Sunday School Archives - The Race Card Project

Not black enough to be black

February 7, 2018February 7, 2018 acting white, Black, black enough, CA, CBU HIS311, Christina Gibbs, church, clothing, La Habra, Orange County, Sunday School, token, urban

Christina Gibbs,
La Habra, CA.

Growing up in Orange County all of my life, I grew up around mostly White, Asian, and Mexican people. I was always the token black person in schools throughout life and in my friend groups. The only only times I was around more than a few black people was when I was around my family or when I was at church. Growing up, my experience at church wasn’t the best with the kids in children’s church or my Sunday school classes. The kids at my prominently black Baptist church in West Covina CA, (we had to go out of OC for church because there aren’t really black Baptist churches in Orange County), would constantly make fun of the way I talk and call me a white girl or tell me to “stop acting white” and would make fun of my clothing because I choose to wear beach-styled clothes rather than typical urban-street brands that the majority of blacks that I knew wore during that time. It was really hard for me and made me feel uncomfortable when I was around the kids at church which is suppose to be the place everyone should feel the most comfortable at and it is meant to be the least non-judgmental place because we are all there for one purpose. Sadly, this wasn’t the case growing up “not black enough to be black”

CBU HIS311

My skin is BROWN not black.

August 14, 2013April 24, 2014 Black, brown, Color, Human race, NC, skin, Sunday School, Thomasville, Twanna Robinson

Twanna Robinson
Thomasville, NC

In Sunday school one morning, a new child asked me why my skin was so dark. I told her it was because I am a black person. She looked at me for a minute and said nothing else to me for the rest of the hour. When her mother, picked her up, she said to her mother “Mommy, that grownup doesn’t know her colors. She doesn’t know that her skin is brown not black.” Simple but actually true. Had me really think about race and how I identified myself based on other’s definitions. I am a BROWN American who is part of the Human Race. I don’t deny my heritage, whatever that may be (not all brown people will have a Roots moment). From this point on, I will make an effort to avoid checking Black or African-American for my race and simply check other. If given the option, I’ll even write Brown Human and dare someone to correct me because I really do know my colors.

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