I don’t remember all the specifics about my first experience When I Recognized Race, but I remember the effect that it had on my young soul. I was a first-grader in a majority white elementary school, and my experience happened during Black History Month. Now, I don’t...
I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. In 1996, when I was four years old, my family moved to an immigrant community north of Chicago that is nicknamed “Little Mexico.” Immediately after coming to America I learned that my family was treated differently not just because...
What do you do when two impossibilities collide? This was my dilemma fifteen years ago while sitting in class at my conservative Christian university before I recognized race. Our normally boisterous class began on a somber note as our Hispanic professor recounted his...
I came late to loving my skin. I was the fairest-skinned in my family and they teased that if I stayed outside for too long, I’d become as dark as they were and never fade. So I avoided sunlight. I’d bought into colorism—the idea that the lighter your skin the better....
When I Recognized Race: John Talley III My wife, Celeste and I got married back in 2011. We had nights when we just spent time with one another. There were times when we went to the movies, went to a restaurant, or both because we were broke and did not have much...
