Another Perspective on Race
As long as I can remember, exceptionalism has been the rule in my family. My parents struggled, against much resistance, to inculcate in me a strong sense of difference. At 10 years of age, the subject of contention was sleepovers. At 15, curfews. And still now, at 21 years of age, the sense of filial obligation is a constant in my life and in the conversations I have with my parents, particularly when we disagree. Faced with the difficult task of sustaining a close relationship with my parents from thousands of miles away, I've had to confront the schizophrenia (no, I'm not nuts) and sense of loss resulting from dislocation. Above all, what never ceases to amaze me is the increasing cognizance I have of difference.