My Grandma is Racist. She Hates Exactly Half of Me- the Latina Half.
"This is GREAT!!!!" my half-Latina daughter Claire, 30, said in response to this article.
"Like the author, YOU ARE THE FUTURE," I replied.
Claire dislikes her Latina body. It doesn't help that I look like a whippet, as my hairstylist says.
"I've grown into my woman's body," Claire said sadly at 25. "I hate my wide hips."
"Who do you look like, your dad or your mom?" people constantly asked Claire, pointing out her "otherness." Subtle racism. Did they ask blond kids that question? Doubt it.
"I look like ME," Claire replied firmly, starting at age three.
She never changed her reply. Atta girl!
Photos:
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Claire, 6-1/2, was a gypsy for Halloween.
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Age 18.
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Claire, 28, dressing for her wedding, 2018.
12
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19 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.My oldest son is bi-racial and was bullied during his high school years as the only bi-racial in the school. Because he excelled in sports also did not help as he was taunted that he was good only because he was Bi-racial. He now accepts his stature in life and makes the best of any comments. His ability to be his own boss and be successfully self-employed is probably because of what happened in school.
WillardCapen
Level 2
May 30, 2020
1
She would have been popular in my high school. The latina figure was popular in my school that consisted of mainly african, carribean and latino/a students. But I lived in a diverse neighbourhood, if she grew up in white suburbia that must have been tough for her. Glad she has come to accept herself. 
And as a pale ghost 
, I cannot recall anyone asking me who I look more like.
demifeministgal
Level 8
May 21, 2020
1
She is a beautiful young lady. What beauty would a rainbow had if it were but one color?
Bigwavedave
Level 8
May 18, 2020
1
Your daughter is very lucky, if only for having you for a mother.
BitFlipper
Level 8
May 16, 2020
1
Thank you. What a sweet thing to say! For Mother's Day, Claire sent me a card with a touching, beautiful letter:
"Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
"Thank you for being the kind, empathetic and amazing mother that you are. You're the most brilliant woman I know and I feel so blessed to be able to call you my mother.
"Thank you for protecting me and giving me strength during this very hard time in my life. Thank you for not judging me and accepting Shane with open arms.
"You are stunning and beyond beautiful inside and out. I look up to you and admire you so much. I love you!!! Love, Claire."
Thank you for sharing this article. I love this sentiment:
"Racists are assholes. Their problem with me being mixed is and always will be their problem, not mine."
I was blessed to have a mother who was very progressive. When I was in the 1st or 2nd grade, I once came home from school and repeated a joke I was told by a schoolmate that contained the N-word. Not only did my mother literally wash my mouth out with soap, but she told me to never ever use that word again, and that if any of my school mates used that word, I shouldn't play with them, nor were they allowed in our house. I had no context for this lesson, no understanding of the history, and where I lived, there were very few people of color. But that really didn't matter; I just grew up knowing that other words I learned at school that horrified my grandparents, like 'shit' and 'fuck' were practically harmless as far as my mom was concerned, compared to that word!
I think that as a consequence I have always had an appreciation for variety over homogeneity and have valued diversity, a principle my wife and I have passed onto our children. We need to do whatever we can to eliminate this problem of racism and bigotry--a mode of thinking that is passed on from families and their chosen peer groups.
p-nullifidian
Level 8
May 16, 2020
2
So many racists and no real explaination as to why they are! ? Prime example in this Dr Phil video:
@Justme43 No offense, but I am not a fan of Dr. Phil nor, for that matter, any afternoon talk show, from Phil Donahue to Sally Jesse Rafael to Jerry Springer to Oprah, and everyone in between. Nevertheless, it's important that we see a bigot's unvarnished and unapologetic argument. "Whose fault is it?" indeed!
@p-nullifidian Funny you should say that! In fact, this video showed up on my FB a week or so ago, and I happened to think of it tonight. And yes, I understand, I never watch the show, I think he attempts to make millions on the misery of others without any real help, it's mostly for show and I don't know how much is planned programming anyway. But it the old man in the video was being truthful in his feelings, it goes to show how screwed up some people are! 
Nothing wrong with Claire as far as I can see, I'd give her a 10 out of 10 on all counts and hey, whippets are great dogs, fit, healthy, loyal and very easy going as well.
Triphid
Level 9
May 16, 2020
1
And very, very fast!
@p-nullifidian Oh yeah they are very, very fast, but not quite as fast as the Arab Gazelle Hounds that I also had along with the Whippet I owned.
My Arab Gazelle Hound, Shah, was once clocked, officially, at doing a steady speed of 42.35 kilometres per hour around the local Greyhound Racing Track, he could also, and regularly, run down a full grown adult Kangaroo, catch it and kill by merely snapping its neck in mid-run often over distances in excess of 2 kilometres.
@Triphid Never heard of that breed until now ... thanks. I just know that when we took our german shepherd mix (who died last year) to the dog park, she kept up with the whippets pretty well, until they shifted into a higher gear!
@p-nullifidian Arab Gazelle Hound, aka, Saluki.
Once either those or Whippets shift into 'High gear, there is very little any other breed can do to keep up with them.
Russian Wolfhounds, aka, Borzois, another breed of the Sight-Hound group that I also once owned are just a fast as their Arab cousins also.
The word 'Borzoi' translated into English simply mean " Swift of Foot," which kind of says it all.
I used to 'train' both breeds by getting them to run along as I drove a car at between 40 and 60 kilometres per hour are around a 3 kilometre dirt circuit track.
Both the Saluki and the Borzoi had no trouble staying level with the car at speeds of 40 -48 kilometres per hour for between 3 and 5 complete circuits but increase the speed above the 50 kph level and they'd drop behind but still keep at relatively same distance from the rear of the car.
You guys got distracted by whippets. Too funny.
@LiterateHiker Dog lovers, what can you say ... sorry! Back to the topic at hand, I fully agree with @Triphid.
People who usually hate themselves will deal with with this hate by being nasty to others who are happy and beautiful.
SkyreckedLoemm
Level 5
May 16, 2020
0
Not true.
"Claire is the most empathetic person I have ever known," four of her friends told me at Claire's wedding in 2018.
@LiterateHiker... I was referring to being racist.
What makes you think racists hate themselves?
She should embrace who she is. She is beautiful and I know she got it from her mother.
BudFrank
Level 8
May 16, 2020
2
What a nice thing to say! Thank you.
Claire has her Latino dad's golden skin, black eyes and black hair. Her eyes are so black you can't see the pupils. Her body takes after the Valdez side of the family.
Happily, Claire has my love of healthy food and exercise. I made sure she became an athlete.
Like me, Claire is intelligent, empathetic, high energy and intense with a great sense of humor. She also has my thick hair.
@LiterateHiker I agree Claire is like you
There are so many fascinating ironies concerning racial hatred, like I always was confused by Hitler's fixation on the term Aryan to describe the ideal "Saxon" or "Germanic" blooded people:
"Aryan" (/ˈɛəriən/)[1] has its roots as a term used as a self-designation by Indo-Iranian people.[note 1] The term was used by the Indo-Aryan people of the Vedic period in Ancient India as a religious label for themselves and as well as the geographic region known as Āryāvarta, where Indo-Aryan culture is based (in this region).[2][3] The Iranian people used the term as an ethnic label for themselves in the Avesta scriptures, and the word forms the etymological source of the country name Iran.[4][5][6][7]
fishline79
Level 7
May 16, 2020
0
She is lovely. It's sad that our society sets women up to be so critical of their bodies. It's rare that I meet a woman who just doesn't care whether her body conforms to some mythical standard set by advertising companies using women's bodies as a selling point.
Cyklone
Level 7
May 16, 2020
2
Wide hips?! Where? She's absolutely gorgeous! So cute in that first pic . So beautiful in the others.. Tell her to pm me... ! I'll set her straight! 
Cutiebeauty
Level 9
May 16, 2020
4
Thank you so much. I agree. As a teen, Claire loved needling me:
"Why are my breasts bigger than yours?"
I gave her a look and watched her laugh. Stinker.
"Because when I nursed you as a baby, you sucked out all the fat," I replied to gross her out. That worked.
@LiterateHiker awesome answer!!!
Thanks. I thought it was pretty funny. Slam dunk.
Agreed! Absolutely gorgeous!
@LiterateHiker I'm not sure what your breast size has to do with any of this. It sounds very personal to me and the whole string sounds like gratuitous "fishing for compliments". Never having had children it could be that I just can't relate to the situation. It almost sounds like you are trying to assuage your guilt about something. Is it about racism, or are you just proud of how pretty and accomplished your daughter is? I'm sure you did a great job in raising her. (There, you caught a fish!)
She's beautiful!
BestWithoutGods
Level 8
May 16, 2020
2
Yes she is ,Very
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