Bonnie Jerome-D’Emilia, Haddonfield, NJ. These are my three children. We had never discussed the derogatory use of the word yellow to connote Asian, until we were forced to. My daughter was shocked.
Not wanting to deny my roots
Laura, Red bank, NJ. Let me just start by saying that racial forms are the death of me. I keep clicking back and forth between non Hispanic white and Latin American. Here’s the thing. My mom and her family are from Puerto Rico. The language and culture are very important to her but here is […]
I hate being called “white girl”
Stephanie Wichowski, Mount Olive, NJ,. I’m proud to be Polish and part Irish but because I’m white and a girl I automatically get grouped into other categories. I get told I can’t dance “because I’m white” and I’m told to prove that I can dance. (Mind you I’ve been training at a dance studio since […]
Life Divided By A Common Language
David H Lippman, Newark, NJ My situation is different…my mother is English, my father a third-generation New Yorker, so I either sound like I come from The Bronx or from London. The accents switch at the slight move of my tongue, which can be voluntary or involuntary. It’s involuntary if I’m talking about specific subjects. […]
Music teacher listening to student cries
Jamie Coppa, Asbury Park, NJ. As a music teacher with an almost entirely black and hispanic student body, I was met with stories of oppression, lack of food, disrupted sleep, abuse, incarceration, and even the murder of the loved ones they so deeply cared for. I will never forget the beautiful music my students expressed […]
The Day After The World Changes
Duryan Bhagat-Clark, Aberdeen, NJ. My father is an immigrant from Bombay, India. He moved here to go to college and graduate school. He is Muslim. While working at Rutgers University he met my mother; she is Jewish. They were married within a year. As I often joke, I know there will never be peace in […]
I know my way around aisle 8
Jaden M, Trenton, NJ
Torn. Frijoles charros or apple pie?
Inga Paterson-Zuniga West Orange, NJ I am a German-Scottish Spanish teacher, born and raised in the USA. I learned to see the world through multi-colored lenses after living for several years in Mexico, marrying into a Mexican family and acquiring a love of all things Mexican. As a middle school Spanish teacher I hope to […]
I’M NOT ASHAMED OF MY SKIN
Stacy Smith, Bergenfield, NJ.
Healing begins with the word hello.
Marguerite Stocker, Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
White girls love Starbucks and Uggs
Jenna M, NJ. I’m white and I don’t constantly go to Starbucks or wear Uggs all the time. I’m tired of people making assumptions about girls who are white and making us all seem to be the same!
My body, But not, Your property
Tahj, Morristown, NJ Despite your perception, it’s not wanted!!!!!!!!!
Mexican, ethnicity of my heart!
Kathy Smith-Wenning, Highlands, NJ. My boxes check white, Anglo-Saxon but the ethnicity of my heart is Mexican. That is for all the good, the beauty, and the kindness afforded to me by the Mexican people here in NJ and Oaxaca, Mexico.
I was born and raised American.
Anonymous, NJ. I have never been so angry at or disappointed in my parents in all my 16 years of life. Before you dismiss this as just another teenager hating on her parents, hear me out, because it is far from that. Both of my parents moved to America from Lebanon, a small country in […]
It will be up to women
Tayari Jones, Jersey City, NJ. Submitted via Twitter: @tayari
Your bar is down the street.
Ronald Zeigler, North Brunswick, NJ. I was stationed at Parris Island going to Personnel school. I was from New York and with my three New Jersey (also Black) friends went into Beaufort, SC. We walked into a bar and my friend said “three beers, please”. I was at the jukebox looking for Motown and finding […]
Let’s all hit the reset button
Submitted via Twitter: @ABL_Brands. Lambertville, NJ.
“Outnumbered” by other humans??? Perplexed, mystified!
Julie Murphy, Plainfield, NJ. I wrote this in response to the excellent article in Nat Geo. White people talk about feeling outnumbered by other races. How do they think people of color have felt for hundreds of years? 30 years ago I moved to a town that was predominantly black and sent my daughter to […]
Had to always prove myself better.
Mitchell Frank Reynolds Powell, Pemberton, NJ I started my work life at 17 years old, in the US Airforce and retired the first time 24 years later. My responsibilities as a crew member were awesome and called for attention to detail without error. Becoming a flight examiner was the high point of my military career. […]
Please Doctor King, do it peacefully.
Sister Kathleen Reilly, UAC, CSAC Union City, NJ The above summarizes my main prayer when the movement for racial equality got started. I think of myself as more a part of it now than I was then as I am now teaching in a predominantly minority high school. A large percentage of the young men […]
I am disappointed in my race.
William Spellman, Towaco, NJ The year is 2021. It’s been over 50 years since the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act were passed and became law. Suddenly, the Republicans in the South are reversing those laws that protect these equal, great people from discrimination. Why would they do this? Don’t they know that most […]
Three White Eagles and a Brownie
Mark Petersen-Overton, Mount Laurel, NJ The loves of my life! When we was stationed in Hawaii, we wanted to adopt a local girl to go along with our three natural born sons. We received huge resistance from local orphanages because we were “Haole”. So I flew to Phnom Pen and brought home our precious little […]
How did you get a boy?
Claire Wallick Moy, Maplewood, NJ. This is what I was asked in 1998 when I moved to NJ. Our 3 children look much more like their father than me. so many girls have been adopted from China in this generation, but not boys. A white Jewish woman with an Asian looking boy is outside of […]
Italian American women are still invisible
Ann Sparanese Englewood, NJ
Mommy, I want to be Vanilla.
Jasmin Marie Harpe, Burlington, NJ. It has been hard to fit in to both societies growing up as a biracial child, especially being in academia where there are few people who look like me. I had a lot of race issues growing up with my father who has very fair skin, and my mother who […]
Who’s the white guy with Cameron
David Mercando, Norcross, GA This October my wife and I celebrate our 31st anniversary. We are a mixed race couple. I am white and my wife is Filipino. We noticed right away that we were not treated as equal to other young couples in Princeton, NJ in the 1990’s. It slowly changed but is still […]
“These People want too many rights”
Robert Kruk, Bloomingdale, NJ When I was a boy (13 or so) my father & I were watching the news, and an African-American demonstration was shown. After listening to a speaker, my father exclaimed the above sentence. Even at the time, I thought that it was one of the stupidest things I’d ever heard anyone […]
Wow you speak english very well!
MadelCarmen Gonzalez, Union City, NJ
I’m not mad, I’m just exhausted.
Julian Smith, East Orange, NJ. When I hear a story about a black person that posed no threat being killed by a white police officer I no longer get angry I just sigh and think about how some people think a 50 year document changed over 300 years of oppression.
White mom hoping Filipina daughter’s prepared
Yael Silverberg Urian, Montclair, NJ.
A black girl’s dilemma in America
Selena JP, Empowering Youth Towards Excellence (EYTE) Program, Elizabeth, NJ There is a great irony regarding my 6 words story- from both society and ourselves. As black women in America, in particular, we are held at a higher standard but we’re constantly at the bottom of the barrel. We are the ones who are blatantly […]
“I didn’t expect to see you”
Mensah Cone Livingston, NJ I’m the owner of a start-up Mandarin school. After completing a presentation of my school’s offerings to a principal in an urban school, the principal said, “Mensah, that was a fantastic presentation”. She expressed sincere interest in the program for her students. While packing my materials, she said, “I didn’t expect […]
How did you get a boy?
Claire Wallick Moy, Maplewood, NJ. This is what I was asked in 1998 when I moved to NJ. Our 3 children look much more like their father than me. so many girls have been adopted from China in this generation, but not boys. A white Jewish woman with an Asian looking boy is outside of […]
Grandfather was arrested for helping Blacks
Darci, Shamong, NJ
I’m from northern suburban New Jersey.
Ian Heinz, College Park, MD. Enough said.
I feel like I’ve been sorted.
Jaclyn Huelbig, Edison, NJ. I’m white. When I was a child, I lived in a city (the type that hipsters remain uninterested in!) and I had friends of all races and religions. I had the benefit, for example, of having a conversation with my friend when she chose to don a hijab (her older sister, […]
Everyone’s life is worth living.
Samantha Cleary, Bloomfield, NJ All lives can’t matter until Black Lives Matter! We all need to stay strong and support everyone we especially when we see someone being discriminated against.
Look Beyond The Color of Skin
Anthony J Drakeford, East Orange, NJ
“Be your own kind of beautiful”
Sabrina Macchia, Bloomfield, NJ We may all have different backgrounds, but we are truly beautiful!
Learn to love someone for them
Kenley Casado, Bloomfield, NJ
Don’t allow ignorance to excuse racism
Alexis Balkissoon, Bloomfield, NJ
Strength intelligence spice loyalty nobility earth
Erika Grisselle Morales Montalvo, Newark, NJ I was born in Puerto Rico. I grew up learning that a Puerto Rican is blend of three: white European (Spaniard), Native American (Taino) and African (Black slaves). We don’t to measure ourselves through color but the heritage and knowledge acquired from these three great races. In Puerto Rico […]
Mom, talk about your “black firsts.”
Janice Lowe New York City, NY My mother, Dr. Willa Lowe was one of the first black English teachers in several high schools in New Jersey, Washington, DC and Ohio. She was part of that first wave of school integration in which talented African American teachers were hired before African American students were admitted. She […]
Remember, whites are a global minority
James Camron, Cherry Hill, NJ
Privilege is power; power is broken.
Michele W, The University of Tennessee, Boonton, NJ
I’d be blinded by their racism.
Isa Mejia, Montclair, NJ Their-meaning institutionalized racism that stops any sort of justice to be made. Allowing cops, white people, and anyone with that sort of privilege to kill innocent POC and black lives. We only know and fight for justice after we fight to find out harm was even done. Since it’s hidden to […]
My skin color doesn’t define me
Katie Kerrigan, The University of New Hampshire, Parsippany, NJ Recently I got called out on my white privilege. I acknowledge that I was born with a certain amount of it, but I do not want that to define me or people to assume things due to that. I think with everyone it is important to […]
Mind wide, self-education comes free
Edward Darden Washington, DC Every American black person, who succeeds is and was self-educated to a great extent, at least in the beginning. When children are young, the chains around their minds and bodies are able to be broken with a Will to reach farther than what is in front of them. In this way, […]
Why didn’t we talk about this?
Madison Martin, Ewing, NJ. Growing up in a predominantly white town, race was not a topic of much discussion in the classroom. My parents were good role models to me and my brother and did not hide us from the world outside the “bubble” of our town, but the rest of my town seemed to […]
Yeh, I’m positively and definitely black.
Cary Pittman IV, Voorhees, NJ Black people in America today are of many different shades, tones, and even features. Some are darker than others, some are lighter than others. Yet, when I say or tell you I’m black you should just believe me.
“Youre so exotic”, said white guy.
Jhanae Wingfield, West Orange, NJ. Often a part of the pick up line.
Even when you’re not… you are.
Vaune Peck, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
I find myself profiling people often.
Steve Meltzer Dover, NJ
Our global motivations are innately similar.
Tiffany Wysocki, Middletown, NJ. Monmouth University As I travel the world, I have found one truth: we are all innately equal in our drives and desires. We are driven by love and survival. We want the best for our families. We want to feel loved and have the opportunity to love. That’s it. That is […]
Words, arranged properly, can change lives.
Patricia Armstrong, Dumont, NJ.
11 years. Silence from my father.
Linda, Palmyra, NJ.
Discovering, remembering and filtering historical resentments.
Richard R Clarke West New York, NJ This is what I see happening to people over and over again, no matter what their race, color or cultural identity.
This is our neighborhood too, sir.
Sarah Natannia, Ewing, NJ When my family moved to a predominantly white neighborhood, we were one of three Black families living on our street. One day, my mother, sisters and I went for a walk to explore our new neighborhood. An old white lady saw us walking and called the cops on us. The police […]
Living while black, a criminal offense
Cassandra Gordon, Morristown, NJ
Black man. Slight movement. Dead now.
Colleen McCluskey, Morristown, NJ
Don’t blame me for my ancestors
Sydney Mihalik, Morristown, NJ
We should build bridges not walls.
Kenneth Sierra, Morristown, NJ
A lifetime to unlearn cultural biases
John Christopher, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
The police work for you. Vote.
Alf Newlin, NJ. These six words popped in my mind while watching the national coverage about Ferguson as well as from a multi year experience centered around a community’s effort to materially improve community friendly public safety. Oddly the demographics for the referred to community are so very different than those communities currently in the […]
I hide in my Anglo-Franco name.
Eleanor Williams Maplewood, NJ My name is white, my skin is dark. Torn between my minority & majority roots I don’t know who I am.
Belonging nowhere, I inhabit all spaces
Anthony Chicaiza, Belleville, NJ. Collection: The Race Card Project, On Location, Hood Museum of Art, Witness I’m a first-generation Latino-American stuck between cultures and expectations of masculinity and gender on both sides. Which do I present today?
Heart isn’t racist false accusations anger
Kevin Antonelli, Vienna, NJ. I remember the riots of the 1960’s yet at the time as a young child didn’t know the reason behind them or what was going on in the world. I was raised by an Archie Bunker and lived in a W.A.S.P. town with one black family. I was a racist but […]
Twitter trends hashtag white girl problems
Kaitlyn Gravatt, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University Whenever I click on Twitter I see #whitegirlproblems. How is Starbucks running out of my favorite drink a white girl problem? How is my eyeliner on one eye not matching my other eye a white girl problem? It is hurtful to be put into this stereotype that […]
My generation has to do better
Josh, Monmouth University, NJ #theracecardproject @MU
’68, white in a black school.
Kevin C. Lawrence, Florence, NJ. Dad fought “fires” in ’68 Indy. Dr. King is my hero, too.
Spoiler Alert: We’re ALLLL from Africa!
Kristin Silvani, NJ. Get over it, racist white people! You’re embarrassing the rest of us!
Don’t make assumptions. Just ask questions.
Stephanie Woodworth, Piscataway, NJ. My six words are in reference to how hesitant (in some cases, even terrified) people are to talk to each other when differences are involved. It’s as if even the most well-meaning people become paralyzed at the thought of acknowledging not only our differences, but our collective level of ignorance about […]
I am Mexican when its convenient
John Heath Olguin, West Orange, NJ. Before you get all worked up about my 6 words. Let me explain. I watched a little boy of Mexican-American decent sing our national anthem and thought nothing of it. The next day I read about all the negative comments that came about of his performance (see link) and […]
Ignored flaws are obviously a privilege.
Vincent Wrice, Paterson, NJ. It is frustrating to endure heightened scrutiny with harsh judgment yet be regarded so little.
White People Don’t Have A Culture?
Gabrielle Ientile, Spring Lake, NJ. Monmouth University Sometimes I hear people say that white people don’t have a culture. Then what am I? Where do my traditions and lifestyle fit in? What are the consequences of an “absent” culture?
She Looks Like a Burnt Monkey.
Deckonti, Vineland, NJ. Just one of the many comments I would get growing up in a predominately all-white Catholic School where I was the only black and dark skin girl in my class.
Times have changed, watch your words
Kareem, Plainfield, NJ.
They don’t see me as human………
George Days Jr., Newark, NJ. I think when you do, you’re see the reflection of your own image & needs…….
The Asian/Pacific Islander category is very enticing.
Cheryl Mercado Arnedt, West Orange, NJ. My grandmother and her sister — red-headed daughters of NYC cops — both married full Filipino men and were disowned. There was no race in our family – just rice AND potatoes at every meal. My grandfather “Pupa” intentionally didn’t pass down his Asian-ness or his language Tagalog so […]
My Black is Best on Me
Shani Ketema, Newark, NJ. Mini Buns. Boxer Braids. Tans. Injections. Street style. TRANSLATION Bantu Knots, Cornrows, Black skin, thickness and what I’ve been wearing for years cause designer is expensive. I’m beyond tired of hearing that my black looks better on the bodies of white America. It’s not fair that someone can buy my skintone […]
I’m a strong, educated, ambitious latina.
Sandra Hidalgo, Elizabeth, NJ. Family is my priority, my faith is my fuel, and I do whatever it takes to break stereotypes.
By doing nothing, I’m the problem.
Bryan Fishkin, South Orange, NJ. As a white male who reaps the unfair benefits of institutionalized racism, I must make it an absolute priority to find actionable ways in which I can help alter the system to better promote actual equality. Acknowledging that the system is broken but doing nothing about it is just simply […]
Will racists be in Heaven? – Revelation 5:9
Rev. Paul Nulton, Vernon, NJ. I grew up in a very racist family and church. My grandfather subscribed to magazines like “The Cross and The Sword” – John Birch society rants about how African-Americans, Jews, Hispanics (all foreigners) were less human than white folk. I remember the minister ranting about Dr. Martin Luther King in […]
All Humans Deserve Color Blind Humanity
Cynthia Groya, Princeton, NJ. Princeton
Wish black males had role models
Paula Gaehring, Haddon Heights, NJ. Have taught in Philadelphia and now have students from Camden, NJ. So few of them have good male role models in their lives. Most are raised by moms and grandmoms doing their best but it is not the same as having dads, granddads and uncles in their lives. I wish […]
Big hoop earrings and a bubble butt
Yazmine R., West Long Beach, NJ. Monmouth University
He said, ” I have black friends”
Jeanette Staten Island, NJ Seriously? So, what…does that make you “not” prejudiced? One of my very good friends said this to me years ago while we were discussing who would or would not marry. My answer to that was typical – someone who treated me right and respected me – doesn’t matter what color he […]
Love meeting people who defy stereotypes
Fran Ruocco, Howell, NJ. Monmouth University
I cannot apologize for my ancestors.
Amanda, Manalapan, NJ. Monmouth University
I’m biracial & multi-ethnic: I’m Human.
Nichole Pettit, Lake Como, NJ. Monmouth University I’m biracial. I’m not just African American, I’m also American, German, English and Irish! Many say “You’re black,” sure but I’m not just that. Do not reduce my race and ethnic background to a single word. I do not belong to a single group, I belong to many. […]
Why must it be this way?
Bill Schreiber, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University Thank you for doing this. The conversation will always be important, but I hope my grandchildren will get to see a time when it is less so.
We have let our children down.
Kristina Ientile, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Look, listen, everyone has a story
Janet Fell, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Don’t see color, see a person
Lucia Bailey, Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
We were all created to Love
Devon Lewis, Lumberton, NJ. Monmouth University
White Venezuelan Greek Woman Mother Advocate
M.A. DiMarco, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
All races experience their own differently
Mel Lewis, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Racism is prevalent all experience it.
Emily Bagnell, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
I’m terrible at being an Indian.
Rupa Das Gupta, Asbury Park, NJ. Monmouth University
We are human beings, not colors!
Deanna Dantas, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
White, Daughter, Italian, Counselor, Catholic, Dumb-Blonde
Anonymous, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Ethnicity doesn’t define who you are
Justin Weick, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Everyone should feel equal in society
Amanda Durante, Westfield, NJ. Monmouth University
We see first instead of human
Makenzie, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
In the end, we’re all human.
Joseph Anthony Firetto, Bayville, NJ. Monmouth University
Don’t try to look for a label
Samantha Murray, Middletown, NJ.
You’re such a typical white girl.
Morgan Spanier, NJ.
Become More Aware, Racism is Real
Krystle Ruggiero, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Differences should be celebrated not shamed
Kyle Spiegel, Secaucus, NJ., Monmouth University
Judge my soul Not my color.
Gloria Bozor, West Orange, NJ. Monmouth University I attended a dominate white college for my undergrad degree. For four years professors, staff, as well as peers assume I was an anger, bitter, African American because I didn’t have too many friends, I didn’t speak much in class, and I stayed to myself. My grades were […]
Racism does exist…Stop denying it!
Ashley Crean, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
All dfferent yet all the same
Mary Anne Nagy, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Unity not division will propel us
Yasmin Nielsen, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth Unviversity
Freedom is about commitment, not convenience.
Emma Caban, Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Unearned privilege: acknowledge it, share it!
Deanna Shoemaker, West Allenhurst, NJ. Monmouth University
We are all the same, human.
Nate Newborg, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
I did not choose my race
Jacob Cox, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth Univerity
Media is what eggs on stereotypes
Laura, Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Nice butt for a white girl
Anonymous, West Long Branch, NJ.
Color And Ethnicity Makes No Difference
Russell, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Brown skin doesn’t mean I’m black
Rosemary Feliz, Hackensack, NJ. Monmouth University
They can not determine my worth.
Zachary Tillman, Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Race nourishes the continuum of life.
Karen Bright, Little Silver, NJ. Monmouth University Continuum: a continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, although the extremes are quite distinct.
Tired of judgment based upon appearance
Diane Eitel-Wortman, West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University It works both ways…. I am tired of people not recognizing people as simplistic as the fact that we are all people.
Racism’s destroying my belief in God
Edgar Montgomery, Brick, NJ. Monmouth University To know the story of my six words, one just needs to turn on any news channel, daily. Or, check the bureau of labor statistics since its inception. Or, check statistics on levels of incarceration for African Americans. Or, view all forms of media open to human consumption. Or, […]
Not everything is black and white.
Jesse Phelps, Wall Township, NJ. Monmouth University Jesse is 16 years old and believes racial equality is an imperative part of creating true community.
Jewish Girl disguised as a white girl
Anonymous, Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Life long learner. Openness to learn
DeAnna Ecke, Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
Being aware of privilege is exhausting
Derby Sale. West long Beach, NJ. Monmouth University
We strive for the same things.
Tiffany Wysocki, Middletown, NJ. Monmouth University As I travel the world, I have found one truth: we are all innately equal in our drives and desires. We are driven by love and survival. We want the best for our families. We want to feel loved and have the opportunity to love. That’s it. That is […]
Racism: SERIOUS, sometimes curable mental disease
Raul, Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University In my opinion, racism is a Serious sometimes curable mental disease. I believe like many diseases, if caught early, it can be cured. Unfortunately, many times the disease remains dormant throughout life or suppressed by the perspectives of society manifesting itself only behind closed doors. The disease continues to […]
Society explained what my race could not.
Merissa, W. Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University
It is what’s on the inside.
Sandra M. Kosinski, Rahway, NJ. Monmouth University
Discrimination is more than just color.
Shari, NJ. Monmouth Unoversity
Am I supposed to feel blessed?
Jenny, Newark, NJ. I am white and grew up where I was a minority. I have been in situations where people of color have said “What’s up with this white girl?” My friends who are black, Puerto Rican would always come to my defense and say “She’s not white!” In essence telling people I am […]
Racism: SERIOUS, sometimes curable mental disease
Anonymous, Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University In my opinion, racism is a Serious sometimes curable mental disease. I believe like many diseases, if caught early, it can be cured. Unfortunately, many times the disease remains dormant throughout life or suppressed by the perspectives of society manifesting itself only behind closed doors. The disease continues to […]
Using my privilege to promote justice
Sarah, Monmouth University, NJ #theracecardproject @MU
Four months in black hospital
Bob, NJ
We should ALL live in harmony
Ariel, NJ
Accept my truth Acknowledge my race
Arianna, NJ
Everyone everywhere should be treated equally
Andrea, NJ
God made us the same way
Jamilah, NJ
Everyone forgets that I’m American too
Asia, NJ
Women are an important race too
Marilyn, Monmouth University, NJ #theracecardproject @MU
Friend’s birthday, my dress is ruined.
Celeste Bourdeau de Fontenay Newark, NJ I attended a dinner for a friend’s birthday at a nouveau riche- bling, expense account, restaurant in New York a few blocks from the Westside Highway. I was the only African American at the table and some of the staff had issues. One of the servers could not pour […]
That massive gash on america’s face
Noah Schwartz, Jersey City, NJ.
Free Black since at least 1820
Sherryl N Weston, Denver, CO. I was an adult before we learned the full scope of my mother’s complete ancestry story. Timbuctoo, NJ was co-founded by my 5-generations ago grandfather. Looks like he was a part of the 1860 Battle of Pine Swamp, where the residents beat the tar out of slave catchers who had […]
First I am Black, not Female
Alma Scott-Buczak, Cliffside Park, NJ. I was in the first class of women to attend Lafayette College in Easton PA. It was also the first class to have a concentration of more than 20 students of color. Over the past 40 years I have often been asked to reflect on my experiences as one of […]
Mixed race: which box gets checked
Andrea Alexander, Rochelle Park, NJ. The constant dilemma of “boxing” your identity when your category is not among the selections.
Stop asking me WHAT I am.
Tory Marcus, NJ. Although I hold my uniqueness close to my heart, WHAT I am should have nothing to do with WHO I am or what I have to offer the world.
My Soul can’t see your skin.
Doretta Dozier, East Orange, NJ. From the very early age of 5 I was delighted with my sense of how big the world was to me: how bright the sun was, the large expanse of blue sky and the splattering white clouds that seemed to show a never ending aura of greatness. I felt truly […]
Race’s Reality and Historical Legacy Matter
Gabriel Rossi, Jersey City, NJ. As a white male I want to learn about the realities people from all nations experience in the United States and around the world. I hope to do this by listening and educating myself through building relationships. I believe walking with and having real relationships with people who have different […]
Only one race, the Human Race!
Danielle Shelton-King, Wildwood Crest, NJ.
What difference does it make anyway?
Alyssa, Madison, NJ.
Watched the tanks come down street.
Moira O’Connell, Morristown, NJ. I lived in East Orange during (and after) the 1967 Newark riots. I remember standing on my front porch at around 7 years old watching tanks come down my street (186 4th Avenue) heading into Newark. My parents used to act as shills — going into apartment buildings to confirm there […]
White women need to listen more.
Moira O’Connell, Morristown, NJ.
Affirm humanity, just don’t discriminate particularity
Fred Sullivan, Saddle Brook, NJ. There is a major difference between seeing color, and othering. I want people to affirm our joint unity without discriminating against me for my particularity.
If embraced will enrich our lives
Nicole Kaufmann, Newton, NJ. Why ignore race and try to say that color doesn’t matter when it should. Only when we acknowledge and embrace one another’s differences will we our own close-mindedness be broadened and enriched.
Racism stops when we respect everyone.
Kathleen E Lo Pinto Vignolini, Long Branch, NJ. No other group, except maybe the Jews, have had such a long period of discrimination against them. From Slavery, to post Civil war (the North won the battle, but lost the war!) of Jim Crow, “separate but equal” led to Segregation both de facto & legalized, all […]
I’ve never encountered another white Lassiter.
Jay Lassiter, Cherry Hill, NJ. Alternative Race Card: SICKLE CELL TRAIT? BUT….I’M WHITE! (I’m from the south…. you do the math.)
Play the card early and often.
Jamie Rice Hoboken, NJ The Beloved Community will never be fully realized until we can talk openly, clearly, and candidly about race and cultural identity.
STILL SO MUCH WORK TO DO.
Rachel Potts Jersey City, NJ As an educator, I see every day the ongoing, engrained inequities when it comes to our youngest african american students, mainly boys. 50 years later, access to education alone just isn’t enough.
We are waiting for the Neuropsychologist
DR JAMES LEWIS III EFFINGHANM, NJ I am African American, and I am the neuropsychologist. In many settings especially medical settings the reaction of the family when I greet them for an appointment is simply “We are waiting for the neuropsychologist”
We are all the same, HUMAN
Jacque Howard Tenton, NJ Growing up in Central NJ as well as my diverse educational and professional experiences. I have come to the belief that humans do not recognize other humans who look differently as the same. I believe most people want the best for themselves and others, the hard part is living in a […]
More school means a better life.
Moira O’Connell Morristown, NJ
I don’t know any other way!
Dan Angel Dufresne Union City, NJ I feel that sometimes people use race as a crutch to act a certain way, and do certain things. People claim ignorance, come up with excuses and have a lot of pressure put on them. As long as we have things like affirmative action there will always be disparities […]
Oxymoron: Diverse Community but Segregated Classrooms
R Morey Maplewood, NJ
More aware, observant, empathetic, of others
Judy Lawit Cherry Hill, NJ
The individual issue turns to collective
Enrique Amigon Newark, NJ All individual problems are universal problems, reform for one nation is the push for another nation to act.
Are you black? You look so …
Nicole Collins Bronzan Rahway, NJ I’m a mutt — black, Native America, Irish, you name it — raised all over the world as a military brat. I consider myself black, but depending on where I am (and how tan), I get all kinds of questions, though substantially less so in a diverse city like NYC.
Only one color matters, Green. -Government.
Mikey Kennedy Lodi, NJ
They said we are all equal.
Anonymous Tarrytown, NJ
They are different, get over it
Steve Bedminster, NJ Humans are diverse. Not all whites are the same culturally and genetically, and the same applies for Asian, Latin American, Spanish, and Black people as well. In this diverse world you will meet a great deal of diverse people. Most of them will be of different ethnicities than you. This is perfectly […]
We are only who we are
Netanya Stein Caldwell, NJ You cant pretend to be someone you’re not. you are who you are; our background shapes a large part of our cultures, traditions, and day to day life.
We disproved the mythology of Race. . .
Bob Pickett, Esq. West Orange, NJ University of Michigan Law
Empty people wrapped in white skin.
Amie Lecorchick NJ I have no idea who my ancestors were or where they came from…all I know is that I’m white, and I live in America. As a white American, I feel like the only cultural heritage I have is a collection of atrocities. I am surrounded by this enormous array of diverse, amazing […]
Let’s discuss our ignorance and improve
Kyanna Joseph Elmwood Park, NJ An Excerpt from a recent essay I wrote for a class at Quinnipiac University: I feel as if people expect me to speak on behalf of the whole black population and I feel as if people tip toe around the words they say around me as if not to offend […]
Being multi-ethnic: accepted everywhere and nowhere
Jim Atkinson Berkeley Heights, NJ
Slave Descendants of Nelson County Virginia
Derek Nicholas, Newland, NJ. Hello, my name is Derek G. Nicholas. I am going to tell you a fascinating story of the descendants of Cabell family slaves located in Nelson County, Virginia. This is not just the story of my directly related ancestors stemming from a single individual bloodline… but an intriguing story of an […]
Why is is always about race?
James Ocean City, NJ
Crazy driver. Rude Midwesterner. White female.
Lisa Schwager Muncie, IN Many people automatically assume that I am a bad driver because I am a female. I have never been in an accident and have been driving for over 5 years. I went to live in South Carolina this past summer with my sister and brother-in-law. I work in retail and was […]
But you’re not really black
K. Louis East Brunswick, NJ Growing up, I had a lot of misconceptions about my race. My mother is black and was born in England, and firmly considered herself British even though her father had his roots in Jamaica. I could remember one time were watching a news story were two African American males were […]
I am both, but also neither.
Nisha Ahamed Jersey City, NJ My mother is German, raised in Canada and my father is Indian Muslim. I was born and still live in the US. I grew up in a very white area, and now live in a very multicultural city. When I walk down the street in the Indian section of town, […]
White people shouldn’t adopt tan babies
Kipp Jarecke-Cheng Maplewood, NJ One day, out of the blue, my seven-year-old son said to me and my partner, “White people shouldn’t adopt tan babies like me.” We were stunned by our son’s comment, partly because it seemed so uncharacteristic of him, but mostly because my “tan” son is Asian, like me, while my partner, […]
Born White. Raised American. Still Jewish.
Stephen Glicksman Teaneck, NJ
Yes, she’s *really* my daughter!
Barbara Schmidt Metuchen, NJ We are a caucasian couple that adopted our daughter from Southeast Asia. Random people in the supermarket make dumb comments and children have asked where is her real mom. We must carry her adoption paperwork when we travel internationally, since passport control sometimes questions whether she is really our daughter. School […]
Kim, you speak such good English!
Jill T. Furutani Orlando, FL I am a 3rd generation Japanese American. I used to reply that Yes, I tried very hard to lose my New Jersey accent. And why are all Asian women mistakenly called Kim?
People stare at multiracial couples
Lisa Cardon Bridgewater, NJ
Wow!!! They really let them teach
Deborah Council Wilmington, DE In 1970, I was doing my practice teaching in Barrington, NJ and took on of my student’s to an outing. When I returned her to her home, her mother informed me that the neighbor approached her and told her how lucky she was to have had two (2) maids in a […]
RACISM: ONE DROP BLACK BLOOD RULE!
Constance Benítez East Orange, NJ Many American Blacks Are Often Multi-Racial.
I probably have black cousins
Valerie Bell Edison, NJ I read a very old will on ancestry.com. Strongly hints that I have black cousins. Part of me feels very happy…I’d love to hug them. Part of me feels very guilty that the probable descendents of the same man got very different deals in life.
Love has no color, hate does
Carol Carrow Bodofsky Edison, NJ Born in 1950, I have lived through changes that were long overdue. In the sixties, as much as my friends and I worked to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, we had no idea how bad it actually was in our country. Only looking back through photo and video journalism of the […]
You Really Hate Us That Much
Devin South Orange, NJ
Achieving equal rights requires constant effort
Mary Robinson Sive Montclair, NJ It’s my reaction to the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act decision.
Progressive white – assaulted thrice – always Blacks
Jon Erik Larson Oradell, NJ
I hate racism, it should end
Matthew Middletown, NJ I am a 6th grade student at Bayshore Middle School and some of my friends get made fun of by their race. I think that racism is very cruel and it should be stopped. It doesn’t matter what race you are, you should always be treated fairly.
Caring about differences causes our troubles.
Mark Heftler Ridgewood, NJ
Dr. King’s Dream My Dream Now
J. Martin Bailey West Orange, NJ I had just become editor of our church’s national publication when the March on Washington happened. I chose to cover it myself. I was forever changed.
I am African, not “African-American.”
Maada Jawa Thomas Plainsboro, NJ
I won’t disrespect my white mother!
Sabrina Price-Durling East Windsor, NJ I am proud to be more of just one race (black, white) and proud to have more than one nationality (American, German). After 36 years living, I still find it incredibly silly that other people feel the need to put me in a category…and more often than not its black […]
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