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Your family isn’t your “real” family

205961_269253959754124_6583323_nAnonymous,
Des Moiones, IA.
Drake University

This is what my mom was told in 1954 when social services came into her home and removed her and all of her siblings from her mom. At that time they were truly poor and were having a hard time finding enough food to eat. Her mother had a dysfunctional relationship with her husband and her younger children did have different fathers. My mom’s father was black. All of her older siblings were white and her two youngest siblings had a hispanic father. My mom did not realize that she was racially different from her siblings until the State of Iowa told her “that they were going to find her real family”. Four of her siblings were able to stay together the twins were adopted by family and her two brothers directly under her were adopted together. Over time, my grandmother did regain custody of three of the 8 children that were taken by the state once she married the hispanic man who was the father of her two youngest children. My mom however, was in an orphanage waiting for her real family. She did have occasional visits with her family until she was sent to live with the THomas Family who were and respectable, and black. My mom did not know that her siblings missed never stopped looking for their sister. It took 40 years but in 1994 my mom was reunited with her “Real” Family.

Your family isn’t your “real” family

205961_269253959754124_6583323_nAnonymous,
Des Moiones, IA.
Drake University

This is what my mom was told in 1954 when social services came into her home and removed her and all of her siblings from her mom. At that time they were truly poor and were having a hard time finding enough food to eat. Her mother had a dysfunctional relationship with her husband and her younger children did have different fathers. My mom’s father was black. All of her older siblings were white and her two youngest siblings had a hispanic father. My mom did not realize that she was racially different from her siblings until the State of Iowa told her “that they were going to find her real family”. Four of her siblings were able to stay together the twins were adopted by family and her two brothers directly under her were adopted together. Over time, my grandmother did regain custody of three of the 8 children that were taken by the state once she married the hispanic man who was the father of her two youngest children. My mom however, was in an orphanage waiting for her real family. She did have occasional visits with her family until she was sent to live with the THomas Family who were and respectable, and black. My mom did not know that her siblings missed never stopped looking for their sister. It took 40 years but in 1994 my mom was reunited with her “Real” Family.

Constant awareness is difficult but necessary

Mark Reiter
Drake University
Des Moines, IA

I grew up in a very white Catholic community. I always understood that there was more to the world then what was in my community growing up, but there’s no way I could have anticipated just how different everyone’s backgrounds could be. It’s hard to always be aware and sensitive of the differences of others but it is something that I try to remind myself of throughout every day.

Aunt Lucy would be ashamed

Australopithecus afarensis male and femaleKevin Potts,
Des Moines, IA.
Drake University

Mankind is surprisingly homogeneous, having evolved from a common ancestor. Our distant relative ‘Aunt Lucy’, the Australopithecus Afarensis hominid, would be ashamed to see how much hatred exists within her ‘family’ on the assumed prominence of racial differences. That is, if her species had the brain capacity to reason, make moral judgments, or move on past the Stone Age.

European American just doesn’t make sense.

Emma Croskrey
Des Moines, IA
Drake University

During my senior year of high school we were filling out our College applications, and I remember I had this one friend that really wanted scholarships because she didn’t have a whole lot of money. Since her family moved over here from Germany she figured she could say she was European American. For the rest of the year we had a friend that continued to say to her, “European American just doesn’t make sense.”

“White” isn’t a definition or race

Anonymous
Des Moines, IA
Drake University

Asians get offended when you cannot tell exactly which ethnicity they are, and yet it is fine/appropriate to call us “white”? “White” is not a definition, and it is definitely not a race. If I am racist for calling every Asian I see Chinese, then everyone else is racist for calling me “white” or American. I am a mutt. I am German, Icelandic, Bohemian, and Irish. I am proud of my heritage, and I wish more people would ask what ethnicity I actually am. Continuing on with the word “white,” it truly bothers me how we cannot say the word “black” without getting disapproving glares. I do not think of African Americans any differently. Am I color blind to skin color? Obviously not, but I don’t let it affect my judgements towards people. Two of my housemates are African American, and coming from a town with only one African American family I had many questions for them about their lives. My questions were not about how they must have been treated differently their whole lives because of their skin color, but I asked them how their lives were growing up because we are from such different colors. It honestly bothers me how you cannot make a remark on someone’s skin color without being considered racist. Are people embarrassed by their ethnicity? One thing I like about race is how you get to physically show your heritage and culture. I am proud of my ancestors, aren’t you?

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