“Stick out on both sides….safe?”
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...
Disappointed in myself and my country
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...
You probably think I look Jewish.
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...
Sometimes the problem isn’t you.
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...
There’s no finish line to color
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...
Independent determination perseverance honest unfair alone
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...
I am white. So?
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...
But, you don’t look white.
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...
Poverty and racism leave children “behind.”
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...
Important to confront your own prejudice.
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...
Asian Americans, we the ultimate invisibles
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,...
“Protect” sister from favorite childhood movies.
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...
Crudely Awakened from a Deep Sleep
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,...
Peace is every color – stop making it all “black”
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...
Black people seemingly hate other minorities
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...
Learning and living are not schooling.
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...
Of both worlds belong to neither
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...
