hands Archives - The Race Card Project

We are all shades of brown.

January 24, 2022 brown, Color, Eileen Seigfried, Greensburg, hands, PA, pre-school, shades, shades of brown, tan

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 remember this lesson.

Wash your hands. Brown is dirty.

June 28, 2021June 28, 2021 1970's, brown, dirty, Dorchester, elementary school, first experience, hands, ignorant, MA, Michelle C-H, wash your hands

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.

Annie/Grandma/black/white hands entwined

June 3, 2021 Black, CO, first experience, Grandma, hands, Longmont, memory, Susan Ross, white

Susan Ross,
Longmont, CO

What a blessing this memory brings! Annie so tall/my tiny bent grandma – laughing together, I feel included & embraced by warmth and caring and goodness.

Two hands shaking, have no color.

November 30, 2013 Color, complicated, diverse, Don Wright, hands, ID, Lewistown, mutual respect

Don Wright
Lewistown, ID

It’s not easy working with a diverse group of people until you get to know each other. It starts by sticking out your hand and inviting the other person to get to know you.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, just a simple gesture of mutual respect.