Today I received a letter on State Letterhead. This is not unusual. However I was stopped in my tracks by the salutation: "Dear African American Educator." The letter was from the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs and invited me to a rally on African American Legislative Day.
Now somewhere along the line I must have had the option of checking a box to select my race. Depending on what options are available I would have checked white, black, and Native American. If they forced me to select one, I always pick Hispanic. Why? It is simultaneously the least close to what I am (the only two races I lack are Asian and Hispanic) and the closest (because most Puerto Ricans are basically racially white, black, and native mixes). Also I am a complete bastard.
When I was a kid and people would ask my race I would say that I was a Weirdo like Gonzo. As it turns out I think I still feel like a weirdo.
I wonder what it would be like to look like me and attend that rally.
Sometimes I am sad that I don't belong, but most of the time I simply can't understand belonging and the fanaticism that accompanies "us vs. them" mentalities.
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