Thank you for the links. I found them interesting. I liked this part: "In our 14 months in Hong Kong, I learned some brutal lessons about racism. First, it is not the preserve of whites. Every race displays racial prejudice, is capable of racism, carries assumptions about its own virtue and superiority. Each racism, furthermore, is subtly different, reflecting the specificity of its own culture and history."
I think I was looking at it from a personal point of view. I was thinking of times when I saw racism or experienced it. I have lived in areas where white/light skin was not the norm. I have even had a group of people surround me and say they were going to beat me up because I was white...until a black person spoke up for me (I was not even a teenager at that point, but the majority of the group was).
In middleschool living in a different part of the country, I was nicknamed "Indian girl." It is obvious to see my dark straight long hair matching my grandfather's black hair who worked at the school, and he was a 4th Cherokee. Only when standing next to him was my Native American background so obvious...other wise my German Scoth-Irish medium skin and brown eyes takes center stage when someone decides my race and judges me.
One guy called me a squaw or how ever you spell it then it was "Indian girl." It was also interesting that the school mascot was "Indian Brave." We did the chant at ball games and so forth. One boy even made it part of a class poem he read to the class about how straight my hair is.
Then in a twisted string of events, a teacher had a group of Native Americans come in and talk to the class about culture. I was stupid enough to ask about how they celebrate birthdays. One Native American man having learned our mascot was "Indian Brave" and saw me as yet another stupid white person gave back a very harsh response to which I put my head down and wished I kept my mouth shut. Yes, it encouraged me to keep my mouth shut.
Back to link above with assumptions, the white kids saw me as "Indian girl" and the Native American visitors saw me as "stupid white girl." But, they did not see me.
I think that things that happen to us can alter us to bring out the good or the bad. I just hope when I die that I brought more good to the world then harm. So, in my own job, family, and community I try to keep my eyes and my heart open.
Re: Via metafandom
"In our 14 months in Hong Kong, I learned some brutal lessons about racism. First, it is not the preserve of whites. Every race displays racial prejudice, is capable of racism, carries assumptions about its own virtue and superiority. Each racism, furthermore, is subtly different, reflecting the specificity of its own culture and history."
I think I was looking at it from a personal point of view. I was thinking of times when I saw racism or experienced it. I have lived in areas where white/light skin was not the norm. I have even had a group of people surround me and say they were going to beat me up because I was white...until a black person spoke up for me (I was not even a teenager at that point, but the majority of the group was).
In middleschool living in a different part of the country, I was nicknamed "Indian girl." It is obvious to see my dark straight long hair matching my grandfather's black hair who worked at the school, and he was a 4th Cherokee. Only when standing next to him was my Native American background so obvious...other wise my German Scoth-Irish medium skin and brown eyes takes center stage when someone decides my race and judges me.
One guy called me a squaw or how ever you spell it then it was "Indian girl." It was also interesting that the school mascot was "Indian Brave." We did the chant at ball games and so forth. One boy even made it part of a class poem he read to the class about how straight my hair is.
Then in a twisted string of events, a teacher had a group of Native Americans come in and talk to the class about culture. I was stupid enough to ask about how they celebrate birthdays. One Native American man having learned our mascot was "Indian Brave" and saw me as yet another stupid white person gave back a very harsh response to which I put my head down and wished I kept my mouth shut. Yes, it encouraged me to keep my mouth shut.
Back to link above with assumptions, the white kids saw me as "Indian girl" and the Native American visitors saw me as "stupid white girl." But, they did not see me.
I think that things that happen to us can alter us to bring out the good or the bad. I just hope when I die that I brought more good to the world then harm. So, in my own job, family, and community I try to keep my eyes and my heart open.