Seriously, just think about it.
Unless you are descended from American Indians, your ancestors crossed borders like everybody else to get here.
That makes you the descendant of an immigrant.
Yes, believe it or not, you are only a generation or two (or three or six or...) removed from those "illegal aliens" it is so fashionable for so many "Americans" to love to hate.
If you think because you are "white" you are totally different from, better than, and more entitled to live in the US than more recent immigrants, chew on this for a while.
Chances are your ancestors didn't even know what "white" was before they reached these shores. And they were here for a while before they had any idea they could become "white" and, therefore, get a serious leg up on the benefits of living in the USA.
James Baldwin has written about it. Toni Morrison has written about it. Noel Ignatiev has written about it. Tim Wise has written about it.
If you don't believe me, try this: Ask the elders in your family to tell you about the time in your family's history before your ancestors turned "white." Chances are you've already heard pieces of the story...something, sometime, somewhere.
But suppose you've never heard a word about your family's racial history. Suppose it scares you to even think about bringing it up. Maybe a few stories about how others have tackled this subject will help.
In four astonishingly frank books, two completely engaging essays, and a brand new collection of essays described below, six smart, brave, introspective white writers--three men and three women--show you how they confronted their family's racial histories.
To go to their original stories, simply use the links--in the menu on the right--.
For now, though, to get to YOUR family's story, get out a pad and pencil or open a new document on your laptop and keep reading...
QUESTION.
Who was the first person in your family--your Original Immigrant--to come to the United States?
Why did they leave where they were to come here?
Did they come by choice or were they fleeing something/someone? What/who?
Did they leave with money and other resources?
Were there friends or others waiting to welcome them and help ease their arrival in a new land?
Describe in as much detail as possible the life your Original Immigrant left behind.
How did your Original Immigrant arrive in the US: in a nice berth on a ship deck? stowed/stashed away in the hold? in a first class railroad sleeping car? hidden in the corner of a boxcar? first class seat on a jet? somewhere in between?
How long did your Original Immigrant's trip take from the old country to the new one?
Were their lives ever in peril during their migration?
What was life like for your Original Immigrant when they first landed in the US?
Had their life changed ten years later? If so, how?
When did your Original Immigrant turn "white"?
READ.
Armed with the facts you've gathered about your family's migration history, take a look at how these two writers have used the same kind of information to understand what being "white" means to them.
HEART OF WHITENESS: Confronting Race, Racism, and White Privilege, by Robert Jensen (City Lights 2005)
WHITE LIKE ME: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, by Tim Wise (Soft Skull Press 2007, 2d ed.)
LEARN.
Michael Patrick MacDonald had to leave his white Irish Catholic South Boston neighborhood and go work in Roxbury, a black Boston neighborhood, before he could learn how to get real about race.
That trip would ultimately take him all the way to Ireland, an enthralling story he tells in ALL SOULS: A Family Story from Southie (Beacon Press 1999).
How far are you willing to go to find out how you became "white"?
What were the immigration laws when your Original Immigrant arrived? Was your Original Immigrant part of the group for whom entry requirements were easy or difficult to meet?
Did immigration laws change after your Original Immigrant arrived? If so, would your Original Immigrant have had a harder time, easier time, or the same experience gaining entry to the US under the changed laws?
When did your Original Immigrant--the one who was Swedish, Norwegian, German, Polish, Irish, Italian, Cuban in the "old world," the land of their birth--turn "white" in America?
What makes you "white"?
When did you first realize you were "white"?
How does being "white" give you an advantage over others who are not white?
How does being "white" disadvantage you compared to others who are not "white"?
ACT.
Prof. Lisa Dodson and her daughter, Odessa Dorian Cole, who was 19 when she co-authored ACTING WHITE: A Mother/Daughter Conversation," cut close to the bone in revealing how hard it is to stay true to their commitment to full racial disclosure, how wearing it can be to stay constantly vigilant.
Read how they handled the challenge in their chapter in WHEN RACE BECOMES REAL: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories.
Writer and activist Barbara Beckwith choose to give more than lip service to confronting racism. She went public when she developed a course she still teaches called "WHITE PEOPLE CHALLENGING RACISM: Moving from Talk to Action."
And just last week, Barbara's new booklet of essays arrived in the mail, What Was I Thinking? Reflecting on Everyday Racism, available soon for online purchase.
Now that you know you have a race story, what will you do with it?
OTHER RESOURCES
Damali Ayo asked two thousand people for 5 things they could do to end racism. This is what they said.
Shades of Youth is a film and a curriculum that grew out of 100 youth from across the US who gathered to discuss race, power, identity, oppression, and social change. Take advantage of their exciting work. START YOUR OWN RACE CONVERSATION.
But, What Do They Want to Be Called Now?! Good question. Start off on the right foot when addressing folks you're not used to talking to or about. Joel Bleifuss' A Politically Correct Lexicon: Your 'How-to' Guide to Avoid Offending Anyone works for me!
Jay Smooth's Ill Doctrine Hip Hop Video Blog because it's just brilliant...and damn funny!
Unless you are descended from American Indians, your ancestors crossed borders like everybody else to get here.
That makes you the descendant of an immigrant.
Yes, believe it or not, you are only a generation or two (or three or six or...) removed from those "illegal aliens" it is so fashionable for so many "Americans" to love to hate.
If you think because you are "white" you are totally different from, better than, and more entitled to live in the US than more recent immigrants, chew on this for a while.
Chances are your ancestors didn't even know what "white" was before they reached these shores. And they were here for a while before they had any idea they could become "white" and, therefore, get a serious leg up on the benefits of living in the USA.
James Baldwin has written about it. Toni Morrison has written about it. Noel Ignatiev has written about it. Tim Wise has written about it.
If you don't believe me, try this: Ask the elders in your family to tell you about the time in your family's history before your ancestors turned "white." Chances are you've already heard pieces of the story...something, sometime, somewhere.
But suppose you've never heard a word about your family's racial history. Suppose it scares you to even think about bringing it up. Maybe a few stories about how others have tackled this subject will help.
In four astonishingly frank books, two completely engaging essays, and a brand new collection of essays described below, six smart, brave, introspective white writers--three men and three women--show you how they confronted their family's racial histories.
To go to their original stories, simply use the links--in the menu on the right--.
For now, though, to get to YOUR family's story, get out a pad and pencil or open a new document on your laptop and keep reading...
QUESTION.
Who was the first person in your family--your Original Immigrant--to come to the United States?
Why did they leave where they were to come here?
Did they come by choice or were they fleeing something/someone? What/who?
Did they leave with money and other resources?
Were there friends or others waiting to welcome them and help ease their arrival in a new land?
Describe in as much detail as possible the life your Original Immigrant left behind.
How did your Original Immigrant arrive in the US: in a nice berth on a ship deck? stowed/stashed away in the hold? in a first class railroad sleeping car? hidden in the corner of a boxcar? first class seat on a jet? somewhere in between?
How long did your Original Immigrant's trip take from the old country to the new one?
Were their lives ever in peril during their migration?
What was life like for your Original Immigrant when they first landed in the US?
Had their life changed ten years later? If so, how?
When did your Original Immigrant turn "white"?
READ.
Armed with the facts you've gathered about your family's migration history, take a look at how these two writers have used the same kind of information to understand what being "white" means to them.
HEART OF WHITENESS: Confronting Race, Racism, and White Privilege, by Robert Jensen (City Lights 2005)
WHITE LIKE ME: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, by Tim Wise (Soft Skull Press 2007, 2d ed.)
LEARN.
Michael Patrick MacDonald had to leave his white Irish Catholic South Boston neighborhood and go work in Roxbury, a black Boston neighborhood, before he could learn how to get real about race.
That trip would ultimately take him all the way to Ireland, an enthralling story he tells in ALL SOULS: A Family Story from Southie (Beacon Press 1999).
How far are you willing to go to find out how you became "white"?
What were the immigration laws when your Original Immigrant arrived? Was your Original Immigrant part of the group for whom entry requirements were easy or difficult to meet?
Did immigration laws change after your Original Immigrant arrived? If so, would your Original Immigrant have had a harder time, easier time, or the same experience gaining entry to the US under the changed laws?
When did your Original Immigrant--the one who was Swedish, Norwegian, German, Polish, Irish, Italian, Cuban in the "old world," the land of their birth--turn "white" in America?
What makes you "white"?
When did you first realize you were "white"?
How does being "white" give you an advantage over others who are not white?
How does being "white" disadvantage you compared to others who are not "white"?
ACT.
Prof. Lisa Dodson and her daughter, Odessa Dorian Cole, who was 19 when she co-authored ACTING WHITE: A Mother/Daughter Conversation," cut close to the bone in revealing how hard it is to stay true to their commitment to full racial disclosure, how wearing it can be to stay constantly vigilant.
Read how they handled the challenge in their chapter in WHEN RACE BECOMES REAL: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories.
Writer and activist Barbara Beckwith choose to give more than lip service to confronting racism. She went public when she developed a course she still teaches called "WHITE PEOPLE CHALLENGING RACISM: Moving from Talk to Action."
And just last week, Barbara's new booklet of essays arrived in the mail, What Was I Thinking? Reflecting on Everyday Racism, available soon for online purchase.
Now that you know you have a race story, what will you do with it?
OTHER RESOURCES
Damali Ayo asked two thousand people for 5 things they could do to end racism. This is what they said.
Shades of Youth is a film and a curriculum that grew out of 100 youth from across the US who gathered to discuss race, power, identity, oppression, and social change. Take advantage of their exciting work. START YOUR OWN RACE CONVERSATION.
But, What Do They Want to Be Called Now?! Good question. Start off on the right foot when addressing folks you're not used to talking to or about. Joel Bleifuss' A Politically Correct Lexicon: Your 'How-to' Guide to Avoid Offending Anyone works for me!
Jay Smooth's Ill Doctrine Hip Hop Video Blog because it's just brilliant...and damn funny!