Yesterday I had an exchange online with someone in regard to Paris Jackson ‘Identifying as a Black woman’ (that discussion will be had another time) My response on that post was as follows: “She may be culturally Black because she was raised in a Black home but she is racially white and needs to recognize that identity.”
You write so beautifully about this topic. As a white mom raising half Asian daughters I was clueless about these issues until my girls taught me. I will read and reread what you’ve written because racism is implicit in our culture. I had no idea until I began to see the world thru their eyes and still have much to learn. I deeply respect your ability to define and describe examples as you write. Please do create a primer on this topic. We need it in every classroom, library and home.
Thank you so much for shifting your lens, that is a very difficult but needed paradigm shift. When we can truly see others lived experiences and truths we begin to touch humainty and demand a better world for us all to coexist. As far as a primer... it's a process. I have been working on ebooks as well as lesson plans, so YES! Thank you for that encouragement. Here is my 'link in bio' to keep up with those things as I create more. I appreciate your voice. https://beacons.ai/desireebstephens
Hi. I'm sorry that I was not able to read your entire post; only the first two paragraphs but I do agree that we are all the same race; the human race and it is as simple as that. Unfortunately, hateful people have made it more that than that but our ethnicities and skin cloud, while they are different, our race is the same.......human. Same bodily functions and systems. Just human beings of different ethnicities, cultures etc. I don't think the writer meant to be condescending either, based on the excerpt you posted; it may have just come across in the wrong way. If we as humans would open our hearts and put aside our defenses (although some may be very valid based on negative experiences), we can begin to see that not everyone is evil and have ulterior motives, we can begin to heal and see each other as one race.....the human race.
Hi, I appreciate you clarifying your intention, but I also want to name that “we’re all the human race” often gets used to skip over the very real systems that shape how different bodies move through the world.
Race wasn’t just something “hateful people” did on a whim, it’s a socially constructed hierarchy designed, codified, and upheld by deeply intelligent, respected institutions and individuals to control resources, power, and safety. It’s not just about individual bad actors; it’s about a well-oiled machine that still runs today.
Saying “we’re all human” without naming those structures can land as if the different lived experiences; losing limbs, being blind, being poor, fat, or living in a racialized body don’t fundamentally change how the world responds to you. That’s not just difference; that’s disparity, and it’s systemic.
We can absolutely hold the truth that our shared humanity matters, while also holding the truth that the human experience is not uniform. Healing isn’t about pretending those differences don’t matter, it’s about being deeply curious, connected, and willing to dismantle the systems that make some of those experiences far harder than others.
You write so beautifully about this topic. As a white mom raising half Asian daughters I was clueless about these issues until my girls taught me. I will read and reread what you’ve written because racism is implicit in our culture. I had no idea until I began to see the world thru their eyes and still have much to learn. I deeply respect your ability to define and describe examples as you write. Please do create a primer on this topic. We need it in every classroom, library and home.
Thank you so much for shifting your lens, that is a very difficult but needed paradigm shift. When we can truly see others lived experiences and truths we begin to touch humainty and demand a better world for us all to coexist. As far as a primer... it's a process. I have been working on ebooks as well as lesson plans, so YES! Thank you for that encouragement. Here is my 'link in bio' to keep up with those things as I create more. I appreciate your voice. https://beacons.ai/desireebstephens
Hi. I'm sorry that I was not able to read your entire post; only the first two paragraphs but I do agree that we are all the same race; the human race and it is as simple as that. Unfortunately, hateful people have made it more that than that but our ethnicities and skin cloud, while they are different, our race is the same.......human. Same bodily functions and systems. Just human beings of different ethnicities, cultures etc. I don't think the writer meant to be condescending either, based on the excerpt you posted; it may have just come across in the wrong way. If we as humans would open our hearts and put aside our defenses (although some may be very valid based on negative experiences), we can begin to see that not everyone is evil and have ulterior motives, we can begin to heal and see each other as one race.....the human race.
Hi, I appreciate you clarifying your intention, but I also want to name that “we’re all the human race” often gets used to skip over the very real systems that shape how different bodies move through the world.
Race wasn’t just something “hateful people” did on a whim, it’s a socially constructed hierarchy designed, codified, and upheld by deeply intelligent, respected institutions and individuals to control resources, power, and safety. It’s not just about individual bad actors; it’s about a well-oiled machine that still runs today.
Saying “we’re all human” without naming those structures can land as if the different lived experiences; losing limbs, being blind, being poor, fat, or living in a racialized body don’t fundamentally change how the world responds to you. That’s not just difference; that’s disparity, and it’s systemic.
We can absolutely hold the truth that our shared humanity matters, while also holding the truth that the human experience is not uniform. Healing isn’t about pretending those differences don’t matter, it’s about being deeply curious, connected, and willing to dismantle the systems that make some of those experiences far harder than others.
I do agree.