"I'm proud to be white. I bet no one passes this on because they are scared to be called a racist."

[EffieBlack]

79. Usually whenever anyone talks about everyone becoming "just Americans", they mean to give up their

Last edited Mon Apr 9, 2018, 09:16 AM - Edit history (1)

identity and absorb themselves into the culture, traditions and history of white Americans.

I don't want to give up my own heritage and don't think anyone else should give up theirs. And I don't want to be seen as "just an American" because that means that I'm not seen in the fullness of who I am.

There's nothing wrong with recognizing and appreciating diversity and the differences between us. The problem comes when value judgments are made based on those differences.

I once upset a white colleague I was meeting for the first time when he asked me how he would recognize me in the restaurant. I told him, "I'm black." He got really flustered and said, "Um, well. That's not important. What will you be wearing?" And I said, "I have on a brown suit. And I'm black." He stammered some more and said, "What color is your hair?" It was pretty funny. Later, when we got to know each other better, I asked him why he had such a hard time just accepting that I was telling him I was black so that he would have an easier time finding me in the restaurant - after all, my skin color is my most visible distinguishing characteristic.

He said that he doesn't see color and didn't want me to think he was a racist. I explained to him that, first, of course he sees color. He'd be an idiot if he didn't. And there's absolutely nothing wrong in noticing that I'm black - no more unacceptable than him noticing that I'm female. And there's certainly nothing wrong with noticing my race when trying to find me in a crowded restaurant. The problem would come in if he used that to make judgments about me - to determine my intelligence, or competence or morality or to decide whether he should hire me or trust me with his business, etc.

So I'm not a fan of the "let's all be just Americans" approach - because none of us is "just" an American. We are our history, our culture, our heritage and that should never be ignored or dismissed.