Dr. Pogue's essay reminded me of when I was in elementary school and was put into two different affinity groups based on race. The first group was for Native American kids, the other was for black girls. At the time I didn't understand why the administrators put me in such groups as I didn't think about myself that way then. I remembe…
Dr. Pogue's essay reminded me of when I was in elementary school and was put into two different affinity groups based on race. The first group was for Native American kids, the other was for black girls. At the time I didn't understand why the administrators put me in such groups as I didn't think about myself that way then. I remember feeling awkward and not really a part of either group. When you're mixed race and people want you to think of yourself racially, it can be hard to choose who you're supposed to belong to.
In my early twenties I remember a friend saying, "when the race war happens, you better pick a side." How could I when I both do and don't belong to a particular race? There's always a "no true Scotsman" feeling when I say I'm of a race. How do I prove I'm black or Native or white? In my younger years I thought fulfilling stereotypes would give me more racial belonging. Surely if I like hip-hop I'm "being black" or if I wear beaded earrings I'm "being indigenous." A family member joked that my love for fireworks was my "white side."
I cannot pick a side nor should I have to. Racial affinity is ultimately a trap that limits the fullness and yes, clumsiness, of human experience and expression. Each of us is a kaleidoscope of overlapping identities and ideas. When we're reduced to ideological categories, we cease to enjoy the many nuances of
"common humanity" Pogue discusses. Yes, we should "see" each other's race(s) and we should remember that what we see only tells a part of the story of a whole human being.
Dr. Pogue's essay reminded me of when I was in elementary school and was put into two different affinity groups based on race. The first group was for Native American kids, the other was for black girls. At the time I didn't understand why the administrators put me in such groups as I didn't think about myself that way then. I remember feeling awkward and not really a part of either group. When you're mixed race and people want you to think of yourself racially, it can be hard to choose who you're supposed to belong to.
In my early twenties I remember a friend saying, "when the race war happens, you better pick a side." How could I when I both do and don't belong to a particular race? There's always a "no true Scotsman" feeling when I say I'm of a race. How do I prove I'm black or Native or white? In my younger years I thought fulfilling stereotypes would give me more racial belonging. Surely if I like hip-hop I'm "being black" or if I wear beaded earrings I'm "being indigenous." A family member joked that my love for fireworks was my "white side."
I cannot pick a side nor should I have to. Racial affinity is ultimately a trap that limits the fullness and yes, clumsiness, of human experience and expression. Each of us is a kaleidoscope of overlapping identities and ideas. When we're reduced to ideological categories, we cease to enjoy the many nuances of
"common humanity" Pogue discusses. Yes, we should "see" each other's race(s) and we should remember that what we see only tells a part of the story of a whole human being.