User's avatar
⭠ Return to thread
Lis's avatar

Multiply the situation many times over. I could see and feel this train coming during the final years of my academic career at a public university. I remember sitting at one diversity meeting where we were told that anybody of European descent had as their life’s goal to acquire as much stuff as possible. I thought about my grandparents who immigrated from Scandinavia in the early 1900s, lived in New York never owned anything of value -including a car or a home. They always lived in a rented apartment where my grandfather was a longshoreman and later their super, and my grandmother was a domestic. But I couldn’t say those things out loud. They didn’t fit the narrative and more importantly nobody cared.

On my mother’s side I was first generation in the United States and first generation college, but because of my race, I was expected just to sit there and not make any contributions. The feeling I came away with is it’s time to retire -time to get out of the way.

Mind you, I have deep respect for people who have experienced racism, who are judged and hated for the color of their skin, and the history of racism in this country. I was coming of age during the civil rights movement. I know the ugly side. In my mind, I think I hoped this was a phase that was needed , but would AutoCorrect at some point with everyone landing on their feet.

Expand full comment