Josie, Houston, TX Most of my life, I had not given much thought to my racial identity. I never really thought about myself as a “white person” or what it meant to be white, unless I had to fill out a form for school, a job, or standardized tests. It was just a label with […]
Told: Not African American? Not Black.
Auguste Budhram Austin, TX I was broke, in my twenties and had just moved to NYC when a friend told me that I could earn some extra cash by being a part of a focus group. When I called the ad agency, I was told I’d be asked a series of questions to determine if […]
Embrace who you are, love it
Eric D., Houston, TX. While my son was in elementary school, I asked what race dose he tells his schoolmates he was. He quickly responded, “White”. When I asked why, he said that his skin color wasn’t brown or black. As he grew older he learned about both his Spanish and African American heritage. Now […]
How soft black hair is. . . surpise
Charlotte, Houston, TX. I grew up close to African Americans. They were guests in our home and people on the bus with us. I never noticed how taboo touching was between us until I was 30 and a neighbor girl came over to play with my kids. She skinned her knee and as I hugged […]
Neighborhood party we were not invited
Ninfa Pena-Purcell, College Station, TX. This picture of my parents captures a young Mexican American couple with aspirations to live the American dream in the 1950s only to find out that their family of six children would never be welcomed in their neighborhood. Years later this experience has stayed with me and made me resolve […]
Narrow Paths Dirt Roads Soul Soles
Treylieus Curry, Denton, TX. Everyone has a story and their road my not be pretty or easy to navigate but the destination is freeingly beautiful.
You talk like you are white.
Ariana Amador, Dallas, TX You can’t talk like a color.
“Go back where you came from”
Yoselin, Dallas, TX As a Latina speaking Spanish is a natural thing especially to my parents who do not speak English. Going around speaking another language that is not English gets you to look at different, “Learn English” “speak English” is probably the most common things I hear when speaking Spanish. Even though I get […]
“You all look alike to me”
John Kwong, Mesquite, TX Growing up an Asian American in Dallas, TX, I often heard the words of ignorant people say “All Asians look the same,” “Chinese, Japanese, Korean… what’s the difference?” To be truthful, these words hurt. Associating all extremely different ethnic groups into a single title. Our backgrounds, our culture, and our family […]
Boyfriend didn’t want white kids. I’m white.
Rheannea Howerton, Plano, TX
Oh, I thought you were white
Alison Montes, Dallas, TX Puerto Ricans are multiracial. We are mixed with Spanish, African, and Indigenous races so we are more than likely able to pass as any of those races easily; which is what happens to me. I am mistaken as a Caucasian every time and it is not until they notice I am […]
A WHITE PUBLIC SPEAKER WITH AUTISM
Finnegan Lang Caplette, Garland, TX I am a White Texan born and raised in the Dallas area and I have Autism. I have tried my hardest in life to defy the meaning of the word Autism. I have become a public speaker for anti-bullying and special needs kids and I am also a camp counselor, […]
I am from here and there
Alma Arriaga, Texas State University, Austin, TX I am a combination of the places and cultures I was born in and raised with.
My dad works in construction, so what?
Karla Rivera, Dallas, TX My father did come from Mexico crossing the border but he has his papers. He works in construction in a nicer white populated area. My father works very hard and he tries his best to speak English. I wish people would stop judging him, for someone who quit school at a […]
That Was So White Of You
Lillie Carroll, Richmond, TX “You are so white” is something I hear almost all of the time. I hear it after I say something quirky or do something weird. What boggles me is that something in light of being funny or myself has been boxed into the title of “being white”. Why can’t I make […]
We’re Here Walking Each Other Home
R. Flowers Rivera, McKinney, TX. The most aware I’ve ever been of race was when my family moved from Gulfport, Mississippi, to New Fairfield, Connecticut, during the 1980s. At that time, New Fairfield was a town with a population of about 10,000 in which there were three Black children, all of whom were in my […]
A power grab by skin color
Tim Elliott, Plano, TX
Black Girls Play Video Games Too
Chelsea L. Harris, Fort Worth, TX. I’m a gamer, and I don’t mean the occasional “Angry-Flappy Bird” app gamer, or “Just Dance” gamer. I’m a “Own Every Console, Collect Every Series Title, No-Life” gamer. My two brothers and I have been gamers since the days of NES, before I even quit wearing Pull-Ups. Gaming was […]
No offense BUT, what are you?
Francesca Sam-Sin, Katy, TX. “No offense BUT, what are you?” That’s usually how the conversation about my race begins. When I arrived in the U.S. in the 80’s I was really surprised by the emphasis on race. The first time someone asked what “race” I was, it took me a minute to understand exactly what […]
TV people don’t look like us
Ana Artigas Houston, TX I am the child of an Italian-American mother and Spanish (from Spain) father, and I was born in Mexico. I am married to an American man of Dutch and British ancestry, We have friends in mixed race marriages. All of us have children, and there are very few TV programs, none […]
Confusing Because Hispanic Isn’t A Race
Oscar Lopez, Dallas, TX Many times when completing a school survey or form I’m forced to put white as my race as Hispanic isn’t an option. Other times Hispanic is an option leaving me confused as to what’s my race.
Lights flipped, pulled over, relax brother
JC Ousley Houston, TX In 1998 I bought a new red corvette despite my mother’s plea, she said the car was trouble for a black man. On the day the car was delivered, I was driving to my parent’s home to show off my new vette when I was pulled over by three Chicago police […]
Running Shouldn’t Lead To My Death
Dmitri Julius, Austin, TX We really appreciate the work being done here. Keep it up. It’s incredibly important and so impactful when we are able to see one another. I wanted to share these thoughts with our team as it’s been weighing heavily on my heart these past few weeks. I woke up in tears […]
Im Just An Ordinary American Girl
Anonymous, Houston, TX I’m Palestinian and Muslim, but I was born and raised in the United States. I’ve bumped into a few people who’d make terrorist jokes towards me but I learned to laugh at the hate.
“Black girls please love your curls”
Amiri Warden, Eastfield College Dallas, TX
“No, where are you really from?”
Rachel Mendoza, Dallas, TX
Decide based on skills, not color
Sage Perez, Eastfield College. Dallas, TX, This is always the best way in making a decision, especially in white-collar jobs.
I’m Pretty For a Black Girl
Kamesha Coleman, Dallas, TX
You must have eaten dog meat
Grandison, Mesquite, TX Born and raised in an Asian country, which is the Philippines, one misconception of us is that we eat dog meat. It is my 7th year here in the United States, and a lot of people I’ve met normalize the joke that we Asians eat dog meat. It can be funny sometimes, […]
There’s some Indian blood in me
Joseph Chapman, Forney, TX
“A Disgrace to Your Own Race”
Magale Velasquez, Balch Springs, TX As female born in the USA but raised in Mexico until the age of 15, moving to Dallas, Tx and learning English in a short amount of time while trying to assimilate to the culture as to not be looked down upon by other races because of the language barrier; […]
No I Am Not A Hispanic
Dillon Harris, Dallas, TX
Everyone deserves to have a voice.
Emma Colegrove, Forney, TX As a cis white woman, I understand I have a position of privilege. I am always paying attention to those whose voice is not being heard, and I do what I can to make them heard. But this is not enough. I can be their voice, but they deserve to have […]
You have a story, its not about what is on paper
Johana Vilezcas, Dallas, TX
What about us the Latino community?
Ricardo Aguirre, Dallas, TX
How do I fit in race?
Carlos Lopez, Dallas, TX
Born an immigrant, raised a hardworker
Juliette Valdez, Mesquite, TX Children like me are brought into the United States unaware of the difficulties they will face growing up as immigrants. I am a hardworking student at Eastfield College and should no be judged by my past, it does not define me.
All-American Girl: Minority at Work
Stefanie Bernosky, Houston, TX. I was raised as an All-American girl to an All-American family in an All-American town. I even looked “All-American”, proudly featuring my braces and American Flag sweater in this dated family photo (circa 1994). We can trace my family (both sides) to the United States prior to the United States Revolution. […]
I’m not the RIGHT minority.
Brianna Acosta, Leander, TX. All the U.S. is talking about is black and white, but what about the Mexican Americans? Discrimination against us has risen 50% in the last ten years while discrimination against most other races in the U.S. has gone down.
Black is believed to be dangerous
Deshawn Tiliaia, Fort Worth, TX
“I’m not racist, my boyfriend’s brown”
Sarah U., Fort Worth, TX Many people will use an excuse like this to defend themselves. However, what they don’t realize is that just because your significant other or your family or friends are a different race from you, doesn’t excuse you from being a racist altogether. They’ll hide behind the fact that they have […]
I’m different, yet the same.
Nathania Isabel Wiradarma, San Antonio, TX I want to make sure everyone knows that we Indonesian-Chinese aren’t all rich, which is what Indonesians say, and we’re not poor like Chinese might say. It’s okay to be mixed race.
Black is still deemed ugly globally.
Kia Johnson, Mesquite, TX But I am 100% amazed at God for creating me and others with this beautiful complexion. We are survivors daily of others’ criticism. We create on a level that is awed by others and stolen as well. We are the most diverse race of people because we have to be in […]
Completely Out Of Apologies And Patience
Heather Wohl, Dallas, TX White are treated so badly in Dallas TX that I have zero compassion left. I will not listen to any more about being woke until it is called being awoken. Treating people in a way that makes you nonfunctional in society is a choice. It is not my choice. I am […]
The skin I’m in is resilient.
Keisha, Spring, TX.
Men I love aren’t safe here
Arlinda Vaughn, Dayton, OH. My partner is a tall, dark muscular black man (with a PHD). When he lived in Texas, the police arrived at a gas station that he was in and tased him 8 times without warning or discussion. My brother (with a degree) has been regularly pulled over. Once, a police officer […]
Adopted at birth; family history unknown.
Kristi Boehm, Spring, TX. Every year on my birthday I give thanks to the woman who loved me enough to give me up for adoption. I couldn’t have asked for a better mother and father, and my family life was nothing but ordinary. As an aging adult, with no idea of whether I’m Swedish, German, […]
Black and part of the solution.
Maurice Kemp, San Antonio, TX. I did not choose my race. No one did. I was born into a world with preconceived notions about my race and others. We all were. I entered a world with plenty of recorded and unrecorded history. We all did. I cannot account for any of the history that predates […]
Could ignorance truly lead to unification?
David Smith, Midlothian, TX I pondered this thought one time around MLK day when my second grade child climbed into my car and said “Dad did you know that white and black people hate each other? We learned that today at school.” I came across you when I was doing some research on MLK’s I […]
2004 before we admitted black roots.
Sarah, Dallas, TX.
Mama is Puerto Rican, my father, white
Maria Sullivan, Fort Worth, TX Mama never had an SS card, I could not find a birth certificate I know she was illegal to the US. My daddy’s last name is chapman and color is white who am I?
One Family Between Two Dangerous Countries.
Samantha Salas, Mission, TX.
Montanan Nigerian, African American, Proud Texan
Larry Hubbard, Arlington, TX
An Accent is a sign of Courage
Carmen Garcia, College Station, TX
Who invented the “race card” anyway?
Kathryn Terry, Katy, TX. I hate the term “race card” because when I hear it, it tells me that the person using it doesn’t have any desire to listen to or understand anything about the experiences of racism that people of color face. If you think there’s a “race card”, who do you think put […]
Your words do not offend me!
Anonymous, Austin, TX. With the onslaught of social media, people feel that that they can judge and pressure any and everyone into being afraid to say anything that might be considered different or something that someone may disagree with. Like the old saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt […]
I CAN speak English and Spanish!
Fernando Martinez, McAllen, TX. Some people assume I don’t speak Spanish because I have light skin. But others assume I don’t speak English when they find out I lived my entire childhood in Mexico and English is actually my second language. Little do they know that I can speak both!
The ‘Whitest’ Black Guy I Know
Leon Anderson Davis, Dallas, TX. This is by far the most offensive compliment I can be given. I have heard it since my early teens, growing up in suburban Dallas. Somewhere around the age of 25, I realized that this statement presupposed that being intelligent and well spoken were attributes of white people, and that […]
Middle class whites are the problem
Richard Young, Dallas, TX.
A border town taught me understanding
Christian Diego Cintron, El Paso, TX. Culture and race should be celebrated. Growing up in a border town taught me people are different and we should all be understanding. I am Hispanic and I love my culture and the way it blends with all the other cultures.
My Industry can’t get Latino right.
Ricardo Chavira, San Antonio, TX. Actor who splits time between SA and LA. Alumnus of TV series Desperate Housewives. Id say I was shocked that industry can’t tap into Latino market, but I’m not. I also realize that we as Latinos have a tendency to get in our own way.
We experience, we teach, we grow.
Eli Russell, Austin, TX. As a writer, these six words are something I’ve said before. I lend it here to hopefully add to the growing conversation, to close the divide in the races, to open racist minds and to unite all Americans, all people across the world in peace. It is up to each generation […]
I Don’t Have Any People
Dara Boyd, Austin, TX. I am always hearing people say, “my people”, “your people”, “our people”, but why can’t we just be people? It never crossed my mind to call all white people or more specifically Norwegian people (which is a portion of my ancestry) “my people” because they simply are not. America, hell the […]
Bangladeshi-British immigrant. Mom of all-American twins.
Sadia Rodriguez, Round Rock, TX. If I had to limit myself to a single identity, I’d say that I’m a mother of twins above all else. Sure, I’m also a business analyst, a blogger, a divorcee, a permanent resident of the US, a holder of British and Bangladeshi passports and a former US Army wife. […]
By protecting her, I’m oppressing her.
Adrienne Kern, Keller, TX. My daughter was two weeks from turning one on September 11, 2001. She is one of them. An Arab (pronounced with a Texas drawl: A-Rab). A camel jockey. A rag head. She is Turkish and Saudi and Egyptian. She is not white like me, her mother, who is also mixed race. […]
Strength in pedigree proud of race
Tory Robinson, Omaha, NE. I refuse to be fearful growing up in Texas, I learned fear is an obstacle. I now live in Nebraska a state that hides its racism but I won’t be broken because of the strength in my pedigree.
Drop the guilt, and become aware
Danyahel Norris, Houston, TX. When I have a conversation about race or racism with someone white, I tend to get a few common responses. One being the fact that they weren’t even alive for things like slavery and Jim Crow, so they shouldn’t be blamed for it (not that I ever did). Another is the […]
United yet unique, diverse yet connected.
Dana, San Antonio, TX. Around the world, my white skin and my blonde hair make me easily identifiable as an American. This superficial categorization has lead me to wish that people took the chance to get to now me for who I am, rather than making assumptions about my character. In return, I challenge myself […]
Justice for all requires White awakening.
Albert Marten, San Antonio, TX. Trinity University I’m ashamed and embarrassed to admit how unaware I was as a white person about the hate, the daily indignities, and in many cases, the physical terror suffered by my fellow citizens because of the color of their skin. The failure of my country to live up to […]
DO NOTHING AND NOTHING EVER CHANGES
Laurie Winchester, Houston, TX. Treat everyone and everything the way you want to be treated…..yes, it’s that simple.
What You See Is Not Complete
Erica Flores, Dallas, TX. I am often mistaken for something I am not. Most times I am unable to offer clarity on my behalf and am left with the, often wrong, label I was given. My ethnicity, race, education and social status are most often incorrectly judged by others; usually not in my favor.
Half White, Half Hispanic, Full Human
John Michael Rendon Nicholson, San Antonio, TX. Growing up around Latinos and Caucasians, I was either “too White for Latinos” or “Too Latino for Whites”. Very few people saw me as “one of them”, even to this day. Of course, this didn’t stop me from indulging in my culture. I learned Spanish; and I even […]
I am a proud Mexican American.
Michelle Tovar, Houston, TX.
I WON’T ruin your blood line
Trina Estrada. “SW Austinville”, Austin TX. Submitted via @atxtrina
Together we can do it better
Ben Tallcott, Houston, TX. My life has given me the experience of many cultures and races. I have learned that our differences create a wealth of creativity and knowledge. When we combine these backgrounds together and take the time to listen and learn, we see the answers to many questions. Together we can achieve more […]
Seeking the descendents of Saulsbury Brooks
Jared M Snyder, Rochester, WA. My GG grandfather is R.J. Young. The author of this advertisement. Saulsbury survived the Civil War, moved to Austin, Texas, married and had a son, but then the trail goes cold .
Oh, you are together? My apologies.
Jenny Henderson, Austin, TX.
Benefit and burden with being biracial
Ryann Williams, Trinity University In a lot of ways, having two parents of different racial/ethnic backgrounds allows a unique insight into both cultures. It can be extremely enlightening to see how both sides can be so different and yet so similar at the exact same time. However, there is always this feeling as if I […]
When people ask… What are you?
Naomi, Grand Rapids, MI. I am an American, of Mexican decent… No, I don’t speak Spanish, no I don’t know where my family is from in Mexico… My Grandparents and Great-Grandparents were born in Texas… I grew up in Gary, IN around mostly Black people… people don’t know what box to put me in. How […]
I’m not allowed to be country.
Rhonda Gilbert, Crowley, TX. I’m black and grew up in the rural south. My experience was very much small town, and I interacted primarily with other blacks until college. Although a large part of my perspective is influenced by my country upbringing, I don’t feel welcome in that “country” space.
A World With Out A Mirror!
Sherry Chaudhry, San Antonio, TX. Imagine a World without a Mirror Without a reflection to see ourself. There would be no glassy reflection sitting upon the shelf. Without knowing our own image it would be difficult to judge another. For the image we have of ourselves, determines how we see our brothers by Sherry Chaudhry
Where is the country of “White” ?
Armando Reyes, TX. I was born in Texas. 5 generations of my family were born in Texas. Before Texas was part of the US. I can’t go back to where “we” came from. I’m already here.
Traditional environment with non-traditional views.
Amanda Cook Lubbock, TX I’m an international business student at Texas Tech University, living in the second most conservative city in the United States. My views on non traditional gender roles and preferred marital status are ridiculed daily. Clearly I don’t have “southern” values. Texas Tech Student. 2013 OTC Symposium.
People are trained to be stupid.
William Halley St. Jo, TX
My father endearingly calls us “Cottonpicker.”
Thais TX My father, age 83, born in a small town in northern Louisiana, has always called my siblings, cousins, and I “Cottonpicker.” My father is the grandson of “Old Man Bass”–as they referred to him, a slaveowner, and Grandma Meli, short of Amelia, an enslaved African-American woman who lived to see freedom. Grandma Meli […]
Biologically baseless with immesurable social impact
Ta-Nehisi Coates writes in his book Between the World in Me that “racism is the father of race.” I teach that to my students every semester. Racism created race, not the other way around. The categorization of people according to a perceived racial difference was one of the worst mistake every to be called scientific, […]
We have to get it together.
NIK BANNISTER Houston, TX Louisiana epitomizes how race and education interfere with opportunity, cultural identity and upward mobility.
Short. Dark. Supposed statistic. Intellectual outlier.
Cory, Ft. Worth, TX.
South Texas Born, Melting Pot Raised
Jerheme Urban, Trinity University I am very proud of the fact that I was born in south Texas, a location steeped with history and tradition. It is also an area that is a melting pot of race, culture, and economic diversity- with a heavy blue collar, agrarian influence. After traveling/working across the country, I have […]
Am I just what I look like?
Dane Rivas, Lubbock, TX
Articulate, responsible; then color doesn’t matter
John H McKinney, TX King’s speech referred to the time when a man (actually he referred to his children) would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I think there are many, many who,lack character and use the color of their skin as an excuse. There […]
A tale of my father
Charon Mcclain, Dallas, TX. In 2009, my father a proud military man passed. He was a great dad and loving husband. He was a proud man who had been in the Air Force and run his own business. I thought I knew all the stories that could be told. Until a pilot sent his condolences […]
You’re not like most black girls.
Felicia Oakmon, Autin, TX. This statement is a repeat offender. I am half black and half Mexican, but I wasn’t aware that ALL “black girls”,or ALL people are exactly the same. Instead of judging people by media, social networks,and what you have heard… take the time to have a conversation, take the time to listen […]
Never keep secrets from your children.
i, Lulu, San Antonio, TX. I was 52 when I confirmed what I had long dodged: I was adopted — more like appropriated — at birth. Back then and in my part of the world (Texas), those things happened. My adoptive parents are on my birth certificate as the birth parents. Whatya gonna do, right? […]
I’m not mixed I’m human
Micha Palmer, Killeen, TX
Confederate re-enactor chose intimidation as spoils
Lillian J. Hall, Dallas, TX. I was a freshman in college. I was sitting in the dining hall with a friend, near a window. It was “Texas Day”. The theme was obvious by the bails of hay, western-wear-clad employes and of course, barbecue on the menu. My friend and I were chatting, when all of […]
I’m not a person of color
Gabriella Grange, Plano, TX. Before coming to college, I always thought of myself as a black person. But when I got to college a few years ago, I heard people use the term “people of color” and it boggled me. Even though the term is used to foster solidarity, the term can be used to […]
I will make reparations to you.
Jane Cavazos, San Antonio, TX I have been reading the stories of African Americans for several years–their struggles, triumphs, setbacks and progress…I feel badly about the immense suffering they have endured over centuries of injustice. I will make reparations by volunteering my service in a public library in the African American community.
God knew what he was doing
Malley Morales, Dallas, TX. Nowhere in the Bible does it say, “and then Jesus whipped his slaves, who were inadequate because of their skin color.” We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all equal.
My Not So White Life
Joye Beard, Corpus Christi, TX. In the 23 years that my husband and I have been married I’ve noticed some disconcerting things about being in a mixed race marriage. First, I’m not comfortable around other white people at all. If they’re open minded it’s not so bad. But most are not, and once they learn […]
Bicultural and Bilingual should be enough.
Megan Medrano, Houston, TX. Growing up Latina in south Texas, I have always been surrounded with rich culture. My home was filled with both the English and Spanish language and I was encouraged to live both my Mexican and U.S. Latina identities. I did not realize how important an ethnic identity was until I came […]
I see colors. Colors are beautiful.
Richard Sullivan, Fort Worth, TX
You can sit in the bar
Diane Graves, San Antonio, TX. My husband and I (both Anglo) were driving our adopted daughter (born in El Salvador, adopted as an infant, a U.S. citizen since she was 11 months old) to a guest ranch in Colorado. It was 2004; our daughter was 11 years old. Late on Sunday morning, we stopped to […]
Your opinion does not define me.
Brisa, Waxahachie, TX
Bigotry lives on; so does hope.
Matt Neal, San Antonio, TX.
A “white girl” with a unique heritage
Ashlyn Rachelle Sharp, Azle, TX. I hate the term “typical white girl”. Why does a girl whose taste buds enjoy pumpkin spice lattes have to be categorized automatically in some stupid stereotype? I may be “white”, but my heritage is so much more than just a typical white girl. My veins are flowing with the […]
Open Conversations about race always matter
Michael Goldberg, Dallas, TX. Race conversations should always be happening no matter your background or skin color. Stop the finger pointing on both sides and start talking to solve the problems.
We’ll stick around until the end.
Josh Martinez, Edinburg, TX.
I’m told to get over it.
Anonymous, Houston, TX. It’s hard being a young “smart” black man, especially in the military. If to good at my job it’s because “we helped you out more because we don’t want you to think we where racists” then if I’m not good at my job its. “Well you know black people are lazy…” Plus […]
Damn, did you see that White girl?
Lisa Jasinsk, Trinity University In 2007, I spent a year working at The Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY. One day on my way into the office, I slipped on an icy sidewalk on 125th Street, and in a comic prat fall, landed on my bottom in a filthy puddle. A group of guys gathered outside […]
Watch out Discrimination works both ways
Matthew Spiroff, San Antonio, TX. I moved from a predominately white town Hamburg New York to San Antonio Texas. I am white [English and Bulgarian and I cannot go to certain parts of town without being pulled over and asked what is a white boy doing here or go to certain businesses and get service […]
“So… I should just check ‘Other’?”
Hannah Killen, Lubbock, TX I’ve been called racially ambiguous more times than I can count. The thing is, just because I’m mixed doesn’t mean I don’t want a claim to my race. Just because I can pass as white doesn’t mean I want to pretend for the privileges. I love my culture and I take […]
1999: Born Into a Racist World
Jahred Cleveland, Leander, TX
Ritz Cracker at your service sir
Ike, Midland, TX. If people are going to call me a cracker, which by the way doesn’t bother be at all, at least let me be a Ritz cracker or better yet a cheese cracker.
View perceived differences as valuable opportunity.
Lauren C, TX I wish for my half white, half Mexican children to grow up knowing that perceived differences should be an opportunity to learn about another person or people, and how much they may truly have in common. An opportunity to embrace someone or their culture and traditions, and maybe learn something new about […]
Black Woman Who Loves to Swim!
Eb, Rowlett, TX. I am a black woman and I am already missing the summertime. I love to go to a local swimming pool (and yes I will get my hair wet!) in the middle of a Texas summer. I have a naturally kinky, curly and thick afro and there is nothing relaxing on a […]
I am a proud American man
Charles Tanner, Midland, TX. I am an American,there is not a pre or post to that I was not brought here I was born here. Yes my distant family came from somewhere else. But as with anyone who truly wants to be an American they assimilated. Just as if I wanted to make any other […]
Leave identity issues to other people
Phyllis W. Allen, Fort Worth, TX. I am a sixty year old woman who has lived through segregation, integration, Colored, Negro,, Black, African American, segregation, marches, integration, Pan Africanism, opulent consumption, financial catastrophe and now I’m just me.
Male, Polack-American, overlooked, tired, lost.
Kye Gordy, Lubbock, TX. I am branded white by my appearance, but I go much deeper. I am overlooked because my appearance blends into everyone. It is tiring and makes my identity lost. Texas Tech student. 2013 OTC Symposium.
Border life safety, mass murder, lose.
Patricia Valdez-Harrison, El Paso, TX. El Paso Texas for the fourth year in a row as been reported to be the safest city in the country even though it shares borders with one of the deadliest cities in Mexico. I chose to end my sentence with lose not only for the lose of so many […]
Interracial family: whites stare, blacks care.
Aurlyn Ellyse Wygle, Lewisville, TX. My husband and I are both caucasian. We have decided to make adoption our “plan A” and have a particular heart for children from hard places. This led us to become foster parents. As we parent these precious, beautiful brown babies we have noticed a trend. African American adults are […]
Born in America, Your’re just American
Jeff Boothe TX If you were born here you are not African-American, Mexican-American, and Chinese-American. No one says they are European-American, Scottish-American, and Spanish-American. Why do people dilute themselves to being less than American.
Brown skin isn’t a measure of my intelligence
Octavia, Dallas, TX. I have been to over forty six job interviews since I moved to Dallas. There is a look that white people give you when they realize that the person that they thought so highly of over the phone is a black woman. I have had people tell me all the reasons why […]
Genetically black and white raised hispanic
Veronica Herrera Nacogdoches, TX My daughter currently only 2 months was conceived through a donor who is African American. My wife is Caucasian and I am Mexican/Cuban American. When my wife and I spoke about having kids she wanted to carry the child first because she is older than me. We wanted our child to […]
Yo soy Tejano, not “White Washed”
Christopher A Hernández, Corpus Christi, TX. Growing up on the Gulf Coast of Texas, you can always smell the sea; after all: it’s practically in your backyard. But there’s also something else that is constantly in the air that one may not be able to smell, but it’s just as pungent: Stereotypes. I come from […]
Yes, that is his daughter, too.
Dania Abreu-Torres San Antonio, TX My husband and I are Puerto Ricans. I am more “white” than he is -He usually was mistaken as a muslim-. We have a blonde, blue eyed girl. In Florida, he use to take her to the supermarket. He was followed by a lady and asked if the baby was […]
I do no fear other humans.
Tricia Elliott, Plano, TX. One of my favorite authors is Grace Halsell who wrote In Their Shoes. I think it’s a humanizing experience to be a minority at least once in your life.
Poor white trash, not welcome here.
Tracie Combs-Cantu Austin, TX I was born and raised in Kentucky from an Appalachian family. The stereotypes and the realities of being poor and from Appalachian decent always make you self-conscious of your speech, look and skills. Even when you don’t need to worry about any of it.
I’m a girl not a fantasy.
Ngoc Ma Sugar Land, TX I hear it more often than I should – ‘I love Asian women.’ That’s great, I love southern cooking. Or ‘I’ve never been with an Asian woman before.’ And you’re streak will continue. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with information like that. I have found that men […]
Human nature doesn’t change; people do!
Rolando R. Gutierrez, Allen, TX. I am not a racist. I am a humanist. We all have the same faults including the minority defense of the racist card. The majority does not call it racist. It is called law and order. We all exercise it when in the majority. Here is another six words: Reason, […]
Every Hispanic Isn’t Always Hispanic Okay?
Mathew Rayne, Houston, TX. Once in awhile you go for a drive and see the people around you enjoying what there doing. Everyone is their own person! Sometimes your expected to do something that… you just rather not do? It’s my family line? In my blood? Just because I’m Hispanic doesn’t mean i wanted to […]
I will not yield to you.
James Michael Rogers Houston, TX I was at my neighborhood park one morning jogging, and I saw three white women walking abreast in one direction, and a black woman coming towards them in the opposite direction. The white women ignored the black woman and no one stepped back to let the black lady pass, and […]
Divisiveness planted to keep us distracted
Kelly O’Brien Pruitt, Houston, TX. I love living in a multicultural City. I love seeing different sizes and shapes and colors, different combinations of ethnic groups. To me this is what America looks like. I want to tell every white person who thinks that America belongs to them is that we came from Europe and […]
America why do you hate me?
Ernest Henson, Longview, TX. African first question Black man’s last
I’m tired of being called evil.
Jackson Bates, White Oak, TX.
White Male does not equal Privilege
Tim Turner, College Station, TX.
WASP, Northener, no slaves, guilty?
Barbara Kuether, Dallas, TX. Discussions of race seem to extrapolate the South to the entire country. History is more complicated.
Being white is more than privilege.
Adela Ludeke, Austin, TX. I know that whites are traditionally “privileged”, but I find it so cringeworthy when I hear other whites checking their privilege. It’s as if they have so much guilt because of what their ancestors did. And it’s more embarrassing when your parents check their privileges. Sure, racism is shameful, but too […]
I’m not just one, I’m both!
June Blanton, Magnolia, TX. I was raised between two family’s. One black and one white, please stop telling me that i’m one or the other. Why should I deny half of me to make YOU happy.
Teaching History to White Graduate Students
Collette M. Bloom, Houston, TX. It is a wondrous and wonderful experience to see the “AHA” moment appear on White students faces when they finally understand about tragedy and waste of chattel slavery. Many were quite distressed about the willingness of so many to collude in developing the Black Codes of the South. Statutory inhumanity […]
I have a dream, no jerks.
Ryan Matthew Hunter, Leander, TX.
Honey, you must come from money.
Christine Faris Lufkin, TX Actually, no. Yes, I was blessed to come from a middle class family. And yes, I’ve been blessed to travel the world. Wanna know how? I worked my ass off. Blew out a knee, graduated high school early, started college at 16, took summer school, worked multiple jobs, all so I could […]
I’m genuinely sorry about my family.
Katy Wilkerson, Houston, TX. In the deep South, in my experience, racism is pervasive, especially when you talk about poorer and poorer white people (not just men). There truly does still exist a level of social acceptability that is just not OK. I’ve always been extremely disgusted by it, despite being white and having these […]
There are good ones out there
Jeremy J., Denton, TX. I hate when people are talking crap about a race or group of people and they feel like they have to mention “there are good ones out there.” Who do you think you are.
No I’m not Italian. I’m Chicano
Tony Diaz Houston, TX Submitted via Twitter: @AztecMuse
My mom said don’t say n*****.
David Thomas, Austin, TX Submitted via Twitter: @DavidRT A Note from Michele: David said his submission was “difficult to write”.
As powerful as the Red Sea
Andrea M, Houston, TX. Discrimination due to race is as powerful as the splitting of the Red Sea; splitting a society into many parts, when we were only meant to love as one.
The Human Race; The Forgotten Race.
Elyzabeth Inez Smith, Granbury, TX. No matter what history has come to discover. No matter what the future has to uncover. No matter what excuses people can come up with in order to justify the racial lines man has created. In the end we ALL are the same race. The only race. The ever colorful […]
Is that really where you’re from?
Jaime Almandoz, Dallas, TX.
Wow, you are the melting pot.
Natalie Mariam Pattillo Alpine, TX It always seems that my ethnic background becomes a guessing game at dinner parties. Even strangers will come up to me and ask me “what are you..wait, let me guess…egyptian, hispanic, black.,? Usually, I want to say “I’m a human” but I allow the guessing game to continue until they’ve […]
I will give respect in return.
Randy, Richmond, TX. Dividing ourselves is counter productive. It will not be easy, not everyone will be on board. Love, respect, communication, and unity has to be the formula for change.
I’m more than what you see.
Christina Cobos, Amarillo, TX. It is your soul, your heart, your empathy, and the way you choose to handle every moment of life that makes you who you are. You choose your impact. The odds were against me from the start. I had every excuse to surrender to failure. I broke the cycle, I rose […]
Two white children in Halloween photo
Dave Parnell, Carrollton, TX. Our kindergarten daughter wanted to go to her friend’s Halloween party. I saw that the address and the protective father in me did not feel safe letting her go. But I called and the black man I spoke to certainly heard the fearful white father on the other end of the […]
Your son looks nothing like you!
Dr. J., Irving, TX. It’s true, everyone tries to find similarities between babies and their parents. But the search ends when people see my son’s curly golden hair, blue eyes, and light complexion. Someone once asked me, “are you sure you want to name him Diego?” (when he was 9 months old). I’ll admit it, […]
I’m too black for line dancing. (Merle Haggard)
Anne Rapp Austin, TX
There is no “them”, only us.
Davy Finnegan, Austin, TX.
____ Students’ Association! Fill the blank.
KM, Austin, TX. I am current in college at one of the largest public universities. Not a week goes by where I don’t see a group of students sitting at a table and asking passerby’s to join their organization. One of the most numerous types would be the such&such Students’ Association. I am of mixed […]
Messianic Jew Yogi? Pick one fool!
Signe Wendt, Austin, TX. Jewish by heritage when I began to worship Jesus I was told I was no longer Jewish and I had to pick one.Now I try to connect Christians to their faith as a yoga teacher and I am not sure who is more uncomfortable with that. Yogis (at least in Austin) […]
One’s Racial Ignorance is about Proximity
Charles Hoquist, McKinney, TX.
What’s it like never being responsible?
Lou Bates, TX. Controversial? Sure. Racist? To many, sure. However, we are all hypocrites when it comes to race, and sadly many of us are misinformed. I am a history teacher in an inner city. I have sat through training, after training to get me to be more culturally adept and I am probably one […]
Judge my actions, NOT my race
Juan Alberto Munguia, Mission, TX.
So, did you all eat tacos?
Hilary Salazar, McAllen, TX. I attended a middle school with only seven Hispanics/Latinos. One day during 2nd period, the librarian called all seven of us over the intercom to come to the library. I had no idea why, but everyone laughed as I walked out of class. I got to the library along with the […]
60 years old, have become prejudice.
Judith Hickey Austin, TX Since I became disabled and had to live with and among blacks, I have become very prejudice. I am fed up with their whining and always using their race for every darn excuse. All of our ancestors were slaves when they first came to America. My kin, the Osage Indians, were […]
Borderlands born. Always illegal. Always home.
Chuy Benitez, Houston, TX. When you grow up at the collision of two countries, of two cultures, of two identities, you learn very quickly the different nuances between the two cultures and you adapt to appease whichever culture you have to encounter. It makes you more observant, but of course it doesn’t occur without making […]
How’d your baby get RED hair?
Ahtum, San Antonio, TX. I often get asked what are you but when I had a baby with red hair, the question became how did you get a baby with red hair. I always start off with, “well, my mom IS white” then lead into “but my husbands grandmother had red hair” I often want […]
We were people, before the chains!
Gwen Montgomery, Dallas, TX. This country took a race of people and turned them into second class citizen. Many of our problems are a result of the oppression we went thru for hundreds of years. I’m afraid that the results of those actions may never be changed. We have been fighting every since we got […]
My family is of mixed cultures
Debra Heiberg, San Antonio, TX. I want to see a world where there is not so much judgement
Proud to be an African American
Brandon Watkins, Clarksville, TX. I am an African American from North Texas. I have lived here all my life. I have never been one to see color nor have I ever been one to judge or stereotype anyone. I love all, and raise my children to love all. Some of the things I see in […]
We’re all brown, just different shades.
John Willis, Austin, TX.
Not white enough and too white.
Maritza Aviles de Garcia, Dallas, TX. My entire life has been spent walking between two worlds, the predominantly white world outside of my home, and the watered-down Puerto Rican culture of my home. Growing in Central Texas, there were three Puerto Rican families. We were one of them. I translated for my parents whether they […]
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 […]
Hispanic. Gay. Handicapped. All minor details.
Tomas Sanchez, Forth Worth, TX. It’s so easy to choose any single part of you to define your identity. When you have more than one, they all become just details.
Listen and Learn More, Talk less.
Mady Turner, Wylie, TX.
Thanksgiving: Called out my racist brother
Annabel Knight, Austin, TX. We were talking about SS Disability, and he said “No, it’s not hard at all to get on disability–all you have to do is be a fat Mexican.” So wrong, I just couldn’t be silent. My husband backed me up, most of the rest of the table squirmed uncomfortably. Why is […]
Half Japanese Half Irish Hapa? Whateva
Lois Ann Knezek, Sanger, TX. I was born and raised in Hawai’i to a Hawai’i born Japanese woman and an Irish Bostonian. Luckily, in Hawai’i, everyone is mixed so I didn’t feel any different. Then I married a haole from Texas and moved to a culture where people didn’t know what I was. I wasn’t […]
I’m white, but I dream, too.
Catherine Moses, Port Arthur, TX. Let it be known for posterity’s sake that I am white, but I want equality, too. We’re on the same side. Why don’t we use that instead of talking about how I can’t possibly understand? You’re right, I can’t understand. I’m sorry. Let’s move beyond that and work together for […]
Cold Stares Warm Smiles Evens Out
Eric Flores, Lubbock, TX. I am a Mexican-American or simply put American. I was born and raised in a conservative town. I was too Mexican for the Whites and too White for the Mexicans. I was stuck in the middle. I always wanted to be white but now I am glad that I am Mexican. […]
DACA repealed…along with our humanity
Sophia Carroll, San Antonio, TX.
I think DIFFERENT should be Celebrated
Dhani Slater, Houston, TX. Great expression idea (the Race Card). I believe our differences should draw us together out of a healthy curiosity, and a thirst for learning about the diversities of humanity & nature that make things special.
Ni de aqui, ni de aya!
Yesenia Chavez, Houston, TX. I’m a first generation Mexican- American, born and raised in Houston, Texas. Sometimes it feels like I’m too in between both identities to really feel like I’m either. My Spanish isn’t perfect and sometimes I forget words in English.
Colors are beautiful; they’re not categories.
Geoff Cormier, Amarillo, TX.
“American” is the most accurate label
Anonymous, San Antonio, TX. Look, I’ll keep it real simple. My family is from Texas. Now we’ve had a French Texas, a Spanish Texas, a Mexican Texas, a Republic of Texas, a Confederate Texas, and finally Texas, USA. Am I Mexican? Hell no. I’m from Texas, and this is the United States of America. My […]
Enslave whites like they enslaved us
Tay Zaman, Grapevine, TX.
Segregation smolders silently: progressive city divided.
Emily Mixon, Austin, TX. Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/5560474714/ Eric Fischer Data from Census 2010. Base map © OpenStreetMap, CC-BY-SA
Christian and Gay: We exist. We’re beautiful.
Anonymous, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.
My name tells a great story.
Lise (rhymes with ‘please’), Austin, TX. My 6-word essay was originally “What kind of name is that?”– a question (both the polite and impolite versions) I’m regularly asked. My answer is something like this: “Well, my last name is Indian (yes, like from India)–sort of. My father’s family is from India, but the name changed […]
The Racist Salesman
Sam Smith, Stafford, TX. Ya I figured that would catch people off guard. I’ve been a salesperson now for about 10 years in Houston. Love the city and the culture, made a pretty good career out of it too. I’ve sold cars and motorcycles for a living. One thing I will readily acknowledge is I’m […]
Hated for being a white cop.
Brett Maisel Nacogdoches, TX As a young, naive police officer I mistakenly thought most people would appreciate my sincere desire to help and protect the citizens of my community. I was shocked to find out that some people (who didn’t even know my name, background or what was in my heart) hated the very sight […]
You’re Mexican? But you look white
Sofia Camarena, Austin, TX. Being born in Oaxaca, and still having people question how “Mexican I am” is frustrating.
I’m one of the rare ones.
Nabeste, Chicago, IL. I’m a Mexican-American. I hate white people. I have grown to hate them. They came to America to steal the land and kill the Native American Indians. They brought the slaves here. They brought with them diseases that are here now. They went and took Texas and all the states that belonged […]
What frightens us about people’s differences??
John Howard Faultersack, San Antonio, TX. Everyone is prejudiced, but racists do it on purpose, and I’ve never understood why.
We are one race – HUMAN RACE
Cecil Beare, San Antonio, TX. Thank you for broaching a subject some don’t want to address
They don’t deserve to be white
S. G. Brown, San Antonio, TX. Said to me, a black man, by a white female friend commiserating with me about ignorant whites.
Something that continues to divide us.
Fallon Howells, San Antonio, TX. Race should not be something that divides us. We are all of one race, the human race ❤️
You don’t know what I think
Laura Robinson, Jefferson, TX.
I am scared for my children
Jamie, Wylie, TX. I live in a society that I am afraid of the world that my kids will have to be adults in. We are going backwards instead of forwards. We are losing our view of everyone is the same, no matter how different we might look. I am having to have HARD conversations […]
You’re Probably Not Racist, You’re Classist.
Melanie Moctezuma, Dallas, TX. There is a difference between racism and classism. Being racist is hating a race, you already know what the definition is. Being classist on the other hand, is being discriminatory towards a specific economic class. You may think that you’re racist because, though I hate to admit it, as a person […]
Not So Basic White Girl, OK
Laura, Austin, TX.
Yes, those boys are my brothers.
Julia Guerra, Austin, TX. My brothers are very important figures in my life. They were born to a white mom and a white dad. They are blonde and red-haired, with blue and green eyes. When they were little babies, my white mom married my Mexican dad and he adopted both of them as his own. […]
Don’t Bring Home No White Girls
Anonymous, TX. Said a well travelled Black American female veteran to her biracial, trilingual, and dual citizen son. Behind her, in full agreement, stood her Eastern European Jewish husband. As madly in love as was at first sight, their relationship was taboo, condemned by family and friends alike. Now years later they faced their resultant […]
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