Tradition crosses continents: hitched to backs, etched in minds, clinging to lips. Those customs offered to immigrants’ children stand firmly as testament to endurance through difficult journeys, picking up memories along the way. My grandfather carried his religion with him from Riga, Latvia in 1934, and faithfully clung to it in Tel Aviv, Israel and […]
Tracing the trajectory of my familial roots has exposed a trend towards the less traditional, enhanced with each passing generation. I’ve come to recognize the rebellious streak indelibly shaping genes at the heart of my being – perhaps not quite as radical in the eyes of my peers, but certainly drastic within the context of […]
Any emotional significance attached to the burial grounds did not affect me until I found myself standing in the small gift shop tucked away to one side of the exhibits, examining a handmade African bracelet. Memories hit me furiously, awakened from slumber: snippets of Afrikaans thrown between merchant and consumer haggling over goods, thumbing through […]
While browsing through the Be More web page, the section that caught my eye included a series of short videos exemplifying the damaging affects of micro aggressions. They are termed as such because they aren’t blatant displays of racism, often passed off as genuine compliments. However, they are indicative of a deep-rooted sense of racial […]
While McIntosh explicitly discusses white privilege and Bonilla-Silva draws the readers attention towards structures built to maintain said privilege, the two pieces appear to have a parallel in their recognition of the rationally paradoxical. Bonilla-Silva speaks at length on perception of current racist constructs, thoroughly disentangling racial colorblindness from the ideology it claims to support. […]
It appears to me as though the two readings assigned this week examine two sides of the same coin: methods of racial categorization have both practical and humanitarian impact. Which offers greater insight into the issue at hand is difficult to say, though it is apparent that one impacts the other. Separation between scientific and […]
In reading Peter Kwong’s discussion on the U.S. Immigration Debate, I was struck by an issue fundamental to most immigration-centric considerations: more often than not, we overlook humanitarian aspects for economic concern. We gloss over the fact that migrants are as human as us yet allow the forces of supply and demand dictate their well-being. […]
It is February 10, 2016 at 2pm. I set off toward the Highline with Melissa, Jannat, and Batsheva, bracing myself against the bitter wind blowing through four layers of clothing. I wonder how long it will be before I can no longer manipulate my numb fingers to form letters on the page. We walk through […]
