Deb Wunder Brooklyn, NY Thank you for doing this.
Latina? Yes. Speaks Spanish? No. Gasp.
Delilah Mulgannon, New York, NY. All my life, I’ve been told that I’m not “really” Latina because I don’t speak Spanish fluently (which is ridiculous). Who are you to tell me who I am and who I’m not? I grew up in a mixed household (Ecuadorian mother and Polish father) where Spanish was not spoken […]
My German accent creates a wall.
Annette Baran Katonah, NY I´ve been living in the U.S. for 9 years and was recently naturalized. My kids are truly bilingual. Although, I have many friends and a wonderful family I often feel that during a conversation when people notice my accent I´m not taken as seriously as native speakers.
I am grace, power and inextinguishable
Ryan Brooke Taylor, New York City, NY. Collected from: WITNESS: Art and Civil Rights in the Sixties at The Brooklyn Museum My experience as a black male artist is directly related to the sacrifices and gains made by those who participated, in any and every way in the civil rights movement. They have made me […]
Latino and Gay U.S.A.
Louis E. Perego Moreno, New York, NY. All my life, I have been out of more than one box. However, after wrestling with the subject for over 20 years, I have arrived at a point in my journey where my identity is defined by belonging to three worlds: Latino, Gay and USA. Many Hispanics in […]
Denied into “black college” because white.
Sierra Odessa New York City, NY Manhattan
Not Shocked, Racism is Still Alive
Daphne Chanoine, Brooklyn, NY.
Mother of black son, sleepless nights
Maureen Allen, New Hempstead, NY. I think what I’m trying to say is that I worry all the time about my son. Will he be safe? Can I keep him safe? Every night I fall asleep worried. It never leaves me. There’s no peace in this country as a parent as long as racism continues […]
Just want everyone to be happy
A.S. New York City, NY
I am not the exchange student.
Mellini Kantayya, Brooklyn, NY. I am an actor and writer who currently has a book out (humor essays) about the entertainment industry. I include a chapter about race, and there are many many six word race cards I could have created. But being mistaken for the exchange student and many other like encounters are what […]
Character content matters not skin color
Mitch Jenkins, New York, NY. One ideology is consumed with, obsessed with, and fixated on race yet calls the opposing ideology racist.
You’re Native American? Well, how much?
Kaitlin Reed, Poughkeepsie, NY. I am a Yurok Indian. We are the salmon people and my ancestors have lived by the Klamath River in northern California since time began. But after centuries of continual sexual conquest against Native American women, I am not the color of Pocahontas. That’s right, I’m white-skinned and Indian. This hasn’t […]
Abuse is invisible when they’re white
Irene, Manhattan, NY. Im so very appreciative that there are historians/photographers/activists, etc that are here to document/change lives!!!!
Kindergartner fearing my future interracial marriage
Christopher Hollowell Hornell, NY I am now a 29 year old white homosexual man living in Brooklyn NY but growing up in a small town in Western NY I distinctly remember ruminating in church over the differences between my family and myself. My most vivid memory was the thought “I wonder how everyone will react […]
Scotch tape no longer clings here.
Malcolm Ian Mackenzie, Naples, NY. My mom and Dad immigrated from Canada in the early fifties with two children Canadian-born and eleven were born in the states. Growing we had a strong family identity as Canadians, but knew we also had Scottish roots through our dad’s family. My Mom’s family were Anglo-French Canadians, with an […]
“I am an earthling” -Julian Beck
Philip Schaffer New York City, NY
Raised to oppose prejudice, still oblivious
Wendy, Albany, NY. I was told outright my entire childhood (by mom and grandparents) to be not prejudiced. This seemed the height of progress. but now in middle age it seems there are so many nuances, so much backstory, too huge a body of knowledge about the entire experience that I just don’t know. being […]
White folks get to be stupid.
Worokya Duncan, Ed.D., Saint Albans, NY. It grates on my nerves that white folks get to be stupid, and it turns into the fault of that one person or one family. One Black person’s idiocy turns into the fault/problem of all Blacks in America. How does the country STILL rationalize criminalizing people/bodies/colors that have been […]
Minds change slower than laws, alas.
Kurt Andersen Brooklyn, NY
I used to live in a bubble
Alex Hall, Katonah, NY.
IT’S OKAY TO SEE MY COLOR
Yvonne Durant, New York, NY. I know that they are well meaning but when white people say, “I don’t see color,” it makes no sense. I think they mean they’re not prejudiced because color doesn’t count to them. It does to me.
I can be President and Will.
Liliana Umana, Pearl River, NY. I definitely do not fit the traditional categorization of a President. For starters, I do not fit into any of the WASP categories. I am not white, I am colored. I am not anglo-saxon, I am Hispanic. I am not Protestant, I was raised Catholic. Lastly, I am not a […]
I’m very black and very proud.
Taylor Yarbrough, New York, NY.
In my subconscious, he is white
Katherine Hannan Wears, Ogdensburg, NY. When I was a practicing attorney, I scheduled an appointment with an attorney who was a specialist in the field of construction litigation. The contact was made through an attorney I knew well. As I waited at the appointment, I didn’t consciously think, “What will he look like?” When he […]
I’M DOMINICAN AND I AM PROUD
Jonathan P. Bronx, NY
Race Is Perception, Adjust Yours!
Luis Raul Montalvo Bronx, NY Il Let you Know!
We’re crayons in a chalk box
Nelson Aponte, Bronx, NY. We can build skyscrapers, put a man on the moon, we consider ourselves so intelligent, but we can’t figure out how to get along. What a shame!
I am both black and white
Alexander Belisle, Bronx, NY. My mother is Latvian and my father is from Belize but all my life I passed as white. I always listened to the prejudicial biases expressed by others who were unaware of my ancestry.
Better music, less ignorance, more peace
Anonymous West Hempstead, NY
Questioning My Parents’ / Society’s Racial Preferences
Jordan Seigal, Flushing, NY. I’m Eurasian with a white father. At times I think, of course he was white. I wonder why, exactly. Why were Asian men not good enough? I look Asian. I have been turned down and called terrible things by Asian women, because of my appearance. Am I considered better because I […]
I don’t consider you a Hispanic.
Ruth Santiago, Rochester, NY. A very close long time friend said this to me. I was totally taken off-guard. I asked for an explanation. She stated, “the fact that I came from a home with both parents, parents who loved us, encouraged education, and values”. It actually made me angry to realize that this is […]
Stop trying to box me in
Zeren New York City, NY I’m a mixed ethnicity Palestinian-Arab, European, Afghan American…I naturally have light skin, eyes and hair as many Arabs, whites and Afghans do. But I grew up in China where I was a minority on more than one count, not just my skin color, but my ethnicity and my nationality kept […]
I Never Know How to Feel
Anonymous Plattsburgh, NY I grew up in a rural upstate NY town–hating everything that seemed bigoted or prejudiced. I loathed a lot of the people I knew in adolescence who held tight to old racist values. I went into college with an open mind and an open heart. I don’t know what happened next. Our […]
Are you really born with horns?
Dana Mollins, Glenford, NY.
Appearance doesn’t matter, people deserve respect
Tim Pipa, Garden City, NY.
I look white. I’m half Indian.
Heather Nath, Buffalo, NY. My father is from India. My mother is Irish/British. I’ve had the “privilege” of looking 100% white woman my entire life. Non white haters call me stupid white bi***. My brother looks Middle Eastern. He ignorantly gets called a terrorist Muslim because he has a beard. My sister goes to Puerto […]
Russian? You’re improving the race Amiga!
Mayra Velez Buffalo, NY Picture of us, a Belarussian and Puerto Rican, soon-to-be-married, couple. When we started dating, every time I said he is belarussian to my friends and family, I heard the “oh improving the race amiga”. I think is our colonial mind, in which status in society was determined not by wealth but […]
Made-up human construct heavy with reality
Cameron Miller, Geneva, NY.
White, Right, Proud, won’t be cowed
Franlkin Davis, Staten Island, NY. I’m tired of all the Liberal anti-White educators, media-types, race-baiting colored preachers of hate, and Democrat politicians telling me and members of my race we should be ashamed to be White. RESIST! Stand up! Speak out! Vilify the ideologically deficient Liberal propagandists telling us “we’re all the same”, we are […]
Art in the face of racism
Christopher McBride New York City, NY Brooklyn Seeing that exhibit really brought about a strong reaction emotionally from myself. As a musician, seeing the visual art side of things was really powerful.
Heartbreak Justice Humanity Cruelty Hope Perseverance
Benjamin Seaman, New York, NY. I am antiracist. I am curious how this project works.
White girl black school sixties: scared
Tamie Odom Sherman, TX I was only five at the time. Me and my 2 sisters were going to an all black school in Newburg, NY. The race riots were happening and lots of tension was in the city. Black kids hated me because I was white. I had no idea what I had done […]
I’m Irish and Black. Micks-ed.
Edward O’Neill, Queens, NY.
Equality shall rain upon us someday
Wynter Williams Brooklyn, NY
Post-Racial? Stop. Look. Listen. Racism’s Here.
Kyle Alexander, Rochester, NY. Coming from a position a white privilege and having a large peer network of other white individuals. I hear a lot of quite muttering of “post-racial” society, and “I don’t even think about race, we’re all the same”. No. We’re not all the same and the only reason you are supporting […]
Don’t say you don’t see color.
Theresa Muir, Brooklyn, NY.
Why bring up race so much?
Sandi, Brooklyn, NY. I hear this question often by non-black individuals who haven’t experience racism (overtly or covertly) in their lifetime. And how these individual usually turn a blind-eye when incidents of police brutality occur across the USA by ROGUE law enforcement and UNARMED black citizens.
Black Hair is good hair, period!
Sandi, Brooklyn, NY. When I was growing up in DC, a lot of times I used to hear that black hair was untamed, unmanageable and dirty. I stopped accepting those lies when I stopped perming my hair years later and learned to accept my beautiful natural hair.
I’m afraid for my black child
Juli, Brooklyn, NY. There are places in this country that I would never live because of the racism in certain areas. Eventually my daughter might want to live or go to college outside of NYC and it scares me. We see more often because of cellphone video and dashcams that police see it fit to […]
Three degrees, still remember stones thrown.
Akua Lezli Hope, Corning, NY. As a child in the great City, I was stoned and jeered as I made my way to Opportunity classes at PS 156, Laurelton Queens. The only black children were in these classes for intellectually gifted children — not among those whose parents demonstrated against our presence. I had seen […]
God Bless America, Home Sweet Home
Andea Robinson NY If nothing changes, nothing changes.
Are you really even Greek?
Athena Scavo, Hornell, NY. I often get this question due to my name being of the Greek mythology background. Often, people assume that I am not Greek, but my parents liked the name or thought I was going to be tough or had some reason why I was named Athena. If you look at me, […]
I’m afraid of muggers and police
Jose M Moreira, Brooklyn, NY. What I mean to say is, I am afraid that one person that has the concept of robbing, stabbing and killing me can snuff my life out probably slower than someone that is suppose to ‘protect and serve me’ might just take said life so much more quickly and amazingly […]
I’m white, it’s not easier.
Victoria Polera, NY. Being white doesn’t make my life any easier. I still have a really difficult life without putting my race into perspective. Looking at a person as an individual rather than placing an individual into a social group is mostly important. It’s unbelievably more important to look at the individual separately rather than […]
Standing on the shoulders of my forebears
Elizabeth Lorde-Rollins, MD, MSc, New York City, NY. Manhattan. Collected from The Race Card Project, On Location: The Brooklyn Museum My grandmother came from Grenada in 1926 and got a job at the Waldorf-Astoria cleaning because she was light enough to pass for white. My grandfather had no work until WWII broke out (he was […]
Judging based on color is inevitable
Danny McCabe, New York, NY.
The ever lingering question is WHY?
Yochanan Kushnir New York City, NY Manhattan The answer is drowned in silence and pain.
Born white 1956, but feel ashamed.
Jani Lee New York City, NY I accept what African American friends/co-workers say, I would like to answer, “But it wasn’t me.” I listen, feel and absorb their pain in an attempt to try and make things right.
You didn’t tell me he’s black.
Laura Brengel Clifton Park, NY This is something a “friend” said to me as we dropped the kids off at her house so we could go out to dinner.
My ancestors did not enslave yours.
Ardean Orr, Syracuse, NY. All four of my grandparents immigrated from Italy, so I’m pure Italian, but also white. My father was a jazz musician who often played with musicians who happened to be black, so I grew up in a tolerant home when it wasn’t popular. Growing up in America it seemed like blacks […]
It’s not my fault I’m Asian
Karen Jericho, NY Racial discrimination towards asians is unfair. We deserve the same treatment in the media, politics, and college application process. It makes me wish I was black.
Name unpronounceable – never called on
Edvige Kromayer Barrie, Clinton, NY. Growing up in the ’50s, I was unaware that most people had no idea how to pronounce my name and were therefore reluctant to call on me in class or say hi to me on the playground. At the beginning of kindergarten, one kid even asked if I was a […]
White, male privilege can transform lives.
Stacey Wicksall, Macedon, NY. Those who have traditionally been able to oppress others also are the same group able to lift others from oppression. The power to transform is in this group’s control. Will the group choose to oppress and suppress? Or will they instead decide to progress by elevating and empowering? The lives of […]
White/Hispanic looks/is all white not sorry
Ruby Marlowe, Brooklyn, NY. Italian-Irish mom, Puerto Rican-Mestizo dad, never met dad’s family as his side was pretty bad along with dad who was never around. Me and my little brother look and act “Caucasian” (laughing at the now PC whites who treated us like crap in the 80s and now identify us with people […]
The Key: Separate identity, common humanity!
Karen S Camara, New York City, NY.
My White Half is Erasing My Iraqi Half.
Ollie, New York, NY. I’m mixed – white and Iraqi. It infuriates me that people, of all races, can’t see past my light skin. My Iraqi side is also Jewish and the racism within, and anti-semitism outside, has made claiming a poc identity an uphill battle. I feel like half of me is being systematically […]
You are what you pass for.
Amber, New York, NY. I had an interesting experience at a Family Health Center today. I was experiencing trouble at home with applying for health care online and sought help finishing the application with a woman named Carmen who specializes in enrolling people. She said my ethnicity was in question and that it was affecting […]
“YOU THINK LIKE A WHITE MAN”
Josclynne Grier, New York, NY. Sadly, he meant it as a compliment. It wasn’t.
We cannot have honest productive discussions
Jay Tee, New York, NY. Seeing as many careers have been derailed, some high profile other less so, because of a hypersensitivity around candidly discussing race, the nation is going to have tough road ahead. “Oppression olympics”, wherein arguments are weight in proportion to the professed suffering of the speaker, fueled by the mob power […]
Inspiring story of culture people liberation
Reynolds Tenazas-Norman New York City, NY Brooklyn I realized that art was a major part of the political story and it was uplifting.
Becoming Hasidic was a feminist choice.
Kressel Housman Monsey, NY My biggest aspiration at age eighteen was to get into a good college, but once I got there, all I found was one big drugged out meat market. After two disastrous relationships, I dropped out and began exploring my Jewish roots. I found that contrary to popular belief, Orthodox Judaism honors […]
I’m Fat, You’re Black, So What!
Kylie Schell, Carthage, NY. We all are the same inside, fat, skinny, black, brown, white or purple. Lets start seeing people for their inside, not their outside. Ugly is ugly, regardless of facade!
Canadian African German Black and White
Scott Kraenzlein, The New York City, NY. Born to a (white) Canadian mother and a (black) African father in Canada I was adopted at birth by a white couple who divorced when I was 2. My mother married my stepfather, a German national, when I was 7 and we moved to Germany. I spent my […]
If you’re uncomfortable there’s a problem
Erica, Syracuse, NY. Monmouth University
“Garcia”? Are you Mexican or Colombian?
Alexandra Garcia, Long Island, NY. My father emigrated from Spain in 1974, and we have been raised to be proud of our Spanish heritage and culture. In school, whenever I told people I was Spanish, they assumed I meant Mexican or Colombian or Puerto Rican. I’ve always been annoyed by that, because no one knows […]
Things that make us beautifully different
Deanna Getty, Islip, NY. Monmouth University
Didn’t expect that as your name
Keryann Ladouceur, Elmont, NY. Monmouth University
Proudness that reflects a profound sadness
Stacy N Knight New York City, NY Brooklyn The “civil rights movement” has not ended nor has the history eluded my development- It is my current reality. I vividly remember the first time I was called a ni**** at age 5 and the most recent experience of being called “black devil” at age 28.
Look into a person not outside.
Roland, New York, NY. Be who you are, not what someone else wants you to be.
I’m Linda Kuriloff. Russian Jew? No.
Linda Kuriloff, New York, NY. I once had an interview for a job at a company where the owner was Orthodox. I realized when he shook my hand that he was battling with his conscience because he probably expected that I was Jewish.
The life of sacrifice for others
Kristia Molina New York City, NY Brooklyn I sacrifice a lot for my family because we are going through a tough time
Since when did inclusion become Un-American?
Richard Perez Bay Shore, NY The conservative backlash surrounding the Coke commercial featuring the song “America the Beautiful” speaks volumes about how far the right has to go in matters of race/religion/gender and anything else non white male.
Race does not determine my relationships.
Kate, NY.
I only see people, not race
Logan, Garden City, NY.
I am everything Donald Trump hates.
Michelle, Rochester, NY.
Witnessed prejudice against my black friends
MaryBeth, Rochester, NY. I am white. I never experienced or witnessed prejudice until I went out to eat with my black friends. On several occasions, we were seated in undesirable locations within a restaurant and ignored. I thought it was just BAD customer service, until pointed out by my friends who said it was a […]
Once we are friends, race disappears.
Sharon Murphy, Rochester, NY.
Be yourself, regardless of your color
JT Robertson, Brockport, NY. Your color should never dictate who you are on the inside. Be yourself, free of stereotypes and the societal rules that govern us all. Just be you, because that’s the greatest thing you can do.
Racism is an ego-based human dysfuntion
James E Washington, Rochester, NY. The ego thrives on identification and separation. We seems to be a nation that thrives on dualism, having an “other” a “they or them” as a means to distinguish ourselves from. White, Black; Rich, Poor: Republican, Democrat; Christian, Jewish; Fat, Skinny; on and on. The problem appears to be “ego […]
Stand up, don’t be silent, Fight Continues
Amy New York City, NY Brooklyn The power of everyday people to stand up and not take racism, sexism, anti-semetism, homophobia as okay. We must fight and always speak out. We cannot be silent, even when it seems like the hatred is focussed on “others” because we are all humans and one person being put […]
FACADE USED TO DIVIDE A PEOPLE
Karen Bernod, Brooklyn, NY. Fear and ignorance drives HATE. The World continues to change becoming more diverse. CHANGE is always good. LOVE conquers ALL!!!
Only laundry should be separated!
Reginald Lane, Rochester, NY.
Do not call me Snooki, please!
Maria Posato, Webster, NY.
I’m still proud to be white.
Brian Washington, New York, NY. White guilt has not, will not, and is not useful in the mission to eliminate racial stratification. It’s a shame it took me so long to realize this. Everyone has the right to be proud of who they are. Being proud of being an in-power majority is not unfair. It […]
White girl minority in black city
Barbara Fought, Jamesville, NY. Faculty The most impacting cultural experience for me related to race was when in the 20s I lived in Detroit, a majority-black city.
Aren’t we all just human beings?
Nicholas Pasquarella, Webster, NY.
Believe in yourself, you deserve it.
Caleb McGuire, Rochester, NY.
Where are you from? No, really.
Sunil Yapa, New York, NY. I’m biracial and grew up in rural Pennsylvania. The question where are you from has always hounded and haunted me. I’m from the US. I’m from Sri Lanka. The only two places in the world where they are certain I don’t belong.
White colleagues discuss racism without us.
Michelle, Rochester, NY. My liberal white colleagues have long conversations about the problems with racism in American. They have interesting ideas about solutions to the problem, but they rarely listen to the brown people in the room. Is this a white savior problem?
Go back home or be crushed.
Jose Reyes New York, NY
We all deserve to be here.
Kristiana Weseloh, Brooklyn, NY.
I’ve been the ONLY Black kid..
Kelly B. Ferrell Sterling, VA As the child of nomadic parents, we lived where we could and/or where my parents found work. At one point in the mid “70s, we lived in up-state NY, outside of Ithaca. We were the only black family in the area (in the county the way I remember it) and […]
I am more than a Dominican.
Liliana Estevez, Bayshore, NY.
Race results from capitalism, not genetics
Danny Mantooth, Syracuse, NY.
The Butter Pican- Pana Rican :)
Danixa Carr Brooklyn, NY I am Panamanian and Puerto Rican. My mom is Afro-Panamanian (her roots are mixed as well) and my dad is mestizo. Growing up, I’ve always identified with my Panamanian side and considered myself to be Latina. However, I had one life altering experience in Panama. I traveled to Panama in 2010 […]
CHANGE COMES FROM DEEP WITHIN YOURSELF!!
Danielle Rosati, Hauppauge, NY. I am tired of being blamed for blacks feeling not good enough. If you feel a certain way it’s within yourself. And only you can change that. I’ve been pulled over for no reason !! Arrested .. I have felonies .. I’ve been hit and beaten by cops!! You want equal […]
Only been victimized by other whites.
Michael Ponsler, Brooklyn, NY. I’ve enjoyed an extremely diverse social life, dated & married interracially and on countless occasions have been the only white person within a crowd, community or family gathering. I have never been harassed, harmed or threatened by a person of another race. However, I have been rejected, assaulted and/or threatened several […]
It’s hard being black in America.
Joel McCall, New York, NY.
Father, Husband, Teacher, Pastor, Caucasian Racist?
Brad Crump, Floral Park, NY. As a Presbyterian Pastor I serve a diverse congregation (Guyanese, Jamaican, Black, White). As a teacher I work for a Middle School in Springfield Gardens (97% non white). While I spend every day serving the diverse cornucopia of NYC I am seen by many as the problem, the privilege, the […]
IT GAVE THE FREEDOM I HAVE TODAY.
IYANU MILLER-TAHIR New York City, NY IF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT WAS NOT THERE I MIGHT NOT BE A FREE CHILD. I MIGHT HAVE TO GO TO AN ALL BLACK SCHOOL FOR SIXTH GRADE. I AM VERY THANKFULL FOR THE MOVEMENT BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE HAD TO FACE SEGRAGATION AND THE CAREUL UNFAIRNESS THAT I […]
Always Fight for what is Right
Chris G Murray New York City, NY Manhattan As an activist in the 60’s/70’s and having had our share of victories, I continue the fight for liberty, freedom and doing what is morally right. All people must live together and combine their strengths to fight against the multi-national corporations
We are all different, but equal.
Nicholas Perez, Floral Park, NY.
WTF white people! Stop it now!
Theresa Heary, Berne, NY.
White Privilege Asian Wife Still get it…
Lee, Queens, NY. I live in NYC. A melting pot no? I am one of the few people where I work who is white American. I have a lot of experience but there are people there that have more experience than me and are better then me. I make at a minimum $15 more per […]
I’m always asked ..what are you?
Karmyn, New York, NY.
White sorority girl? Yes. Spoiled, NEVER!
Cassandra Krummel Seaford, NY Being a white girl brought up in New York was difficult. I went to school where many of the students were black and to them, I was a spoiled white girl. Coming to college and joining a sorority never helped the situation. Every time I am confronted by a black person, […]
Full opportunity for all is important
Richard Roberts New York, NY
Are you sure you’re not black?
Dave Mowers Brooklyn, NY I live inbetween black and white neighbors, my boss is a Phillipino woman, I shop and eat in black and white owned stores and restaurants in my neighborhood. Orthodox Jews sign my paycheck. I teach students from around the world. My boyfriend grew up in a small town in Texas in […]
Brown woman private school not: maid
Isabel Cristina Dominguez Dobbs Ferry, NY I love this project! It is so insightful- there are so many things to say about one’s self… I am going with the one that faces me everyday in my work place… but I could write so many others!
Too hard for US to handle
Todd Schoepflin Buffalo, NY Racial inequality, racism, race relations…it’s all so hard for Americans (us, the U.S.) to handle. Some try, some try harder than others, some work so hard against racism and do the vital work of raising awareness and making change. But it feels like an overwhelming challenge sometimes, and I am saddened […]
“Caribbean” doesn’t make you less black.
Amaya, NY. Collected from The Race Card Project, On Location: The Brooklyn Museum
The beautiful struggle continues….only necessary
Chenelle Nixon, New York City, NY. Queens. Collected from The Race Card Project, On Location: The Brooklyn Museum What is a race when no one is winning? Race should not define superiority but a majority of human spirit reaching the finish line of equality, freedom, abandonment of self-hate and persecution the color of ones skin.
What’s your real Filipino name?
Jill Damatac, Brooklyn, NY.
I’m Asian. I pretend I’m white.
Anonymous NY The worst part is that people believe me.
Sometimes White. Sometimes Black. Sometimes Latino.
Massiel Ramos, Bronx, NY. Sometimes your race depends on the people and culture you associate yourself with. If that’s the case, I’ll never fit into one solid category.
Whiteness is ace up your sleeve
Colette, Poughkeepsie, NY. As I was getting ready to upload my own statement about race, I noticed a posting that stated “(B)lacks are a one dimensional thinking bunch” who participate in race baiting. I was tempting to reply, “White people are a one dimensional barrel of fools heavily invested in believing that race doesn’t matter […]
I’m not a percentage of anything.
Chris Tanaka, Lake Grove, NY. I am a whole, white passing, Japanese, Native American, French Canadian person. I am not half of this or a quarter of that, I am all of those things at once. I am a whole person.
Still resonating to its powerful music!
Abby London-Crawford New York City, NY The Bronx I still teach the songs of the Civil Rights Movement to pass on its legacy to young children.
Oh, no offense, you’re different.
Ida Canard, NY. Submitted via Twitter: @IdaCanard #theracecardproject
White husband, still a Nubian Queen
Kavisa, Brooklyn, NY. My parents raised me to be extremely proud and knowledgeable of my African American and Caribbean heritage. My love for Africa intensified further after spending 2+ years living and volunteering in Tanzania. In the mist of becoming fluent in Swahili and embracing East African culture I fell in love with my future […]
Stop dealing I’ll stop playing it
Isaiah Akeem, Newburgh, NY.
Race divides us. Must unite us.
Jamaal Bowman, Bronx, NY. Love everyone right now!
Stop saying I’m articulate. Please
Brooklyn, NY Submitted via Twitter: @Sistalocks
Never asked. Always assumed to be.
Lavinia Rodriguez Potsdam, NY
Unlearning history is a painful process
Ruby-Beth Buitekant Brooklyn, NY
Only one race, human, accept it!
Maribel Padilla, West Babylon, NY. I’m in Suffolk County, NY, a predominately white, conservative, suburb in NY and I can’t stand the ignorance anymore!
On the subject of white guilt
Kevin, New York, NY. I don’t really understand this whole issue on white guilt, but I think it stems from privilaged elite “European Americans” who feel they have it all and need to clense their conscience somehow and feel guilty. Well I grew up “White” and poor in an all black neighboorhood, took racial abuse […]
Sorry, you all look the same.
Sonya Wang, Ballston Lake, NY. Asian. Asian-American. Doesn’t seem to matter with most people.
I am ashamed to be white.
Cera Beth, Potsdam, NY.
White People, White Culture, Social construct
Barry Irving, Syracuse, NY. …History tells us that Whiteness has always been a social construct that is used to exclude certain groups… ( people of Color ) …The notion of White culture is a Myth… …White People are not a single ethnic Group or a distinct number of ethnicities. They are an amalgamation of everyone […]
Damn Mom, You’re Right. I’m sorry.
David Pham Poughkeepsie, NY When I was young, my mom told me a macabre anecdote about the Vietnam War. She remembered that American soldiers would go through villages in search of Vietcong. As they went through, they would ask villagers in English if they were indeed Vietcong or not. Some villagers, though they did not […]
Eisenhower’s Negro caddy was too slow.
Karen Brinkman, New York City, NY. Cleaning out my mother’s attic, I came across a vase wrapped in a newspaper page from 1957. This sentence was in a short article about the firing of “Cemetery” Perteet, President Eisenhower’s long time golf caddy. Learn more about Karen’s 6 words in The Milwaukee Journal
I don’t speak for my race!
Celesti Colds Fechter, Tarrytown, NY. I feel as though when I am the only African-American in a setting that I feel obligated to “speak” for other African-Americans. I will not do it and don’t ask me to do it. I had a job where I was the first African-American hired in a professional setting. I […]
“You’re Brazilian? You don’t look it!”
Daphne de Souza Lima Sorensen, Oneonta, NY. I’m a white woman with a perfect American accent. I have a university degree, a husband and a 3 year old daughter. By all accounts, I am a “typical” middle-class woman. Except that I am not American and even though I have lived in the USA on and […]
Race is imagined. We’re all sneetches
Lincoln, Brooklyn, NY. Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches Had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches Had none upon thars. Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.
Not the nanny. That’s my daughter.
Daphne Revie, Compound, NY. Taking my daughter as a baby to libraries and play groups only nannies would talk to me assuming I too was a nanny because I have dark skin and my daughter is very light. The moms generally didn’t speak to me at all.
Irish ancestors “achieved” whiteness for me.
Erin C. Mitchell Plattsburgh, NY
How long have you had him?
Heather Ann Lindstrom Buffalo, NY My beautiful son was born to two very different parents. Me, of Swedish and Irish heritage,and his father of Samoan and Chinese heritage. When I would take my son out as a baby, it felt like everyone I met assumed he was adopted and asked “How long have you had […]
We are all Soul and Bones
Kyla, Potsdam, NY.
Well you don’t really act black
Brittany Moore, Syracuse, NY.
All Men are Sometimes Created Equal
Jake Schweber, Scarsdale, NY. There’s a theme of racial superiority that some people carry throughout their livelihood. Some people truly believe that they are better than others because of their race. This shoots the theory that, all men are created equal, out the window.
Not White, but not quite Black
Annette Maldonado, Rochester, NY. Hispanics are invisible a lot of the times. We are seen as not really white, but not quite Black either.
Many feelings, but not enough words.
Tatyana Parrish, Valley Stream, NY. My six words are a fairly simple way to explain how complicated this matter is to me. My father was never there, and my mom worked her absolute ass off in order to make up for that. My father is African American, and because of this I’ve come to resent […]
That neighborhood is going downhill fast.
Janna Sakson, Pound Ridge, NY. This usually strikes me as code for “people of a darker color/race have been moving into the area.” I’m sure that’s not always the case, But when this is said, I’ve asked, “Is it still safe?” And there’s some hemming and hawing…so I wonder.
I look white; perception is reality.
Mary Halling, Milwaukee, WI. Moving from New York to Ohio to Milwaukee in my 25 years on this Earth, I’ve encountered race in so many different ways. From celebrating and learning about all the different ethnicities in my classroom in elementary school, being bullied for being white in my urban middle school, to being incorrectly […]
Unfortunately, Racism is alive and well!
Keith Rhodes, Albany, NY. We can make this world a better place for all people one person at a time. Know that your actions become your qualities. Perform the actions that you wish to be the qualities of all who observe you.
Please stop playing the race card
Peter Moorman, Syracuse, NY. The race card as in the term not the physical cards
Do you live in the jungle?
Kwabena Tettey, Syracuse, NY. The CONTINENT of Africa is not one big jungle inhabited by villagers in mud huts and wild animals. I do not have a lion as a pet nor do I ride on elephants to get to places. I also did not row a canoe over the Atlantic Ocean in order to […]
Model minority. Kinky ch*nk. Not relevant.
Sonya Wang, Ballston Lake, NY. Yes, Asian-American issues are not addressed with the same urgency as many other important issues However, they are not addressed because Asian-American issues tend to be placed under the blanket ‘model minority’ stereotype, and that is simply not true.
Impenetrable walls of misunderstanding and grief
The Rev. Kate LUfkin Day, Syracuse, NY. I am a white woman age 60. I chose the word “impenetrable” even though I sometimes experience moments of black-white mutual understanding, because I have found that the divide is so huge and daunting. It is better since my growing-up years in the sixties, but it is very […]
Did you get grants for college?
Carla Washington, New York, NY.
Race only divides it doesn’t unify
Kyler Harrington, Syracuse, NY. Student ’16
Let’s all just forget about race
Austin Smith, Fayetteville, NY. Student ’15
Everyone is pink on the inside
Kane, Syracuse, NY.
Race is the Past, Leave it!
Eric Goodwin, Syracuse, NY.
I wish everyone was treated fairly
Josh, Syracuse, NY.
Race should be insignificant today.
Sophia Klemenz, Liverpool, NY. It should not matter what race you are. We are all occupying the same planet and should be able to get along despite what we look like and where we came from.
Do not assume things about others
Emmett Dunn, Syracuse, NY. Student ’15
Everything’s beautiful in it’s own way
Conor Gollegly, Syracuse, NY. Student ’15
Look at their character not color
Justin, Syracuse, NY.
Meet the person, don’t judge them.
John Smith, Syracuse, NY. Student ’16
Racism should be dealt with now.
Johnny V. Miller, Syracuse, NY.
Everyone is equal in gods eyes
Hunter Andersen, Cortland, NY. Student ’15
Judge the inside, not the outside
Monte Stroman, Syracuse, NY. Student ’15 I am black but if you look past my skin you would never know
We’re all in the same boat
Andrew Stephen Kock, Syracuse, NY.
The heart is blind to color
Eve, Syracuse, NY. Student ’16 You should not let people’s color affect your opinion of them.
Do not make judgments about others
Jack Jeschke, Syracuse, NY.
Only Race That Matters Is Human
Chris Bedigian, Syracuse, NY.
Racism lives on, yet it’s hidden.
Dana Tuohey, Syracuse, NY. Community Member I believe that racism is more harmful now to society than ever. I believe this is so because we have convinced ourselves that slavery and the civil rights movements were “victories” for the minorities of our society and we no longer owe it to the other races to continue […]
Why is race that important.
Nick Thurlow, Syracuse, NY. Student ’15
Ignorant thoughts lead to immoral actions
Elizabeth Adams, Manilus, NY. Student ’16 “Racial Profiling”
My unique identities should be revered.
Scarlet Louis-Jean, Syracuse, NY.
Blacks in Syracuse aren’t being educated.
Stanley Dean, Syracuse, NY.
“The majority won’t address Racism honestly”
Barry Irving, Syracuse, NY. …white people are bred from the notion color superiority and first privilege. They don’t see others as equal and that is a distortion that is age old. So when addressing race, the new descendants of old Racism think that they have no blame whatsoever. Even though Their social attitudes are in […]
Racism, today, Tomorrow and FOREVER-USA
Vicki R. Brackens, North Syracuse, NY. Community Member
“You probably don’t speak English”
Michelle Liv, New York City, NY. Brooklyn As a person of color, it still angers me that mainstream society still regards what is “white” as “normal” or the status quo. I hate being judged on my racial appearance and assumed that I do not speak English because I am not white. These words were uttered […]
We cant be friends, you’re Jewish.
Zachary Hill, New Rochelle, NY.
My stepbrother threatened to hang him.
Teagan Peacock, Syracuse, NY. There is only one African-American family in my rural neighborhood. My stepbrother got into a fight with one of the boys in the family and threatened to hang him. I was never more embarrassed in my life.
Process of relearning and paying attention.
Stacey Millard, Syracuse, NY.
“Cuban” is not a race! I’m WHITE.
Stevie Stan, Tarrytown, NY. Is “American” a race? No! Neither is “Cuban.” Born in the U.S. to Cuban parents who descend from white Spaniards, I’m white and blue-eyed. Most Americans are still behind with thinking anyone of Hispanic background is automatically “brown” or “Mexican.” It’s not as if Europeans ONLY migrated to what became the […]
Will we finally change our history?
Stephanie Susens, New York, NY. We have made progress, but I am frustrated by the amount of racism that still exists in our country. Unarmed African American teenagers are still being shot all over the U.S.
Cross the Road for White Women
Jonathan, New York City, NY. Whenever I see white women walking towards me I cross the road. I am afraid they will be judgMENTAL. From experience, I find them to be accusers. I am working on it.
My privilege is choosing to engage.
Annie Greenberger, New York, NY. Georgetown Day School I realize that I have the choice whether to engage in this project, I have the choice not make a statement, I can decide if it is important to me and the is my white privilege.
Why does diversity mean “non white”?
Matt Gilbert, Penfield, NY.
You have a black girl’s hair
Lauren, Fairpoint, NY. I was required to do this for a MSW course on ethnic diversity. As a white, Italian-American woman, it was very difficult for me to think of an example of a racial micro-aggression that I have experienced. I have coarse, curly black hair. The statement was meant to be an insult.
Racists Are Not Always Bad People
Michael Havis, Brooklyn, NY. I think the word racism no longer defines the conversation we should be having. The image of racism in America is of the KKK or southern slave owners with whips. Being racist and being a good person are not mutually exclusive. Racism today isn’t being a part of lynch mobs or […]
Privilege is not a useful framework.
Ilana Gorelik, Brooklyn, NY. I’m looking to the cookie, myself.
Sick of the whole race thing.
Bruce Brown, Port Jefferson, NY.
Stop it. Ignorance is not bliss.
Diana Emiko Tsuchida, New York, NY.
You’re pretty for a black girl
Marquita, Rochester, NY.
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