Your point here is so basic, yet many people are NOT getting it.

I am not fake concerned. These experiences are those that I observed as a college student with classmates who were WOC adopted by white families. Admittedly, not all people care about their cultural background. My concern is the Western status quo regarding various cultures of the African diaspora is from a negative…

There are more informal, intrafamily adoptions in African American households than formal adoptions. It is easy to dismiss the importance of cultural identity and pride in an environment where you are the majority. It is easy to dismiss the role of group identity when people of your group are allowed by others to have…

It's interesting that people who talk about avoiding pink and blue items as early as before the birth of a baby to reduce sexism think that cultural issues can wait until adolescence.

The kid will be more than OK financially, but when it comes to cultural identity, time will tell.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Thank you. THIS is the point.

It sounds like your niece is a successful young woman with a loving, supportive family. When she leaves town for college, she will likely face additional identity issues because her family will not be around, and people will assume she has cultural knowledge and experience that she does not have. She may not have much…

It's easy for white people in the US to view this as an issue to discuss when kids are older, but minority kids are typically aware of certain aspects of what being a minority means as early as toddlerhood. They notice who is in charge and who has subservient roles. They notice who is called smart, attractive, or…

I had a professor who called me and a friend "the Hyphens" due to our names.

Ugh, administrative folks do not always handle hyphenated last names well. I had an ID that only had one last name, an error that caused problems. Some people do not even know what a hyphen is, and many name entries via computer do not allow hyphens.

So much shame, so much effort at keeping others at arm's distance. Not learning how to be a host, or how to clean or organize from your parents. It makes its mark.

Many rich people are attractive because they can afford nutritionists, dermatologists, personal trainers, private chefs, orthodontists and plastic surgeons. Others are attractive because their mothers are trophy wives.

the Paula Deen reworded recipes were hilarious!

OMG, yes! From Los Angeles, work in a Rustbelt city. Do NOT keep up with your hometown happenings because it'll drive you mad.

A group of people with no ties to their ethnicity, countries of origin, mother tongue or true last names decided to get creative to "own" their first names. It's ok for celebrities but not for black people.

Thank you for talking about structural barriers. Far too many so-called strong black women are helping out others to the extent that it worsens their well-being. There are grandmothers rearing their grandchildren because the kids' parents are unfit, so unlike their retired or empty nest counterparts, they have more…

This happened to sisters of both my maternal grandparents as African-Americans in the South.

Oscar Pistorious was quite attractive to me until he killed his girlfriend.

Also, the Midwest.