Things on My Mind .. to loosen.

No, I haven't been slacking. On one hand, there have been a million race related posts on my mind, that once I get started writing one, another one finds its way into my brain. So, rather than have you think I'm slacking off, here are some snippets of posts that will make their way up here eventually:

Hyphen or No Hyphen

I went out to lunch and came back to find a note on my desk from a student who found a website about becoming an unhyphenated american. So, a post will come soon about my thoughts on an unhyphenated american identity - the sociopolitical politics, the ethnic psychology of it all, and the practicality of hyphen vs no hyphen.

Actively Seeking to Diversify

After Carmen VanK. and I did the teleseminar, a few bloggers wrote about how they generally agreed with all of our advice except for this piece of advice: "Actively seek to diversify the professionals in your life." People rang in on how they felt that we should only choose professionals based on their talent and not on their color. Which, to me, rings of meritocracy in a society that systematically blocks people from achieving based solely on merit and afford others opportunity when not always "deserved". It also speaks to me that if people never actively seek to diversify or even try out a new doctor/professional/restaurant/place of business, then how will they ever know who is truly the "best?" How do we know that the white doctor/professional/restaurant/place of business is the best?

Ye Ole Reverse Racism

A colleague of mine recently told me that a program designed to help support students of color was "reverse racism." This colleague is a wonderful ally, smart man, active in gender issues, and I couldn't believe he had used the words "reverse racism." So, I think it warrants a blog entry!

5-Year Old Cultural Questions

My kids are my best teachers, and so, out of the mouths of babes, comes more cultural questions from my multiracial child about Asia, Chinese, brown skin, curly hair, and language.

My Most Diverse Summer Ever

A few summer ago, I served as the Dean of Faculty for a summer academic program. My staff was certainly the most diverse staff ever: a Muslim woman, a self-identified gay Muslim man, a young white man in a motorized wheelchair, 2 upper upper class white women, 3 lower middle class Carribbean women, a Christian conservative female, a Canadian, 2 Asian women, 2 Latina women, 2 Asian men, 2 Latino men. Best lessons ever learned during this intense summer of strangers.

Can Change Come Too Fast?

People always talk about critical mass -- the amount of people it would take to make an impact in an organization. But, can change come too fast? Can we advocate for more people if we don't have the support systems for them?

Thanks for your patience, To Loosen the Mind readers! Certainly hope to get at least 1 of these posts up by the end of the week!

Peace,

Liza