Old Soul, Young Heart

I am at the Normal Public Library and I am surrounding by racial/ethnic minorities. (Did we ever actually assert what the difference is?) Within 20 feet of me there are two Hispanic people, two people of African descent, one person of Middle-Eastern descent, and one Asian person. I see a family of Hispanics walking toward me. It's kind of sad to say that I think the reason this has happened is because those of us with privilege don't necessarily need to use the services of a public library. That is so unfortunate. I like being the minority in a room. It really turns the tables, even though I feel no different and it makes no impact on the injustices. I like being here; I've come to realize that the library is a great resource and I intend on using it more fully in the future. It brings back such great memories for me. I hope this library always stays the same because I think if I ever move away, I will come back here and automatically be in 5th grade super excited to re...

We've been talking in class for several weeks about the identity development of different races; we're currently learning about Asian American identity development. This week's readings have focused quite exclusively on how White society devalues racial minorities and considers people of color to be aliens and foreigners. One article even went so far to say that racial prejudice is taught to everyone in the United States, including those who are being prejudiced. I shy away from making blanket statements because I realize that it makes me seem like a racist, but can I just say that perhaps the reason that White culture has been institutionalized in this country is because, for heaven's sake, the vast majority of the people here have, until recently, been White? This, of course, does not and never will excuse racism when it exists and I whole-heartedly agree that we should make strides to make every person of every race and creed feel comfortable, safe, and welcome here....

It's amazing how the littlest things can set you over the edge. A few hours ago this morning I got a phone call from a pastor. I didn't know what he needed, but I took his phone number to have the person he needed call him back. I got the number wrong when I read it back to him because he said it too fast. Here's how the rest of the conversation went from there... Him: Can you tell if a patient has been discharged? Me: No, I'm not able to look that up, but... Him: Nooooo [very denigrating tone]... What I asked was... Can you tell me if a patient has been discharged? Me: I can connect you to the switchboard and they can do that. Him: What's your name? Me: Sara... Him: How long have you worked there? Me: Two years. Him: Oh, it seems like you're new. Either you're new or you're really busy. Me: Uh... sorry? I'll connect you to the switchboard. First of all, what is the purpose of saying that to me? He might as well have told me ...