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Race & Ethnicity

A 10-panel comic explores a subtle kind of racism many people of color experience

Not all questions are harmless.

Image from Facebook of Alexandra Dal.

People of color experience many types of subtle racism.

If we're being honest, we all make assumptions about other people, right?

We look at their skin, their clothes, and their car, and we make guesses about them that we don't even realize we're making. Everyone does it.

You ask a pregnant female coworker if she'll keep working after the baby is born—but you wouldn't think to ask that question of a guy who was about to become a dad.

You ask that nice girl behind the counter at the bagel shop whether she'll ever go to college so she can get a better job—only to learn that she's an underemployed Ph.D.

While this can happen to anyone, there's a certain group that experiences it the most by far.

The fact is that people of color deal with other people's assumptions constantly.

Research shows that other people's expectations can have a profound effect on us. They can determine our success or failure. Black women deal with this nonsense more than others. In a 2015 study, nearly half of the female Black and Latina scientists polled reported being mistaken for janitors or administrative staff.

Let's agree to fix this.

A comic created by Alexandra Dal on racial expectations.

Image from Facebook of Alexandra Dal.

In her comic, artist Alexandra Dal portrays the simple but clear ways people of color, and mainly Black women, experience these assumptions, also known as microaggressions. Microaggressions are unfortunately common, but there's more awareness about what they are and how harmful they can be now more than ever.

The best way to combat microaggressions is to take an honest look at our own biases and unlearn the more harmful aspects that have become normal in our society.

This story originally appeared nine years ago.

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Teachers

A boy told his teacher she can't understand him because she's white. Her response is on point.

'Be the teacher America's children of color deserve, because we, the teachers, are responsible for instilling empathy and understanding in the hearts of all kids. We are responsible for the future of this country.'

Photo by John Pike. Used with permission.

Emily E. Smith is no ordinary teacher.

Fifth-grade teacher Emily E. Smith is not your ordinary teacher. She founded The Hive Society — a classroom that's all about inspiring children to learn more about their world ... and themselves — by interacting with literature and current events. Students watch TED talks, read Rolling Stone, and analyze infographics.

She even has a long-distance running club to encourage students to take care of their minds and bodies. Smith is such an awesome teacher, in fact, that she recently received the 2015 Donald H. Graves Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing.

It had always been her dream to work with children in urban areas, so when Smith started teaching, she hit the ground running. She had her students making podcasts, and they had in-depth discussions about their readings on a cozy carpet.

But in her acceptance speech for her award, she made it clear that it took a turning point in her career before she really got it:

"Things changed for me the day when, during a classroom discussion, one of my kids bluntly told me I "couldn't understand because I was a white lady." I had to agree with him. I sat there and tried to speak openly about how I could never fully understand and went home and cried, because my children knew about white privilege before I did. The closest I could ever come was empathy."

Smith knew that just acknowledging her white privilege wasn't enough.

She wanted to move beyond just empathy and find a way to take some real action that would make a difference for her students.

She kept the same innovative and engaging teaching methods, but she totally revamped her curriculum to include works by people who looked like her students. She also carved out more time to discuss issues that her students were facing, such as xenophobia and racism.

And that effort? Absolutely worth it.

As she said in her acceptance speech:

"We studied the works of Sandra Cisneros, Pam Munoz Ryan, and Gary Soto, with the intertwined Spanish language and Latino culture — so fluent and deep in the memories of my kids that I saw light in their eyes I had never seen before."

The changes Smith made in her classroom make a whole lot of sense. And they're easy enough for teachers everywhere to make:

— They studied the work of historical Latino figures, with some of the original Spanish language included. Many children of color are growing up in bilingual households. In 2007, 55.4 million Americans 5 years of age and older spoke a language other than English at home.

— They analyzed the vision of America that great writers of color sought to create. And her students realized that our country still isn't quite living up to its ideals. Despite progress toward racial equality with the end of laws that enforced slavery or segregation, we still have a long way to go. Black people still fare worse than white people when it comes to things like wealth, unfair arrests, and health.

— They read excerpts from contemporary writers of color, like Ta-Nehisi Coates who writes about race. Her students are reading and learning from a diverse group of writers. No small thing when they live in a society that overwhelmingly gives more attention to white male writers (and where the number of employees of color in the newspaper industry stagnates at a paltry 12%).

— They read about the Syrian crisis, and many students wrote about journeys across the border in their family history for class. The opportunity particularly struck one student; the assignment touched him so much that he cried. He never had a teacher honor the journey his family made. And he was proud of his heritage for the first time ever. "One child cried," Smith shared, "and told me he never had a teacher who honored the journey his family took to the United States. He told me he was not ashamed anymore, but instead proud of the sacrifice his parents made for him."

Opportunities like this will only increase as the number of children from immigrant families is steadily increasing. As of 2013, almost 17.4 million children under 18 have at least one immigrant parent.

Smith now identifies not just as an English teacher, but as a social justice teacher.

Teaching in a racially and ethnically diverse world.

Photo by John Pike. Used with permission.

Smith's successful shift in her teaching is an example for teachers everywhere, especially as our schools become increasingly ethnically and racially diverse. About 80% of American teachers are white. But as of last year, the majority of K-12 students in public schools are now children of color.

As America's demographics change, we need to work on creating work that reflects the experiences that our students relate to. And a more diverse curriculum isn't just important for students of color. It's vital for everyone.

As Smith put it, "We, the teachers, are responsible for instilling empathy and understanding in the hearts of all kids. We are responsible for the future of this country."

This article originally appeared nine years ago.

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Joy

What is 'code switching' and why do people do it?

Let's take a deep dive into this common—and commonly misunderstood—linguistic phenomenon.

Photo by fauxels/Pexels

Code switching is a natural tendency.

Have you ever noticed someone changing the way they talk when they're around different people? You may even do this yourself, using different slang, intonation and articulation when you're at work versus when you're hanging out with your friends or family.

Sometimes those changes might be subtle, while other times they're obvious. People who grew up around different cultures or who straddle multiple racial/cultural/linguistic/geographic identities can sometimes have dramatic shifts in how they speak depending on who they're talking to.

This linguistic phenomenon is known as "code switching." It's not new, nor is it controversial, but there are some people who seem to scoff at it as an explanation for people switching up their speech patterns. They hear someone code switch and think they're being "fake" or pandering to a specific audience.

In reality, code switching is both a natural tendency and a means of navigating complex social dynamics.

What does code switching mean?

Britannica describes code switching as a "process of shifting from one linguistic code (a language or dialect) to another, depending on the social context or conversational setting."

One of the clearest and most cited examples of code switching we see in the U.S. is when Black Americans use AAVE (African American Vernacular English) with their Black friends and family and more "standard" American English with their white friends or coworkers. However, Black Americans are not the only people who code switch regularly.

In fact, most of us change up the way we speak depending on the circumstances and who we're talking to. We talk differently at work than we do at home. We use different language with our kids than we do with our spouses. We speak differently when making a business call than when calling up an old friend. Even if you don't think you ever code switch, you probably do, it may just be subtle.

Code switching in a cultural and racial context, however, has some specific nuances that may not be clear to those who aren't intimately familiar with different cultural spaces.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Why do people code switch?

There are many reasons why people change the way they speak around different people. Here are five big ones that the NPR blog Code Switch identified:

1. Unconscious habit

Of hundreds of stories people shared that involved code switching with Code Switch, most were inadvertent. People often code switch automatically, slipping into a dialect or language that fits the circumstances or group dynamic they are in.

For instance, if someone is bilingual and speaks English around their friends, they will automatically switch to Spanish when talking with their Spanish-speaking grandparents. It's not consciously chosen, it's just like a switch that flips in the brain based on context and environment.

2. To fit in

It's a natural human instinct to fit in as a means of protection and/or to prevent feeling like a social outsider. We tend to adopt the language of those we spend a lot of time with, and if you spend a lot of time with different groups of people, you will naturally code switch to fit in with that group.

For minorities, code switching to fit into the dominant culture can be a habit not just for social comfort, but for safety and survival.

— (@)

It's worth noting here that code switching to fit in can be advantageous but it can also be psychologically exhausting, especially when it's done to keep yourself from being subjected to prejudice or racism.

3. To get something

This is where code switching can get confusing and cause people to accuse politicians or others of "pandering," because yes, sometimes code switching is intentional. One example is using a cutesy voice to convince your partner to do something for you. Another is when people use certain words and even accents in the service industry to gain favor with customers. (Apparently, southern accents get more tips. Who knew?)

4. To literally talk in code

If you and a friend speak a common language and you want to say something in secret to one another, you may code switch to keep others from knowing what you're talking about.

5. To express a thought more clearly

Languages and dialects differ in vocabulary and meaning, and sometimes there's something you want to say that can best be expressed with a specific phrase from a specific dialect.

Is code switching a problem?

Code switching isn't inherently good nor bad, it's just a thing that people do. Where questions come in is when people try to code switch in a way that's not natural for them or that comes across as mocking a person's or culture's speech.

— (@)

Have you ever known someone who picks up other people's accents super easily and mirrors them? Uncomfortable sometimes, right? Even if it's not intentional, putting on an accent that isn't part of one's identity or history can feel wrong, especially if it's an accent that has been ostracized or made fun of in popular culture.

Politicians code switching can open them up to criticism, whether it's instinctual or not. As United Language Group points out, "Code-switching is a powerful psychological tool, as well. When an individual uses a group’s dialect or accent, the audience is more receptive to the content. As a result, politicians have been known to code-switch to a casual tone around certain groups, with varying degrees of success."

"Much of this political code-switching has been criticized by pundits as pandering to crowds with fake affectations," the site adds. "While some of this might include calculated, disingenuous moves, most of it is simply a natural reaction to being around different groups."

If a Black person is speaking to a largely Black crowd, it's natural to code switch to Black American vernacular. If a southerner who has lost much of their drawl goes back to his hometown for a bit, he'll likely code switch back into his native accent without even trying.

Comedians Key and Peele even tackled code switching with humor in several of their skits, such as this one:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Code switching is an expected, well-documented phenomenon and one that we should all understand better so we don't end up making unfair or erroneous assumptions.

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Joy

During the attack on Pearl Harbor, this black sailor broke the rules to save lives.

Doris 'Dorie' Miller's story is legendary.

When the attack on Pearl Harbor began, Doris "Dorie" Miller was working laundry duty on the USS West Virginia.

He'd enlisted in the Navy at age 19 to explore life outside of Waco, Texas, and to make some extra money for his family. But the Navy was segregated at the time, so Miller, an African-American, and other sailors of color like him weren't allowed to serve in combat positions. Instead, they worked as cooks, stewards, cabin boys, and mess attendants. They received no weapons training and were prohibited from firing guns.

As the first torpedoes fell, Dorie Miller had an impossible choice: follow the rules or help defend the ship?

For Miller, the choice was obvious.

USS West Virginia and USS Tennessee surrounded in smoke and flames following the surprise attack by Japanese forces.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Archive and Records Administration.

First, he reportedly carried wounded sailors to safety, including his own captain. But there was more to be done.

In the heat of the aerial attack, Miller saw an abandoned Browning .50 caliber anti-aircraft machine gun on deck and immediately decided to fly in the face of segregation and military rules to help defend his ship and country.

Though he had no training, he manned the weapon and shot at the enemy aircraft until his gun ran out of ammunition, potentially downing as many as six Japanese planes. In the melee, even Miller himself didn't know his effort was successful.

"It wasn't hard," he said after the battle. "I just pulled the trigger and she worked fine. I had watched the others with these guns. I guess I fired her for about 15 minutes. I think I got one of those [Japanese] planes. They were diving pretty close to us."

A cartoon memorializing the attack on Pearl Harbor

Image courtesy of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

Original newspaper reports heralded a hero "Negro messman" at Pearl Harbor, but no one knew who Miller was.

The Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American paper in wide circulation, sent a reporter to track down and identify the brave sailor, but it took months of digging to uncover the messman's identity.

Eventually, Miller was identified. He was called a hero by Americans of all stripes and colors. He appeared on radio shows and became a celebrity in his own right.

Doris "Dorie" Miller.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

Miller's heroism and bravery didn't go unnoticed in Washington, D.C., either.

In March 1942, Rep. John Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, introduced a bill authorizing the president to present Miller with the Congressional Medal of Honor. Sen. James Mead introduced a similar measure in the Senate. While Miller did not receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, he became the first African-American sailor to receive the Navy Cross.

"This marks the first time in this conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race, and I'm sure that the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts," said Pacific Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz following Miller's pinning ceremony.

Miller receiving the Navy Cross from Admiral Nimitz.

Courtesy of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

Following a brief tour of the country, giving speeches and pushing war bonds, Miller returned to Navy life.

In May 1943, Miller reported for duty on the Liscome Bay, an escort carrier.

The USS Liscome Bay prepares for action.

assets.rebelmouse.io

On Nov. 24, during Operation Galvanic, a Japanese torpedo struck the Liscome Bay, sinking the ship. 644 men were presumed dead. 272 survived. Miller did not.

On Dec. 7, 1943, two years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Millers' parents received word of their son's death.

Doris "Dorie" Miller gave his life for a country that didn't always love him back.

Miller posthumously received a Purple Heart, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp, and the World War II Victory Medal. There is also a frigate and a neighborhood on the U.S. Naval Base in Pearl Harbor named in his honor.

Though his Navy Cross was never elevated to a Congressional Medal of Honor, as recently as 2014, the Congressional Black Caucus moved to waive the statute of limitations to make it possible.

Dorie Miller

Image courtesy of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administrations.

While there are medals, movies, and statues celebrating Miller, it's important to remember and honor the man himself — a 22-year-old black sailor who set aside the rules to do what's right.Poet Gwendolyn Brooks wrote a poem from Miller's perspective, the conclusion of which perfectly captures the young hero's courage in the face of bigotry and uncertainty:Naturally, the important thing is, I helped to save them,them and a part of their democracy,Even if I had to kick their law into their teeth in order to do that for them.And I am feeling well and settled in myself because I believe it was a good job,Despite this possible horror: that they might prefer thePreservation of their law in all its sick dignity and their knivesTo the continuation of their creedAnd their lives.

This article originally appeared on 12.06.16

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Identity

When a man asks people to translate a hate message he's received, their response is unforgettable

Reading the words would be one thing. Having to think about what they mean is almost too intense.

All images via Lietuvos žmogaus teisių centras/YouTube

As part of an experiment, a man asks for help translating a Facebook message he has received.

There's a man in Lithuania who speaks only English. The message is in Lithuanian. He can't read it, so he asks some locals to translate it for him.

As he asks one person after another to translate the message for him, two things become obvious.

1. He's received a message full of hate speech.

2. Translating it for him is breaking people's hearts.

It's nearly more than these people can bear.

There's a sudden, powerful connection between the translators and the man they're translating for. They want to protect him, telling him not to bother with the message.

They apologize for the message.

They look like they want to cry.

Words hurt.

Most of us would never think of saying such horrible things. This video shows people realizing in their gut what it must feel like when those words are pointed at them — it's all right on their faces. And so is their compassion.

The Facebook message is horrible, but their empathy is beautiful. The video's emotional power is what makes it unique, and so worth watching and passing around.

Here it is.

The video's in English, subtitled in Lithuanian. Just watch the faces.

This article originally appeared on 04.10.15

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Identity

LeVar Burton reveals why his chains from 'Roots' hang above his Emmys in his living room

"I want my guests to know, while I am unquestionably their friend, I am also absolutely filled with rage."

Tweigel59/Wikimedia Commons

LeVar Burton plays himself on the FX mini-series "Clipped."

LeVar Burton is probably best known—and loved—for his role as the host of the children's television series "Reading Rainbow." But his career as an actor has spanned a full 47 years, from his debut role as enslaved African Kunta Kinte in the mini-series "Roots" to his ongoing role of Geordi La Forge in the Star Trek spin-offs.

Now, he's playing another iconic role—a fictional version of himself.

In the FX mini-series "Clipped," Burton plays himself as a friend and confidant of former LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers, played by Laurence Fishburne. In a scene in the series finale, Burton and Rivers have a one-on-one conversation in which Burton shares that he has the chains he wore in "Roots" hanging above his 12 Emmys over the hearth in his living room—a real-life fact that he confirmed on social media after the episode aired.

"America first met me as Kunta Kinte, a young African kid who was kidnapped, tortured, refused his slave name," he told Rivers in the scene. "Then I read to their children and maintained the integrity of their favorite spaceship. Pretty soon, people began to think of me as…safe."

"Oh, the safest," agreed Rivers.

Burton then explained how he read the famous children's book, "Go the F**k to Sleep" for charity and lost one of his brand partners over it—a consequence of stepping out of line with expectations of him.

"If I showed how angry I really am?" Burton pondered. "But I'm not going to hide it. So I keep my chains on the wall in my living room. I want my guests to know, while I am unquestionably their friend, I am also absolutely filled with rage."

Watch:

Levar Burton on reminding people that he's quietly one of the realest 🥷🏾's breathing pic.twitter.com/uHXVtgOo2Y
— Naima Cochrane (@naima) July 5, 2024

According to an interview with "Clipped" creator Gina Welch in Vulture, Burton and Doc Rivers are not actually friends in real life, but Burton and Fishburne are, and this conversation is reflective of their real-life conversations about race they've had in the sauna.

At first, Fishburne didn't think Burton would be on board with playing the role. "Clipped" deals with the downfall of former Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was caught on tape making racist remarks. "The kinds of things we’re talking about in the show are really not part of his [Burton's] public persona," said Fishburne, according to Welch. Burton agreed to be part of the production on one condition.

"The conversations really changed once LeVar agreed to do the show," Welch explained. "He was great. He read the scripts very quickly and called me, and then we met and his caveat was, 'I’ll do the show as long as I can talk about my rage.' I was like, 'Welcome to the party.'"

When most people think of LeVar Burton, "rage" isn't usually the first word that comes to mind, which is part of what makes this clip so powerful. As writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin famously said in 1961, "To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost, almost all of the time."

Baldwin's full quote offers even more context:

"To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost, almost all of the time — and in one's work. And part of the rage is this: It isn't only what is happening to you. But it's what's happening all around you and all of the time in the face of the most extraordinary and criminal indifference, indifference of most white people in this country, and their ignorance. Now, since this is so, it's a great temptation to simplify the issues under the illusion that if you simplify them enough, people will recognize them. I think this illusion is very dangerous because, in fact, it isn't the way it works. A complex thing can't be made simple. You simply have to try to deal with it in all its complexity and hope to get that complexity across."

Hopefully, hearing that one America's "safest," most wholesome and most beloved Black celebrities experience the inner rage that racism engenders will help get that complexity across to more people who can benefit from hearing it.

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Identity

This offensive photo sparked a whole lot of love for the boy who deserved better

'Dude where the hell did you get a black kid??'

via Dr. X / Twitter

Gerod Roth's racist Facebook post.

Gerod Roth posted a photo of himself with a coworker's child last month.

And while it might not be immediately obvious why this was such a mistake, well ... let me tell you.

The initial photo, screencapped and tweeted above by Twitter user Dr. X, is seemingly adorable. But the comments and Roth's intent soon turned rather ugly.

Roth had snapped the pic of his coworker's 3-year-old son, Cayden, without his coworker's permission (already an incredibly uncool thing to do) and proceeded to use it as his profile picture.

\u201c#HisNameIsCayden Racist White People Mock Black Child on Facebook https://t.co/y7IriGlK3f\u201d
— Dr. X (@Dr. X) 1444009492

After it was posted online, his Facebook friends filled the photo's comment section with hurtful, racist "jokes":

"I didn't know you were a slave owner."

"Dude where the hell did you get a black kid??"

"Kunta Kinte."

"But Massuh, I dindu nuffin."

Roth replied in the thread, "He was feral."

Yep. Real comments from real people ... aimed at a 3-year-old. Because of his skin color.

Of course, this being on the Internet and all, Cayden's mom quickly learned about the awful things being said about her child.

The funny thing about the Internet is, things get around. And before long, Cayden's mom, Sydney Shelton, heard about what this coworker had done at her child's expense.

"He is a well-loved, fun-loving, hyper-active and typical three-year-old," Shelton told Fox 5 News, adding there was nothing funny about that post.

Roth told the outlet he was disappointed in his friends' reactions to the photo and insisted that his own comment had only been "interpreted as racist," even though he hadn't meant it that way.

Shelton wasn't buying it.

“People post things in a [joking] manner and it gets taken a completely different way," Shelton acknowledged. "But I don't believe any of these people were joking."

Instead of firing back at Roth with a few choice words, Shelton responded by letting the world see the real Cayden.

She posted several photos of her smiley, adorable son to Facebook, accompanied with the hashtag #HisNameIsCayden.

Cayden Jace, racism, equality, social media

Cayden Jace and mom.

Image via Sydney Shelton/Facebook.

The Internet caught wind of #HisNameIsCayden. And unlike Roth's friends on Facebook, there were some really fabulous responses.

Britt Turner, a woman from Phoenix, was so inspired by Cayden's story that she decided to launch a GoFundMe to raise money for Cayden's college fund.

"Instead of continuing to shed light on all of the dark aspects of this horrible act, I would like to shed a lot of light onto the good things," Turner wrote on the fundraising page. "This young man has a full life ahead of him. I wanted to create this for Cayden, simply for that reason alone.”

In the aftermath of the comments on the initial photo revealing Roth's penchant for racist humor, Roth has since lost his job.

Michael Da Graca Pinto, president of Polaris Marketing Group, where Roth had been employed, shared a statement on the company's Facebook page about the incident. He, too, was not happy about what had happened and assured followers that Roth had been fired on Sept. 29 (although he claimed it was due to unrelated issues at work):

"It breaks my heart that Sydney and her adorable son Cayden were subjected to such hateful, ignorant and despicable behavior. Cayden visits my office almost every afternoon after daycare, he's sat at my dinner table and I consider him a part of the PMG family. The atrocious lies, slander and racism he and his mother have been forced to endure are wholly intolerable. Myself and the entire PMG family in no way condones this kind of behavior and would never willingly associate with anyone who does."

Sometimes the Internet can be a truly awful place...

But the times when overwhelming love trumps mean-spirited hate, victory tastes so sweet. Keep being awesome, Cayden.

This article has been updated. It was originally appeared on 10.06.15

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