Yvonne Kasper Hogan Phoenix, AZ Because of WWII, my family was displaced and I was born in Germany. When we came to the States in 1957, people would ask where I was from, because of my accent. I’d tell them, very innocently, that I was from Germany. They immediately called me a Nazi. My parents […]
I’m colorblind, both legally and racially
Robert Templeton, Kyleigh Glasper Colorado Spring, CO I have a multicultural family, but I just see them as family.
Acknowledging my privilege in American society.
Danielle Morency Ann Arbor, MI I grew up in an upper-middle class suburban town composed of 93.4 percent white people. You could say that I had limited exposure to people of other races. While being a white person in society did provide me with certain advantages throughout my life, these were not things I was […]
Two white dads, three black children.
Morten Sunde Racine, WI
God, please keep my family safe.
Allan Jespersen California, MD
Human Race = Families, Nations, and Tongues
Mary Winter Ann Arbor, MI Understanding Race Project- University of Michigan
Where did you learn your English?
Sameer Belgaumi Ann Arbor, MI Understanding Race Project- University of Michigan I’m a Pakistani-American who grew up in Saudi Arabia. I hear this question so often that I wish I had a better reason than “I was born speaking it.” The truth that English was one of the first languages I learned, seems like such […]
Black but my grandmother is not
Bradley McIntyre Woodbridge, VA I was always the darkest kid in my mostly black school. I always saw myself only as black. Three years ago I learned that my grandmother is not black. My maternal great grandfather is an Irish merchant sailor and my maternal great grandmother is Arawak Indian (native of Jamaica). It is […]
Understanding began with racially-mixed family.
Marlene Ross Ann Arbor, MI Understanding Race Project – University of Michigan
I don’t trust whites, I’m white
Laura Bell Gahanna, OH Disowned by my “white” family after my mother married a black man, I was raised by my step-father’s family since the age of three, I am 41 now. Anger towards the family that left us, happy for the family that welcomed us.
White couple adopts four brown Brazilians.
James F. New Haven, CT A few years ago we adopted four beautiful children from Brazil. Their skin is darker than ours. We also have a biological child who, obviously, looks a little more like us. We love our little multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual family. It’s a beautiful thing!
Our first and last family meeting.
Amy Seguin, TX
Why marry out of your race?
Suella Torres Deming, NM My husband and I will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary in February. We have a daughter together and 7 more mixed kids between us. Our kids are Afro Mexican Americans. With the exception of my oldest who is a third white. The range in colors is vanilla to caramel to […]
Black babies cost less to adopt
Michelle P. Covington, LA We decided to adopt a child years ago. We are not infertile, but felt like it was a great way to add to our family, while loving someone who needed us. Our research showed us that African-American children, especially boys, are the least adoptable in our country. We decided to adopt […]
Yes, they really are my children.
Corrie Bugby Murray, UT I am a Caucasian woman who adopted three African American sons. I love them. I cherish everything about them. And I hate it when people assume that they aren’t my children. Like the woman who asked me, “Don’t you think you’d love a biological child more?” ?! I have come to […]
Why did you hide our heritage?
Grace Ostrum, PA. Didn’t know I was Native American Indian until I was 38 years old. My family still won’t talk about it.
Here come the white people….Family!
Robbie Wolfe Chester, VA My mom and us, her children, were noticeably “lighter” than the rest of my family, which were very brown to dark-skinned people. Yet, that’s how we were greeted on Sundays and family gatherings, in front of other family members, friends and invited guests. Running joke? As I got older, I secretly […]
When did your family come here?
Mitzi Zohar Outside USA I would reply that my mother’s mother was sixth generation Canadian. Growing up in a wealthy WASP enclave my questioners wouldn’t leave me alone until I had admitted to having three Eastern European Jewish grandparents. Having buttonholed me the questioners would lose interest.
Family love is bigger than race
Sandra McDonaugh Portland, OR
Gang member in my family??? Noooo!!
Anonymous Morris, MN
Interracial marriage: My kids are gorgeous!
Norene Lealamanua Portland, OR My very white family was confused by my choices until they fell head over heels for my exceptionally smart, beautiful brown children!
We don’t match. Yes, we’re family
Deb Venzke Iowa City, IA As an interracial family, we sometimes get quizzical looks from strangers. This could be our T-shirt motto.
Our family is Irish, Indian, Black
Diana Lockhart Powder Springs, GA
Black dad, white mom, endangered son
Mary Bratton Submitted via: NPR’s Talk of the Nation
I wish race mattered to NOBODY!
Mary Palmer Manahawkin, NJ I am a white woman married to a white man. We are the parents of two biological sons and one adopted bi-racial daughter, all of them grown.
White parents. Asian daughter. My family.
Anonymous Submitted via: NPR’s Talk of the Nation
Not my problem, now my kid’s
Courtney M Oklahoma City, OK I’m white. I was raised in a military family that traveled everywhere and was taught to love what makes us different. Then I had children with a man who isn’t white. Now, race has taken on a whole new meaning. Explaining race issues to them is painful…for so many reasons.
Transracial adoptive family = living multiple realities.
Submitted via Twitter: @steveped
Family’s racism replacing, old pictures erasing.
Stacey McMackin Richmond Heights, MO
How do you treat your family?
Gina LA I am starting to reject the ideas of “Us” and “Them” at all levels, although I never thought I’d feel that way. It’s a journey. When I say “How do you treat your family?” it’s an acknowledgement that we are all genetically related. If you accept that idea, it’s only natural to ask […]
Nothing was handed to me EVER.
Randy Shafer, West Allis, WI. We was raised to treat everyone the same. Most of what goes one in the world doesn’t represent the “whole” of any one race. My family has a mix of many ethnicities and our family does just fine. I can understand the way people feel and believe it’s mostly due […]
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