my skin seems to negatively impact my life. I live in a very racist area, and while I’m not “black black” I’m still different and that’s bad enough.
I’m tired of walking on eggshells.
S. E. USA. I’m white. I have never once paid attention to what color someone’s skin is (unless I admired the color). Now I’m told that not paying attention to race is racist? I truly don’t understand what a white person can do that isn’t racist and it has me afraid of even talking to […]
Image, Color, Race wont deifine us
Ehsanullah, Ashburn, VA. Family of four From Afghanistan Love Basketball
Is my color who I am?
Lora-Ellen McKinney, Renton, WA. I am not my color, though I am in some ways what my color represents in America. I am, by this definition, an African American first because this what people see. I also identify with African American history, culture, family structure and faith practices. But alone in my house where I […]
Don’t go blind looking at color
Andrew Pak, San Jose, CA.
THE WALL, BLACK, AN HONORABLE COLOR.
David DeChant, Marine Vietnam Veteran Key West, FL Michele,Greetings again. I am a member of the core group of Vietnam Veterans who built The Wall ~ National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C.; and was at the meeting in Senator Warner’s office when General George Price, US Army Retired, ended the color controversy about “black” granite […]
Race generalization is not for everyone
Alex Campbell, Aurora, IL. People come in many different shapes, sizes, colors, and with different histories. It is unreasonable to pack many millions of people into one single idea. Terms are made to have wide acceptance and understanding and that is fine. However, generalizations (especially race) should never go past the simple idea of convenience.
Will not apologize for my color
Vanessa Garcia, Chicago, IL. We are all humans. Spread love.
I am my color, it’s me.
Elon Race Card Project, Isabella Cannon Room, Center for the Arts
Judging based on color is inevitable
Danny McCabe, New York, NY.
A world without color? No thanks!
Melannie, Mentor, OH.
Color of your skin defines you
Chad Franklin, Laguna Hills, CA.
I feel guilty of my skin color
Elisha Lowery, Delaware, OH. At times I feel guilty for being white. I feel people look at me and say “she has it easy she is white”. I feel guilty of how certain people still today treat colored people and they should’t treat them badly because we are all human.
You’re so white, good for you
Sarahi Bueno, Tucson, AZ. My first language is Spanish, so when people hear my accent they ask me where I’m from. When I tell them I am from Mexico people compliment and congratulate me for the color of my skin. Its usually Mexicans who tell me this.
An arbitrary system of color judgement
Emily Buehler, Elon, NC. Elon University
I LOVE THE SKIN I’M IN
Athena White, Chicago, IL. Embrace the power of love for it has no color. Teach others that lack this purity and watch how well it blossoms. “Love” speak it, mean it, live it…nourish one another by erasing racism, hate and terrorism within our own country against one another and we shall unite as one.
Don’t judge me based on color
Anonymous, Riverside, CA. People usually judge me within seconds based on the color of my skin. Not only does it hurt, most of the assumptions are wrong. I am proud of my skin color just like everyone should be, but I wish people would not go around making assumptions based on a color. CBUHIS311
White privilege holds EVERY person back.
Margaret Ann Watts, Elgin, IL. We all bleed the same color.
Dignity and respect favor no color.
Constance R DeWitt, Submitted via Twitter: @crae100 #TheRaceCardProject
Fear of Others, cloaked in color
Laura TX
Many colors inside, only white outside
Cheryl, Denver, CO.
I am Native, I am American.
Tammy Trouche’, Canadian, OK. I may appear to be white, but I am as colorful as my ancestors. I can’t imagine a world without color. Mother Earth would be dull and lifeless without the purity of the colors. That is true of ALL people. We are full of color, paint humanity in FULL COLOR.
Mixed with many races not one
Jy’Maire O’connor, Philadelphia, PA. People bade me off the color of my skin just because my skin tone is brown/black doesn’t mean I’m only black and those stereotypes you place on “African Americans” doesn’t really apply to me i’m more than one race and you would know that if you talked to me instead of […]
Content of character, white male N/A
Greg S. Furman, Vancouver, WA. They will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Except white males. Your privilege predetermined your only value.
What color is she? -Grandma
Ashley Ward Edgewood, MD My Grandmother grew up in a different time, where to be light was right and to be dark was wrong. My grandmother was extremely light, but my biological father is west indian and extremely dark. Dark like the ocean and I favored his complexion over my maternal genes. I was my […]
Same color doesn’t guarantee same beliefs.
AH Simpler Birmingham, AL
Black business is GREAT business too!
Anika Dixon, Little Rock, AR. The color of my skin should not determine the type of house I can sell you or the type of properties I can manage for you! You allow me to manage your ‘hood properties’ but you allow your own to manage your ‘no problem’ properties. REALLY??
The difference is culture, not color.
Brenda Ward, Schaumburg, IL. The color of our skin has nothing to do with who we are. It is where we live, who raises us, our family traditions, our geography. We try to peg the differences on color because it is easier to see and understand and our lack of interest in exploring and appreciating […]
Judge my soul Not my color.
Gloria Bozor, West Orange, NJ. Monmouth University I attended a dominate white college for my undergrad degree. For four years professors, staff, as well as peers assume I was an anger, bitter, African American because I didn’t have too many friends, I didn’t speak much in class, and I stayed to myself. My grades were […]
Color And Ethnicity Makes No Difference
Russell, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Different hues outside; same fears inside.
Luke Brad Bobo, Ballwin, MO. We may be different hues, shapes, etc. on the outside but we share a common humanity – we have many of the same fears, same dreams, same wants, same concerns, etc.
Discrimination is more than just color.
Shari, NJ. Monmouth Unoversity
Race equals color, not my character.
Whitney Bell, Geismar, LA.
Be yourself, regardless of your color
JT Robertson, Brockport, NY. Your color should never dictate who you are on the inside. Be yourself, free of stereotypes and the societal rules that govern us all. Just be you, because that’s the greatest thing you can do.
I’m not a color, I’m me.
Kirstyn Paige Andrew, Courtland, VA. No one should be judged, in any way, shape, and or form just because of the color of their skin. Everyone is unique in their own way and can never be replaced. God created us all for who we are and what we are for the better, our outside is […]
Color Defined, Now Mixing is Fixing
Doug Shipman, Atlanta, GA. The demographic changes seen in the census are at a turning point– race has to change because the categories are rapidly falling with intermarriage, internationalization and the rise of majority-minority in America.
Why is color so important to humans?
Sagal Rawe, Minneapolis, MN.
Family of color, but not me
Tim Fall, USA.
Zip codes matter more than color.
Nashae Pitts, Harrisburg, PA.
The color black: say with care.
Anonymous, USA. The world we have created now makes it a challenge to say the word black.
Everyone has the same color blood
Joe D., Folwerton, IN.
We invent race to justify intolerance
Joshua San Antonio, TX We are all one race and have only minor different biological features. Do you really believe that is the driving force behind our discrimination and stereotypical caricaturizations of each other? If we were all perfectly homogenized and mixed race, would will still discrimination against each other based on class, money, or […]
Racism is not about color.
Darrell James, Canal Winchester, OH. Racism is about hatred and ignorance!!!
There is no color, just people
Jean, Cathedral City, CA. I am a teacher and they try to tell us that we all have bias. In 11 years I have only kicked 3 kids out of class and none have been African American. They told me if I took “this test” I would be surprised, guess what, no bias. Screw them […]
Race is about culture not color.
Hunter, Birmingham, AL. What does race mean to me? When I think of race I don’t think about skin color. I think about culture, religion, and values. Today many people do not understand what it means to have a specific culture. Even though we seem to make claims about it every day. Truth of the […]
My color does not define me!
Tena Thompson, Hilton Head, SC. We need to start our individual conversations about race and life issues within our centers of influence.
I am me, not my race
Dawn Taylor, Alta Loma, CA. I don’t want to be defined by the color of my skin and I don’t define others by the color of theirs. We are better defined by our character, how we behave when we think no one is watching. When in doubt, be loving and kind. Give people the benefit […]
An outsider in my own family
Lisbet Mingo Oakland, CA What it feels like to share everything with those closest to you–except the color of your skin. And how that changes everything…
Color Doesn’t Make You A Criminal
Joshua Edwards, Baltimore, MD. I’ve heard many stories of police brutality on young black men. I am worried as a young man who is African American. I constantly wonder if I will be confronted and injured later in my life. I always think about how I will deal with that that situation in a way […]
Didn’t know/you don’t sound black.
Charity Son Anchorage, AK I was disappointed that this seems to even surprise a congenitally blind white woman I work with–“I didn’t know you were black!.” Happens on the phone as well. In person, black people, white people, all kinds of people seem to resent the way I speak. What does it even mean, to […]
What shade of black am I?
B. Smith-Payne Carlsbad, NM As a black American, I feel that I must often act as a chameleon, in order to move in and through diverse social, economic, and political situations. Consequently, my “blackness” takes on various personas and can change in the blink of an eye. Thus, my question.
Race implies Color. What about religion
Robert Jones St Louis, MO
Blame the GREED not the COLOR!
Anonymous, USA. Greed hurts more people than color ever has. All races do bad things and hurt others. Money and property are usually the motivations behind such actions. If people were less greedy and cared more about people than making a profit, we would be in a much better place than we are.
Peach crayon never worked for us.
Maya PS Boston, MA Growing up in a color-challenged yet friendly midwest suburb, we were one of 3 families of color in our local school. Even though it was not an issue for most of our childhood, sometimes the desire to squelch our culture reared its ugly head. We did try to assimilate as much […]
See the person, not the color.
Lorraine Longley, Ephrata, WA.
Our Xrays show bones, not colors.
Jennifer H., Menlo Park, CA.
Without your color, who are you?
Reid Pickett, Swarthmore, PA. Not in a “we are all the same sense” but just individually…
What would the neighbor’s think?
Dolly Szymanski Fort Wayne, IN Both of these quotes are things my mother heard or said. The second quote – My mother said to me when I wanted to invite some college friends to our home. Some of the friends were persons of color Grosse Pointe, MI in 1959.
We don’t serve Your Kind Here!
Pilar Leano, San Francisco, CA. This was said to me in a small town of Fremont, Ohio. In fact, they got my nationality wrong also (they thought I was from Mexico). I still get comments like, you speak great English (even though I just told them I was born and raised in San Francisco). And […]
I’m a person, not a color
Anonymous, Spokane, WA.
The facts stop where feelings begin
John Smith, Las Vegas, TX. Races are diffrent, not only by color of skin, but by brain and how our body is built, its sad but true some races are capable to do better things then others, when the white man whas building rome the Africans where still living in mud houses, and most of […]
I, Woman Of Color Can Articulate
Epiphanie Malloy Inkster, MI This stereotypical notion that women of color,especially us in the African American community, are incapable of orating with yell, screaming, being “angry and black” has become accedingly old hat. The shock an awe I receive when I properly articulate my feelings, ideas and general statements/responses is far more annoying and frequent […]
Not racist, proud to be white
Rusty Loiselle, Huntsville, AL. I don’t have a problem with anyone of any color. Color is not something we had a choice in. I have a problem with ignorance, thugs, people who are morally bankrupt and think the world owes them a living. I have a problem with people who think that they should receive […]
I am American, not just Brown
Francisco Lemus, Sanger, CA. These six words signify that I am more than just brown. People tend to categorize others based on how they look, and using that to clump them in a certain group with preconceptions about their ways of life. I have had moments where I was not seen as American because of […]
Worthless, but people make it necessary.
Oscar Espinosa, Edinburg, TX. Hatred for ones color is worthless, but its us people who make it necessary because we feed the hatred.
Always seeking the color of truth.
Steve Baker Minneapolis, MN
Black-white man; white black man
Kirl T. Lawson, Oakland, CA. I have so many tales to share about my experience with my color (or lack of “definitive color recognition”). growing up in Chicago, I was called “a white n*****” by friends at times w/ affection and at times derisively. Initially the appellation hurt my feelings until I took an objective […]
My students: all colors. I’m white.
Stephanie Moran, Durango, CO.
We are HUMANS, NOT COLORS
Nik Parttridge, TN. I am classified as White/Caucasian because of how I look. This does NOT mean that I am the same people who enslaved your ancestors, or made them go on the Trail of Tears, or genocide them because of their religion! My mother’s side is Finnish, and my father’s side is Cherokee and […]
Simply put, I believe in Equality.
Charlie Knight, Indianapolis, IN. The color of ones skin; ones sexual orientation; and/or ones religious beliefs have absolutely nothing to do with ones humanity. Simply put, I believe in Equality period.
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb blonde.
Heather Saskia Nichols, Maple Grove, MN. I do not bleach my hair. I do not color my hair. I do not highlight my hair. I do not think about my hair. I do not think with my hair. Why am I called dumb because of my hair? In 7th grade, I stopped talking in class. […]
I’m A Strong Powerfull Mexican Woman
Andrea Cordero Salt Lake City, UT I no longer wan to be viewed just by the color of my skin or my gender. I am ready for this world to see me for my abilities and streangths and not just catagorize me as a “minority”. If we want to see each other as equals we […]
Post racial society–dream not reality
Jennifer Woods, Okemos, MI. I am a 65 year old African American and am sick to death that in 2012 we are still, Still, STILL having this same tired conversation about race. That we still have to have “the talk” with our young men. That black people continue, decades after Dr. King’s dream, to be […]
Human? We have something in common.
Brandon Attala, Grand Rapids, MI. ‘Race’ is just a way to classify ourselves on a more individual level. In actuality, we are all made up of 99.9% of the same DNA, and I think that should take priority over the color of our skin or our place of birth or ancestry.
I’m more than just a color
Keyona, Fairfield, CA.
Why should my color define me?
Noah Allen, Heber City, UT.
Am I here because I’m Asian?
Jamie-Claire Chau, Philadelphia, PA. We have reached a dilemma in our fight for justice. How can we intentionally battle racism without being racist? We think reconciliation is embracing people because of their race rather than despite of their race. I constantly question whether I have what I have and am where I am because I […]
More Than a Color; a History
Michaela Helinski, USA. Yes I am white, yet I am so much more than a color. I have a whole history behind me of relatives traveling from different parts of the world in order to make a new life in America. Yes I am Polish as my last name contains a “ski”, but that is […]
My ancestors do not define me.
R.M. Lutz, East Lansing, MI. My color does not define me. Why should being white make me feel guilty? I didn’t want slavery. I didn’t want Jim Crow. I didn’t ask to be born into a family that is upper middle class. But somehow, people blame me like it’s my fault. Like I wanted to […]
My color shouldn’t determine my future!
Tyler Logan, East Lansing, MI. Don’t fall under the pressure of society telling you that because of your skin color your path has already been chosen for you. Make your own path and lead the way for others regardless of what color your skin is! Success is colorblind!
Color is perception, Equality is law
Mark, West Chester, PA.
Different color but still the same.
Corey, Mentone, AL
Look at their character not color
Justin, Syracuse, NY.
Red hair blue eyes white skin
Sean, Chicago, IL. We try not to see color but color fills our life. Embrace it.
Affirm humanity, just don’t discriminate particularity
Fred Sullivan, Saddle Brook, NJ. There is a major difference between seeing color, and othering. I want people to affirm our joint unity without discriminating against me for my particularity.
Color should not hurt but enhance
Sarah Barnes, USA. I grew up in the south-color was a defining characteristic. So much happened or didn’t happen because of color and sometimes that color hurt
Be nice no matter what color!
Simon, USA. I am 5 years old!
White – the only color I know.
Taylor Bailey, Huntington, IN.
Do you love them the same?
Paige VandenBrink, Holland, MI. The worst question I have ever been asked is, “Do you love them the same?”. This was a question I was asked when I got a new adopted black cousin. I almost cried because I was too young to understand why anyone couldn’t love someone the same just because of a […]
I see human beings not color
Christopher Wydler, Miami, FL. People always ask me does it bother you that more than 90 percent of the university you attend contain African Americans? My response is simply I see people for who they are not because the skin of their color.
She is just some white girl
Brooke, Richmond, VA. Virginia Commonwealth University Racism goes all sorts of ways. My race shouldn’t define everything about me, and definitely shouldn’t generalize me as a person. My race shouldn’t decide how I get treated in public or how much I get paid. My race should not put me above or below anyone, and it […]
They hate me because I’m WHITE
Eddie Savage Gilberetville, IA There are bad people in the world, black, white, brown. the color of your skin does not matter. I know I am judged being white and a cop. Racism no matter what anyone says is HORRIBLE and needs to end, but so does the hate children are taught from a young […]
If blind, what color are you?
Ali Hassan Des Moines, IA
“I am chocolate Mama is ice-cream”
Naghmeh Moshtael Portland, OR These are my daughter’s words. We live in a world of different race, culture and heritage. My husband in African American, born in Seattle and raised in Compton, CA. I am originally from Iran, raised in Cameroon (Central Africa) and now living in the US. My daughter is adopted from Ethiopia. […]
Think you cute because you’re lightskin?
Kwazi Owens Washington, DC I see so much divisiveness among black women due to colorism. I remember growing up and girls automatically not liking me just because of my complexion and me feeling the need to reel in my personality as not seem as though I’m trying to be “better” than others. As an adult […]
I am more than my color
Frank Benson Knoxville, TN I am native american from Alaska. I have been mistaken for hispanic, asian, hawaiian. it’s difficult not to see someones color, but to make assumptions about who someone based on skin tone before meeting the person limits us all.
I bet you don’t charge whites.
Steven Columbus, OH Working a parking booth. Black woman pulled up. Sign clearly posted with the rates for parking. Open the gate. That’s 2 bucks to park here. I bet you don’t charge white people. The sign is for everyone Mam. I’m interested in green not the color of your skin.
Dogs don’t distinguish color, why us?
Tara Izadi McLean, VA
White’s a color, not a race.
Cecilia Irvine, CA I’m not white. I’m Irish American. Why do African Americans get a formal tittle on job applications, gov papers, tests, etc. but I only receive one option to check “white”
I’m a person, not a color.
Melany Cortes American Canyon, CA
Racism doesn’t have an expiration date.
Courtenay M. Miami, FL I live in a city where racism is alive and well. Many say “You’re in Miami, there is no racism”, or “People don’t treat people like that anymore,” and the most used response I hear is “Maybe it was a misunderstanding.” If someone mistreats you, how can you debate with them […]
9/10 of globe are people of color
Karl Cassell Cedar Rapids, IA
I am not my skin color.
Shayla Isaacs, Wailuku, HI.
Self segregation leads to continued stereotyping.
Monica Mingo Germantown, MD Whenever I meet someone who doesn’t have friends who share different skin colors, I challenge it. How can you live in the world we live in and not have White friends if you are Black and Black friends if you are White? If you live in the United States, the melting […]
African-American is more than color.
Carmela Atlanta, GA I am significantly more than the color of my skin. I am the culture of my people and I am amazing. Get to know me and my color and you will be amazed. If not, I can continue to be amazing without you. I realize I have nothing to prove to anybody […]
Raised by a village of color
Karen G Augusta, GA I was raised in the south by my single, widowed mother and a handful of Christian women of both colors. I learned about compassion, empathy, justice and God, at their knees. Later in life I learned prejudice while living in another country, because I was white. And I know that prejudice […]
Everybody should be treated the same
Isabella Beavan New York City, NY Brooklyn It is not right to treat people different because their color skin is different
Humans bloom in many colors. Respect.
Gayle H Swift Palm City, FL It is essential that we become color-respectful instead of color blind. As we value all colors of the human rainbow, we are all elevated in mutual respect.
I’m closer to pink than white.
Hailey Dodge Grand Rapids, MI Everywhere I go I am always being called white-girl all the time. But the truth of it is that I am not white I don’t blend in with the snow, flour shows up on my skin, and I have blood running through my veins. And to be honest the color […]
Color adds Character, People Create Labels
Jose S. Dominguez Salinas, CA
Black and white at their grayest.
Brelynn Evans Riverton, UT This sentence came from the idea of the phrases: “the difference between the two are black and white” and “the similarities make for gray areas.” The black and white race has such little impact on the different characteristics of a person that the difference is just a huge gray area. Regardless […]
Only color that matters is green.
GERARDO O. SALINAS, CA Money controls everything. More powerful than race but has no value other than the one we give to it.
These people must respect our skin color
Hailey Irvington, NY The people who stood up for equal rights are brave!
Color of skin has no value
Sura Tewolde Menlo Park, CA I just feel that whether your skin is white, black, yellow, blue, green, whatever! Your skin color should not make you any more important, superior, valuable, desirable, etc. than anyone else. It should not determine whether you will be a doctor or a garbage man. It should not define what […]
All my dreams are in color
Jacquelyn D. Elliott St. Louis, MO
You speak well for your color
M. Rene Arnold, Charlotte, NC.
My skin color is not white
Jordan Schramm Richmond, VA When I think of white, I think of a simple 8×12 sheet of printer paper. My skin does not resemble that color at all, so why define me in such a way? And when you call someone “black”, they are not the color of a chalk board, you are wrong. Color […]
I only see people, not color
Jessica Cedillo Monterey, CA
Racism takes many forms and colors.
Catherine Marenghi Marblehead, MA My family is white, and I was pleased to find no slave owners in my past — but I found a slave. The American Revolutionary War was fought with the help of slave soldiers: Hessian (German) soldiers were forcibly taken from their homes an sold as slave soldiers to King George […]
Who decided color not character matters?
Lori Petrehn San Jose, CA
Color:Brown Ethnicity:Greek Race:Human
John Q. Kontos Chicago, IL Sometimes, I wish that there were alien cultures that were a potential threat to our existence on earth, then and perhaps only then, would we view ourselves as one people instead of our current hateful and racist thinking. We all need a reminder from time to time that we are […]
Internet tell stories, without showing color
Kunal Fremont, CA Sometimes, the internet is the only way to get a fair hearing without the prejudice.
Put your color aside; think bigger.
Karen Schneider Eugene, OR The University of Oregon Because I don’t “see color” I feel I must be naive or shallow.
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