The Art of Crossing the Street

Walter Latimer


Race is a sticky issue—as if you weren’t already aware—and it’s rapidly approaching a whole new level of sticky. Just half a century ago Americans of all races were finally legally granted equal rights. Placing that into the chronology of history, that’s fifty years of equality after hundreds of years of inequality. It’s pretty safe too assume a bit of lingering tension is only natural. But now, thanks to the interconnected nature of emerging technologies, we are living in a hyper-cultural world of Blasians, Dutch-Filipinos, and Australian Muslims. The lines between races are blurring before they have even been fully drawn, prompting the next chapter in the book that is racism.


Let me digress. I myself am Puerto Rican. My mother was raised on the island through adulthood and my father is half-Boricua. The other half is German, which must have seeped through to me, evident in my blue eyes, fair skin, and light hair. Last year I was awarded a scholarship for Hispanic students, and upon showing up for the group picture of the awardees I was greeted with bitter silence. What place did a six foot white guy have stealing away an award from a true, deserving Latino?

Wait a minute; I’m Puerto Rican. I swear! I grew up dancing merengue and eating arroz con gandules. I speak Spanish, and I’m in the same financial bracket as everybody else in the room. My lifelong cultural identity crisis had resurfaced: because I do not look Hispanic, I can never be fully embraced as Hispanic. Being a minority isn’t enough anymore, now you’ve got to look like one too. This opens up a whole new can of worms far too complex to discuss in full here, but it reinforces a classic notion that somehow manages to constantly be forgotten: don’t judge a book by its cover.


There will always be differences amongst people. Some will have silky hair while others’ may be coarser. Some may be naturally wired to jump higher or swim faster or withstand the cold better. Eye color, hair color, ear shape, height—these differences are inevitable and will never cease to be. To pretend these variations exist would be lying to ourselves. On a personal level, one should understand their “abnormalities” and defining characteristics and embrace them. Thinking universally, we should acknowledge and appreciate the uniqueness of our peers, using their strengths to fuel our own.

You may never know if that Hispanic girl you just walked past was actually from Russia or if that Mongolian boy in front of you on the bus is actually half Swedish. That’s okay. It doesn’t even matter anymore! We are who we decide we are; race is nowhere near as important as culture and cultural identification is nowadays.

Racism is much too difficult to tackle all at once. People will always have preconceived notions and false ideas depending on personal circumstances, but that is not to say these should be expressed due to physical differences. If you’re going to be a racist (but please, try not to), be aware that multiculturalism is here to stay. That could save you a few awkward Hispanic jokes with that Asian girl actually born in Guatemala.