http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/13/one-drop-rule-black-identity-photos-yaba-blay_n_4775100.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp
Saw this article floating around the interwebs (read, " on Tumblr and Facebook") and wanted to share with y'all. These pictures and captions speak to the diversity of life and experiences that are callously lumped together in the USA American context of race. Each person explains their connection with being categorized as "Black." Some express the separation of race from ethnic culture. Others highlight the different ways they have been racially defined based on physical attributes. Many of the people speak about feeling like they belong to a certain race, or identifying with a certain race based on how they are treated by others. My biggest take-away from the piece is the centrality of personal history and agency in defining a relationship to one's (perceived) race. The complexities of race/ethnicity/presentation cannot be neatly defined, so we must listen to each other and validate personal experiences instead of falling back on generalizations or snap-judgements.
-David Kawa
-David Kawa