My Heritage Experience Essay

I’m as white or northern European as they come. My fraternal grandparents came over from Denmark and if we go a little further back, my maternal extended family, came over on the Mayflower (John Alden to be exact) from England and Ireland. At some point they all landed in the Midwest either in Wisconsin or Minnesota. We have always enjoyed a combined heritage experience when it comes to special holidays such as Christmas and Easter, but we have also been fortunate to share in Ramadan, Seders and other experiences due to the progressiveness of my parents. I was made deeply aware early on – about two or three - that although we were to love and treasure our scanda-lish (Scandinavian and English) heritage or ethnicity, we were to be conscious and loving to groups of people outside of our own experience. No matter their
Between the stares and being called a not so nice name, I was shaken. How could someone say that to me? I’m a nice person!
Obviously, I would get to return to my entitled life, but that was a real marked experience for me that would change my awareness to another culture forever. It was daunting and made me deeply aware of how fortunate I was to be white. I had to remind myself of how each and every day for many of color just trying to negotiate getting to and from the store is a chore. How utterly exhausting!
Whether being on a mission trip to Nola, or doing work in the Bowery in NYC, as well as dating a man from Congo, Africa, I have had numerous boundary crossings that were generally positive for me. I have learned that one can ever assume an ideal or belief system onto another. We share the same blood type, but we move in the world differently and so mutual respect is a must as well as tough conversations around my white entitlement. This is not to suggest that this is all relationships are about, but it is important that as white people we stay engaged in the