Sure, right, Jewish is a race
Anonymous,
Portland, ME
Although I’ve explained a thousand, people keep telling me that Jewish is a race not a religion. At this point, why both.
A Black Christian, not White Muslim
Ellen McDaniel-Weissler
LaVale, MD
When my sister, a Peace Corps volunteer, went to serve her two years with the Corps in Chad, Africa, my parents realized that she was at an age when she might meet and fall in love with someone and want to get married. My father was a Lutheran minister and a long-time anti-segregation activist, who had been involved in the 1963 March on Washington, and had spent eight fruitless years (1962-70) trying to get his congregation in Washington, DC, to become racially integrated. My sister entered the Peace Corps in the late 1970s, when my dad was pastor of a small church in a little rural town in the mountains of Western Maryland. I remember clearly that my parents’ concern about my sister’s possible romantic involvements in Chad took an interesting turn — my distinct memory is of my father saying: “If she does fall in love, I would rather she’d marry a Black Christian than a White Muslim.” The religious aspects of the possibility mattered more to him than the racial ones — not because he had any great prejudice against Islam, but because, as a Lutheran pastor, he inevitably oped that a prospective son-in-law would share the faith in which his daughter had been raised. The attached photograph shows the results of my sister’s time in Chad — in 1979 my father performed the ceremony for her marriage to my brother-in-law of 35 years — a Black Chadian Muslim — with the full support of his small congregation, at our church in Cumberland, MD.
Together we are strongest, why discriminate?
Makayla Johnson,
Elmira, NY
We are all human, it is ridiculous that we should treat each other differently based on race, ethnicity, religion, or other background information. For an assignment with Corning Community College.
Light skinned, biracial, Jewish, Arab American man.
Arturo Hull,
Anchorage, AK.
My mom is Syrian, Iraqi, Egyptian, Greek, Italian, Swiss-German, Austrian, South German, English, Norwegian and Danish. My dad is English, Scottish, Irish, Swedish, German, Polish, and Russian. I am light-skinned and can easily pass as French or Italian, but I embrace my Arab roots to the fullest and enjoy foods like Falafel, ful medames, and baklava. I also celebrate Arab holidays, such as Syrian Independence Day and Syrian Revolution Day. When I go to synagogue for Shabbat, I try to attend a Sephardic Synagogue and I eat qitnyot on Shabbat.
Did not choose to be Jewish
Sarah Elizabeth Rosen,
Laguna Hills, CA.
I did not choose to be Jewish. But, I have come to realize as I got older to appreciate who I am and how my religion is important to me. People think I am Mexican because I am tan, but really I am a Eastern European Jew. When I tell people that I am Jewish, they look at me and say I can see that, you have the hair and people are sometimes making money comments. I am proud to be Jewish and I do not care what people say. I love celebrating the holidays and getting to know about my families lives. Being Jewish is a big part of me and I am not ashamed. CBU-HIS311
Plants, birds, people – celebrate life’s colors.
Rose Mary Prifest,
Wayne State,
Harper Woods, MI
If there is anything important I learned in my lifetime, it’s acceptance of peoples’ differences. The key is education. It is opening your mind and heart to learning what makes people who they are. We may not agree with how they worship, whom they love, and how they celebrate, but we should always respect their existence and their human right to be themselves.
You’re Indian AND Catholic?! No way!
Josie H
Australia
I am a Catholic Indian.
The middle school I went to was not Catholic, and when I graduated into high school (which was Catholic), I ended up in the top Religion class, getting 80% + in all my tests. One day,a boy asked me disbelievingly, “You went to a non-Catholic primary school? You’re Indian? And you’re in the top class for Religion?”
For your information, I did answer in the positive for his questions, and they also made me edgy. I didn’t really mind his comment about my primary school, but it was the “you’re Indian?” question which really did it for me. It seemed as if in his eyes, an Indian cannot be Catholic. This is the kind of ignorance that promotes racism (and makes me feel like I want to punch someone).
I have a message for everyone and I really hope you share it.
Someone from Pakistan can be a Sikh.
Someone from Italy can be Hindu.
Someone from Africa can be Jewish.
Anyone can be whatever religion they wish. So stop judging others, and assuming everything about them.
I am not who you think
Stella,
Fredericksburg, VA
White woman here. I grew up in a town that was mostly white with a small percent of Latin Americans. Black people were a rare site—I would see one maybe once a year. We had TV, but I didn’t watch much. I had no experience with black people. I didn’t, and still don’t watch or read a lot of news or participate on social media. When I was thirty, I moved to Virginia where there are black people. Imagine my surprise when I learned first hand of the “angry black woman.” Why was she SO NASTY to me? What had I done? Imagine my consternation when I continually encountered shockingly rude behavior from black women? I once ran for the elevator that had one person in it: a young black man. I called to him to wait for me, and he smiled and held the elevator door open, and the two of us had a pleasant one-story trip together.
Imagine my shock when, a few days later, I read an online comment that said many white women avoid riding elevators alone with black men. How odd! Why would they do that? I’d heard of racism, sure, but never really knew what it looked like except for national news stories that I understood to be outlier events like the beating Rodney King. That every once in a while a white man beat up a black man. I had no context—no knowledge of the endemic casual, as well as more overt, racism in mixed race populations. I had no idea I had lived such an extraordinarily sheltered life. I moved to Virginia because I felt I was lacking a richer world of diversity. I wanted to make friends with peoples of different races, ethnicities, and religions to have a richer life experience. Why have Cheerios every day when you can continually have a variety pack in your cupboard to choose from?
The difference are delicious! They make life enjoyable. I was naïve in thinking I would move to Virginia and become friends with a cornucopia of diverse fellow humans. There isn’t a whole lot of social cross over in race or ethnicity. What I’ve experienced far more of than anything else is being accused of taking part in racism from the mere fact that I am a white woman. A shy white woman who begs the pardon of a street sign for bumping into it. Im so fearful now of black women in general that my default is to quickly cater to them (e.g. let them cut in line, move out of their way, etc.), and I resent that. I haven’t been around any black people to oppress them (not that that is an objective), but I get treated and spoken to in general (online, at work) like I have personally done them wrong. I’ve gotten to the point where I fantasize about ranging a sign around my neck saying “I’m new to racial diversity. I know a lot of people have been awful, but I’m haven’t been nor will I be, so let’s go get cookies and play together.”
Muslim is not synonymous with terrorist
Fahad Alotaibi,
Bowling Green, KY.
I was born and raised in n Islamic country. When 9/11 happened, I had no idea that the world would turn on us as being Muslim. I was thinking that others would notice the difference between a religion and terrorism. I understand that when people get harmed, they start thinking involuntarily. As a Muslim, I’ve been taught from elementary to high school not to harm anyone in the name of Islam, anyone who does so is not truly following the teaching of Islam. Any act I do, shall be my own decision and not a reflection of my entire religion.
I am more than religion requires
Hannah Drillings,
Chester, NY
I am ethically an Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jew, but have always felt disconnected from my religion. growing up in an orthodox synagogue, the women were separated from the men, and shunted to the back of the room. I never felt seen or heard as a person. as an adult, I want to be understood as only myself, culturally and ethnically Jewish, but not religious.
Can’t tell anyone I’m an atheist
Theresa E Wade,
Copperopolis, CA
Reading about this was really moving and touching.
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, on the other hand, had chosen not to wear one) and these childhood experiences heavily inform my worldview. However, as I got older and my family moved to the suburbs, it increasingly felt like I was being sorted. Although I moved to a diverse suburb, people tended to hang out with others from their own demographic group. When I went to one of the most diverse colleges in the country it seemed much the same. Was it me? Was I choosing this? Certainly not consciously. I have my degree in sociology, so, in addition to analyzing my own individual behavior and motivations, I also see this through the lens of my discipline and can’t help but feel as though society sorts us. That deeply saddens me. This gulf that divides us is what makes people fearful of others unlike them, if they only knew how alike they really are they may find their fear melting away.
God painted the world in color
Cassidy Capoferri,
Wayne State,
Macomb, MI
Growing up Catholic and in Catholic schools, we were always taught that God loves everyone, no matter what. He created all people equally. It was so simple when I was younger, but the older I get, the more I see people ignoring this. It doesn’t matter what religion you’re part of, if you put your faith in God or Buddha, or if you believe in anything at all. What people should agree on is the fact that the world looks a whole lot better in color.
I am not one for boxes.
Denise Duvernay,
Cupertino, CA.
People are always trying to figure out exactly, what I am. But does learning my nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual background, or any other particular thing tell you anything about WHO I AM? So often, I feel like people are just looking for any excuse to dismiss you, or box you into their own narrow view of what they want you to be, so I live my life challenging everyone’s basic biases. I work at Trader Joe’s, but that doesn’t mean I’m uneducated; I actually hold a Juris Doctorate. And just because you think I look white, don’t make me deny my father’s heritage. And I wear my freckles proudly, I am sorry if you think I may be prettier if I bleached them or covered them up with makeup. I embrace all the differences that make me an unconventional beauty, weighing more than you might expect. I am smart, funny, caring, and generous. I love food and traveling. And I will do anything for my family. Knowing which boxes I check off on my census paperwork will never truly reveal all of the wonderful intricacies that make me, so ME!
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 the long run. It’s time the other folk got their turn.
A Jew lost in this world
Maya Granot,
OH
Jews only make up 2% of the world’s population. As a minority…as a Jew, I constantly have to think about what I say and who I say it around. I have to think before I speak rather than speaking freely because I never know who around me Anti-Semitic. Being a Jew gives me a biased opinion on certain topics that I know many people who surround me disagree on. However, when a group of people are targeting YOUR people would you not have this biased prejudice towards them? As much as I try to be open-minded, as a Jew it is hard. If you constantly heard that you are worthless and have no business being on this earth would you be open-minded? No. Because of all this, I feel lost. I feel lost because I feel like everywhere I go, as a jew, no one accepts me. Even in Israel, the home for Jews, I feel lost. Arabs are constantly launching rockets and bombs towards innocent Israeli civilians in OUR home and then blaming us for fighting back for OUR country. Because of this, I’m lost. If innocent people are fighting for their country and get blamed for that and are told they are evil than who are the innocent ones in this world?
As a Jew I am lost. Where am I welcomed? Where is my home? Where in history did Jews do something to deserve this?
Im a Jew, and I am lost in this world.
Nobody seems to speak Swedish anymore
Lars Engström,
Sverige.
In the US people share the same language, religion, and culture. So why this race-awareness, to use a less incendiary label? In Sweden the issue is hardly about racism. Those “others” are mostly fresh to this country. I’m just shy of 50. As young, there were no immigrants in my class, none in the entire school, and nobody in my district at all. 40 years later virtually all people in my district are recent immigrants from all corners of the world. Some 90% of colleges at work has a foreign name, and speak with coworkers and costumers in strange languages. Am I a racist, for feeling like a stranger in my own country now (in the words of a friend from Morocco,,,)? Anywhere in Sweden is the same. Foreign languages, foreign food, cars with foreign license plates, beggars lining the streets, exploding numbers of homeless people, increased crime rates, religious terrorist acts, and so on. The changes are going at a lightning speed. Will these newcomers be able to pick up enough sense, and carry on the heritage, or will I end my days in a nation turned to an Islamic dictatorship. I feel lonely and scared. Should I emigrate?
