part 1

What causes racism? Psychologists, including Darlene and Derek Hopson who wrote Different and Wonderful: Raising Black Children in a Race-Conscious Society have done numerous studies showing that we definitely aren't born racist. It is a learned attitude and behavior. One friend told me that she believes the media perpetuates it. Another feels that it is picked up in the "mobocracy" type attitudes that develop in large public schools due to a "survival of the fittest" type attitude that shows up on the playground. If you're the odd man out or minority when it comes to skin color,... more

The title of this blog is taken from the Norman Rockwell painting shown here. It's a painting of Ruby Bridges being escorted to her first grade classroom by federal marshalls because they feared for her safety as she was the only black child in her elementary school integrating into a previously all white school.

Some of us study Black history as part of Black History Month and then forget about it until the following February. Others of us, as parents of children of African descent, have internalized it and watch our children... more

"What are you?" Seems rather rude, doesn't it when aimed at a person? It is a comment heard all too often, however, by a student I met at our local university. She is half Japanese, one quarter Korean and one quarter British, and she says she hears the comment often.

I met her in an international business communications class that consisted of many foreign students, and our lecture that day was on the labels we put on different people according to their skin color or accent when they speak.

I... more

"Ta hui shui Putonghua"...."He speaks Chinese." That is what I told my son when I met our so called "interpreter" at the doctor's office.

I guess I spoke too soon as I found out that this "interpreter" hereafter referred to as "Mr.Thinks-he-speaks-Chinese" had lived in Taiwan for two years as a missionary, but had been back home for two years and hadn't really used his Chinese in the interim. Not only that, missionary work doesn't lend itself to knowing medical vocabulary for a doctor's appointment.

When the doctor entered the room, he asked my son how to say his Chinese name. Mr. Thinks-he-speaks-Chinese just sat there, so after a brief silence I turned and asked my son... more

Today, after taking Caleb to the doctor, I am still chuckling and shaking my head 8 hours later at the conversation that took place with the doctor's medical assistant. Because Caleb doesn't yet speak more than about 10 words of English, I arranged to have a Mandarin speaker to facilitate communication between Caleb and the doctor.

Having a multiracial family has led to some pretty interesting and funny comments over the years, but I've never been mistaken for being the one from a foreign country....until today.

Our "interpreter"... more