I designed this series as a forum where we could honor race and culture—our own and one another’s—and speak safely about our biases and personal struggles. But I found myself feeling almost apologetic writing my story; I didn’t consider my tale really worth telling. 1) How do you define yourself racially or ethnically and why… Read More My Race, Coast to Coast: Part 1
Originally posted on Green Life Blue Water:
Dear Mr. President Elect My Greek immigrant grandparents arrived in this country sometime in the early 1920’s from Istanbul when it was still Constantinople, and while no one talks about it, I’m fairly sure they didn’t just leave, but escaped. Ethnic cleansing is nothing new across the globe:…
What brings me great happiness is to write and talk with you. But I was busy with my minuteman last week. “I’ve been hit!” He gave us some hearty acting.
When I was not yet three years old, John Richard and Grace Elizabeth Ingram adopted me from an orphanage in southwest London. When I was four, a stroke left Dad paralysed down his left side; he died when I was 18. I can still hear the cranky squeaks of your wheelchair. And the clicking of… Read More Fathers From Around the World
1) How do you define yourself racially or ethnically and why is it important to you? Please tell us about the racial makeup of your family if you were adopted or come from a colorful family. I consider myself Asian American, or as I like to say, American Asian. The latter description came from digesting… Read More At The Finish Line: Asian American In Thailand, Part 16
1) How do you define yourself racially or ethnically and why is it important to you? An analysis of my DNA by Ancestry.com shows that my ancestors came from Western Europe, Ireland, Scandinavia and Spain, which makes me about as Caucasian as one can be. I find my ethnicity interesting from a historical perspective. On… Read More The Race: Caucasian in Oregon, Part 14
Words go unsaid too many times but that doesn’t mean I don’t notice when you step to the shadows so I can have my day in the sun. You’ve saved portions of food so that I’d have enough to eat when I get home from work. You laboured over the stove when you were so… Read More Mothers From Around The World
1) How do you define yourself racially or ethnically and why is it important to you? Chinese-Canadian or Canadian-born Chinese. My partner is German-Canadian. We’ve been together over 20 yrs. 2) Where do you live? If you have ever moved, whether to another city or the other side of the world, please tell us when… Read More The Race: Chinese-Canadian, Part 13
1) How do you define yourself racially or ethnically and why is it important to you? Please tell us about the racial makeup of your family if you were adopted or come from a colorful family. When I was a kid I just called myself black as that was what society taught, that if you’re… Read More The Race: American in India, Part 7
South Korea was, and still is, a means of escape for me. On a practical level, it offered me a ticket out of my depressing neighborhood in Nevada (U.S.) with the meth lab across the street. On a slightly higher level, it released the contradictory pressures I felt as a refugee between two “racial” categories… Read More The Race: White in South Korea, Part 6
A Holistic Journey 