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 […]
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 see colors. Colors are beautiful.
Richard Sullivan, Fort Worth, TX
Your opinion does not define me.
Brisa, Waxahachie, TX
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
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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, […]
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.
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”.
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 […]
There is no “them”, only us.
Davy Finnegan, Austin, TX.
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
The difference between realism and racism.
Danny Denzler, Wichita Falls, TX. There’s a difference between being realistic and being racist. Police profiling isn’t racist. Look at the facts. Who commits the most crime even while being less than a 1/4 of the population? Personally, I know that not all blacks are bad, just like all whites aren’t good. I will say […]
I am not my racist thoughts.
Gale McCray, Fort Worth, TX.
People should not obsess on race.
Doug, San Antonio, TX. The race card is being used to divide us.
My Looks Don’t Define My Bloodline
Sierra McGeoghegan, Weymouth, MA. Growing up and even now I am always denied my Mexican heritage by lots of people of all races. I am Irish + Mexican and a few other races. My family treated my Hispanic blood as a taboo, the Latinos I knew as a child rejected me once I shared I […]
I don’t see color only culture
Brianna, Leander, TX.
Black girls can rock bold lipstick!
Trinity University, San Antonio, TX. Often black women are told that we shouldn’t pull any more attention to our lips because they are sooooooo big! We have to stop feeding into the Eurocentric ideas of what is beautiful!
We are people, not your mascots.
Jacob K Tingle, San Antonio, TX. As the grandson of an Oklahoma Choctaw, I am deeply sensitive to the negative impact of stereotypes. Though no one looks at me and says, “He’s Native,” I try to use my multiple privileges to push back against the use of racists sport mascots and logos. We must understand […]
I’m white but I still have a culture (Welsh and proud)
Katherine Davies, Houston, TX. I understand that racial inequality is a huge problem, has been for centuries and hopefully, will not exist centuries from now, but judging someone because of their race, their culture, whether they are black, white, hispanic, asian or anything in between. I get told all the time that white people don’t […]
You don’t sound like a Hispanic!
Susie Gonzalez, San Antonio, TX. I had just gotten married and opted to add my husband’s last name to my byline as a newspaper reporter. When I called someone to seek information for a news story, the person wasn’t available. When I gave my name to leave a message, the person’s assistant said, “You don’t […]
“You can only check one box…”
I got my driver’s application returned the first time because I chose boxes that aligned with both of my racial identities. The woman gave me one look and sort of laughed a bit, then pushed the clipboard back to meet my hands. I sort of looked over to my mom and erased the two boxes […]
From Unawareness to Critically Examining Whiteness
In my world, white was normal. I believed that race was something other than whiteness. The normalcy of whiteness meant I did not have to think about what it meant to be white. I grew up in a predominantly white suburb, which meant most of my friends were white and most of my schoolmates were […]
Institutional racism is America’s persistent challenge.
Overt racism is largely outlawed, but practically everything that determines how we live, from education, to housing, to financial access, to the legal and justice system, have built-in racial biases that have normalized social disparities with which too many are comfortable.
No apologies for who I am
Stanton Lawrence, San Antonio, TX. Throughout my professional life, I have experienced efforts to devalue or negatively assess the contributions of blacks in the work place. These efforts are greatly elevated when the individual is strong and confident. It takes me back to the era when we had to “be put in our places” because […]
Segregation and inequity; the struggle continues
Dr. Deneese L. Jones, San Antonio, TX. Trinity University Race still matters! Even after sixty years past the Brown v. Board decision where the courts mandated: “With all deliberate speed.”,race is still a significant factor in our educational institutions, the criminal justice system, and employment. There are real differences in how different races and ethnicities […]
Irish, Italian, German, Finnish, my daughters.
Diane Smith, San Antonio, TX. Trinity University My daughters great-grandparents were immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Germany and Finland. We are all immigrants.
Human diversity improves studying biological diversity.
Michele Johnson, Trinity University. My research lab studies the evolution of lizard behavior, and we need a diversity of perspectives to do our best work. Racially diverse groups are more productive and more creative, and every one of my students brings an important perspective to our work.
I’m not a “real” black person
Maia Ogembo, Arlington, TX. Trinity University Because of the way I speak or carry myself, I am not viewed as black enough to some people’s standards.
Undocumented once, Professor now, Mexican-queer always
In 1987, at the age of 16, I left my family in Mexico and started my journey in the U.S. with a visitor’s visa that was to expire in one month. I was supposed to attend high school for three years, learn English, and go back home to become a bilingual secretary. At that time, […]
18-year old me disagrees
Brian K. Miceli, San Antonio, TX. Trinity University
Salient social identities. What are mine?
Jamie Thompson, Trinity University
Treat others as you’d be treated.
Kindness and the Golden Rule are so impactful when applied to any situation. I remember hearing the Aesop’s story (many years ago) about the North Wind and the Sun. Kindness or gentleness carries the day over aggression, force and a mean spirit. This story tells a lot about how we should treat our neighbors, and […]
Race switches between dominance and minority
Nhi Nguyen, Trinity University In Vietnam, my ethinicity is Kinh, which is the dominant group of Vietnamese. Before coming the U.S., I never really cared about my race because I did not need to challenge any racial inequality. When I’m in the U.S. to study abroad, Vietnamese is a minority. Most people just know about […]
The word racism is used dishonestly
Howard Hilliard, Grapevine, TX. Dialogue can’t be honest about race when the use of the word racism isn’t even defined. People that have different values than racialists are demonized even if they couldn’t care less about about the color of someone’s skin. Not believing in a certain form of multiculturalism has been conflated by the […]
Wish I was not a racist
Brian Smith, Sugar Land, TX. Part of me wish I wasn’t racist. I did my best not to be like my parents when I was growing up, but as I grew up I kept noticing common themes. I’m 28 now, grew up in middle class conservative Houston, Texas. I watched my dad created a business […]
The Media molded us this way.
Rusty Shackleford Arlen, TX
White & Proud Not = KKK nor Racist
Heather Mast, Houston, TX. I’m tired of not being able to express my own opinion for fear of being labeled a hate monger or racist! Im sorry for injustice done but I did not victimize anyone. Many are too fearful to “do anything” to help one another of a different race because then, in turn, […]
White doesn’t make me a racist.
Dee Oh, TX. Why isn’t it racist for other people to say that because I’m white, I’m a racist? I am attacked solely because of my skin color from black people. Only from black people. Why isn’t that racist? I add to a conversation that statistically, more blacks are killed by other blacks than by […]
I Am Black. I Am American
Jessica Thompson, Houston, TX. We are all Americans, and we should all be viewed as such. Americans fighting each other hinders National Progress.
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 smart or dedicated to your job, school etc has nothing to intervene with your knowledge or nationality. Not because your Mexican they will treat you how they want. This is […]
My DNA is 2.6% Neanderthal
Roger Hernandez Angleton, TX 48% Native American 22% Mediterranean 14% Northern European 8% Southwest Asian 4% Northeast Asian 2% South African but my wife says I’m a 100% Caveman.
I’m frustrated with my white peers.
CP, Garland, TX. I’m frustrated. Very much so. There is a lot of hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance, especially within my race – Caucasian. I wish so much for everyone to open their eyes, minds, and hearts to the plight of others. To recognize that the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s didn’t eradicate the inherent […]
Hello, I am a Racist
Max Moreno, TX. Hello, my name is Max and I am a racist. I have known this for along time. I no longer want to live in the shadows of this part of me. Today, I am here to say to my family and all my friends that I am a racist. I am not […]
Multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-talented!
Angelique Moulton Houston, TX I am American and what America looks like.
This year is all about racism
An Luu, Houston, TX.
Fear of Others, cloaked in color
Laura TX
Do not tolerate differences, understand them.
Henri Duprieu, Houston, TX.
You are cute to be dark
Secunda Joseph, Houston, TX. I’ve always seen the beauty in myself even as a kid. My brother and I were the darkest of all aunts, and cousins besides my brother, and around family ” I was everything good” one of my several nicknames was chocolate drop. Then kindergarten started what I heard was “with your […]
What future are we working towards?
Bill Schas, Helotes, TX. Unless we know where we’re trying to go, we’ll never get there.
African American Marine New Muslim Traitor
Vincent Simon, Fort Worth, TX. I’m a new revert to Islam, served in the US Marine Corps. Because of my new religion, I have been called a traitor to my country. The person who called me this doesn’t know me very well and didn’t serve in the military. I have been criticized by “good” Christians, […]
I’m not colored I’m an American
Ralph Brown (Coach~B :)), Dallas, TX. My six words are in response to these six words: “We don’t allow colored in here” which were said to me on March 19, 1963 by a young female movie ticket clerk at the Majestic Theater in Dallas, Texas. I was attempting to see the world premiere of “How […]
Mexican-American, Mexican and always American!
Thelma Garcia, McAllen, TX. Thanks to my father (Mexican born) for making me proud to be an American.
When do I become just-American?
Wen Wen Yang Dallas, TX I tell people I’m Chinese-American. My parents are Chinese, born and raised in China, while I was born and raised in the United States, so I think the term Asian-American is accurate. I am straddling the divide, but leaning towards American – I’ve never been to China and do not […]
White Slavery & The Myth of White Privilege
DeAnna Calderon, Austin, TX. I grew up poor in the Southside of Chicago. We were extremely poor and even homeless at times. Sleeping outside in the middle of winter when I was a child. When I was 22 I joined the Army. The treatment I faced as a woman in the military felt like it […]
America is a work in progress,
Brie Stoll, Houston, TX. We are a very young country. We need to work with each other to fix this country.
I always knew I was different.
Coleen Owens Katy, TX We (my sisters and I) were often the “minority” – growing up in a military household and moving often – whether it meant repeatedly being the new student or not speaking the language, we had many rich experiences because we didn’t fit in… we were nomadic for a time, and taught […]
I am an American, not hyphenated American
AJ Allee, Bulverde, TX. Hyphenation is made up by racist and news media I worked my butt off to become an American I earned the right to be one, why would I want to be called half American??? earned my citizenship 1995 and very proud of it
Whites are treated like Kunta by lenders
Mary, TX.
We’re all the same, but different.
Cynthia Parra, Beaumont, TX. Through my profession, I have been given the opportunity to work with university students from marginalized groups and I have become a local social justice advocate. What I have learned is that everyone one wants to be be love, accepted, and not judged. We as individuals, just go about looking for […]
First memorable English word learned…SPIC
Fernando Ospina Keller, TX
Impossible for me to blend in
Jeremy Tolbert, Austin, TX. I work in the high tech industry where there are < 2‰ African-Americans at my job. When I meet new people, I always hear, “I’ve seen you around”. I stand out because there aren’t many people in high-tech that look like me.
Don’t speak Spanish, I’m still Hispanic
Victor Santana-Melgoza, El Paso, TX. For most of my life I have been rejected by many people in the Hispanic/Chican@/Latin@ community for not learning and practicing Spanish (as well as not following other cultural cues). I was raised in a household where English was the main language spoken. I am 4th generation American, raised by […]
I Am Not White Or Black
Matthew, TX. Black, White, Asian, or Pink with Purple polka dots – your skin color is not who you are. Do not obsess over the shade God painted you when you were born. Do not let history define you. Do not allow others to control your actions. Love, respect, kindness. Not hate and vengeance for […]
What are you so afraid of?
Addam Walker, Beaumont, TX, I’ve experienced white woman crossing to the other side of the parking lot to walk past me, the sudden locking of car doors when I approach, the clutching of purses, and so on. It hurts to treated like some kind of criminal when you’re not. Oh well; such is life.
Check one below: Black or White
Jocelyn Nikohl Fox, Houston, TX. Mulatto.
I’m not perfect, but I’m trying
Susan Page, Dallas, TX.
Institutions are racist, but individuals change.
Nicholas Thomspon, Denton, TX. We discussed racism in my freshman sociology class. “Institutions are racist” is not an original thought of mine, but I do fundamentally agree with the idea from a sociological perspective.
Racism is Our Generation’s Struggle Now.
Jade Mack, San Antonio, TX. Racism today comes in many forms. In America, racism is xenophobic, and can come from any race. Racism is interpersonal, and anyone can pass their hate or disdain for another race onto anyone. Racism is internalized, subconscious: that white is normal, and white people are individuals, while everyone else is […]
Race should not matter in America.
Jordan Hockett, Round Rock, TX. We are all Americans. Its the bottom line, and true. You cant judge someone by their skin color if their born or a citizen in our great country. That’s the diversity that keeps us, The Free People, separated from each other. We shouldn’t use race as tool to differentiate us […]
Superiority is delusion of the beholder.
Danielle Quay, Plano, TX.
Sorority initiation, we look like KKK
Marilyn Anne Kay Wimberley, TX The year was 1968. We were gathered in the formal dining hall of the sorority house, lit only by candles, for our sorority initiation. All white females dressed in matching white gowns. One of my sorority sisters commented, ‘we look just like the Klan.’ This was at the University of […]
I am not society’s mirror image
Kevin Dudley, Dallas, TX.
“Do you speak Chinese?” *face palm*
For starters, I’m Korean, so no, no Chinese for me beyond “ni hao” and “xie xie”, which I learned from TV travel shows. Secondly, I was adopted as a baby by parents I like to refer to as American Euro-mutts–English, Irish, German, French, and a touch of Choctaw, and that’s just my dad’s side. My […]
The privilege of being white while black
Joseph Benjamin, San Antonio, TX. I’m a light skinned black man who grew up poor and black in the south, but because of my skin color I’ve always been treated differently from birth to the time when I realized the significance of it being white while black. I went with a dark skinned friend to […]
Whites never accepts responsibility for wrongdoing!
James, Sacramento, CA. Prime example, Texas textbooks.
I’ve been the ONLY Black kid..
Kelly B. Ferrell Sterling, VA As the child of nomadic parents, we lived where we could and/or where my parents found work. At one point in the mid “70s, we lived in up-state NY, outside of Ithaca. We were the only black family in the area (in the county the way I remember it) and […]
Why historically white countries become “diverse”?
Benito Camela, Dallas, TX. Why no calls for diversity in Africa, South America or Asia? Just Europe, and even countries with no significant history of colonialism.
My ethnicity is my life uprising
Mario Raul Cortinas, Mission, TX.
We invent race to justify intolerance
Joshua San Antonio, TX We are all one race and have only minor different biological features. Do you really believe that is the driving force behind our discrimination and stereotypical caricaturizations of each other? If we were all perfectly homogenized and mixed race, would will still discrimination against each other based on class, money, or […]
I am a Latina, NOT Mexican.
Andy E., Houston, TX.
Don’t hate ’cause I claim biracial
Fe Bencosme, Houston, TX. As the product of an Afro Crucian and Anglo Dominican union I self-identify as biracial and bicultural. Some people find it “exotic,” which leaves me feeling uncomfortable although not as angry as when someone says to me: “Well, no matter what you think you are the truth is you’re black.” The […]
I’m Biracial and I am prejudice
Ana Vega Rios, New Braunfels, TX. Self-awareness is the first step in moving forward. We all are prejudice in some way, it’s about being authentic enough to admit it. Opening an HONEST dialogue is the beginning of change.
A closed mind is most dangerous.
Rhonda Lynn, Crowley, TX. When we are unwilling to approach life with an open mind, we leave room for hate to fester and grow. With an open mind, we bring the willingness necessary to hear the other voice, learn the other experience, and try to understand the other perspective. Each of us has been allowed […]
Other races resent us White people.
Jeremy Andrews, Garland, TX. Why is that okay?
I’m Black, not African American
Trish, Houston, TX. I’m Black. I’m American. Black is my race. American is my nationality. One has nothing to do with the other. How can all Black people be African American? It’s impossible for a Black person who was born in the UK, to be an African American. Black Americans are not “special” kind of […]
Sad truth: racism is still alive
Javier, Roma, TX. I grew up in a little town in Mexico, near the border with the US, there was not as much cultural or racial differences as bigger cities have. I know that racism exists in Mexico, because I have read articles where they explain how Mexican people discriminate people who they consider Indians, […]
Stop Blaming Whites for Your Problems
Anonymous, Austin, TX. Blaming all white people for slavery is the same as blaming all black people for Boko Haram. If I am to be held responsible for what some white guys unrelated to me did centuries ago, then you should be to blame for what your people are actively doing right now. This goes […]
Poor little middle class white girl
Nina Haug Richardson, TX While applying for college, I realized that I have no “hook” – the box, story, or line that might make me more than just another high-achieving middle class white girl applying to too many schools. And I had absolutely no right to complain about this – I grew up in a […]
Black People Can Be Racist Too
Michael, Dallas, TX. I went to an all black school where I was 1 of 20 or less white kids. I was beat up, chased home every day, picked on and called white trash. I was bullied to the point of finally dropped out, and decided to get a GED.
Northern Mother Southern Father meet middle
Sandra Hart, Brookeland, TX. This is an amazing thing to do. Growing up in the South in a white household with a black cleaning lady I felt there was more to the story. But no one would tell me anything or even answer me truthfully. I felt that Emma on orders from my mom would […]
I hate seeing it in people.
Jesse, Edinburg, TX. “What the son wishes to forget, the grandson wishes to remember.” According to Hansen’s Law, the second generation immigrant tends to sever themselves from the customs and traditions of their ancestors in order to achieve assimilation, but in time the “grandson” will value, that which the “son” wished to forget. What my […]
I’m not black, I’m dark brown.
Kelly M., Indonesia. My six words were spoken by my daughter when she was seven years old. I am From Texas, my family tree consists of Irish and English immigrants and Cherokee Native Americans. We generally look Caucasian, but all five siblings have slightly different skintones. I now live in Indonesia, I’m a single Mom […]
Pulled over with child; a lesson
Damien Blythers, Dallas, TX. My eyes water up knowing that I will have to teach my children what to do when you get pulled over. It’s hurtful to know that I am at more of a risk in being victimized while being pulled over than someone of another color. There are unwritten rules and instructions […]
I Forget I Am Not White
Dougherty, Outside USA. I was adopted. My Dad is Irish, raised in Texas and then California. Mom is a retired nurse. I was raised around Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, and Jews. My friends in elementary school were white. Race was never an issue. Or if it was, I have long since forgot about it. I even […]
One’s Labor Does Not Determine Behavior
David Garcia, McAllen, TX.
Southern Living: Caught Between Different Cultures
Jackie Houston, TX My parents are South American immigrants who were granted amnesty during the 1980s. I was born and raised in Texas. I didn’t have many Hispanic friends growing up. I grew up around many Texas Germans and am now at college in Houston studying German. People are surprised when they discover that I […]
Worthless, but people make it necessary.
Oscar Espinosa, Edinburg, TX. Hatred for ones color is worthless, but its us people who make it necessary because we feed the hatred.
“No eres gringa, no actúes así.”
Valerie Guerrero, Mission, TX. All my life I’ve grown up around my Hispanic family. It’s unusual for me to ever say something in English in front of them out of respect because they don’t really understand the language. The few times that I accidentally say something in English I get the old “no eres gringa, […]
No, where are you REALLY from?
Gerard Achilles Obnial, McAllen, TX. When I first worked in the hospital, it had always been routine that my patients would ask not for my name or how my day went as was customary (even though I knew that people don’t really want to know) — they would always ask for my age and where […]
Never judge anyone by their appearance
Adrian, Mission, TX. Never judge a book by its cover!
You’re spanish and don’t speak it?
Keatan Oliva, McAllen, TX. Growing up near the boarder of Mexico, where I would often cross with my mother to have lunch on weekends, it seemed expected of me to know Spanish fluently. Although I was raised in a town named Rancho Viejo, which might even be considered nearer to Mexico and its culture than […]
God loves us all the same
Andrea Miranda, Houston, TX.
Multicultural American Family Who loves All
Tunya Marie Loftis, Dallas, TX. I love who I am. I am the firstborn of my mother with four siblings under me. Strangely enough, when I was young, I didn’t know my Mom was white. She was my normal. She was just Mama. Who taught me how to read and color. She did my hair, […]
I was only twelve years old.
Terra Giles Fort Worth, TX
You can not go in there
Bill, Irving, TX.
I am not just African American.
Erica Watts, Arlington, TX. Growing up, I believed that I was all African American. My mother was African American and so was my brother and that is all I needed to know, to know that I was African American. However, as i got older, people began to question my ethnicity. Some claiming that I looked […]
You owe me because I’m black
Dana Armstead, Houston, TX. I reserve the right to use this card whenever I want.
Grandma and I raised by Mabel
Jeanette Weneill, Seguin, TX.
I am neither Mexican nor American.
Lucie C., San Antonio, TX. I was born in Texas just this side of the river. I’ve lived in Texas all my life although I’ve traveled a lot. One day while traveling through the Texas Hill Country, a gentleman, perhaps Pakistani perhaps Indian (I know NOT to call person either because I might be off […]
I’m not fast. I’m quick witted.
Charnnee’ Katherine Young, Justin, TX.
We perceive race issues so differently.
Kim Baldridge, Austin, TX. I’m always shocked at how differently we seem to see race issues along color lines. When I see whites say “NO I wasn’t a slave owner, but transgenerational hurt and missed opportunity does mean something. ” I may have hope that race issues will be resolved. It seems like America is […]
Angry, confused, shocked, disoriented,worried, and aware
Steven O’Neal, Dallas, TX. Discrimination is still happening today and it will never stop
REMEMBER–For WHITE patrons only
Mary Smith, Fort Collins, CO. “Growing up in southeast Texas, I went to segregated schools until high school – Junior year. Laundromats and water fountains bore these signs. I asked my parents why we lived in a place with such hateful attitudes, and they said, “”If people with better values didn’t live here, things would […]
Product of a migrant workers dream.
Elsa Alonzo, San Antonio, TX.
I am proud to be white
Ron, Austin, TX.
Not white enough, not Asian enough.
Robert Zeboski, Autin, TX. I am born from a Japanese father and an Irish German mother. I was adopted by my Polish step dad years later. All my life, the white kids would tease me by saying things as “Go back to your home land,” or other racially tinged words. The Asian kids would dismiss […]
Black people are always stealing things
Nataly Morales, Austin, TX.
Am I Black Enough For You?
Katherine Barrax, Sherman, TX. I grew up in a house with parents who both went to college. I was reading before I entered kindergarten, and I was always corrected when I spoke incorrect English. So my entire life people have said “you sound white” or “you’re not really black” because I speak like an educated […]
I love being a black MAN!
Larry W Mitchell, San Antonio, TX. Query history for the past 50 years. Each decade a Black Man is the most adored, amired and awe inspired globablly in each of the 5 decades. Nelson Mandela,Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King, Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, Barak Obama.
Minorities commit majority of crime. Why?
DMC, Mineral Wells, TX. Who’s fault is it? I was a criminal but “chose” not to be. Am I a minority or white? Stop! Embrace a moral Christian life, I need these rules.
Race matters I wish it didn’t.
Vicki Meek, Dallas, TX. As a child of civil/human rights activists, I’ve spent my life fighting for social justice. I must admit, I never expected to see an African American head our country and was elated when President Obama won the 2008 Presidential election. But I am a realist and so I knew this supposed […]
Not guilty of having white guilt
Chris Wooten, Rowlett, TX.
I fear for my family’s wellbeing.
Shannon M., Killeen, TX. My fiance is black. My son is mixed. At THREE years old my son has already encountered racism. Every time my fiance walks out of the house, I worry. When he gets angry at someone or something in public, I get scared and try my hardest to calm him down – […]
Can’t I be who I am?
Teshlon Chevae Chakravarthula, Fort Worth, TX.
I couldn’t rub the black out
Ima Oduok, Houston, TX. As a bi-racial child who grew up with her white family, I always wanted to look more like them. When I watch the movie “Belle” and saw Dido try to rub and beat out the darkness of her skin, I cried. I spent my childhood doing the same thing, hoping to […]
What are you? I am Other.
Barbara Racca, Austin, TX. When I was younger, that question would immediately cause my shoulders to hunch and a look of hunted suspicion to cloud my features. Today my embracement of otherness is shadowed by so much more than a child’s rejection of being different– Am I rejecting aspects of my race by qualifying that […]
We don’t let n****** shop here.
Nzingha Shakur-Ali, Dallas, TX. First week of college, 1999, Abilene Texas. went to an off the way antique shop. The store owner didn’t want me there, and let me know it. About 5 other people in the store, all white, glaring at me.
Blacks prejudice against Hispanics school children
Anna Hill, Dallas, TX. I assist Hispanic school children with their homework after school. They bring their issues to me and the majority are black educators making differences between black children and Mexican children.
Black men make great dads too!
Christopher Brown, Dallas, TX. I’m here to spite all those who reference black men as useless, dead-beat or otherwise absent when it comes to fatherhood. I’m am only one, but I’m one in a line of dads who exemplify the term and the best meanings associated with it.
Hey Dominicans! You too are black.
Cristina Reyes, Houston, TX. I chose the six words I wish I could go around the streets of Santo Domingo yelling. I have never understood, in all my years, why the Dominican culture steadily continues to deny their “blackness.” Their children aren’t taught to consider themselves “negro” instead they are to consider themselves “indio.” The […]
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