Annie
Woodbridgem VA
In high school, a white male classmate once said this to me. I am a half-Korean, half-Dominican woman. I had no idea how to respond. The context I perceived was that he meant that I spoke very clear, unaccented English, ate American-typical food staples for lunch, got excellent grades, and was in the white-dominated sport of swimming. And the tone in which he gave me this comment was entirely complimentary. This statement stuck with me, echoing inside my head for a week, poking at my brain because I remember being put off by the remark. And it was at the end of the week that I realized this was a case of “good minority”, or “not like Them”, etc. And I was slightly horrified. Why was it “white” to speak clearly? Or to pursue your education seriously? Or to excel in a sport that is indeed pricey? Or even to eat peanut butter sandwiches? What’s worse, why had I understood that from him?
