Comments on: High School Haze http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/ Transracial Adoption from one black girl's perspective Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:56:47 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Lisa Marie http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-152 Lisa Marie Thu, 14 Sep 2006 22:42:49 +0000 http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-152 thanks for these comments my friends. its a trip how these things come around. It been a very long time since someone has said to me 'you're not realllly black.." but i think its because I have such a clear identification now and a full and educated understanding of who I am in relationship to whiteness. Even as a mixed body - i just dont function as a multi-racial person. I function as a *multi-cultural* person. I know its different for many mixed folks. - and white people really want to believe that somehow that 'white blood' is gonna mean something to the outside world. Again - personal idenfitication is great - and important for a child's well-being - but outside - social identification much be recognized in order for a child to have a whole understanding of how race works. thanks for these comments my friends. its a trip how these things come around. It been a very long time since someone has said to me ‘you’re not realllly black..” but i think its because I have such a clear identification now and a full and educated understanding of who I am in relationship to whiteness. Even as a mixed body – i just dont function as a multi-racial person. I function as a *multi-cultural* person. I know its different for many mixed folks. – and white people really want to believe that somehow that ‘white blood’ is gonna mean something to the outside world. Again – personal idenfitication is great – and important for a child’s well-being – but outside – social identification much be recognized in order for a child to have a whole understanding of how race works.

]]> By: Susan http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-138 Susan Mon, 11 Sep 2006 22:16:32 +0000 http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-138 Lisa: This is a tremendous post. And it resonated for me on so many levels. In spite of having Japanese-American parents, I had this really split life where I was "whiteish" at school and "Japaneseish" on the weekend, at our JA church and with my relatives. I was recently talking to an old high school friend who was "really surprised" that I had contributed to an Asian American anthology because, she said, "I never saw you as Asian. I just saw you as 'Sue'". What to say to something like that. I don't think I said anything. Lisa: This is a tremendous post. And it resonated for me on so many levels. In spite of having Japanese-American parents, I had this really split life where I was “whiteish” at school and “Japaneseish” on the weekend, at our JA church and with my relatives. I was recently talking to an old high school friend who was “really surprised” that I had contributed to an Asian American anthology because, she said, “I never saw you as Asian. I just saw you as ‘Sue’”. What to say to something like that. I don’t think I said anything.

]]> By: Ryan http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-130 Ryan Sun, 10 Sep 2006 16:19:31 +0000 http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-130 Thank you for this post... it's so honest and telling. I just "happened" upon your blog today, but will continue reading it! Ryan Thank you for this post… it’s so honest and telling. I just “happened” upon your blog today, but will continue reading it!
Ryan

]]> By: this woman’s work - » Invisible blackness http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-129 this woman’s work - » Invisible blackness Sun, 10 Sep 2006 16:07:05 +0000 http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-129 [...] Two (or three?) people sent me this post: High School Haze « A Birth Project. I’ve had her on my bloglines for awhile now and when I read this post I was thinking of Jessica who grew up in a mostly white community and who’s experiences outside her home mirror this in some ways. I know that she has had to defend her blackness to other African American people before. At the same time, because she has black parents, she is able to take for granted her choices in a way that Madison can’t. This makes her the best resource for Madison because she is (obviously) Madison’s mother but also because she straddles two worlds and has most of her life. [...] [...] Two (or three?) people sent me this post: High School Haze « A Birth Project. I’ve had her on my bloglines for awhile now and when I read this post I was thinking of Jessica who grew up in a mostly white community and who’s experiences outside her home mirror this in some ways. I know that she has had to defend her blackness to other African American people before. At the same time, because she has black parents, she is able to take for granted her choices in a way that Madison can’t. This makes her the best resource for Madison because she is (obviously) Madison’s mother but also because she straddles two worlds and has most of her life. [...]

]]> By: sheribat http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-127 sheribat Sun, 10 Sep 2006 06:39:13 +0000 http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-127 Thank you. This is a very powerful post. I don't understand why people don't understand why it is wrong to say something like; "I don't see you as black" or what ever race that person may be. It's like saying, being black is bad, but I like you, so you aren't black to me. Yuck! Thank you. This is a very powerful post.

I don’t understand why people don’t understand why it is wrong to say something like;
“I don’t see you as black” or what ever race that person may be. It’s like saying, being black is bad, but I like you, so you aren’t black to me. Yuck!

]]> By: Heidi Durrow http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-125 Heidi Durrow Sat, 09 Sep 2006 21:41:22 +0000 http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-125 girrrrlll (and i write it that way because that's the way i mean it--i can't actually make it sound like a black girl--but on the page it works, right? :) --i am one of those girls who people thought i thought i didn't think i was black--you know what i mean. what's up with being black one way? why do we black people and we white people and all of us all people insist on categorizing and defining things this way still? this is a comment just full of questions and a resounding big sound of applause for you and the way you've articulated this-- girrrrlll (and i write it that way because that’s the way i mean it–i can’t actually make it sound like a black girl–but on the page it works, right? :) –i am one of those girls who people thought i thought i didn’t think i was black–you know what i mean. what’s up with being black one way? why do we black people and we white people and all of us all people insist on categorizing and defining things this way still? this is a comment just full of questions and a resounding big sound of applause for you and the way you’ve articulated this–

]]> By: cloudscome http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-122 cloudscome Sat, 09 Sep 2006 01:39:02 +0000 http://birthproject.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/high-school-haze/#comment-122 This post rocks. I had to link you on this one. I want this conversation to continue... so much to respond to here! This post rocks. I had to link you on this one. I want this conversation to continue… so much to respond to here!

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