Daddy, What Race Am I?

LONDON (Approaching his father who was reading on the couch in the front room.)
(Age 10)

L: Dad, what race am I?

D: What race are you? (I wasn’t sure if I was hearing the question right. It was an interesting question because we’ve just never thought certain subjects were worthy of discussion or pertinent to their education. Particularly race. As far as both Laurel and I are concerned race is not a topic. As long as the subject continues to be brought up, there will always be racism. So, we’ve never discussed it with the kids-—it’s just not important-—we’d rather the kids judge (or not judge) people using some other method.

L: Yes, what race am I?

D: Why do you ask?

L: Because I want to know. Please tell me.

D: Well, what race do you think you are?

L: You’re not going to tell me, are you?

D: Sure, I’ll tell you, but I want to know what you think first.

L: Okay. I’ve been reading an article in National Geographic.

D: What article?

L: About the origin of humans. Scientists think the first humans came out of Africa.

D: That’s probably true.

L: And Africans are black. So where did the white skinned people and the Asian people come from?

D: I don’t know. What did the article say?

L: It didn’t really talk too much about that. But, it said that the American Indians came from the Korean race and split into tribes and intermarried so different tribes would look different.

D: That’s probably true.

L: My friends at Tai Kwon Do asked me the other day if I’m Korean.

D: And, what did you say?

L: I told them I don’t know. Am I?

D: Well, your mother is part Cherokee, so I guess you could say that you probably do have Korean blood in you.

L: Is it okay if I tell them that I am Korean then?

D: If you want to, sure.” (I retrieved my magazine, thinking the matter was closed for now)

L: (A little hesitant. Then . . .) Do I look Korean?

D: (I put my magazine back down.) Well, your skin is tanned because you’ve lived in Hawaii all your life.

L: Yeah.

D: And, your eyes are almond shaped with heavy upper eye lids like me and your grandmother on my side. So, you probably look like your part Korean or part Asian of some kind.

L: But, what am I really?

D: I guess you’re a mixture of all kinds of things. Your grandfather is 100 per cent Jewish.

L: (He thought for a second) I think I know what race I am!

D: What?

L: Well, if all races originally came out of Africa that means I must be a Negro. (He smiled broadly as if he had finally discovered something.) That’s it! If anybody asks me what race I am, I’ll just tell them I’m a Negro. A black American. Mom! (he shouted running from the room.) I’m an African American!
(8/16/06)