Every time that I get the urge to buy something, I think about the wise words that my mother told me years ago when I went off to college: “Credit cards are bad. Never use one unless it’s for an emergency.” At the time I thought that she was being a typical frugal Korean, but […]
When I was in elementary school, my sister had a friend who would often come over to our house and play. Sometimes we would teach each other words from our respective home languages: our family was from El Salvador and hers was from the Philippines. One day, we became fascinated by the discovery that there […]
A common bond that you will often find between many mixed race people of a certain age is our sense of being between worlds. Of course every circumstance is unique and my experience is anecdotal; there isn’t a Mixed Race Cultural Centre where we can share stories and experiences (yet!). But having lived in the […]
The first time I found out that my husband and I would be expecting our first child I was so overjoyed. I had always dreamed of becoming a mom. With excitement came fear – I worried how my child would be treated by society. Would he or she be forced to pick one race over […]
Nobel Peace Prize recipient and former South African President, Nelson Mandela is in critical condition. Mandela has been in hospital since June 8th due to a reoccurring lung infection. The 94 year old’s health has been decreasing over the past few years. The current President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma stated, “The doctors are doing […]
Weeks after his trial, George Zimmerman is still one of the biggest news stories in the country. After his acquittal in the Trayvon Martin murder case, the media kept him in the news by interviewing jurors. Then, Zimmerman reportedly helped rescue a family from an overturned SUV in Sanford. Back when the shooting itself was […]
One of my favorite parts from Mo’ Meta Blues, a memoir by The Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, occurs about two-thirds of the way through the book. Questlove is talking about Things Fall Apart, the band’s fourth album, and one in which critics first began saying that the band wasn’t “black enough.” Questlove says: “I […]
Frank Taaffe is George Zimmerman’s neighbor, friend and biggest supporter. He’s been talking to every media outlet that will let him argue his buddy’s innocences. He wasn’t an eye witness, so why is he speaking like he’s some kind of expert on the situation? I wonder how he would feel if his buddy killed his […]
Reno, Nevada is not a town typically known for its tolerance of diversity. In the 1960s, Nevada was known as the “Mississippi of the West” because of several racist policies. Even now, Reno’s majority demographic is white, followed by a growing Hispanic community. For me, as a Puerto Rican-Italian-Basque mix, it’s always been tough to […]
