Guest Commentary: Student searches for identity outside of racePosted in Articles, Autobiography, Media Archive, United States on 2015-11-01 00:54Z by Steven |
Guest Commentary: Student searches for identity outside of race
The Ithacan: Serving the Ithaca College community since 1931.
Ithaca, New York
2013-02-20
 Senior Derek Crossman struggled to identify as a person of color living in a predominately white community. He argues that as the multiracial population grows, racial constructs should end. Shawn Steiner/The Ithacan |
I learned I was different from my friends in gym class in 7th grade. My classmates joked that I was brown and called me a “nigger” and a “beaner.” It was the first time race ever became a factor in my life, and from then on I’ve been hyper-aware of my skin color.
Simply put, I’m a mix between my Caucasian mother and black father. It becomes complicated when ethnicity is involved. My father was born in Panama and moved to the U.S. in his teens, and my mother was born in the U.S. and is a mix of several European nationalities. That’s a great deal to consider for the curious person who asks about my heritage — I’m not easily categorized…
Read the entire article here.