You know how you find yourself in a small circle of people and you begin having a conversation about something rather tender? Everyone appears to be comfortable with it because the circle is small. There is safety in numbers. Especially small ones. The issue is, naturally, race. It’s a topic that I’ve come to be comfortable talking about and it appears that people are comfortable speaking about it with me. Curse or blessing? Some days it’s both. But I’ll never shy away from it when it comes up in conversation circles.
One of the questions I got asked most often (by white women) at the BlogHer conference was:
“Should I come to your session? Or is it just for women of color?”
I only cringed during the first few conversations where I was asked that question. I willed my brain to remain inside my head and prayed for the neurons to connect. Please, God, let not my brains ooze out of my ears right now. Then I came up with a stock answer:
“Are you interested in diversity? Because this is a conversation about diversity and the marginalization of our sister-writers of color who have been forgotten. And quite frankly? We’re tired of having this conversation by ourselves.”
As an educator who attends many conferences during the school year I cannot imagine a teacher who sees a session with the title “diversity” or “students of color” and then decides to stay away from it because they don’t look like the very students they are going to learn more about. They run to it. They want to find out more about culture and the role it plays in schools. BlogHer is an occasion of professional development and I’m sad for anyone who decided that they weren’t Black enough or Latina enough or Asian enough to attend our session.
This isn’t a recap of the session that I presented with Heather B of No Pasa Nada, Stefania of City Mama and Karen of Chookooloonks. Even though it was, in my humble opinion, the session with the absolute best participants during the whole weekend. Some of the backstory can be found here with the post I wrote two years ago. It was a conversation that was in dire need of happening and it was standing room only. Some very good friends came to support us in that session and I was more than pleased to hear Mir ask the question about whether or not companies and marketers know who our demographics were. Do we have all Black or all Asian readers? Absolutely not. This is no more true than me reading all Black blogs. Mir and I are both readers of one another and I appreciated her offering that up to the session. (If you’re so inclined to leave a comment here today please feel free to state what demographics you fit because these marketers and PR folks need to see who’s reading me and it might be a wake up call for them.)
As I surveyed the crowd to see who would be participating in this session I realized that Donna Byrd from The Root and Ilene Chaiken, the creator of The L Word were standing in the back of the room. These creative, powerful, talented women were listening to this conversation and at one point I had to cross my legs to keep from jumping off the stage to tackle them. Instead, I handed each of them my oh-so-classy card. (Note to self: bring two sets of cards from now on and even bring one from my day job for bloggers in the education world.) (You have to know this, though, both of those women took my card and laughed when they read it.) (No, I will not tell you what it read. It was a location joke. You had to be there.) (But if you weren’t there I really missed you! Yes, YOU.)
Many of the women I came in contact with this weekend also got to hear about how much I detest the word “post-racial”. What does that even mean? Why are we throwing it around as an excuse to no longer recognize racism? It irritates me to no end to hear, “Well, we have a Black man in the White House. We’re post-racial!” It’s all folks can do not to jump for joy as all of our problems with race have magically disappeared! Please. Tell me what color the sky is in your world because I want to live there.
The issue of discussing race is that diversity conversations have been happening in silos. Certainly, there is a time and place for some of them to happen, but please, if I could make a request when considering joining in a conversation of race, don’t shy away from it. It’s twitchy and fraught with many shades of awkwardness. Most of the time we don’t come away from them feeling as if we’ve solved every problem, but we’re talking. Keep talking. The only reason we got here is that we kept asking the questions. I’m am of two minds on the issue of marketing: first, that as a blogger, there is inequity in the pitches that women of color get. While that’s changing, I have to wonder just where my influence lies if companies are still finding it difficult to speak with me. Rest assured, this isn’t with everyone, but I can only share my experiences. The other mind I am of this is that as a writer I want to remain scrupulous in my content. Both of those things happen in this space and there is a balance out there for me. There is a balance out there for everyone.
Last summer I was honored to be contacted by The Washington Post. In fact, I thought it was a fluke. Me? You want me to write something for you? An editor worked with me on several drafts of something that never got to see the light of day. It was bad timing for this opportunity because newspapers began a movement of radical change at the time. Oh, how I wish that would have worked out for me. I’ve been embarrassed to admit this missed opportunity because I mentioned that I had some secret news and then it never came to fruition. Yet, it remains for me a reason to keep going and to keep writing and to keep talking about those things we need to talk about.
This is a small circle. It expands, contracts, moves out again and there are some problems that need to be addressed. Keep talking and having this conversation. Race won’t go away. Neither will my writing. It’s here forever with or without big magazines or newspapers.
Truly, keep talking. I’m listening.
{ 73 comments… read them below or add one }
Next Comments →
As we all isolate our children more and more (private schools, anyone? magnet programs, anyone?) Diversity must be explored by everyone – and all its incarnations should be explored. Racial, religious, economic, partner-choosing – all of it.
We’re different, y’all. And that makes for a FAR more interesting conversation (dinner party, TV listing, etc)
I have never been so happy to have attended a session in my life. It really changed how I feel about blogging. Y’all are inspiring beyond words.
For the record, I’ve been reading your blog for nearly two years, I think. I’m white, like pale as a paper plate white. I have the dance moves to prove it.
I love your blog! The students you teach are so much like my students; a little older, but still much alike.
Demographics? I’m 40-something, born and raised middle class white bread, disabled (hearing impaired), and liberal. Very liberal.
CantrinkaS – You bring up a powerful point and one that crosses over into my career as an administrator. It makes me pull out my hair. I’m very nearly bald. Did you know that?
Amelia – I read your post and will be commenting soon. You honor me and I am humbled. Also, sorta laughing because at first I read your sentence as “I think I’m white”.
It just seems that the PR/marketing folks found a few women bloggers of color and decided that was plenty. I mean, compare the number of superstar women bloggers of color to the number of superstar bloggers who are white. I know people who have started generic review blogs in the last few months who are getting more traffic/ads than me and there is literally no content on their sites. It’s one giant advertorial. I write a very niche blog so I never expected to get a lot of PR offers and really, that’s not the purpose of my blog anyway. But I would really like to have more name recognition because most blogs/websites are offering up REALLY BAD breastfeeding information and the only way to counter that is to have a strong presence online. But Medela and Motherwear and other breastfeeding companies would rather pay for ad space on a review blog than on a black woman’s pro-breastfeeding blog.
And since you asked about my demographic, I am biracial like you, but as you know that means black in America and “black” is what I am more comfortable with anyway.
Amen. I didn’t come to your panel because I was doing a lens walk and I’m not so much about the marketing, but talking about race? Yes, please.
I would love to pitch a panel next year talking about local blogging communities and people of color. I feel the STL community is so lily-white, even though we have some bad-ass women of color blogging here, I don’t feel like they feel comfortable coming to meetups or whatever. I have no idea if this is race-based, or they could just be cooler than me. It IS St Louis, though, which leads me to believe that informal segregation may play a role. In any event, I’m trying to make the local community more inclusive, because, well, it just hasn’t been. Any time you feel like driving down to chill, I’ll kick my husband out of my bed for you. SWEAR.
Many questions for you. DM me on Twitter? Jhotvedt2. Anyway, for the demographic folks, I am a 40 year old white mother of 7. I do not choose which blogs to read based on the race of the author. I choose based on content and ability to relate. Lovely post. Keep talking.
This makes me regret missing the conference. This was the panel I really wanted to see. I remember being in that room 2 years ago and hearing your questions and talking about it with Stefania. It’s gone from a side discussion to its own panel and that’s a good thing. But it’s something my industry still doesn’t get, still won’t get for a while, still can’t seem to address without squirming.
The discussion is so much larger than marketing. But this is as good a place to start a conversation. I know I’ll be listening.
I heard on Twitter your panel was awesome:)
Pretty jealous that I didn’t go.
My demographics? I’m a liberal, white, military raised, nineteen year old female. I stumbled upon your blog and instantly fell in love.
Your intelligence, humor, and raw emotions come through in your writing, which is something that keeps me reading. You could be purple for all I care, just keep being awesome.
_As a daily reader of the Wash. Post I REALLY wish things had worked out for you. Yours is a refreshing voice. While I enjoy the candor of your diversity discussions immensely (especially since my children live and thrive in an extremely diverse public school community), that was not what initially drew me to your blog. I was drawn to the fact that you’re a mother and educator of teenagers…and goodness knows, I’m the mother of a teen too. So many of the other blogs I read are written by mothers of much younger children. And when I found your blog I realized that the perspective of someone who spends time around teens is EXACTLY what I needed to hear. So thank you from this white 40 something parent.
I didn’t attend BlogHer ’09 this year–just wasn’t in the budget, sadly. But this and Valerie Jarrett’s talk on health insurance reform would’ve been my top two picks of panels to attend. After all, some of my favorite women of color are on this panel–people I’ve enjoyed at a distance through social media and also people that I’ve met IRL.
I don’t get pitched often to attend bloggy junkets. Frankly, my personal blog’s traffic is modest, I have serious commitments to lefty-green politics as well as true multiculturalism/anti-racism/feminism that would probably clash with some of the main corporate sponsors who commonly advertise on “mommy blogs” or seek “mommy bloggers” as brand ambassadors, and I often post on topics that are as carefree as a heart-attack. (I’m 4 months-plus nursing a blog post on how & why white women aid and abet right-wing extremism, including white supremacy.)
So, um, this kind of content isn’t exactly the bait that draws Nestle (TM) out of the woodwork. I’m okay with that. In fact, I’m a Free Range Mama (http://bit.ly/X1Wli).
I realize that puts me in rather narrow demographic company. But that’s who I am, and hey, too bad if all those things rolled together mean I don’t get to live high off the corporate hog. Maybe a solar panel company would like to partner with me?
I’m a Chinese American feminist, progressive, a mom to a son, and working on the world’s slowest handmade documentary (apparently because life is just too easy).
But not everyone makes the same choices as I do, so how can mainstream marketers get over their own blind spots and see women of color as a viable, important market? You would think marketers of high-end products would be falling all over themselves to reach ME, a member of a group that has one of the highest average family household incomes. (Set aside how that can be deconstructed for a sec.) You would think Hennessy, Prada, Gucci, Lexus, Tiffany, Bosch, Dansko, Le Creuset, BMW, Mercedes, and other swanky brands would be all over the APA bloggers, just going by the so-called positive stereotype that Asian Americans are supposedly uniformly well off, PLUS we’re so frickin’ nerdy we’re probably disproportionately online more.
I am here to tell you: it ain’t happening. HIgh-end brands certainly aren’t chasing me. (And highest average household family income of APAs stats? Well, if all six members of your family and extended family work at the family business that’s open 14 hours a day/7 days a week, yes, I suppose the average income of the household does seem high.)
Perhaps most important of all, what do we women of color want to tell companies that make products we use? The Swiffer and the fact that I’m Asian American…relevant? Not so much. But I include information and entertainment as “product” too, and that could be a way to have lasting impact.
I just found your blog today, through A Mom Two Boys. I’ve only read a handful of posts, but I love it so far. I kept a blog on and off for years, and I’m just now trying to figure out what to do with it. It gets no traffic so far, so the promotional stuff isn’t something I’ve had to worry about, but it has come up for me before.
I’ve been more of a writer-for-hire, and in the past few years I’ve written for several different television sites. When I first started interviewing celebrities, it was hard to be honest. I was a little star-struck and they offered me their time, so I felt like I had to be nice. I’ve gotten better, but it’s still a struggle.
Same thing with companies who send me DVD sets to review, or the like. I’ve got to remember that they’re not sending me a gift, so I don’t have to be grateful and write accordingly.
Demographics: College educated, white 28-year-old mother of a 10-month-old boy. Lived in NYC, now in the DC suburbs.
Elita: I clicked on your link and guffawed when I read the name of your site. What can I say? I’m a sucker for puns.
I may not be “blacktating,” but I’m very pro-breastfeeding.
Hey, mochamomma.
Like many women of color, the same issues resonate with/for us, mochamomma. Race is something about which I could talk for hours – truly – and is something I live each day, every day. I am Black, 44, single, and, I am a Spanish teacher at an independent school. I was raised in a White, homogeneous community, attended White, homogeneous schools, college, and grad school, and work in a mostly White workplace, although there is a handful of people of color. There is much greater racial diversity amongst the student body – 22%. Amongst the faculty/staff? Less than 5%.
There is a wonderful anti-racism dinner/program held amongst the consortium of independent schools before the official opening of the school year. Other than the admins, the bulk of attendees from my place of employ are people of color, which is true for the other member schools, but, there seems to be a better representation of White faculty from the member schools. At last year’s event, at which Tim Wise was the keynote, guess how many White faculty attended? Zero. The White representation from my school was by admins. There are other social programs throughout the year sponsored by the consortium. The bulk of the attendees? Yep; people of color. Which, to me, sends a very loud message: They don’t give a flying hamburger about being anti-racist or learning how to be, or learning from or socializing with people of color. Asking if the program/session is “for them, too?” is, I believe, code for, “not really interested”, but, they have to ask something, right? Been there way too many times. The irony? My White colleagues are the ones who NEED to be at these programs and events. They really NEED it.
Thank you for your post, mochamomma.
I’m white- “fair” or really pale, actually. I’ve been reading your blog for almost a year, I think. I love it. I love your writing. I was first drawn in by your humor and writing style. Then, by the serious topics you manage to discuss in a personal, striking, and still humor-tinged way. Thank you for bringing all matters to the table.
white Canadian mother of three children. Two of whom are mixed race and one who is disabled. Wish I’d been there.
I follow you on Twitter. I am your ‘friend’ on Facebook. And, I love your blog. You are a beautiful, intelligent woman and an amazingly talented and eloquent writer with a voice that reaches far beyond color. I sincerely hope more people stand up and listen to that voice, and take notice! On top of that, you’re funny as hell. I love your sense of humor!
Me? I’m 40, white, and a WAHM of four kids ranging in age from 18 yrs to 20 months. My toddler is the only one home full time now.
This is an important discussion and I hope you keep it going!
I am Canadian. I am mostly French (white) with a line of aboriginal blood too. This entitles me to refer to myself as Metis. It was not something to be proud of in my mother’s generation. I research family trees and am very proud of my aboriginal ancestors. They have had amazing parts in Canadian & American history.Canada is referred to as a melting pot country with many different races.
When I look for blogs to read and follow my first criteria would be humour (Canadian spelling…don’t correct it K.) followed by intelligence. My sons are grown so I am not interested in much of the mommy stuff. Actually I wouldn’t have been interested in that when they were little either. The only other thing I would seek out consciously once in a while would be a blogger who lived in my area.
Write something smart, funny, irreverent, or in a rant and I’m your reader.
I bet your session was wonderful, but it seems like everytime I wanted to actually attend a session I had an obligation to be wrangling a mic elsewhere. I’ll be looking for a recording or liveblog of your session for sure! (And I had a near-miss with a major newspaper earlier this year too, and was equally bummed.)
Slinking back embarrassedly to add a bit to my rant that got dropped…
I don’t want anyone to think I feel entitled to be courted by high-end brands. Perhaps they are lavishing goodies on some other APA blogger’s site and I just don’t know. But my point in giving that example about the stereotype of APAs as an “upscale” market is to show that even where you’d think marketers would court a desirable demographic, they aren’t. Is race a part of that? Do these high-end brands think APAs are “raceless” in our buying habits, that APA buyers who like blinged-out Danish appliance will buy them anyway, regardless of targeted marketing? Or what?
Kelly,
Another great post. I implore everyone to not shy away from the hard discussion of race. It is such an important topic as is diversity. I am an almost 40-year-old, middle-class white woman who is the mother of two Ethiopian born children. My oldest who is three–has recently said these two things–”Mom, I want to be white like you.” and “Will the other kids think I’m different?” when asked why, he responded “Because my skin is brown.”
To think race isn’t still an issue and something that we need to get honest about, is a disservice to everyone.
Thank you for talking about race and hosting a safe place for those type of discussion. So if any of your readers have any great advice for me on helping my black children navigate this world–the comments and advice are very welcomed.
I’m just pissed that you didn’t let me write “post racial” on your arm.
Also?
I am exceedingly proud to know you. And to be able to talk to you. And learn from you.
My background provides a very different experience with diversity than yours, and I am beyond grateful that you so willingly share yours with me.
I guess this could be my asinine opinion, but I feel like people of color tend to simultaneously try to bridge the divide and try to keep it alive. I remember reading the title of your seminar in a previous post and thinking that it sounded like a seminar for black people et al. and not a seminar ABOUT black people et al. But you are implying that that’s a moronic impression to have. White people feel like we have to both ignore race and respectfully recognize it, and it’s not always an easy line to walk. Personally, I’d just rather not even make it an issue, but again, that could be my asinine opinion.
I am always glad to read you write about this. It’s some kind of morbid fascination on my part, I think. You know my demographic. Idk whether that’s helpful or not. But thank you for the discussion.
Dear MochaMomma,
I am more than happy, I am actually elated to enter this convo. As a mixed girl myself, raising children that are 1/4, 1/4, 1/2 (does it matter of what…it’s serious!), I find that I am asked “What ARE you?” almost every day. I had come to a quick conclusion that the true answer is “human,” however, this does not satisfy the appetite of the beast…NOSEY.
I do understand where the nosey is coming from. I have, myself, struggled personally with who I am. However, I have long since come to terms with the fact that I am only ME, and otherwise truly undefinable.
I was a teacher and an administrator. I have left the field because I have become disgusted with what has passes for an education for too many of our children (especially black boys). Since I am myself raising 5 black boys, I have decided I would rather put my energy towards raising them the right way then fighting an uphill battle in the “education” system. Mostly because, if the world is going to choose to see my sons as black (regardless of any mix and not that it matters but the black is the 1/2), then I am going to do my damnedest to make sure they are representing their family is a positive and productive way.
I had enough of an uphill battle myself, dealing with my own identity issues. I can only pray that 25-30 years later, my boys will not experience the same.
If you are interested in reading some of my “race” story, which I actually blogged about quite recently, you can read it here:
From my personal non-fiction archive-
http://themommytsunami.com/2009/07/21/from-my-personal-non-fiction-archive/
and
From my non-fiction archives, part II
http://themommytsunami.com/2009/07/23/from-my-non-fiction-archives-part-ii/
Thank you so much for being you.
Love,
angel, aka themommytsunami
I’m keeping up with the discussion here but SO many people have taken to e-mailing me that I am reading and responding there but I wanted to thank everyone for such thoughtful comments.
As an aside, I had no idea that complimentary statements would accompany your comments. You make me so happy to be doing this, but WOW. It’s not necessary.
Except, it’s really good to read. I had a rather icky day today so your words comfort me.
I love you guys!
I’m not drunk.
I might have had a glass of wine. But only one. And it was white wine. That never gets me drunkity drunk.
No, really. I love you.
Post-racial, you lost me for a second, but I kept reading. I get it, but don’t “get” it. Living in the sticks in Ontario and working in a small school, about 350, I wish there was more diversity (especially after the crap one of our “diverse” students went through this year. I try to take my kids to Toronto each year so they can see the differences in people, all people. Some of my students are so sheltered they don’t watch television, let alone leave the community and I love the reactions I received on this field trip. It is so amazing to see the awe on their faces. Even though we are expected to teach so many things (don’t even get me started) the least I can do for my students is to help prepare them for the world beyond education.
Thank you for keeping the conversation going.
I will admit that I did have that thought – “I’m going to show up and they’ll point to the door because who wants a tall white girl at a session about women of color?” – but it didn’t last long. (Oh, and for the marketers interested in demographics? Hi, I’m Lara, I’m 27, middle class, high school teacher, mostly white, part Native American, living in California, and I love shoes. Thanks.) Yours was the session I would have attended that morning, had I not been completely crippled by anxiety and unable to leave my room until noon. But seriously, if I’d managed to get out of bed, I totally would have been the awkward white girl in the back, listening with rapt attention to every word.
It was an amen moment for me to watch you four get credit, all at once, for your eloquence and insight on the subject of race — and marketing, in this particular case. And I loved how your unique voices played out on the panel. Amazing leadership you all. Thanks.
Although my mom is white and my dad is black, we are all Brazilian and come from a culture that rarely sees color the way it is seen in the United States. We have lived here in the states for most of my life so it is interesting for me to see how much of my outlook on race has been influenced by my parents’ nurture and how much was a result of society’s dictates.
Wow. These comments are as great as the post! Thanks for inviting us to the conversation, Kelly. Your posts make me laugh, cry or think. Or all three at the same time!
Your panel was truly the highlight of the conference for me. All that brilliance in one place, and marketers… what? Stumped? Blind? I don’t get it. Though some of what we heard from PR folks in there was promising, I thought.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You rock my socks. MY LILY-WHITE SOCKS.
I am a 35 yr old, white, college educated, upper middle class mother of 2 elementary school aged children living in Austin Texas. I think if I understand what the marketers are looking for, I am THE demographic. I come to your blog for the quality of the writing and you move me to tears when you talk about the difference you make with your students. I don’t read blogs just to see mirrors of my life. In fact, I read blogs to see others lives that are very different from mine and generally a whole lot more interesting! Thank you for sharing yur experience!
I am a white, college educated, middle class mother of an elementary school age child living in the suburbs of Detroit. I’m bothered by the lack of diversity in his school, in our neighborhood. Education is very important to me. All forms.
I love the writing and the girl talk here!
People asked me if our panel was only for men. I just said that it was only for men with tits and vaginas. See? We’re on the same page here.
First, my demographics:
30 year-old black female, 1st generation American from Jamaican-American parents. No children but planning to have some eventually. Highly-Educated (MBA and currently pursuing my PMI designation) and currently employed in the Financial sector. I am moderately liberal politically, and I have a decent amount of disposable income with discernable tastes (for now….).
With that being said, if you have a panel next year, I will haul my behind to BlogHer without hesitation – and I would love to be involved with your panel in any way I can. I have been blogging for nearly 10 years, and there were times I felt like I was the only person of color out there blogging.
Since I am a firm believer that the only thing that is equal in life is the amount of hours each of us have in a day, it’s exteremely important to keep the lines of communication open in regards to race and ethnicity. However, the lingering question remains….are we REALLY ready to have it?
Please keep the dialogue going.
I started reading you because of your education slant. My son is going into high school, and I just was so happy to see an educator who really, truly cared–whose soul was committed to those kids. It’s been hard for me as a parent to transition from mother of a little kid to mother of a middle teen–not that I have a choice! The race issues you raise keep me honest and help me rethink issues. They keep reminding me that even though I’m a liberal, I haven’t been able to clean racism completely from my mind–I constantly need to re-evaluate what I think. But that was a happy coincidence–I read you because you’re honest, funny, and struggling with life just like we all are! I’m white, btw.
I am glad this discussion is being had in such an open and honest way.
I have to echo a bit of what Sra and Lara have said: When I heard this session mentioned now and then on various blogs, it sounded exclusionary, not inclusionary. But the fact that people are asking if they can come shows that they ARE interested, and that they were not alone in their apparent misunderstanding of what the panel was about – and that they didn’t want to offend and show up someplace they were not welcome. In not wanting to offend, they apparently offended, because they were supposed to – somehow – already know it would be offensive to not know that they were welcome to attend something that didn’t seem directed at them. What a difficult loop to be stuck in, eh?
If the objective is to be learning about eachother’s worlds and experiences, it should be okay for people to admit to what they don’t know. Isn’t that the first step in overcoming ignorance? Isn’t that kind of the point?
Ah, should also have mentioned that i am a white, 20-something, college-educated, married woman with no children. I grew up without a lot of diversity, and went to schools without a lot of diversity – until I transferred colleges and cities to get more of it. I majored in Spanish, lived abroad, and still enjoy the look on people’s faces when they see such an Irish looking girl bust out her fluent Spanish.
Silos. I’ve never heard that image. It is illuminating. As a teacher of all races, I am always interested in race talk.
“Post-racial” …I’ve never even heard that term. Actually I’m quite pleased to be able to say that. I think I’d lose it if I did.
I only wish I could have been at BlogHer if only to attend that panel. I won’t ever shy away from race conversations…I’ve been having them all my life. Education is key to understanding.
(36 y.o. married, middle class black woman)
I def think we still need to have open discussions about race issue since we’re still referring to our president as a “black” man when he’s clearly “biracial”. As for everything else…it’s in our hands to help marketing firms and big name companies see the value in partnering with us. Thanks for the WOC conference summary
I wish I could have been at BlogHer to see it, sounds like a great panel!
I’m 24, female, white.
I’m 38 and I’m Brazilian. Which is like saying you’re American because it’s such a mix. Before Brazil, my family was Lebanese, Italian and German. I never know whether or not to check hispanic because Brazil is not a spanish speaking country, and only recently do the boxes include “Latin.” I once got pulled over and the policeman asked me my race and I said “white” and he looked at me and said “I’m gonna check Indian.” um. ok. Maybe one of the PR people can place me in a safe little box where they see me …
This is one of those posts I write where the comments far outweigh the impact of the original post and I couldn’t be happier about that.
You are blowing me away.
As a college professor in a university whose students are largely 1st generation to go to college and about 50% of whom are African American, with another pretty substantial Muslim population that is largely Middle Eastern, I live in a world where discussions about race need to happen more than they ever do. And as an educator, I am constantly impressed with your own handling of your students and the complexities you face. I have tremendous respect and admiration for you both as a writer and thinker and as an educator — and my only regret is that my BlogHer lobby pass didn’t allow me into session. (And if marketers reading here want to know who your readers are, you can add a 30-something college professor white mother of two preschoolers to the list which, as far as I can tell from reading your comments doesn’t actually contain any two people with the same profile!)
i’m so happy that people are still talking about race, in an open, honest way. pretending like race doesn’t exist, or pretending we are in a colorblind society just because we have a Black president is just naive. like i mentioned in my other post, I don’t feel like, given the history of our country, we will get pace race for a very long time (if ever).
like you, the term “post-racial” is annoying (at best). it means nothing & i don’t even see how people can argue we’re BEYOND race when we have Rush Limbaughs & Glen Becks acting a fool on the airwaves. Please.
For the marketers: 37 yr old white mother of 2 grade schoolers here. Not a blogger, just a regular reader.
Been a follower for several years, 53 white.
You rock.
Post-racial = Bull Sh#t… Unfortunately racism is alive and well in the world. The problem is that sometimes it is a lot more subtle and hard to see unless you look for it – it amazes me that more people can’t see that.
I don’t remember how I found your blog, I just fell in love with it when I discovered it. Your passion for writing, for your students, for your family, for life is so evident – what’s not to love about it!
)
I am a 40 something white single mother of two boys. I worry that the school my kids attend(ed) isn’t diverse enough.
Next Comments →
{ 1 trackback }