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THREAD ON RACISM
I have tweeted some about the racism I have experienced since we came to Texas. It’s a hard thing to talk about.
But before getting into why I will first tell you my story:
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I have tweeted some about the racism I have experienced since we came to Texas. It’s a hard thing to talk about.
But before getting into why I will first tell you my story:
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I was born in L.A. to an immigrant from Indonesia & a dad who is half Mexican/half German.
I went to college in L.A., moved to No. Cal., married an Italian, and worked in #finserv my entire career -- where I could write 10 books on patriarchy & sexism.
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I went to college in L.A., moved to No. Cal., married an Italian, and worked in #finserv my entire career -- where I could write 10 books on patriarchy & sexism.
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In literally 46 years of life I can recall only one blatant issue of discrimination, and that is when a woman in Orange County asked our son, then 4 years old, why he was “so much darker and different than his brothers.”
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Move to #ATX 4 yrs ago & have had three terrible incidents. TBH it has shocked me.
Not just because of the situations themselves but the stark contrast in which they sit to the loveliness of 99% of the people we have met here.
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Not just because of the situations themselves but the stark contrast in which they sit to the loveliness of 99% of the people we have met here.
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So having been subjected to racism as an older (ha!) adult, here’s what I have to say:
•It makes the person who is subjected to it feel dirty & unworthy (even if we intellectually know that’s not true).
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•It makes the person who is subjected to it feel dirty & unworthy (even if we intellectually know that’s not true).
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•I now wonder if I never noticed outright discrimination before b/c I was young & pretty & Asian women get an easier pass than men of color. (Not unlike how my godson, who is short, is teased mercilessly whereas his petite sister is deemed cute.)
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•Consider the effects this has on mental health...
For kids and adolescents, experiencing racism comes with anxiety, which makes me think about our boys who are horrified (esp our oldest) by the way our racist neighbors have treated me.
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For kids and adolescents, experiencing racism comes with anxiety, which makes me think about our boys who are horrified (esp our oldest) by the way our racist neighbors have treated me.
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But, honestly, this is not about me. What's happened to me is nothing.
I wrote a blog last year about how all this has made me think hard about what it’s like to be black in America.
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I wrote a blog last year about how all this has made me think hard about what it’s like to be black in America.
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The effects of institutional racism are shocking to the point of being unbelievable.
So if you read this, I’d ask you to consider your bias, validate the feelings of people of color - like many of you who encouraged me to write this post...
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So if you read this, I’d ask you to consider your bias, validate the feelings of people of color - like many of you who encouraged me to write this post...
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AND THEN CHOOSE TO STAND VISIBLY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY.
Finally, I suggest following @MindaHarts who has written a terrific book on the subject. And @SonyaDreizler who is a tireless advocate for diversity.
#BLM #Election2020
#TheMemo
END
Finally, I suggest following @MindaHarts who has written a terrific book on the subject. And @SonyaDreizler who is a tireless advocate for diversity.
#BLM #Election2020
#TheMemoEND
