Saheba Cuccia, New Orleans, LA. Aspen X Adopted and raised in the South, I have seen and heard of the racial barriers that some people use to divide us. The color of your skin should not determine anything such as relationships, jobs, and social standing in society.
Racquel Picou, New Orleans, LA. Aspen X To me race is just a social and political construct that is very binding. A reason for humans to hate each other’s differences and to create these unwarranted and detestable battles for superiority. I’ve been forced before to just tick a single box in standardized test that says […]
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 […]
Amy-Anna H., USA
Jamie Mercado, USA.
Linda M Larsen, Hudson, WI. Hungarian+British +Canadian = American. I’m an immigrant, a ‘legal alien’ from Canada, with Hungarian and British parents, living in the USA. I’m supremely aware of the fact that no one sees me as ‘immigrant’ because I’m white. I moved from a very visibly multi-racial large Canadian city to small-town, lily-white […]
Sedrick Ivey, USA It’s a harsh truth but we do live in a white man’s world. To thrive and succeed in life it often feels as though those who don’t fit that archetype have to sacrifice what makes them different to conform to the will of this majority. In my case being black means doing […]
When I entered high school, I quickly learned terms like white privilege, white fragility, and microaggressions, which challenged my identity. While I understood I benefited from white privilege, I did not like the label. Still, the racism embedded in our institutions and the frustrated feelings of my friends motivates me to want to be part […]
Anusha Ghildyal, USA I used to get this comment often when I was in elementary school. I would be surprised to hear this comment because it was never something I associated with myself and my identity. Now, I wonder why people would involve my Indian food to serve as a stereotype for my race and […]
Berenice Folks, El Paso, TX It’s too weird how people who seem to be the same race as you (Mexican) behave in an aggressive way. I have gone to a same gas station a couple of times where a lady who looks Mexican and speaks Spanish works, she attends people with a bad face but […]
Stephanie B, USA
Shehryar, USA
Chelsea Paige. USA.
Jasmine Baker East Lansing, MI Growing up I was placed in the gifted and talented program in my elementary school. I learned to speak what this society refers to as “proper English.” Because of that, many Black students would tease me and tell me that I’m black, stop talking like a white girl. What does […]
Anonymous, USA.
Daisha Taylor Cleveland, OH Every time an African American graduates is another way we prove society wrong. But it is another future persued and created.
Patricia L. Gadsden, Central, PA. As an African American female in the 1960’s, I was discouraged from attending college. It was explained to me that I wasn’t college material. I’m not sure what they really meant since I graduated with straight A’s from high school.
V. USA I’d rather not share my name right now due to the sensitive nature of the incident. While working undercover, I decided to duck into a burger joint to get a bite. It was cold and drizzly outside. I was wearing a hoodie. I am Latino. It was about midnight. I admit that I […]
Karsen, USA
Denee, USA. #thatadoptedlife
Adam, USA Black people are creating racism by endlessly making everything about race, by ignoring the massive problems within their own communities like the outrageously high rate of criminality, by refusing to join the civilized world and choosing instead to revel in degenerate behavior and calling it culture, by blaming white people for their problems […]
Victoria USA I don’t know if this fits on the site, (which I love by the way), because Judaism is a religion and not a race. But I am sick and tired of being judged by my Jewishness and comments like “you don’t have a Jewish nose” or “kinky Jew-fro” and “if someone picks up […]
Anonymous, USA nope…
Rose Collins, Syracuse, NY. Highschool Student ’16 I believe that if we don’t appreciate our differences or acknowledge the fact that we are all different, then we will repeat the prejudice and pain we’ve seen in our past. We all have different stories and cultures, and if we don’t acknowledge that then we will be […]
Bonnie Shoultz, Syracuse, NY. I was a young person during the 1960s, and dreamed that this country would overcome its terrible history of oppression and enslavement of whole groups of people based on their race, culture, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and class. We have made many changes, but oppression and murder of people who are […]
Tatiana, Syracuse, NY.
Jay D, USA Race, amongst other “identity” labels, is a tool used to separate human beings, by pseudo-scientists, politicians, pundits, & marketers. The only way to disrupt the concept, and to emphasize unity through a shared identity, either American or human being. Those who cling to it, will forever be doomed to its tempting embrace. […]
Charlie, USA. I brought my car in for an oil change (in the predominantly black area I live in) and they told me that it’d be an hour before they could get to it. ‘No big deal,’ I though, ‘There’s a shopping center across the street.’ As I made my way down the sidewalk, a […]
Devinne, USA I lived and worked in the inner city of Milwaukee Wisconsin as an EMT and with the number of times I heard that phrase, it’s stuck. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the words themselves, but the way they would be spoken. I didn’t “know anything” I wasn’t “there to help” and i […]
Anonymous, USA
Anonymous, USA
Anonymous, USA
Anonymous, USA
Gitsel, USA
Anonymous, UK I feel that as a white American I have the ability to help and I want to help. I also feel that there are many bad ways to help that don’t improve anything. I want to make a positive change, I don’t want to put my mind into something and have it be […]
Simran Jeet Singh, New York, NY. Trinity University My visible Sikh and South Asian identity have shaped my experiences with racial and cultural identities. Upon seeing me, people mark me as different and make various assumptions about me. Associations assume (but are not limited to): foreign, violent, conservative, uneducated, terrorist, victim, uncivilized, and dogmatic.
Jason Peter Thomas, USA. I did not realize it was a good thing to be proud of my white heritage until gay marriage was legalized in the U.S. I looked up gay rights and found out that white societies provide the most advanced human-rights legislation around the world. This lead me to understand that white […]
Samantha Foote, USA I live a conservative state and a conservative community. I teach at a local high school. Because I choose to discuss social issues in my classroom and welcome LGBTQIA+ and POC narratives, I’m seen as a traitor and a danger to the community. I’m tired of being attacked for showing empathy and […]
Brittany Price, USA. Being raised in such a racist environment makes it hard to be an adult in a totally different mind set. As far as I have come, I still judge people based on their race, including white people such as myself. It’s pathetic that still, in 2015, individuals are treated a certain way […]
Mignon Lott, Wayne State, Detroit, MI. My boyfriend and I were out on M59 heading to an event that he was catering when I was flicked. I pulled over. The officer walked up to the car and asked did I know why he pulled me over. I said no. He said because I didn’t have […]
Susan Whiteman, USA.
Joe Boehman, Midlothian, VA University of Richmond I grew up not having to think about my privileges. I believed that I was a product of the American Dream. My dad worked hard, earned his college degree in night school after coming home from WWII, and my mom and dad put my four siblings and I […]
Anonymous, USA
David Stoddard, USA Our current obsession with racial identity and group identity is not making our society better. Our commonality as Americian citizens has been lost by many in the rush to be defined by our race or group. Or as in the case of some shame for their racial heritage. It is sad that […]
Audrey Lee Cho, USA. My parents immigrated to America in 1973, with my older brother Lee Wan Young and my sister, Lee Shin. I was named Audrey when I came along a couple years later, and our little brother Tom was born in 1978. My mother tells me they carefully watched American television, sitcoms and […]
Joseph Miller, USA In the Twitter thread that brought me here, NatGeo published two pictures of white people. Both of the six-word captions for these people included the word “ashamed.” All of the non-white people had captions that were variations on victimhood jeremiads. I reject both of these mentalities. The victimhood mentality so enshrined by […]
Anonymous, USA. I speak no Hindi. Live in a big suburban house. Dress and eat like a yuppie white person. What makes me Indian?
Steve Llanso, USA Pretty white and wholly ignorant, isn’t it? Here’s the back story: I grew up in the ’50s and 60s in northern New Jersey in a town where all the black families lived on one road. There were three black students in a graduating class of 250 students, two of whom I knew […]
Gina Barclay, USA. People are aware that Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps during WWII. What most do not know is that German Americans were interned in both WWI and WWII. Considering that Germans are of European descent, it can’t be because of racism. It was because Germany was hated and feared as an […]
Lindsey Lovel Heidrich, USA
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 […]
E., USA.
Naomi Crandall, USA I’ve grown up my whole life in an area most people know to be a “bubble”. Although I occasionally come in contact with people from diverse backgrounds, my world is filled with primarily white, middle-class families. Every day I am learning that my appearance and background do not define me and am […]
Anthony Ibarra, USA
Melissa Flowers, Trinity University My mother is caucasian and my father is black. I have immense privilege in my life, and I feel that being a biracial woman gives me a sense of pride which leads to strength and confidence. But this comes at a cost. I am often referred to as “acting white” by […]
Shania, USA. She is tired of all the cooking and cleaning. She just wants to be a normal girl and be free.
Sidni Sera Goodman, Wayne State, Eastpointe, MI Being black in America is more than just challenging. There are so many highs and so many lows. I dealt with one day feeling black and proud, seeing how other cultures love my culture, style, flair, music, etc., then other days, I see how my black brothers and […]
Anonymous, USA I’m Hispanic / Latino. it’s often a misconception that we’re all Mexican and that we are all illegal. I was born and raised in USA, and I hate the reputation we have.
Anonymous, USA. “White boy”, , , . What I don’t understand is why there has always had to be a race at the bottom. No one seems to be able to get the freaking idea of racial equality through the six inches between their ears. First it was Africans. Then Jews, Asians, Latinos, Middle Eastern […]
Pamela, USA I grew up in a predominantly Asian neighborhood in Southern California. It was a hard transition living in places where Asians were the minority…non-Asians were just so foreign. But I’m doing exactly what I’m fighting against: making others the Other. My brain has learned to fight these Othering thoughts, but I can’t always […]
Candace, USA I am white. I hold ancestry from several European countries but identify strongest with my Italian side. I am proud to be third generation Italian American. I grew up knowing and loving my nonna who was born in Italy and devouring the stories of my family who fled to the United States as […]
Trying, USA I’m trying to. Aside from mild instances of bullying and othering as a child, I have not really had overt, negative interactions around race, despite there not really being other Asians around when I was growing up. I am thankful for that. I did notice when my married name got me 2-3x the […]
Bee, USA I am tired of it all. I love you for who you are on the inside Rather than the outside. I’m tired of the blame I’m tired of the violence I’m tired of your hate Hate towards yourself And hate towards others Stop blaming the bi***y lady of racism Stop blaming your sh***y […]
Anonymous, USA I don’t care what skin color you have. I only care about people being kind to each other. There is far too much hate on all sides. I’m tired of it. Just shut up! Anyone whining about it don’t want my help anyway! So please DO something. Stop shouting and take action and […]
Sidni Sera Goodman, Wayne State, Eastpointe, MI Being black in America is more than just challenging. There are so many highs and so many lows. I dealt with one day feeling black and proud, seeing how other cultures love my culture, style, flair, music, etc., then other days, I see how my black brothers and […]
I grew up “out of the box”. Box 1: I grew up in Ithaca, NY. Box 2: I lived in a small neighborhood five miles from the center of the city. We lived in a modest size house on a quarter acre lot. There were 5 house and one trailer on my part of the […]
Tara Lloyd, USA Okay, well I do like some people, but there is not one race in this world that I like or dislike over the other, including my own. I’m black, and let me be honest, I love being black. I have a deep love for the black community because that is where […]
Dan Ouellette, Wayne State The term “racist” is too often used to express disagreement with someone else. Rather than consider the benign logic behind someone’s viewpoint, it’s just easier to label them a “racist”. It’s the lazy-Susan tool intended to end a discussion, not foster it. There’s a mixed message out there if we’re willing […]
Joan E. Beaudoin, Wayne State, Oakland MI One of my favorite public art murals is located in the Grays Ferry are of Philadelphia. Called the “Peace Wall” and created by Jane Golden and Peter Pagast it reflects my vision of the world.
Anonymous, USA I was raised as a part of a mixed family, both of my parents were half-Mexican, and so am I. But no one in my family speaks Spanish. Even though, we still celebrate and do many of the same traditions. I’m still Mexican, I still am a part of that culture. I just […]
Robert Symens Bucher, Oakland, CA. Aspen X I am a white man, and I realize that the concept of race was created by people like myself a long time ago. The purpose of race was to create a tiered society in which white people had superiority to the other races. It is important for all […]
Nicole Turek, East Lansing, MI.
A., USA. I work in an area with a lot of Hispanic or Latino immigrants from different places. I have not had many good experiences with them. For awhile I just tried to excuse their behavior as not knowing or understanding the cultural differences but it’s getting harder. Before I continue, yes I know there […]
Elaina Barber South Bend, IN I worked in a kindergarten classroom my senior year of high school and those kids didn’t care about the color of everyone else’s skin or even how they talked. The only way they knew any different was if their parents had told them something.
Catherine, USA I was raised to treat others with respect, no matter their appearance, but it’s difficult to when my identity is destroyed because so many fear “whites” as a result of the few bad ones within the race.
Olivia, USA
Belinda, USA The reason I chose the first 6 words “Stick out on both sides…safe?” I have family in Minnesota, where my sisters and I stick out by being brown. My family in Minnesota are all white in small towns. I have been looked at differently: one time on a trip with my grandma from […]
Miranda Nogaki, Burien, WA. I’m sad and shamed it took me so long to see the racism in myself and my country. It’s so much a part of my thought processes, my brain now feels wrong. I’m eager to do the hard work of learning to listen, how to drop my agenda and expectations of […]
Eric Kelderman, USA. For much of my life, people assumed I was Jewish. After I met my biological parents, I found out they were right — and wrong.
Jared Washington, USA There is a constant walking on eggshells around African American coworkers. It seems like every time there is a conflict, it’s turned into a personal and racial matter. Thus builds a wall that reason can’t always be expected to scale. At some point, you have to accept criticism within reducing it to […]
Omar, USA Race has two meanings, and both can haunt us. The color of our skin, hair, eyes, etc.. or the delirious desire to be the fastest, the strongest, to win the race. They’ve always been intertwined. Well, as we know now, those division lines of color, or those finish lines of race-tracks are very […]
Sharaya S., Wayne State, Detroit, MI Growing up in foster care and different states, people treat you different in the South vs. the North. It’s never fully accepting but feels like home, even when the hatred can be felt from complete strangers.
Kelly Mulvany, Chandler, AZ This country is beautiful BECAUSE we are not all white. The variety of cultures and beautiful people ARE what makes America great and I would not like to see that whitewashed. If that means giving up privileges than so be it- after all, have so many people already proved it’s doable?
Katherine Suszczewicz USA When you don’t know, your imagination will choose to make something up. Over and over again.
Alan S. Doctor, Cambria, CA. I was born in San Francisco on 15 Sep 1930. Dad was Scotch/English and Mom was Polish with a dash of German. Both 1st generation born in USA. My neighborhood friends were Hispanic, Oriental, white and refugee Jews from Germany. In high school I liked to walk home through the […]
Anonymous, USA Growing up I received comments on my olive skin tone. I grew up within a white family and culture. Many curious people often ask where are you from? I reply Florida to only receive “yeah but like where is your family from?” Having previous knowledge and the help of a DNA test I’m […]
Mark Albin, South Bend, IN I love the person I am, but I also sometimes fear that other people, that strangers, will hurt me. My sexual orientation has nothing to do with anyone else, but I know there are people in the world who make my identity their mission to resolve. People enjoy being oppressive […]
Susan F. Bohrer Merced, CA I started a tutorial program and later worked as a social work intern in a middle school where 70% of the students lived in poverty; 80% belonged to minority populations. From the teachers I learned that college was for other kids, and from the students I learned that it didn’t […]
Ilene Bice, USA I’ve been guilty of so much ignorance in my life. I never considered my own prejudices until I learned to stop talking and start listening.
The Invisible, USA While the media strive to be politically correct about every other race and ethnic group in America, somehow Asians, esp. Chinese Americans, seem to be the forgotten (and often bullied and ridiculed) race. In a country where people are “outraged” just about everything, nobody (outside of the Asian community) says anything about […]
Emmy Corey, Harrisburg, PA. I’m a white Alabama native from an all-white town with a black sister who is 17 years younger than I. I love passing down the things that I enjoyed at her age- dolls, movies, books. For the most part, she likes receiving them too. The problem is that before she came […]
Elizabeth, USA. In the novel Invisible Man, a black man in 1930s America struggles to find his identity. He starts out as hopeful and naive, believing that his hard work, determination, and intelligence will lead to eventual success and happiness. He does not realize, until the end of the novel, that the white characters and […]
P.T. Huedlach, USA Tired old white man here, you know, the guy responsible for all the world’s evils? It’s a new day – so get over it. Get a job, pay your taxes, make better choices, don’t blame others for your mistakes, but most of all stop being the thing you hate most – Black […]
Carrie, USA This is not every black person, but it’s a large number. And they don’t get criticized for it. This large subset never cares about anyone else, and in fact, is hostile at any mention of other racial issues getting brought up. Is resentful of anyone. Would rather fight than be constructive. Black people […]
Jimena, USA Hispanics have certain foods and customs that we are supposed to like and do. If someone doesn’t like a certain type of food, people won’t consider you as a “true” Hispanic. -Birmingham High School
Laura Reeder, Boston, MA. I teach teachers. I am a teacher. I am exhausted by the confusion that we perpetuate about who deserves to learn and who needs to be schooled.
Tiffany M. Lyons, Rockaway Beach, NY. Syracuse University ’16 I am biracial and my experiences with race are constantly informed by internal tug of war about what side I belong to. I’ve finally accepted my place in the grey and the view is sometimes trying but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Phelps Hawley, USA
Anonymous, USA
Brandon McGee, South Bend, IN
Myron Anthony, South Bend, IN I grew up my whole life in a predominately white city. I grew up thinking that Christopher Columbus was a hero. I grew up believing that ancient pharaohs were white. I grew up believing that Africa is a dirty continent full of unhealthy people and wild animals. I believed all […]
Heather, USA. I wanted to emphasize that race is something we all have. Humans classify each other naturally, and as such we can all identify as one or more races, and others will also try to identify us regardless of whether we want them to or not. However, different races are treated very differently. Looking […]
Karen Gold, Atlanta, GA. Collected during: Six Word Stories on Education Last fall, ProPublica and The Race Card Project teamed up with two Tuscaloosa, Ala., high schools — one integrated, one almost entirely black — to tell the story of resegregation in the South. I am a 25 year veteran teacher in metro Atlanta GA […]
M. Barton, USA. Found on Google under the keywords “I hate being white”
Ellen McGrath Rozsa, Lakeside, VA I think we need an anti-discrimination czar at the federal level to force a national discussion in America about confronting our history of racism. I nominate Barack H. Obama. Racism permeates every level of our society and we will never really overcome this handicap if the majority of whites refuse […]
Kevin Creamer, Richmond, VA #URTRCP #TheRaceCardProject These words were said to me by my then three-year old daughter, who was reflecting in her mind about Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies. But my wife and I were struck by the inappropriateness of the comment on its face value, and it was then that I […]
Nancy Jo Taylor, Mishawaka, IN #TRCPIUSB I am required to ask this question at my job each day. It irks me to no end. Just because some governmental types want to keep a racial accounting of the populations we serve.
Leonora Triska, Knox, IN #TRCPIUSB When children look at someone they are not judging them on what they look like, or what color their skin is. Children are unaware of these differences, only wanting to befriend new people. To a child a person is a person and that is it, everyone should think with the […]
Angela D. Huff, Plymouth, IN #TRCPIUSB I am a white woman with two children: a white daughter, and a biracial son whose father is black (if you were to ask my son’s father, he would tell you he doesn’t like being called African-American). My children grew up in my small hometown community, attending the same […]
Althea McMillian, Chesapeake, VA At the end of each day, I reflect back on the days events. I am constantly amazed at how on many days, the smallest actions (quick conversations, greetings, smiles, kind/rude acts by other etc.) seem to have the biggest impact on my day. #URTRCP #TheRaceCardProject
Mark Person, Richmond, VA My family has recently donated Nat Turner’s Bible to the New African American Museum of History and Culture and I have served as a spokesperson for the family. Rev Turner was baptized on our family property Persons Millpond in Southampton County, Virginia back in 1828. Persons United Methodist Church, est 1838, […]
Anonymous, Richmond, VA I clutch my purse because I was raised in New York where the police actually come to school assemblies teaching us how to clutch our purses in a way where we won’t get pickpocketed or mugged. I’ve been doing it since grade school and it has nothing to do with who is […]
Jean LB Creamer, Richmond, VA If I could have another chance If I could say I’m sorry I would scream it till I cried I would plead until you knew I would post it on the Bricks of the Food Lion on Forest Hill Avenue Where I unleashed a torrent of anger Borne not of […]
Hilary Appleton, Richmond, VA I am fascinated by people–who they are, where they came from, and the story of how they got to where they are today. I’m interested in people who share my story, but I’m even more interested in those who have a completely different story. To me, commonalities are nice and even […]
Andrea Zinski, Richmond, VA Are we really that different? No, we are very much alike – on the inside. There are many levels to hate and, yes, racism is very much still a thing. The current political climate here in America and all over the world has attempted to legitimize those who still think that […]
Clare Pugsley, Charlottesville, VA I chose these six words because America in 2019 is a place filled with more open (and hidden) racism and bigotry than I ever could have imagined. I feel a responsibility as someone who has benefited from white privilege throughout my life to speak out against prejudice when I witness it. […]
C.D., Richmond, VA
Edward Darden Washington, DC Every American black person, who succeeds is and was self-educated to a great extent, at least in the beginning. When children are young, the chains around their minds and bodies are able to be broken with a Will to reach farther than what is in front of them. In this way, […]
Ronald A. Crutcher, Cincinnati, OH This was a statement made to me by a German man here in the United States, as he queried me about why I decided to leave Germany after having lived there for almost five years. I speak fluent German and really enjoyed my life in Germany. When he asked why […]
Keith W. McIntosh, Richmond, VA I am blessed to be married to my lovely and talented partner, Penny. We were in prior relationships which gave us sons. Our boys were 4 years old when we met and our first date was taking them to Sesame Street Live on Ice. I would often joke that our […]
Andrew Lovell, Mishawaka, IN I am white, but throughout my entire life, I have always believed that everyone deserves equal opportunity. This means equal opportunity in this country and everywhere in the world. Your opportunities in life should not have to do with the color of your skin and every living being deserves an equal […]
Airra Jackson, Elkhart, IN I know that I can do and be anything that I set my mind to. I am enough. I am worthy enough of teaching your children.
Kayli Prough, Shipshewana, IN
Moira Dyczko, South Bend, IN
Ryan, South Bend, IN A lot of people say that systematic racism doesn’t exist anymore, such as laws and policies. However, something pretty modern, the war on drugs, from about an hour of research many can tell that in the end it was just a huge war on minorities and separating families.
Kait Vinnedge, Niles, MI I recognize the privilege I have had in life just based on the way that I look. I am always mindful of it and make sure to check myself when thinking objectively about politics, my views on education, etc.
Haley Franks, Middlebury, IN
Katie Andrews, North Liberty, IN Because I am a white woman, I am never followed around the store or thought to be shoplifting.
Teresia Nganga, USA. Having relocated from East Africa to the United States of America, I have been treated with so much respect. In my workplace, at school and out in the community, I have been treated just like any other person who is from a different race. This has also been a wonderful encouragement that […]
Tommie Billups, Michigan City, IN I believe the idea of race was to develop as a way to make one group of people feel superior to another. Outside of complexion and small physical features, we are all the same. There is truly only one race and that is the human race.
Allyssa Kempf, Mishawaka, IN White people: when someone is telling you about what race means to them – stop shutting down because you get offended and stop saying “well not all white people…” It is not our place to tell any person of color how they should feel about their experiences with racism and injustice, […]
Ryan, South Bend, IN
Julia Adams, North Liberty, IN
Morgan Rockhill, Edwardsburg, MI I work at a doctor’s office, and there are many patients who put down that their race is “American” instead of white. It often confuses me that there are still people who see America as a white citizen country. Yes, America is predominately white, but America is also very diverse. There […]
Michael Candiotti, Fall Church, VA.
Tyler J Fennessee, South Bend, IN
Katherine Cassel, Mishawaka, IN
Teacher Adelakin, Osceola, IN
Armando Diaz, Plymouth, IN
Maria Mares, Goshen, IN I was 16. I was in a McDonald’s. I saw a Hispanic family in line. Their youngest was maybe 6 years old. It was their turn to order. The 6-year-old boy was not paying attention. His father yanked him by his arm and said “ordena” (order in Spanish.) The boy was […]
Chrissie Lai, South Bend, IN ‘They all look alike’…..I’m Vietnamese. “Oh, I thought you were Hawaiian because of your complexion. Oh well, every Asian look alike” A conversation I had with a customer at my job
Scott Tilghman, Richmond, VA I met Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles at the Loraine Motel National Civil Rights Museum in August 2009. My daughter and I were traveling across the country and visited the Museum. Rev. Kyles gave us a 20 mins civics lesson and first-hand account of “I have a dream”. I keep the autographed […]
North Liberty, IN We’re all different on the outside. Every last one of us. That doesn’t mean we should treat anybody different than we want to be treated. It’s not our place to judge someone based on the way they look. Every day, some people use race as an excuse to think they are better […]
Justin Flagel, Niles, MI Yes, I’ve faced plenty of challenges throughout my life. Yes, I’ve worked hard to earn things I’ve gained in life. Yes, my life hasn’t always been easy. Acknowledging my white privilege does not mean those things are untrue or that I’ve never had problems. It just means that whatever my challenges […]
Holden Price, Elkhart, IN I believe that race is a concept taught/learned by kids through society and our parents. If adults stop indoctrinating their children from birth that people of different colors are different from them the whole race issue would greatly decrease. Also, it is hard to be concerned about or hostile to other […]
Casandra Mosley, Mishawaka, IN
Fátima Tamayo, Chicago, IL We are all mixed and looks can’t define us.
Kenna McDonald, South Bend, IN
Karen Carmona, Fremont, IN
Anna Ortega, South Bend, IN A professor said this to me after giving a presentation in class. Why? Because I’m not white? Because I’m a woman? Because I’m Latina? Probably all of the above.
Beth Marchant, South Bend, IN I often feel like I could commit the most grievous crime, yet I would never be suspected because I am a white woman. I grieve for people of color and others who are often accused of things that they have not even thought of doing. I teach students from middle […]
Karen Christopher, Carlisle, IN
Lucie Horvath, South Bend, IN Given my white privilege, practicing humility is so important when it comes to educating and trying to improve myself. I am not in a position to make assumptions about other people and their experiences, but still, unlearning my instinct to judge differences is an ongoing process. In order to make […]
Kelli O’Hara, MISHAWAKA, IN
Payton Woodworth, Mishawaka, IN I believe that racism is not a difference of one color to another. I see racism in all walks of life. From how smart you are, to how rich you are. Racism is the belief that who you are is solely directed by where you come from. As someone who is […]
Erica Kirk, Cassopolis, MI I am a very white-passing Native American. People are always surprised to find out that I am a citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, so much so that I often feel judged because I don’t “look Indian.” I am proud of all parts of my heritage, that history has shaped […]
Treysea, Tacoma, WA. I grew up in San Diego, CA in a predominantly blue-collar, working class, relatively ethnically and racially mixed community. Most of my friends and classmates growing up came from two-parent families – however strained or toxic the home, although there were plenty of kids that were also in foster homes or lived […]
Hugh T. McEein, River Forest, IL It’s simply a quote from the Bible.
Barbara White, South Bend, IN Race is deep and multilayered. Race is long-standing. Race is the DNA of USA. Race is insidious, outright, and unrecognizable to most folks who aren’t looking for it. Race is dehumanizing. Race is power, control, and money. Race is privilege and entitlement. Race is exploitation and colonization. Race is assumptions […]
Sebastian Martinez, Berrien Springs, MI IUSB
Daphne G., South Bend, IN. Children don’t see race – why should we?
Vicki Bloom, South Bend, IN. President Obama once said, “America is not a place where the chance of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny.” Unfortunately, it still does.
George, South Bend, IN. As we speak, there are people being caged. There may be a police officer shooting an unarmed human being, or an armed shooter taking their white supremacist manifesto and a legally obtained weapon into a crowded space. The stakes are high.
Rana Hamad, South Bend, IN.
Eesha Verma, USA. When I was in elementary school, we had a Diversity Day kind of thing where everyone was asked to bring in something that represented a holiday or a tradition they had in their family. I celebrate Diwali, so I brought in a clay lamp called a diya that we put candles in […]
Ryann Mellion, Washington DC. Why do school textbooks only talk about slavery? Black history doesn’t start or end with slavery.
Ethan Ableman, USA.
Anonymous, USA. A fellow customer I saw shopping for the 30 minutes I was in the store walked to the front as we were leaving. He noticeably pointed his key fob towards the parking lot to ensure his door was locked.
Anonymous, USA. White people of TODAY are not your enemy. As a white person, I have nothing to do with what happened 60-100 years ago. I see you as just another person. My main concerns are about managing my own problems, and surviving on a very low income. I am poor. I just want to […]
Kaniela Kelekolio, Captain Cook, HI. The legacy of slavery and, for much of history, the demographics of the USA have led to ‘white vs black’ being the central racial discussion. But as America grows more diverse and East and South Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic communities and white and black ethnic subgroups flourish, they challenge a […]
Kira Knight, USA. CBU-HIS311
Emma GreenWood, USA. I live by these words. I believe life is beautiful, no matter how difficult. Every day we wake up, we never know what’s in store for us. It’s exciting and wonderful to just be alive, that’s why it’s “being alive”. Being alive is amazing, and fulfilling. Before we know it, life is […]
Anonymous, USA.
Molly Wanless Chapel Hill, NC To develop and maintain respect in my middle school English classroom, I teach that there are many “right ways” to talk and write. With technology and society being what they are today, no one owns or “rules” the conventions of our language. My students understand that their language and mine […]
Anonymous, USA. I find funny it when people say, “I’m full American” or something along those lines because all Americans are immigrants, or of the family of immigrants. Therefore, no one is “full American.” The United States is a young country, and most people can use common technology to trace back where their family immigrated […]
Zoë McLaughlin, USA. Waiting in line for the Chinatown bus in New York City, a man approached me and began speaking Spanish. I squinted at him and briefly pondered my response. This was not the first time someone has expected me to speak Spanish. As soon as I began making forays out of my predominantly […]
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 […]
Vincent Miholic, Wayne State, Detroit I’m 62, 2nd generation (Slovenian/Croatian), and having watched acquaintances, also either emigrants or recent descendants, adopt what seems to me a distinctly neurotic American, “I got mine; we’re not equal” attitude, and engage in discourse that degrades others, I don’t understand how easily altruism and spirituality is corrupted by hatreds […]
Anonymous, Wayne State, Detroit As a Mother of three Black kids, one a Black son, I worry and worried and worry some more about their survival. More so in today’s current political climate. The worry has softened from a steadfast sense of Fear. That truth I live with is the norm for SO many mothers […]
Tiffany Wysocki, Middletown, NJ. Monmouth University As I travel the world, I have found one truth: we are all innately equal in our drives and desires. We are driven by love and survival. We want the best for our families. We want to feel loved and have the opportunity to love. That’s it. That is […]
Douglas Moore, Sharon, VT. Raised white, male, Midwestern and Republican the movement broke open so many of the absolutes in my life.
EduTechDiva, Wayne State, Detroit, MI Equality is not good enough. Equity is what most are striving for now, but justice is what’s necessary and way too many folks are afraid of what this actually means. It might mean that those who’ve had the institutionally established ‘upper hand’ for a while now, experience the injustices that […]
Anonymous, USA I’ve heard so many arguments now saying that all white people are racist for existing in a world that favors white people. Let’s get this straightened out. There are two types of racism. Institutional, and individual. No this is not “whitesplaining” it is just the terms from my sociology class. Institutional racism refers […]
Anonymous, USA
William Halley St. Jo, TX
Corazon Johnston New Orleans, LA Aspen X Beyond the fact that ink is pigment we use to write on paper, skin color creates circumstances of people’s lives. Some try to use other’s pigment count, like body count, the darker, the more criminal. Others who are the victims of such persecution make the best story or […]
Hanna Birkhead,Syracuse, NY
Lesley Pena,Syracuse, NY
Sylvia Langford, Syracuse, NY Trying to capture the spectrum of my people in six words was daunting; such variety of perspectives, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, ambitions, opportunities, disappointments, challenges, joys, looks and shades, but most of us have been impacted by negative judgments.
Greg Munno,Syracuse, NY
Connie, Syracuse, NY Social and economic class speaks for itself. In my observation most people from abroad and/or here in the US act like they are imperial to other ethnicity. So they come to America with that attitude. For the most part this is a learned perception and is the real truth it our world […]
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, […]
L. A. Elliott, Rockwall, TX. Submission collected from Pro Publica: Segregation Now Series Every person has a story, a culture, a past and especially a future. If you ignore person’s race in an attempt to be colorblind and inclusive, you’re actually taking away their story, their culture, their past and especially their future. Instead, build […]
Auguste Budhram, USA. Anyone who has ever been in the minority remembers the first time a word knocked the wind out of them. As a child, my first time came packaged in a rhyme known by everyone– making the blow feel conspiratorial and that much worse. The rhyme is part of every 10 year- old’s […]
NIK BANNISTER Houston, TX Louisiana epitomizes how race and education interfere with opportunity, cultural identity and upward mobility.
Jen, Beverly, MA.
Anonymous, USA. Ever since a young age, I have been super passionate about hip-hop and rap music, but have received constant criticism, weird looks and other disapproving messages from some people who claim “there is no way you can like rap”. Although it’s a minute issue compared to other stories, it still makes me feel […]
As a young African American male, I have learned, through very personal experiences, that many do not expect me to be as wise or as knowledgeable as I am. My knowledge and opinions on complex issues as well as my level of articulation often catch people off guard. I am often expected to act and […]
Angie Ward, USA.
Joyce Goodluck, East Lansing, MI. On Location, MSU. Before coming to MSU I knew one side of racism from media. Whites discriminating Blacks. I even once experienced that when I passed by Akers Hall and some one shouted at me from his window black and African. I was like he is a racist.But whom am […]
