When your blueprint is pretty funny
Jilly Bean, Houston, TX The blueprint for my life was etched from a very young age. I was told constantly by everyone that I was...
Smart black kid plays tennis alone.
Raheem Cash, Alexandria, VA. As a kid I spent a lot of time being one of two or three black kids in honors classes. Spent...
You are smarter than you look
Amanda Sperow, Chehalis, WA. Oregon State University Because I am a young woman with blonde hair, and I take pride in the way I look...
Aren’t you supposed to be smart?
Patrick Tan, Houston, TX Although I wouldn’t argue that the stereotypes associated with being Asian are as bad/worse than stereotypes associated with other races, I...
Hey, you’re good at math, right?
Quoc Du, Houston, TX Being Asian American, there are certain expectations placed upon me. I’m expected to be smart, I’m expected to have good grades...
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...
Raising Romindian boys: Sure, Smart, Kind!
Vasvi Babu, Scottsdale, AZ. Romindian: 50% East Indian, 50% Romanian. Married 21 years at a time when few Indian women married outside their own. Boys...
You’re actually smart. Not Affirmative Action.
Nana A. Forson, Baltimore, MD. Said to me, by a Caucasian male, after a brief conversation during orientation- at The Johns Hopkins University. We were...
Academically smart, Athletically ungifted
Ed Wang, West Lafayette, IN. As an Asian living in the U.S., I have been underestimated my whole life and probably will for the rest...
“You’re not smart. You are Hispanic”
Lauren Jewert, Colorado Springs, CO. Anthropology Class 101, Dr. Sandi Harvey
“You’re Asian? You must be smart.”
It’s very annoying how many people say that i’m smart just because of my race, like if i were to tell someone that i was...
You are smart to be Mexican
Teresa Gonzalez, Weslaco, TX. Many people say expressions like this one without taking into consideration its being offensive. They don’t think or recall that being...
Not all Asians are extremely smart.
Cora Keahl, Lakeland, FL. My mother has always held high expectations of me when it comes to grades and knowledge, I’ve always been really good...
You’re a pretty smart black guy!
Tac Mohamed, Miami, FL. I’ve heard it from friends, co-workers and many in between. Other variations include: You’re pretty smart for a black man. Is...
Black girl pursuing her true happiness
Alissa Ward, Pontiac, MI. I know that even though I am a very intelligent and smart girl, I still will get discriminated because of the...
Can you help me with math?
Samantha, Seattle, WA. I’m an Asian American woman who gets this all the time. Throughout high school, people assumed that because I was Asian, I...
