Tag Archives: race

I Am Not Black I Am Brown

I never realized that one of our sons that is bi-racial did not know he was black. It was around Martin Luther King Day at school he was in Kindergarten and he got in the car after school and said he was not going back to school. When I asked him why he said that he needed a new teacher! I was wondering why, after more than half the year had gone by already and he liked his teacher, why he needed a new teacher. I asked if he had a bad day and got in trouble for something and … Continue reading →

Celebrity Marathon Runners

Celebrities were out in full force in New York today. Not for a movie premiere or an awards show; rather, a handful of determined stars were sweating it out in the Big Apple for the 2008 New York City Marathon. This year’s biggest celeb finisher was actor Ryan Reynolds. Scarlett Johansson’s better half crossed the finish line in 3 hours, 50 minutes—-better than the four-hour target he was aiming for. “I’m still standing. I’m very excited about that,” Reynolds told reporters after finishing the 26.2-mile course. “It was an incredible experience.” Unlike some other race participants who entered to test … Continue reading →

Imus Puts Foot in Mouth Again

They say actions speak louder than words, but in Don Imus’ case the things that come out of his mouth often get more attention. So here we go again… Months after being allowed to return to the airwaves after getting booted for making racial comments about members of the Rutgers University women’s basketball team, Imus’ foot is back in his mouth again. And yet again the radio host is left to defend his off-the-cuff remarks. Yesterday Imus was discussing the arrests of suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones with sports announcer Warner Wolf. At one point in the conversation Imus … Continue reading →

Mixed Feelings for a Child Member of the Majority Minority

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I recently wrote about Meg’s comment that she wanted to wear sunscreen because she didn’t like her skin getting darker. Today I showed my children the statistics from the website for If the World were a Village, after the book by geography teacher David Smith. The girls were incredibly thrilled to learn that they were among the majority of the world’s people. First I asked my older daughter, “Would you say more of the kids at school look like you or like Patrick?” She hesitated. “Like Patrick,” she said. I nodded. “But if you look at the whole world, more … Continue reading →

Use of Race in School Admission

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All knows America for its freedom of acceptance. It is known to be huge and diverse. It is likely to be the most diverse country in terms of race and ethnics. However, here we are some fifty-two years after the court ruling of Brown v. Board of Education. We are once again bringing school race issues to the courts. In some instances we try so hard to ‘fix’ a problem that we only make it worse. The two school districts at question in Kentucky both had developed plans in order to prevent segregation at its public schools. The school boards … Continue reading →

Extended Family’s Attitudes about Skin Color

I know a couple of adoptive families who were interested in adopting from Korea, but said their extended families wouldn’t fully accept a child of color and that wouldn’t be fair to the child. One friend’s father had been a POW in the Korean War and held negative views ever after. Our own families were very supportive of our adopting from Korea. Nonetheless I’ve observed a couple of instances where they are uncomfortable talking about skin color. In another blog I described how my Korean-born daughter always chose the darker chair for herself and the lighter one for her brother, … Continue reading →

Other Kids’ Reactions to My Adopted Kids’ Skin Color

My son Patrick, who is European-American, was nearly three when his sister Meg arrived. Six months later, the two of them sat near me while I read a picture book about a Latino boy. “Hey mom,” Patrick said pointing to the picture, “that kid’s skin is different from mine.” “Yes,” I replied. “And Meg’s skin is different from mine.” “Yes,” I replied. “And mommy, your skin is different from mine.” Although this was a bit unexpected, I do have a rosy undertone (in fact I remember telling someone when I was a child that I was a pink person, not … Continue reading →

How Do My Adopted Kids Think About Skin Color?

My daughters are still too young (seven and four) for me to know exactly how they think of skin color. But I’ve jotted down things they’ve said through the years. For those new to my blogs, my husband and I are white, we have a nine-year-old biological son and two half-sisters from Korea, ages 7 and 4. I assume the girls are fully Korean. We have no birthfather information on the younger one, and she was so much lighter-skinned than her sister that we wondered if she was half-European/American. But overall she now looks much like other Korean children I … Continue reading →

American Children Are Being Adopted in Foreign Lands

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There is a problem in this country. The majority of the families that consider adopting children are Caucasian. The majority of the children that need to be adopted are African American. The number of foreign children that are being adopted by Americans is increasing. African American babies are being sent to foreign countries. The United States is sending African American newborns to Canada and Western Europe. The families that receive these children say that their primary motive for taking them is that they wanted a newborn baby, without regard to that baby’s race. They say that there is no bias … Continue reading →

A House Full of Boys, Part 2

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I recently wrote about the traits of little boys and what a household full of them would look like. People have commented favorably about the article but almost everyone pointed out something that had been left off the list. I am going to try to remember all of the suggestions. Boys really like puddles, especially if they are dressed up for church or school. A young male is simply unable to walk around a puddle. There is so much joy in seeing the splashes and feeling your shoes get wet. Will Moms never learn that rainy days and new clothes … Continue reading →