Simon, Wynnewood, PA I’m Indian. But I’m not Hindu or Tamil. I’m Malayali (also known as Keralite). I’m an ethnicity so unknown that every website that I ever typed my ethnicity into has insisted that I spelled it wrong or said a made-up word. And nobody, NOBODY, ever knows I’m Malayali unless I tell them. […]
You cannot judge on race alone
Amanda Bergeron, Coatesville, PA Where you come from is important, but people are defined by what is on the inside. I think in the past people have assumed that just because I am a white American that I have no knowledge of my own heritages or any others for that matter. I try to learn […]
Different is not bad, just different.
Shelby Files, Royersford, PA
Be you, the world will adjust.
Marcos Arman, Philadelphia, PA
You’re Invited! You’re not a minority?
Rafael Rosato, Berwyn, PA. This is my college graduation picture from 1988. I received a bachelor of arts degree from an Ivy League University and a short while later was traveling to New York to join a management training program at a prestigious Wall Street Bank. There were 34 of us in that class and […]
Child of Pennsylvainia coal miners
James Tupko, New Milford, CT My grandfather came to Pennsylvania in 1907 to work in the coal mines. It had to be tough to be a Lithuanian in America.
I was there, so were friends.
Daniel Cohen Stroudsburg, PA I am so grateful that you have this exhibit. The sixties and the political movements of that time were so exciting to be part of. We could sure use that passion and commitment today. In spite of King, would anything have happened without blood? Is that what it will take today?
What did we lose becoming white?
Rosa Friedman, Philadelphia, PA. My grandparents came to this country as children of Jewish families from eastern Europe. In order to become accepted as part of the racial elite and gain access to white privilege, they had to leave behind the things that distinguished them, their culture, language, and values. Now there is a hole […]
We’ll stop traveling to Florida now.
Carolyn Anderson Allentown, PA Why would anyone want to visit any state having the “stand your ground” law?
I can see and hear you
Hailey, Tioga, PA As a white woman in the United States I have learned to recognize my privilege. Growing up in a rural area has not exposed me to very much diversity, however I have learned how to be an ally and recognize the inequality in our country. I have had countless conversations about how […]
I feel more hispanic than white
Andrew Ward, Chambesburg, PA. I am white by birth, but I feel like I am a completely different nationality/race on the inside. Like I was supposed to be a different race.
Built on love but not trust.
Jaylene Ortiz, Harrisburg, PA. America is built off of a foundation of love, but where is the trust? How much can we trust each other? The government? The people sent to help us? Who do you trust with your life? Can you think of anyone? Trust is a big part of America and human beings […]
Not Black Enough, Not White Enough
Heleen Moyer, Troy, PA Growing up, being a mixed girl, -also with a Hispanic father that was never around- , I never felt like I fit into a group. I was always too dark skinned to feel like I related to my white friends. But, I was too light skinned to feel like I fit […]
Black horse will ride white horse
Don Pittsburgh, PA Stated in spring of 1963 by negro at the time with no agitation or explanation. As a white person I thought comment strange not knowing the future implications to follow. Strange that statement has stayed in my conscience all these years. Always felt comfortable among black people.
Born American, never accepted as American
Ramon Fontaine Pittsburgh, PA Since 1917, and before Alaska and Hawaii, Puerto Ricans have been US citizens. We have fought in every US war since WWI and have lost thousands of lives defending the US Constitution. But for some reason, Puerto Ricans are not often seen as citizens and lumped into the same category as […]
Whitefish Bay white school white Church
Mark Brandfass. Pittsburgh, PA. In the summer of ’63 my family had just moved to Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. My father was a salesman for Westinghouse Electric and we moved as his work demanded. I would be entering the diocesan Catholic seminary the next year, my brothers and sisters attended the local Catholic schools. I don’t […]
My Race Works For My Race
Daniel A. Rodriguez, Philadelphia, PA. Hello, my name is Daniel A. Rodriguez and I am 15 years old. I am of Mexican and White descent. My parents came from Mexico shortly before I was born here, in the United States. My father is a construction worker and my mother is a house cleaner, which many […]
Race sees race. Love sees love.
Naette Lee, Philadelphia, PA. The nature of humans is that what we see is what matters. What we see has little to do with what is, or what is important. Maybe one day that will change.
That black girl lost her magic
Saniyyah, Philadelphia, PA I got that from the phrase “Black Girl Magic”. Every black girl is magically but some lose their magic. When times get hard those magical powers go away and you feel like nothing. As a black girl today we are taught to be strong and persist. But often things get in the […]
Mixed Kid: Where do I Belong
André Solomon, Pittsburgh, PA
I am a privileged black man.
Justin Stewart, Pittsburgh, PA Growing up, I thought I had a pretty good upbringing. I lived in a decent house while receiving a decent education. Heck, the term racism really wasn’t a thing for me until middle school. I never really grasped the harsh conditions my ancestors most likely went through coming to America along […]
Latina raised in the suburbs….Wepa
Brenda Enid Mejias, Honeybrook, PA. True Puerto Rican girl….. I am the one with all the family recipes… And I love being her. Wepa– According to Urban Dictionary A word of jubilation that is uttered by mainly Hispanics, especially within the Puerto Rican community. It normally is yelled at high volumes in a nasal manner, […]
Have you found a man, yet?
Kaitlyn Brumbaugh, Mount Holly Springs, PA As a woman, my family makes it seem like my entire future depends on if I am in a relationship and get married. However, I am worth more than my relationship status.
Interculturalist. Asian-American. Woman. Mother. Writer.
Jennifer Ghymn, Wyomissing, PA. The individual filters of race, ethnicity, society and family impact the way we interact and engage with the world to shape a personal cultural identity. I believe people should follow their curiosity, be open to new concepts and challenge themselves by looking at things from a different perspective. Race is a […]
Wow, you don’t have an accent!
Angelina A., Allentown, PA. I myself always get asked about questions about my racial and ethnic background and it never has bothered me. I usually always say I am half Dominican and half Chilean, then I go on to explaining that my dad is from Chile and my mom is from The Dominican Republic. Although […]
An angry and privileged white woman
Iwantperfection, Coatesville, PA.
I have no black best friends.
Kevin Maness PA I have colleagues, students, friends, and acquaintances who are black and who I love, like, and/or dislike, but I’m embarrassed to say that I have no people of color who are in my “inner circle,” so to speak. On the positive side, I guess I’m never tempted to use that old cliché: […]
Everyday she sees my race matters.
Carniesha Kwashie, Philadelphia, PA. This is in response to my white staffer and the racism she sees I endure as we work on an project that states Racial Equity is a priority.
Don’t waste your time on college
Patricia L. Gadsden, Central, PA. As an African American female in the 1960’s, I was discouraged from attending college. It was explained to me that I wasn’t college material. I’m not sure what they really meant since I graduated with straight A’s from high school.
What am I supposed to be?
Audrey Stygar, Pittsburgh, PA It’s lonely living between white and South American. My mom refers to me as white and doesn’t like to hear about racial difficulties I have. I’m light skinned, but people still comment on my complexion and try to guess where I’m from. I don’t know what I am. I’m trying to […]
Not Brown Enough to Be Indian
Pallavi Joy, Philadelphia, PA Growing up in a 97% white school system, and being raised by one Indian immigrant parent and one Indian American parent really affected the way I saw myself and my race. I was always too brown in school to fit in with all the white kids, but in Indian circles I […]
Better to resist than to accept
Caitlyn Weber, Norristown, PA
Denial’s not (just) a river in Africa!
Bruce B. Rush, Philadelphia, PA I grew up in a generation where I lived through & was influenced greatly by expressions like “Say It Loud, I’m Black & I’m Proud,” and “Black Is Beautiful.” I wouldn’t want it any other way! At this stage of my life, I draw strength & inspiration from this line […]
We are all shades of brown.
Eileen Seigfried, Greensburg, PA As a preschool teacher, I would lay out black and white sheets of paper. The students would lay their hands on them. Wow! no one matched either. The lesson was that we are all the same and should be treated the same. I retired after 20 years and hope they all […]
Henry is seen, Enrique is invisible
Enrique Marquez, Philadelpia, PA. I changed my name on my resume to Henry after rarely getting responses when I would write my actualy name, Enrique. Henry is the English version of Enrique. Henry received many more callbacks in one week than Enrique did in months. Nothing else was different.
Denial. Not just an African River!
Bruce B. Rush, Philadelphia, PA I slightly modified my initial essay to make sure it was unequivocally 6 words, without any claimed exception or exemption to the word count. It doesn’t flow quite like the original expression, but it is what it is. Teach our children Purpose, Determination & Focus (PDF).
“Are you Asian? Are you Caucasian?”
Santana O., Philadelphia, PA. I’m asked by new people commonly, “Wow, you look so Asian! Are you Asian?” I’m also asked, “You’re really pale, are you Caucasian? Are you sure you’re black? WOW! You’re Puerto Rican & black. That explains it.”
That little black girl is SHARP !
Desiree C, Philadelphia, PA.
I Am Not All Asian People!
Shirin Akhter, Philadelphia, PA. When I tell other that I am Asian, they don’t believe me because they think my skin color is a little dark or my eye shape or the way I talk. I am west asian, i am from the west side of asia. All asians don’t look alike, we don’t have […]
“Acting white” isn’t a real thing.
Kennedy Caldwell, Philadelphia, PA
Cultural appropriation. Bogus issue. Get real.
Steven List, Bristol, PA 75 year old WASP, originally from Cincinnati
So many racists look like me
Robert Goffeney, Pittsburgh, PA At first, I thought it would be difficult to come up with six words to encapsulate my experience of race as a middle-aged, middle class suburban white man. Immediately after that thought, my six words bubbled up out of – somewhere. People will never cross the street to avoid passing me […]
I stare longingly at others like me
Mary Ann Paris Philadelphia, PA Except for my brother, there were never any children who looked like me. I am black and white, more specifically Black, Jewish, German, Irish, Italian and polish and my brother and I have European features. We grew up in a segregated part of Philadelphia among black children. They never wanted […]
So much to answer for. Sorry
George Phipps, Elverson, PA
Blacks beat me, I forgave them
Bob D, West Chester, PA It happened in the summer of ’68. I was alone at a concert at the city stadium in Glen Cove, NY. There was chanting, black kids -some of them friends from school- surrounded me and I was beaten unconscious. It wasn’t personal. Dr. King had been murdered, it was summertime, […]
Stop shoving it down our throats
Sam Cat, Drexel Hill, PA
You will never be as smart
Fannie Blakely Philadelphia, PA Was in a gifted class in junior high school. First day in an advance math class teacher informed me not to worry, but I would never be as smart as the other kids, that it was not in my genetic make-up. I aced that class (highest grade) and every other class […]
Character is more important than race.
Richard Byrnes, Sellersville, PA Forget this race baiting. It is divisive. Live by MLK’s philosophy of judging people by their character, and not by the color of their skin. I am white, male, privileged, and absolutely not apologetic for any of it.
Sometimes I am embarrassed being white.
Brenda Krepps, Chambersburg, PA
“My Blood is Red, What’s Yours”
Ralanda King, Philadelphia, PA. Born and raised in the city of brotherly love, but I’m full of sisterly affection, I not black but brown and beautiful. the heart can see what our eyes can’t or refuse too. but, don’t charge it to my skin, but to my heart.
Yes I can be both races
April Daniels, Philadelphia, PA I was always told I had to pick one race or the other. But I felt like I would be betraying one of my parents if I did so.
Great-grandparents were white illegal immigrants.
Robin Shudak, Wilkes-Barre, PA Both sides of my family are Polish, who escaped from Poland the rise of fascism. Their destination: the US. My maternal grandfather’s family, who were Jewish, were denied entry. My paternal grandfather’s family, who were fleeing because they were caught as part of the resistance and his brother was already “sent […]
So much agony, terror, and rage
Brendan Hickey, West Chester, PA
“Is your Father A U.S. Citizen?”
Sebastian Pacheco Lancaster, PA I will never forget the time when I was trying to save my father’s life. It was January 2006 and I called my father (he was 77) who lived in Puerto Rico. He retired as a Union Painter for a hospital in Bronx N.Y. for 30 years. He was not in […]
The confederacy did not raise me.
Emily, Philadelphia, PA. I am a white American. My family is here because the Turkish government was committing genocide against Anatolian Greeks in the early 1920s. My grandmother lost her family and came to NY, and when Smyrna was burned she had no home to go back to. The confederacy does not serve my family. […]
More Than Just a White Male
Rylan A Brooks, Mount Joy, PA I have never been discriminated against in my life, based on my skin color and my gender. I have seen discrimination first hand on many occasions, once towards one of my best friends. The level of anger I felt was indescribable. I was raised in a household where everyone […]
Damn Yankees don’t go back home
Patty Reed, Greenville, SC. Originally from Pennsylvania, I’ve lived here the majority of my life but I cannot say I’m a native South Carolinian. While it seems to be more widely acceptable now, during my high school years in a small town it wasn’t okay to be from “up north somewhere”. A foreigner in my […]
Inequality caused by fear and ignorance.
Maureen P. Shindle, Mount Bethel, PA I was married to a Black man who had to sit in the back of the bus and stick his hand through a hoke in the wall to buy a soda among many other insulting and degrading situations. His stories and those I have read about make me cry. […]
Foreign does not mean he’s unintelligent.
Hazel Kasgur, Philadelphia, PA. My dad is from Istanbul, Turkey. He works hard and tries to be helpful. At most of the jobs he’s had, people are rude to him. At most of the jobs he’s had, all the other employees are American and white. I think his coworkers are rude to him because he’s […]
Diversity is enriching but also frightening.
Elizabeth A. Leeper, Dubuque, IA. I am a 62 year old, single, white female. I was born in Pennsylvania, grew up in Asia, and now live in Iowa. Education level: Ph.D. I appreciate racial and ethnic diversity and experiencing different cultures, but I also understand the fear of the “other.”
I am the lone black parent….
Rackley Love, Mars, PA. The alienation that I have experienced as a parent is an enigma. Like them, I am a stay at home mom. Like them, my husband has a white collar job. Like them we chose this community because of its highly rated schools and safe streets. And like them, my passion and […]
You graduated in four years? Really?
Michael Tackie, Pittsburgh, PA. Upon graduation from college with a B.S.in Chemical Engineering, I got this from someone I had known for three years, someone I regarded as a friend. He was white, and majored in History or English, I forget which. I was initially amused, not understanding the subtext to what he was saying. […]
Growing up white and being oblivious
Sydney Fitzgerald, Annville, PA Growing up, I went to a private/catholic school that was predominantly white. Along with that, I was raised by two white parents and no knowledge of any other race. My neighborhood had maybe two black families and I only had friends who were white. Because I grew up this way, I […]
China, Yellow, hardworking, dream, versatile, active
Yilan Miao, Selinsgrove, PA. Maybe we should improved the inaccurate term “racism” with the much more accurate and potentially productive term “stereotype”. As American people always think, I am really good at math and this is the beginning of the third month for me to study in a small town of America. As you can […]
I wasn’t Asian. I became one.
Kasumi H University Park, PA I came to the USA to attend Penn State as an undergraduate student in 2010. I was born in Saitama, Japan and grew up in Shanghai, China. When I arrived, it felt like I was turned into a spokesperson for all Asians. Before, I was just a person, a girl, […]
I’m adopted by the opposite race.
Riley Redman, Pittsburgh, PA.
Weary of Pity from White People.
Callista M, Allentown, PA
Biker gangs have love for me
Richard Haynie, Oakland, CA. I walked into a roadside tavern near Allentown PA that had several motorcycles parked outside. Loving bikes, I thought nothing of it. Inside, a motorcycle “club” were the only patrons on that Sunday morning. I ordered some food and, despite a warning from the proprietor, decided to stay and eat there. […]
No, where are you really from?
Zuhaib Haleem, Philadelphia, PA
Don’t judge kids by their creators.
Jonea Brookwood, Harrisburg, PA.
Always will be there for you
Scottie Schwalm, Pottsville, PA
Our silence will not protect us.
Allison G. Hawthorne, York, PA. We all have to get up walk out our front doors and stand up and speak out, so our voices are heard. We have to vote. We have to stop being complacent. Sometimes I feel weary of struggling, when are we all going to be just human?
I live life just like you
Indya Black, Philadelphia, PA.
Grandpa, ‘white’, sits @ back of bus
T Storm Heter, Stroudsburg, PA.
My skin isn’t black, it’s rebellion.
Sam Shippen, Philadelphia, PA.
All Italians Are In The Mafia
Frank Heeg, Pittsburgh, PA I love this idea, it encourages the people to overcome obstacles of peace and love
SHELTERED WHITE PEOPLE ARE THE PROBLEM
Anonymous, North Versailles, PA YUPPY WHITE PEOPLE, who look like fools walking in marches supporting a cause that is racism at its finest, After the protests are over try walking in the same neighborhoods at night with the same people who you marched to support and see how far you get, I’m white and grew […]
Why are we afraid of TRUTH?
C. Denise Johnson Pittsburgh, PA TRUTH is… we are all part of the collateral damage of institutional racism. That’s why some of us are resistant to change and others want more change. When the foundation of your society is predicated by elitism, sexism and racism, you end up with a schizophrenic nation afraid to look […]
I’m an Eastern European Ashkenazic Jew
Anonymous, Philadelphia, PA . For a long time, I have known that the concept of “race” is a false way to identify or classify human beings. Race is not a biological reality. In the 19th century, in Europe, the concept of ranking people by color was used to justify conquest and slavery. The attachment of […]
Creating inclusive work environments is intentional.
Lisa Nelson-Haynes, Lansdowne, PA. This country’s issues with race aren’t going to improve until we deal with them on the micro-level, mano y mano. Living a life, inclusive of other races, cultures and ethnicities takes work. You have to seek it out and work to include it in your daily existence. If you can look […]
Because I’m white, I feel ashamed.
Sadie Petersen Philadelphia, PA As a child, the streets of west Philadelphia were my playground. I loved going to school in the area and wouldn’t change a thing about how I was raised and how race was never even noted in my small family of four, which eventually grew to a family of 7. However, […]
America has “White-Privilege Withdrawal Syndrome”
Robert Alan Gustafson II, Butler, PA. Donald Trump is an enabler of the White-Privilege addiction. We need to elect someone who’ll transition us white folk into the new reality where no one race, ethnicity, or religion dominates America. It’ll be painful, but we’ll survive. And, despite what many Trumpers think, America’ll be better off in […]
We have a future you see
Cash’e Chapman, Philadelphia, PA.
Settler colonialism is the root problem.
Indigo Violet, Philadelphia, PA
I’m a white Hindu. We exist.
Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown, PA.
I am scared to practice Hindu.
Tasha, Shermans Dale, PA Mostly because I live in rural Pennsylvania which is full of closed-minded hicks. Also because I don’t know how acceptable it is for a white woman to practice Hindu lifestyle in the community. I honestly feel like I have to hide a part of myself.
Descendant of bad faith white Americans
Whitney, Pittsburgh, PA I have parents who both promote active racism or performative allyship that does more hurt than help. I have worked my whole life to undo the effects of their decisions and those they have hurt, and I wonder if it will ever be enough.
I am proud to be white
Connie Eurich, Wrightsville, PA I’am sick and tired of the blacks and Antifa getting a free pass to do anything damaging they want to do. Please Trump, do something before nov.
Love doesn’t have a singular color
Haley, Pittsburgh, PA
Boat after the Mayflower; who cares?
Merrill Mason, Philadelphia, PA. Being descended from early WASP settlers made my mother feel important and entitled. But I believe that suffering and endurance are human experiences, not racial ones. Stories of grit and survival should bring people together rather than create hierarchies.
When did borders start defining ‘race’?
Sarah Naomi Burnett, Norristown, PA. Being a ‘white’ girl raised on the border of Mexico the ‘race-card’ issue was raised daily. I always felt that if I was a color, and they were a nationality, those two identifiers didn’t quantify either of us equally. I had a culture at home that was Irish/Italian but where […]
Puerto Ricans are legal US citizens
Ivette Schumacher, York, PA.
“Can I ask…What are you?”
Melanie Hoa San, Mechanicsburg, PA >When I think about race, this familiar question is the first thing that pops into my mind. Although this exact wording (which I have heard countless times) could come across as rude or ignorant to some, it does not offend me. Instead, I proudly reply, “half-Vietnamese, some Irish, some Cherokee, […]
Ambiguously Brown. Your confusion becomes hate.
Amber Gerideau, Lancaster, PA I’m a mixed-race black woman. My mother is of Irish descent and my father was a dark-skinned African-American. I was born in San Francisco where my family lives for 10 years during 5he 70’s & early 80’s. We then abruptly moved back to my father’s very small hometown in Western Pennsylvania […]
Much progress; much more to do
Robert Markel, Charlestown, MA. Raised in a very white town in Chester County Pennsylvania, I had little consciousness of race issues until high school. We had one black student in my class, and he was the Salutatorian. At the end of our senior year at Archmere Academy, several members of the class went to lunch […]
“Protect” sister from favorite childhood movies.
Emmy Corey, Harrisburg, PA. I’m a white Alabama native from an all-white town with a black sister who is 17 years younger than I. I love passing down the things that I enjoyed at her age- dolls, movies, books. For the most part, she likes receiving them too. The problem is that before she came […]
The Race Card is played OUT!
Lisa Owen, Philadelphia, PA Black people have been speaking their minds and threatening the lives of white people all over social media. White people for some reason, don’t speak up. Black people aren’t afraid of white people. White people are scared of what may happen if they speak up They blame white people for just […]
My students don’t care I’m white.
Chris B, Landenberg, PA. I am white and teach art in an inner city school. I get hugs from children of color every day! I have the best job in the world! What are society does to these children tomorrow and in the days that follow is inexcusable and reprehensible. The inequality must stop if […]
Why do blacks have to act obnoxious??
Anonymous, Johnstown, PA Black people are hated because they are loud, inconsiderate, and obnoxious. Stop pretending it’s because we are “privileged whites”. We hate you because you are stupid!
I’m not Black, I’m Human first!
Alieu Nyassi, Pittsburgh, PA. We judge people by their race not the face that we are human first before any thing else. We have to value the fact that we all breath, drink and eat the same time of air, water and foods. We may differ from cultural norms and values.
They say we care. Then shoot.
Reef Dancer, Pittsburgh, PA It’s not always bullets. It’s not always on purpose. People say that they support equality for everyone. They say that all people should Have the Same rights no matter what color your skin is. They say that love is love, that you should be able to be whoever you want to […]
Words matter. Think before you speak
Debbie Beer, Springfield, PA
Italian and Greek but no freak.
Alex, Pittsburgh, PA
Fearful of offending, I say nothing
Sherry Buss, Bethlehem, PA.
I’m a minority where I’m from
Charlotte Nevins, Pittsburgh, PA. I am originally from The Bahamas and I think I have a unique experience as a dual citizen of there and the US. Back home, I was always assumed to be a tourist and often felt like I didn’t quite fit in in a lot of social circles. The population is […]
Contrived for power, superiority, riches – dehumanizing.
Carol Wenger, New Holland, PA. As a white woman, I’ve been learning, relating, and waking up to an understanding that I’ve been complacent in my ignorance of white privilege. I seek transformation in repentance,forgiveness, and relationship building. My current questions are: what else don’t I know? What else should I do? Is forgiveness possible? Is […]
Why Are We The Only White People?
Maureen Forster Philadelphia, PA I was maybe 6 yrs old when My Dad, Stepmother, older sister and older brother were in Baltimore on a little family trip. We stayed at a Holiday Inn or something along those lines and were out in the pool. I grew up in a small city with much diversity but […]
Let’s Find a Way to Love
Megan Nasche, Point Park University, Pittsburgh, PA The world is full of too much hate. Compassion is what we need. We don’t need to point out color, or any other identifying factors as anything other than something to celebrate. Be You… and be proud of you.
Newspaper says ‘Black youths’ not ‘kids.’
Elizabeth Cook Pittsburgh, PA A white female with all minority students and friends, I am saddened and disgusted that race bias permeates every facet of our culture. What we think of as American culture is actually white culture, and others who challenge it are seen as complainers. Why is BET the only place on TV […]
Born a crime ; Black and alive.
Bankole, West Chester, PA. Why? Why do you hate me? Why is my existence considered a pestilence in your eyes? Why do you kill me? Why do you murder my sons and tarnish my reputation? Why do you rape my wives and daughters? Why do you take from me and call it emancipation? “You hate […]
No eye contact because I’m white.
Cynthia Flynn Bryn Mawr, PA This was mostly not true where I grew up in inner city Seattle, but when I went to the South in 1968, that was my universal experience of African-Americans. It still happens today, even in professional settings.
Excuse me, are you a Negro?
Jean Pierce Morrow, State College, PA I grew up in a suburb of West Philadelphia in the 1950s. My town had two elementary schools, and I spent my first four years at the completely white school. Then we moved to another part of town and I started fourth grade in the school with about a […]
They don’t believe racial injustice exists.
Dannielle Kerstetter, Elizabethtown, PA. I come from a white, middle-class family in rural Pennsylvania. My family does not believe that people of color do not need to fight for equality because they already have rights, and they are being greedy because they want to be equal.
Is human not enough for us?
Julia Formicola, Warrington, PA.
I AM NO BETTER THAN ANYONE
Graham Davis, Malvern, PA. I am a white Anglo-Saxon protestant male. I am 5’4 with dirty-blond hair. I am a heterosexual. I am no better than anyone. I was created an equal to you. I will die an equal to you. I am proud of my heritage, but it does not define me. I should […]
You’ll find your real parents someday.
Alessa Abruzzo Philadelphia, PA Biologically I’m Korean. Ethnically I’m Irish-German-Italian. I was adopted at 4.5 months old, at which point I flew from South Korea to the USA and into the loving arms of my parents who happen to be white. To put it plainly, I was raised by white people – My entire immediate […]
Hey Do You Need an Interpreter?
Rebeca Cruz-Esteves, Philadelphia, PA. I was born in Puerto Rico and raised in both the U.S. Although my first language is Spanish it’s hard to tell since I have no accent. Growing up it was hard to immediately blend in as I spent my childhood in a predominantly Caucasian neighborhood. As a teenager my family […]
Witnessing humanity’s evolution: hate to love (?).
Carol Mowen, Greencastle, PA. When I first wrote this “race card” in 2014, I had firmly placed a period at its end. In 2016, I am moved to revise it slightly – to add the question mark in parentheses because I am not as sure we’re on the trajectory from hate to love as clearly […]
I’m caramel, you’re peach, we’re sweet!
Leah Turner Lancaster, PA One time, a little girl ask me what color I was. At the time my snippy come-back was “Choca-mocha-latte!”, but I figured that was a little much for a six year old who was honestly curious. So I looked at my skin and said “Caramel”. She said “Oh,” Looked at her […]
Entire countries meld in this body.
Isabella Thomas, Philadelphia, PA. My name is Isabella Thomas, and I’m a student currently attending Central High School in Philadelphia. The concept of ‘race’, to me has always correlated with ‘color’. Or perhaps an erasure of identity. I am not simply white, just as my peers- my friends- are not simply black, or Asian. I […]
The baby mama drama can stop.
SHANIQUA JONES Philadelphia, PA Stereotypes are mean and not needed.
Little brown girl, white man’s world
Beatriz Mallory Newfoundland, PA My father was one of the first black men to work at IBM in the late 50’s; my mother a Puerto Rican who migrated to NY to go to college. My father embedded this mantra in my head from a very age. I was a “little brown girl” in a world […]
Too white for my own good.
Lauren Qualters, West Chester, PA. For my race card project I chose the phrase “Too white for my own good” which is most certainly a true statement, in both humerous and negative ways. I am certainly very sterotypically “white” but not in an intentional or discriminatory way. My traits are my own and they embody […]
Man, that white boy got soul.
Michael Doran, Selinsgrove, PA. I am a student of music, and I love with the genre of soul/blues music like The Temptations or John Legend. Once, at an audition for the Voice, I was approached by a group of black guys who told me the six words above. It amazes how these barriers of white […]
Octoroon. Daughter of traders and traitors.
Allison M, Philadelphia, PA.
I was a white tobacco farmer
Helen Nelson, Saxonburg, PA. I grew up working in the tobacco fields. Cutting tobacco with an ax. Piling the plants. Stringing plants on a wooden lathe with a spear. I was a dying breed, is what they told me in college. No one believes me now that this is who I was and who I […]
Terrified, we watched them set fires
Sarah Martinez-Helfman, Philadelphia, PA Every key decision I made in my life seems to go back to that defining moment, when I walked away from a racist joke. That triggered years of violence from my neighbors. Marybeth beat me with the stick of a rake and chipped my tailbone of which I’m reminded every time […]
Race is fictional; racism is not.
Aisha White, Pittsburgh, PA I’m honored to participate in this project.
Leave grace space when talking race
Jon Stuckey, Mechanicsburg, PA. I learned my 6 words based on your lovely presentation this evening at Messiah College. Thank you for coming. And thank you for your important work.
Who in your family is Korean?
Sameese Smith, Philadelphia, PA.
Please stop trying to justify racism.
Harper Grey, Philadelphia, PA I see too many white people saying being white makes them a scapegoat, and complaining that everyone calls them racist “just for speaking the truth”… all while publicly espousing racist views & white-supremacist opinions that are as far from “truth” as it gets. Almost without exception, these are white conservatives. I’m […]
Earth uses race as a weapon
Jay, Philadelphia, PA
African American Veteran. Never been incarcerated.
Brian Easterling, Paoli, PA.
You are still someone without it.
Clarence Butler, Canonsburg, PA. Humans are humans are humans. Race does not exist. I think that people will not let go of this idea, because it gives their ego something easy to cling to, that helps to buttress their esteem.
Does My Voice Count At All?
Samantha Zrada, Plymouth Meeting, PA Does my voice really count on this topic? I am a white female who grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, went to school with mainly white children, and never experienced any racism directed toward me or my family. I am thankful to say that I am fortunate. And yet, […]
Not just a little white girl
Nicolette Vogelman, West Chester, PA Most people see me as a quiet, little blonde girl. Honestly, I’ve heard people refer to me as a little white girl. In large crowds, I have heard people say “there she is, the little white girl.” I hate being referred to that. Yes I am small and your typical […]
Human race…for invented self-supremacy.
Aimee Firmani, Pittsburgh, PA
Haitian-Irish mix? That’s a first!
Josh Benjamin, Philadelphia, PA. Almost nobody ever guesses me to be a black-white mix. This has led to numerous identity issues for me in the past. Now, however, I feel blessed and enjoy my background without calling attention to it.
I want to be color blind
Marilyn Toby Drucker, Washington Crossing, PA. We are all part of the family on Earth. I do not want race and culture to separate us, but to instead enhance our well being.
My creativity eludes definition by color
Jay Fluellen Philadelphia, PA I am an African American male who teaches in the public school system in Philadelphia. I constantly defy the comprehension of my predominately African American students by talking without cursing, listening to classical music, using words they don’t understand and by dressing professionally. I push passed all of this to teach […]
Infertility Opens Your Eyes To Acceptance
Erika Barker Mansfield, PA Nothing about infertility is easy.. My husband and I want a family so much but so far we can’t have one. We would love to adopt, and race is not an issue. It makes us see there are deeper and more important things to think about than the color of the […]
Why does race matter? It shouldn’t.
Patrick, Philadelphia, PA. This was thought provoking.
My great grandfather changed his name
Bob, Philadelphia, PA.
Just a stay-at-home mom.
Melissa, Springfield, PA.
I’m the sum of my parts
Nicole Betton, Audubon, PA.
Ashamed of American Black culture today
Keville Bowen, Chester, PA. I’m a Black man of three countries. Born in Trinidad, moved Canada and ended in America. Though I have little memory of Trinidad, my recollection of Canada and America are vastly different. I was only know as a Trini in Toronto and as I gained friends, I referred to them as […]
Ask WHO I am, not WHAT.
Jessica Hong, Philadelphia, PA. As an Asian American, people often ask “what” I am within the first 20 minutes (or sometimes 20 seconds!) of meeting me. Others feel self-conscious about asking but are visibly relieved when/if I happen to mention my ethnicity myself. I think the question of my ethnicity wouldn’t bother me so much […]
What percent Native American are you?
Aiyana Pellegrino, Philadelphia, PA.
We identify as “Red Sox fans.”
Rachel Gonzales Pottstown, PA I’m the whitest woman who ever lived (except in the summer, when I’m the sunburniest woman who ever lived). He’s half-Mexican by way of California and half-German by way of WWII. Our adopted daughter is part African American, part Italian, part “Caucasian mix” (that’s what it ACTUALLY SAYS in her medical […]
We built this country, not them.
Anonymous, PA.
I’m racist but fight the tendency.
Mark Donaldson, Edgewater, CO. I’m white, grew up in rural PA in a mostly white school. I live in CO now and work in tech industry where you’re probably either white or Indian. I know I’m racist but try hard to fight against that tendency. I want to be better than I know I am.
No, my children are not adopted.
Beth Schumacher, Collegeville, PA.
Conservative Christian girl, liberal arts college.
A. Jones Selinsgrove, PA Coming from a very small, rural town in Southern Pennsylvania, I was thrown into what seems to me like a melting pot when I came to Susquehanna University. If I had had any idea of what it meant to attend a “liberal arts” college when I was looking at schools as […]
No one knows unless I tell
Natasha Smith, Philadelphia, PA. I am white. I look white. I am white? Pale skin, red frizzy hair, littered with freckles. Often I am asked “Are you Irish?” The answer is “No…” and I wonder if it is the time to go into my family’s racial identity or my own struggles with my racial identity. […]
Colorblindness will not fix societal issues
Gabrielle Elling, Philadelphia, PA. You may not see color, but the police and government do.
Flower child eye contact kindness hope
Sharon Neumane, Mehoopany, PA. Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s I truly believed that we had moved beyond racial conflicts. My greatest heroes, my most beloved singers and song writers, actors, activists and poets are people who’s skin is a different color than mine. I have never in my life filled out a race […]
Dealing with race is difficult, yes
Rilajah, Philadelphia, PA.
I don’t plan on changing ever.
Zahnyah, Philadelphia, PA. I am me, I act the way I act because that’s just me, I am going to be me forever so if people don’t like it they need not talk to me or they might as well as just get used to it. I’m not going to change unless I feel as […]
MLK Shot — White 5th graders sent home
Anita Stabile PA
I am glad they fear me.
Ernest Leon Tyree Jr Dravosburg, PA After spending 12 years in the military I learned a lot about fear and the power it holds. One the most powerful motivators is fear which is unfortunate, that being said the person who holds the power has a great responsibility to know that people fear them and to […]
Not accountable for ancestors actions
Noah McDonald, Warren, PA It’s time to get over it! Before you point your finger at me, and call me a racist! Don’t forget there are three of your own pointing back at you! I won’t be held responsible for my ancestors actions! Educate yourself! Look at history. Every race, religion, and creed has been […]
Not a Race, Still a Human
Cameron Warren, Downingtown, PA. I’m a very Irish child, and being proud of that has always been hard due to the fact I have red hair and freckles. While most say, “oh but you’re white, whats the problem” the problem is just that. I have been bullied and teased almost my whole life and not […]
My nose makes me look Jewish
Allyson Enelow, Yardley, PA.
A Mississippi secret – not “accidental drowning.”
David Morath, Wrightsville, PA. On August 14, 1973 three black children from Atlanta, GA drowned in Waveland, Mississippi. Eyewitnesses reported that the children had been harassed by white boaters, The coroner’s jury closed the case without investigation the following day. Because of Jim Crow mortuary policies, locating a funeral director who would deal with African-Americans […]
Trying to be a good ally
Carolyn Beranek, Villanova, PA.
We are all descendants from Africa.
Alexander Trick, Pittsburg, PA.
I’m tall, but don’t play basketball.
Alexis Fink, Altoona, PA. I’m a 6′ female and the most frequent question I’m asked is if I play basketball.
Must we forget our Confederate ancestors?
Jesse Dukes, Charlottesville, VA. This question was on my mind recently, when I wrote an article for Virginia Quarterly Review about Confederate reenactors at the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg. I don’t actually have any Confederate ancestors I’m aware of, but most of the reenactors do. All of the reenactors I talked to considered slavery to […]
In nature, only humans fight differences.
Trealavon Grier, Harrisburg, PA. As a dark skinned African American, I have only experienced racist rejection from others that look like me. Self hatred, unfortunately, is real. Now in my 40’s, I realized how much of my life was wastep on other people’s issues. This was the beginning of self love and the fulfillment of […]
How many Polacks does it take?
Alexander Korycinski, York, PA.
Speaking Proper Doesn’t Mean “Speaking White”
Messiah Toure, Philadelphia, PA. All my life, I’ve felt empowered by vocabulary and being educated. However, there seems to be a correlation between being educated and being white. And a correlation, unfortunately, between being uneducated and being black. It’s a stigma that really needs to change, it’s entirely possible to be black and be educated. […]
I do not fit your stereotypes
Mikaila Dennis, Philadelphia, PA.
Do you hate your other side?
Carissa Smith, Philadelphia, PA. This is what my father asked me when we were talking about the movie “12 Years a Slave”. He was talking about the horrors of slavery and the actual statement was: “I bet that makes you hate your white side, doesn’t it!?” I’m sure he doesn’t know the effects or the […]
Are you Hispanic, or just Italian?
Rachel Masilamani, Pittsburgh, PA. I was eating lunch alone in the break room on my first day at an office job when 3 of my new co-workers peeked in. “Are you Hispanic, or just Italian?” one of them blurted out. Neither, actually. This lady just laid down her line for White and Not White and […]
I have stereotypes I’m not prejudiced.
Jenna Pecar, Erie, PA.
I thought I was being funny
Kathy, Philadelphia, PA. I saw a student I work with wearing a baseball cap and a hoodie tied tightly around her face and I said “You’re rockin’ your perpetrator look today.” I didn’t realize I’d upset her until another staff member told me. I was mortified.
Mixed baby coming soon inlaws afraid
Thomas Campbell, Allentown, PA. Me from Bronx NYC, she from Mclean VA. Her parents are affraid our child will never be given a fair break because they are mixed race.
Find more when you look within
Nichele, West Chester, PA.
Are you some sort of Hispanic?
Anthony Caraballo, Philadelphia, PA. Technically, American who is ethnicity is Latino. My family is from Puerto Rico.
My racist relatives don’t define me
Olivia Chovanes, Philadelphia, PA.
Slave owning ancestors mortgaged my future.
Buford Woolley, Pittsburgh, PA. My mostly white family tree flows through S Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and lastly California where I was born. Many were slave owners. One outlier was lynched because he supported the Union and opposed slavery. The question to me, did my ancestors mortgage my future?
I’m Hispanic but I’m not Illegal.
Victor Jimenez, Philadelphia, PA. After Donald Trump being election, I feel as if the word Hispanic has changed drastically. I am not Illegal, a rapist, or a thief.
Not all black women are “mad”
Zadirah Boyd, Philadelphia, PA. Black women has the characteristic of being mad, mean, or ghetto. Not all black women are angry or ghetto. There are some cheerful and classy black women.
Encouraging kindness; Promoting peace; being mindful.
Abby, Elizabethtown, PA.
I would say I’m pretty white
Thatcher George, Elizabethtown, PA.
I have white on my hands
Rachel Rodrigo, Chalfont, PA. Instead of blood on my hands, I have white on my hands. There are days when I read or hear people who are also white like me saying or doing terrible things to people different races and cultures. Some days I feel guilty that I’m white even though I didn’t choose […]
We Don’t Consider You White Anyway
Daniel Martin, Jr. Mayfield, PA. In 2007, I was working in a bakery. For whatever reason, I happened to be one of very few white people that worked there. The large majority of the employees were people of color. I had no problem with this as I had been exposed to many different types of […]
Racism is real, don’t ignore it.
Hailea Shallock, West Chester, PA.
Worldly Redneck Fighting Stupid, Class Stereotypes
Alex Loose Conneautville, PA
I’m entitled because I’m a minority.
Joe Everybody, Philadelphia, PA. Bet you don’t have the stones to publish my 6 words
Changing elementry schools, I found bigotry
Donald A. Dale Lancaster, PA I believe in a loving, caring and gracious GOD and that we are all GOD’S children, created equally.
Don’t check something you are not.
Raj Merchant Philadelphia, PA Hey my name is Raj Merchant. I am Indian so technically I am Asian. I am a high school student, and I go to a magnet school called Central High School of Philadelphia. My grandfather said this line when I was going over the thing that were on the PSAT. When […]
My skintone is not my race.
Heather Lopez, Philadelphia, PA. I’m mixed, I’m half White and half Cuban. Many people think I’m just white because of the color of my skin.
Learned your culture you not ours
Michael Greene, Philadelphia, PA. Kudos to Ms, Norris for bringing the kindling for when it comes to race there have been, are, and will be fires figurative and literally of every imaginable combustion. Growing up I watched and was part of the Civil Rights Movement from the first time I was stopped and frisked by […]
Brilliance Is Not Determined By Color
Kelly K. Buck, Harrisburg, PA. Unfortunately as events have shown, some still believe that its either the only or contributing factor, as to how others should be treated. The value and potential of life, doesn’t decrease because of the shade of our skin.
Race isn’t based on one person
Jy’Aire O’Connor, Philadelphia, PA. One person doesn’t effect the rest of the people in the race. Just because one did something wrong doesn’t mean we all do that thing or will do it later on in life being thrown into multiple ethnic groups I know how it feels.
Mixed with many races not one
Jy’Maire O’connor, Philadelphia, PA. People bade me off the color of my skin just because my skin tone is brown/black doesn’t mean I’m only black and those stereotypes you place on “African Americans” doesn’t really apply to me i’m more than one race and you would know that if you talked to me instead of […]
Black, Caribbean-American, human, American, Southern
Britt Stone, Philadelphia, PA. No one ever asked “what” I am. They just assume. They approach me with all sorts of ideas about what food I like, what music I listen to, the books I read, and my favorite movies and tv. They have an opinion of what I should sound like when I speak, […]
The inability to speak my mind
Austin Winchester, West Chester, PA.
Sir, please check your White Privilege
Andrew S. Philadelphia, PA. To say minorities had it easy in this country would be like saying the sky is green, both insanely false statements. Minorities suffered the most in this country unless you differentiate the Native Americans who never became citizens and were killed by the millions. Were the majority of those in power […]
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