I am what I am: me.
Thanh Bercher,
Huntington Beach, CA
Vietnamese-French, Polish-Eastern European / South African
Interfaith Buddhist-Jew
Multilingual enigma.
I am the lone black parent….
Rackley Love,
Mars, PA.
The alienation that I have experienced as a parent is an enigma. Like them, I am a stay at home mom. Like them, my husband has a white collar job. Like them we chose this community because of its highly rated schools and safe streets. And like them, my passion and love for my children calls me to volunteer at school, participate in PTO Fundraisers, and spend my days at libraries and museums. I notice the whispers when I appear at the mommy and me dance classes and midday story time activities. No one ever walks over and welcomes me. I’ve never had coffee with other moms after the morning carpool drop-off. My children are seldom invited to birthday parties, and never invited to sleepovers. I am not oblivious to it! My husband and I love our girls, and our love for them is greater than this implicit xenophobia. It is for the love of my girls that we remain.
I don’t speak for my race!
Celesti Colds Fechter,
Tarrytown, NY.
I feel as though when I am the only African-American in a setting that I feel obligated to “speak” for other African-Americans. I will not do it and don’t ask me to do it. I had a job where I was the first African-American hired in a professional setting. I felt like an enigma. I am the only face of color in the room of over 50 people. It was not the first time this has happened but I felt as though I was the center of attention. When I started my job I told my co-workers, “I don’t dance and I will not speak for “all” Black people. It became a running joke that I was “teaching multi-cultural-ism” at lunch. I never felt more “Black” when I worked there. My co-workers were great it was the people who came in who were surprised to see me. I learned to be myself a long time ago and it became more important when I worked there.
