To Be Black is To Be Resilient
Liara Skinner,
Katy, TX
Student from Dillard University New Orleans
No offense BUT, what are you?
Francesca Sam-Sin,
Katy, TX.
“No offense BUT, what are you?” That’s usually how the conversation about my race begins.
When I arrived in the U.S. in the 80’s I was really surprised by the emphasis on race. The first time someone asked what “race” I was, it took me a minute to understand exactly what they were referring to. Race? A potato sack race? A sprinter? A distance runner? OH! My ethnicity. Wow! I had never been asked that before. I was born in Holland, raised in Suriname (Dutch Guyana). In simplistic American terms my mom is White and my dad, Black. In cultural and historical terms, my mom is the product of a French father and Dominican mother-my father is the product of a Creole mother and Black and Chinese father. I grew up knowing my culture, my ethnic background…never a color. You were either Dutch or Surinamese, not black or white. So, when people say: “No offense but, what are you?!” I give them a history lesson, not a color. I don’t consider myself Black or White. I’m a mixture of so many things that the best answer I can give people is that I’m an “other.” I am all the other things that are not on the list of races. I feel that if I chose one ethnicity, I would be denying another. I embrace everything that I am and suffer the injustices of all minorities.
From my perspective, it would be a lot easier to identify with one group of people because the reality is that I’m never truly accepted by ANY. In Junior High I wasn’t Black enough…in high school I wasn’t White enough and by the time I went to college, people had become more politically correct and just called me “exotic” (like a bird or something?!). Racially I’ve never belonged anywhere and culturally I’m scattered everywhere– from China to Suriname to Holland to America. I’m proud of my heritage, but I think that the focus society has placed on “categorizing” people has resulted in many of us who are multi-cultural to choose one or the other. So, I choose “Other.” It’s time for people to start thinking outside the (race) “box.”
Your firstname doesn’t match your lastname
Sidney,
Katy, TX
My name is Sidney and my last name is Rodriguez, based on my last name you can assume I am Hispanic. My whole life I have had people who say “Wow your name is so White, but your last name is so Hispanic” and even said, “You need to marry a man with a White last name so it matches better.”
To be honest, and probably because I grew up listening to the combination, I greatly like my name. I don’t want it to be any other way.
Immigrant child wants normal last name
Ma. Lexa Dayday,
Katy, TX
Houston Community College
Who invented the “race card” anyway?
Kathryn Terry,
Katy, TX.
I hate the term “race card” because when I hear it, it tells me that the person using it doesn’t have any desire to listen to or understand anything about the experiences of racism that people of color face. If you think there’s a “race card”, who do you think put it in the deck to begin with? Why is there such a need to deny the lived experiences of black people, when our history both past and recent gives evidence that there is truth that needs to be listened to and faced in order to heal and change and make the world better for future generations? When I hear “race card” I feel discouraged that people cling to their racist assumptions.
I always knew I was different.
Coleen Owens
Katy, TX
We (my sisters and I) were often the “minority” – growing up in a military household and moving often – whether it meant repeatedly being the new student or not speaking the language, we had many rich experiences because we didn’t fit in… we were nomadic for a time, and taught by parental modeling to embrace change and differences – to see through and beyond them while loving and learning from them. I feel lucky that I experienced what it was like to BE the one who was different – a little white girl with a Catholic school education who was born in England and became a naturalized citizen at 3… As an adult I continue to celebrate and appreciate differences. Isn’t life great – that it gives us an entire spectrum – whether it’s race, creed, color, country, etc. – we’re all sharing this planet and not one of us IS the same!
