The Race Card Project
By Michele Norris
Stephen Karst,
Overland Park, KS
What if we worked to recognize the dignity in one another? What would it look like to celebrate our different races, ethnicities, cultures and embrace the fullness of our humanity? What would happen if we treated each other like fellow image bearers of God & recognized that we were created to embody a glorious reality, together? We were made for unity.
Minal Parekh,
Erie, CO.
I recently participated in a “cultural competency” exercise as part of a volunteer training. I could not answer the question about which Native American tribes/nations inhabited my (now) home state. Arapaho, Ute, Pueblo, Apache, Shosone, Cheyenne. Now I know.
Patricia Hughes,
Lake Arrowhead, CA.
My father’s father took the long route of immigration from Greece during the political upheavals occurring in the early part of the 20th century, and later sent for his family. My father and some of his siblings were born in America. Growing up extremely poor in Denver, Colorado, my father was determined to excel both in education and sports (he was a champion wrestler), and to serve his country as a United States Marine in WWII. Post-war, he earned his degree, and became an elementary teacher in America’s public schools. Then, he literally followed a dream to marry my mother. My mother’s lineage traces back to European royal lines.
Mom and Dad only ever wanted us to “be Americans” and to “assimilate.” Although we love Greek food and culture, we did not, as children, learn the Greek language or continue in the Greek church. It’s interesting to note that my “white” mother was not accepted by my Greek grandfather, for quite some time!
All of us kids grew up in small-town America: Southern California. I chose to follow my father’s path, and became a teacher. I am concluding my own long career in public education, having served the needs of our “ever-immigrant” nation.
We are all immigrants.
Jason Williams,
Nashville, TN.
Take pride in this great nation, remember those who built it.
Kelly White,
Frisco, TX
I am a white woman who people mistake as conservative. A simple way for me to think about the race issues in the US today (and, I know, things are not simple) relate to “we” or “me” thinking. “We” thinkers know we are all connected, and that the strength is to accept and help each other, even though we may be different. “Me” thinkers put themselves first, and are threatened by losing power and privilege, so they resist change and look for excuses not to accept those who are different from themselves (protesters, people who break the law, etc.). I’d rather live in a “We” community and nation, where everyone feels heard, valued and supported. We have a long way to go, and am hopeful we will get there.
Stephen Grove Malloy,
San Francisco, CA.
Would love to contribute my experience here in the Nation’s Wealthiest and Progressive City…one would think it were Shangrila when in fact it has been the most negative “race” based experience I’ve encountered in my 55 years of African-American Life in these United States.
Jessica H,
Seattle, WA.
A society which chooses to live with such oppression and misery becomes a society without trust or hope: a nation of desperate confidence men hoping they too will not be nothing, despised, a thing without hope.
Kimberlee Collins,
Gulf Shores, AL.
We as a nation of individuals need to be supportive of one another. Each of us are unique and yet we are all the same, we all have feelings and are proud of our heritages. To hear community leaders instigating racial unrest, is not only unethical but destroying the bonds that we should be developing. People should be helping each other not becoming more distant and mistrustful of each other. To be in a position of power and to misuse it to cause unrest, should be clearly seen not blindly followed. Can you honestly say that all people of a certain race are bad? If the answer to this is yes, then you are without a doubt racist. There are good and bad people in every race, but to judge all by the actions of some clearly is flawed reasoning. Critical thinking needs to be implemented to examine all the good you can find in each individual, not classify them because of their race. To all the race baiters out there, just think what your words could do to unify, if used for peace and unification of our country and world. So remember this when you hear someone calling you to act unjustly.
Be Blessed all, and remember Jesus said to “Love thy neighbor”, (not just the ones you want to love, ALL of them)
Lynn Levine,
Prescott Valley, AZ
Our national origins in slavery constantly limit us in terms of the progress we can make towards a just society. I am not sure, given these origins, that we will ever get there.
R.E.A.L. Talk,
High Tech Middle Media Arts,
7th Grade Trailblazer
To me race is just a made up way to put people in groups, based on the way they look. When did that start to matter? Stereotypes, Racism, Segregation, Slaves, and Wars. Stereotypes are a big part of race and racism. The following are the most common stereotypes for Black people. Blacks` are know to not know how to swim. Blacks are from the ghetto. Blacks all have afros or not done hair. All Black Women are sassy, angry, and loud. Black dudes are super violent by nature. Black people need White people to save them.
It really hurts to think people don’t know the truth about who I really am. Stereotypes really hurt people, I have experience with it many times, I get very hurt thinking that’s what people think about me. Just look at the Doll test. I think that people never really learned the truth about race. In class we busted the myth of race. RACE IS FAKE.
Race is Nothing to Change our Nation
Race is not real. Race is the classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, ancestry, genetics and lifestyle. Well that’s what people used to think. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) “All humans belong to the same species and that ‘race’ is not a biological reality but a myth.” When the European settlers/explorers came to america they saw people who didn’t look like the others. I bet you’re thinking well race came first. The settlers decided they were more superior which created racism and then race afterward. Think of it as if you were looking at an ants and you naturally squish the ants most people do. There is no way to tell a person’s “race”, not by skin color hair color or eye color. Race is not Real. Still don’t think so do some research, look it up. Many people would agree with me.
Mark Allen Kleiman
Venice, CA
As a student activist back in the day, I fought de facto segregation. It breaks my heart to see how quickly things slid back. A “kinder, gentler” end to a “kinder, gentler” Reconstruction. Only nationwide.
Enrique Amigon
Newark, NJ
All individual problems are universal problems, reform for one nation is the push for another nation to act.
Georgia
Ann Arbor, MI
Think about it. The building of this country was facilitated by making it ok to destroy or enslave someone who was not white to get what they had or could provide to advance this country. Genocide was committed on a people to get the land. Enslavement was committed to get free labor to increase wealthy and power. Exclusion was practice to keep that way.
Marie Makoue
Hyattsville, MD
At people’s sight Africa is seen as a undeveloped territory. I choose theses words because they emphasize developed countries’s opinions about Africa since ancient times. In today’s world there still people who see Africa as a village territory; a place of torture, misery and sufferance. Even though there still, Africa is a developed continent. It’s a living territory.
Jim Wallin
Lebanon, PA
We won’t get “over” race until blacks stop looking for racism. Trust me, you don’t have to look. Saying someone is racist because they say something critical about a black person is ridiculous and devalues the label of “racist”. Whites can never truly understand what being Black is like. I wish Liberals would stop thinking they can. Blacks need to be less sensitive and whites need to be more sensitive. Hate crime laws will destroy us as a free nation. (we’re almost already there) Words don’t have any more power over you than what you give them. Affirmative action and the civil rights movement have done more harm to white/black relations than any other causes for 400 years. They’ve also done more harm to Blacks than the KKK ever did. Stop listening to those who do not have your best interests at heart. How can you tell? Watch what the results of their actions and words really are. Democrats have done more harm to the Black family and to Blacks than the KKK which they originally founded. Planned Parenthood through abortion kills more black children than any KKK lynchers ever did. Who supports Planned Parenthood? Democrats. Who denies changes in the school system so that more black children can get a real education? Democrats and their money men the Unions.
James E. Sanders Jr
San Antonio, TX
Life as I know it from a young age.
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