Mother-Son Convo: Race & Identity, Part I

Sometimes awkward, sometimes revealing, last November I sat down with my youngest son, Jacob, to talk about what it means to be multi-ethnic in a time when race and identity are topics that have become highly politicized and polarizing.  Before we sat down, both of us committed to speaking honestly about our experiences and acknowledging that I consciously raised my children  to ensure they understood what it means to be Black in America, while not believing that being Black means that they are limited or that they can't achieve whatever it is that they want to achieve.  This is one of three parts where we discuss these topics, which is not neat nor linear.  It's a behind the scenes conversation that we wanted to share with others in hope that it can prompt additional conversations about identity, racial performance, discrimination, and opportunities.  To be honest, even as we wrapped up nearly two hours of taping, we still didn't feel we'd gotten to the full conversation.   One conversation can't answer it all, but it all starts with a conversation.