For most of my 40-something years of life, I’ve lived in the suburbs: the neighborhoods my family lived in strongly resemble the one I chose to buy my home in, which has a diverse range of families from different cultures, but is populated with a majority of whites. Given that pop culture, media and other… Continue reading Oct. 13: PBS’ “The Whiteness Project”—-Revealing Or Redundant?
Tag: How Very White Of You
The Protection of Projection: A Reader’s Lesson in Bigotry Vs. Racism
Here we go again. Shortly after my Dr. Frances Cress Welsing interview showed up in today’s Briefing, a reader wrote in doing 2 things: admitting to being ignorant about racism, yet displaying the arrogance and entitlement to make it EVERYONE ELSE’S issue rather than applying introspection or actually placing blame where blame belongs. Captain Oblivious… Continue reading The Protection of Projection: A Reader’s Lesson in Bigotry Vs. Racism
Consequences & Repercussions: The Societal Significance of Chosen Names
Nia brought home an intriguing assignment weeks after becoming a second grader. A note from her homeroom teacher came attached with a worksheet and detailed a lesson using Kevin Henkes’ book, “Chrysanthemum.” The lesson was intended to help learn classmates’ names while also demonstrating the harm of teasing: “In ‘Chrysanthemum,’ a little mouse is given… Continue reading Consequences & Repercussions: The Societal Significance of Chosen Names
The Trayvon Letters, Pt. 2: Attack The Messenger, Blame The Victim
I knew that I was wading into instant drama when I wrote and submitted my post-‘verdict’ Trayvon Martin column. I had written of race issues before as a Briefing columnist, and as a Black woman who’s lived in the South for most of her life, I was certainly aware that the status quo of “white… Continue reading The Trayvon Letters, Pt. 2: Attack The Messenger, Blame The Victim
Too Black,Too Strong? Rhonda Lee’s Firing & Overlooking The Obvious
There’s no way for her to remember the event, thankfully, but my daughter Nia experienced her first brush with stereotyping when she was just a few minutes old. After hours of arduous, but ineffective labor, my obstetrician, Dr. B., told my husband and I that it was too risky to continue with natural childbirth and… Continue reading Too Black,Too Strong? Rhonda Lee’s Firing & Overlooking The Obvious