The Race Card Project
By Michele Norris
Robin Smiley,
Kirkland, WA
I’m a 74-year-old white female. I was born in California and mostly raised in the Seattle area. I taught school in Meridian, Mississippi in 1975 when my husband was stationed at the Naval Air base in Meridian. I was astounded by the racism of other white teachers in a predominately black elementary school.
Sophia Villasenor,
Anaheim, CA
Moving to Boise, Idaho when I was 7, I dealt with a change. I quickly felt as if I wasn’t the same as everyone else since I was one of the only Mexican kids in the Elementary School. The only other Mexican kids were my siblings so we all we told we were different. Whether classmates flocked to me because I was different in their eyes, it was overwhelming being paid attention to due to my skin color.
Vicki Hohner,
Olympia, WA
While I am a white midwesterner by origin, I spent most of my formative years as a minority. First as part of the only white family in several Alaska Native villages, where my parents were elementary school teachers for many years; and in my high school years, as part of a small Texas-Mexico border town which was 3/4 Hispanic. I have been the target of bullying and racial stereotyping, and while I know what I experienced was not as extreme as many people of color experience it did give me some perspective on their lived experiences. In Alaska, even at a young age, I could see how the white Western influence was destroying native communities’ ability to continue to live off the land without providing adequate alternative livelihoods for the “educated”. In Texas, I saw how the white power dynamic enabled the smaller white population to dictate much of the social and economic interactions of the Hispanic residents. When I first moved to my present location I was uncomfortable because I found the town “too white”. When traveling in other countries, I try to fit into the local population and avoid “ugly Americans”, of which I, unfortunately, see many; entitled, demanding, loud, and disrespectful of the people and places they are visiting. I find it interesting as well as infuriating when white people who do not know me well make statements that assume I think like they do, seeing people of color as “the other” or less than/undesirable. My parents felt some guilt about subjecting us to such an unusual childhood, but I am extremely grateful for the perspective it provided, which allows me to relate more often to the challenges and negative experiences of people of color and be more outraged at the disparate treatment of similar activities and offenses.
Anusha Ghildyal,
USA
I used to get this comment often when I was in elementary school. I would be surprised to hear this comment because it was never something I associated with myself and my identity. Now, I wonder why people would involve my Indian food to serve as a stereotype for my race and where I come from. I think racism is not an argument between people and their skin color, but far deeper in terms of gender, equality, and education. People are discriminated at the educational, social, and corporate levels, so education is important and crucial at those broader levels so that a mass of people are able to develop this sense of understanding.
Yiming Fang,
Hopkinton, MA
I remember once in fifth grade, a friend and I were talking, and she was trying to figure out how many hours she slept for some reason. My dad had taught me a trick about that, so I was able to tell her really quickly. She asked me how I knew so fast, and I was so excited to tell her about the trick. But before I could respond, a girl nearby (who was caucasian) did it for me. “Oh well because she’s Asian” she said with a laugh, seemingly thinking herself very funny or clever. It’s a small comment, but I felt shriveled inside, as the excitement quickly turned into confusion and shock. I replied that there was actually a trick my dad taught me, but by then the conversation had turned. My words were lost in the wind.
This was the first moment I can remember where something I did that was “smart” caused me to be reduced to a mere stereotype. There were many instances to follow, where typically caucasian classmates would make a big show if they got a higher score than me on a test, or make backhanded comments if I did well in subjects like math or science. I never knew how to respond, so I just ignored them. It was easier that way.
The last experience I’ll mention here is with a my Sophomore Spanish teacher. I arranged a meeting after school with her once because even though I had a 90 in her class, I felt like I was making a lot of silly grammatical errors. The next day my mom asked me if I had met with my Spanish teacher about something. Apparently, she had sent my parents an entire email about how I’m really “doing fine in her class” and “there’s no need to worry” repeated multiple times but simply phrased differently. I want to believe she would’ve done that for any student, but in reality, I think she thought my Asian “tiger parents” had pushed me to meet with her so she had to “protect me” by sending them that email. I wanted to confront her about it, but I didn’t know how to without sounding sensitive or crazy. Instead, I never went to her for extra help again.
In the past, I’ve hardly talked about these experiences or called someone out for their harmful actions. The instances always seemed too small to make a fuss. However, I now realize that only by speaking out can there be change. Silent shame is a jail, and I will no longer be a prisoner.
Aaliyah Gaskins,
New Orleans, LA
I chose these 6-words because growing up I was always told I talked differently and had my blackness questioned multiple times because I spoke a certain way. I grew up in a nice area where my family was one of the few black families on the street. My elementary school was predominantly white and I grew up with white friends. Once I entered middle school I was introduced to more diversity and when talking to my black peers I was almost always told that I sound white or talk differently.
Laura Speegle
Waco, TX
I teach elementary school in Waco, Texas. I can’t remember why this little bitty girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old, was sitting in my lap crying… but suddenly she reached out and stroked my pale white are and looked up at me in surprise. After making this observation she snuggled for a moment and then hopped down and went on about her business, leaving me changed forever.
Michelle C-H
Dorchester , MA
When I was a little kid, in the 70’s, My family was the only black folks most of the people around us had ever seen. Everyday in my elementary school I got some ignorant comment. “Are you brown cuz you eat brown bread?” and the like. The worst was from the old lady who served us snacks. When it was my turn to help her, she made me wash my hands to get the brown off. Over and over and over. Wash your hands, brown is dirty.
Diana Imhoff,
Brookings, OR
p>I was raised in a white community, so I had never really seen racism. I taught school in a minority elementary school. Then a parent of one of my students who constantly disrupted class unleashed this on me. I didn’t care what color her daughter was, but it was clear that her mother hated me because of the lack of color in my skin. That was about 30 yrs ago, and it still stings. I cannot imagine how people feel that are subjected to racism on a daily basis.
Julie Long,
Pioneer, CA.
When I was 8, we moved from a big city to a small country town, where there were, maybe two other families that weren’t white. I had no idea at 8 years old what race was. I never even differentiated a difference based on appearance, but I remember being suddenly shocked and presented with this presentation of my entire elementary school being all white and me, my brother and two other kids being brown. I became extremely insecure and shy all through high school. The lack of diversity barely increased by high school, to maybe 5 other students. I grew up thinking I was ugly and that only white was beautiful. It wasn’t until I was an adult I learned being different was beautiful too.
Rose Brown,
Fort Myers, FL
I don’t typically tell people that I’m Jewish. In elementary school, I was the only Jew and as such I was solely responsible for singing Jewish songs during the holidays and explaining our traditions. It continued in middle school, with everyone turning around to look at me during our week on the holocaust. Luckily for me, my Scottish/Irish genes have overtaken my Russian Jew genes as far as my appearance. By high school, I kept my Jewishness to myself. As an adult, sometimes my friends will out me (they don’t know I prefer to keep it private), and I invariably hear, “But, you don’t look Jewish”.
Mark Cooper
Lafayette, IN
In elementary school, my best friend turned to me and said, “Mark, I don’t even think of you as asian anymore!” I knew he meant that our friendship had stepped beyond perceived race, but the phrasing could not be anymore alienating. I have family that trace back to the Mayflower, to the Netherlands, and South Korea…but in the midwest people assume I am Filipino or Mexican. Either way, I love this place I’m at and the pains of looking foreign or different have only become my strengths in character. Chin up youth, opposition builds confidence if you can just rise to meet the fight.
-Mark
Eesha Verma,
USA.
When I was in elementary school, we had a Diversity Day kind of thing where everyone was asked to bring in something that represented a holiday or a tradition they had in their family. I celebrate Diwali, so I brought in a clay lamp called a diya that we put candles in and light up around the house. This particular diya had a swastika painted on it. In Hinduism, a swastika has been a symbol of prosperity and luck for thousands of years. When I brought my object in to share with the class, the kid next to me noticed the symbol first. He asked me why I’d brought in the Nazi symbol and when I tried to explain that that wasn’t what it meant, he refused to listen. Throughout the entire activity, he would periodically look over and laugh at the diya, and by the end I was so frustrated with it I was ready to hit him to shut him up.
The reason this phrase comes to mind when I think about race is because it reminds me of the negative attitudes some people have towards learning about other cultures. I’m sure my classmate didn’t know better at the time, and he probably wouldn’t do the same thing today, but I definitely know people who would. I think one of the greatest benefits of living in a diverse country is actually being able to learn about other cultures, and I feel like everyone should at least try to take advantage of that.
Jean Pierce Morrow,
State College, PA
I grew up in a suburb of West Philadelphia in the 1950s. My town had two elementary schools, and I spent my first four years at the completely white school. Then we moved to another part of town and I started fourth grade in the school with about a 20% black population. I didn’t know anybody, and at lunchtime that first day, looking for a place to sit in the cafeteria, I spotted a table full of girls with one seat left. I asked if I could join them and they said yes. Everyone ate in silence for a few moments, then one girl asked me that question. I thought about it a minute, realizing I didn’t know the answer. I knew race was connected to skin color, but I’d seen so many shades of skin that I wasn’t sure exactly where the dividing line was. I looked down at my own skin, and finally answered “I don’t think so”. After that we had a fine time. My mom later explained that they had asked me because they couldn’t think of any other reason why a white girl would sit at a Negro table. I’ve come to understand that experience as white privilege; I learned by accident at 10 what those girls had, for their own safety, been taught at a much younger age.
Tara
Jackson, MS
They go to the highest scoring elementary school in the state of Mississippi which happens to be 98% African- American. My kids are white and they don’t care about skin color and because of their school probably never will, I hope.
Eric Wall,
Kent, WA.
I was fortunate to be part of an integrated busing program all through elementary school. I went to college and got a master’s degree in Multicultural Education. I still spend too much time talking the talk and not walking the walk. Fully understanding the impact of Race is truly a life long journey.
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 by the people I grew up with. The Blacks had only arrived in my school system after rezoning enable more minorities to attend. I only embraced my color in college. The only time I feel really American is when I am abroad. I hoped that my children would grow up in a better world. They won’t.
Emily Patten,
Phoenix, AZ.
I grew up in a city with a substantial lack of racial diversity, yet my parents and teachers were able to instill values of acceptance and empathy. In my adult life, I’ve found that those two beliefs go pretty far in the way of understanding those who don’t look like me. As an elementary school teacher, my goal is to create a similar environment in the classroom: my kiddos know what Maya Angelou so beautifully stated in her poem, “Human Family”: ‘We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.’
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