“Why Does My Race Matter?” by Yasmine Bahrani Los Angeles Times; February 01, 1998 When I lived in England, I was black. That's how the system there regards all former colonials like myself: We were all generically black. But my blackness was only temporary. When I arrived in the United States, I continued to think of myself as black until my college friends in Indiana started laughing at me for it. They convinced me I wasn't black at all; I was white, they said. I believed them, but that didn't last long, either. A few years later, I discovered that my American employer had classified me as yet something else. To my surprise, I turned out to be one of his Asian employees. By now, the primary benefit of racial classification is apparent to me: entertainment. The primary drawback is equally apparent: It has made my identity available for distortion by others who claim an interest in it. In case you're wondering, I'm from Iraq, and my family tree includes Arabs, Persians and Turks. A lot of blood has been mixed in Mesopotamia--almost as much as has been shed there--and I suppose that, "racially" speaking, I look like I might be from many places. Some Indians have guessed that I come from their subcontinent; some Iranians have taken me for one of them; so have some South Americans. My father used to smile at my freckles, no doubt exported by Europe, and teasingly call me his own "Crusader." But--so far at least--no Europeans have mistaken me for one of their own. Indeed, one otherwise pleasant German woman I once met challenged even the American identity (more specifically, the Hoosier identity) I sometimes choose to claim. She politely doubted that "real" Americans have black hair like mine. Anyway, under such circumstances, it is very difficult for me to find a voice of my own in this country's ever- intensifying racial dialogue. I suspect the same is true for many other Americans whose racial identities are subject to as much quixotic shuffling as my own. For example, I take very seriously such matters as the future of affirmative action and the good it has done. But given my experience, I find it increasingly difficult to take seriously the premise of race from which such debates are proceeding. There are many such debates going on. Take the government's decision that I, in the company of my fellow Americans, may choose from among an enriched list of racial categories in the 2000 census. This suggests a more democratic spirit than that shown by either England or my employers, all of whom categorized me without asking my opinion on the matter. But my racialized experience has taught me that I am being offered a choice of social fictions--suspect social fictions--and I don't think the Census Bureau is doing me the favor it thinks it is. The identities we accept are portentous because they will follow us around forever. For example, we have come to accept the term "Hispanic," .

1. “Why Does My Race Matter?” by Yasmine Bahrani
Los Angeles Times; February 01, 1998
When I lived in England, I was black. That's how the system
there regards all former colonials like myself: We
were all generically black. But my blackness was only
temporary. When I arrived in the United States, I
continued to think of myself as black until my college friends in
Indiana started laughing at me for it. They
convinced me I wasn't black at all; I was white, they said. I
believed them, but that didn't last long, either. A few
years later, I discovered that my American employer had
classified me as yet something else. To my surprise, I
turned out to be one of his Asian employees.
By now, the primary benefit of racial classification is apparent
to me: entertainment. The primary drawback is
equally apparent: It has made my identity available for
distortion by others who claim an interest in it.
In case you're wondering, I'm from Iraq, and my family tree
includes Arabs, Persians and Turks. A lot of blood

2. has been mixed in Mesopotamia--almost as much as has been
shed there--and I suppose that, "racially"
speaking, I look like I might be from many places. Some
Indians have guessed that I come from their
subcontinent; some Iranians have taken me for one of them; so
have some South Americans. My father used to
smile at my freckles, no doubt exported by Europe, and
teasingly call me his own "Crusader." But--so far at
least--no Europeans have mistaken me for one of their own.
Indeed, one otherwise pleasant German woman I
once met challenged even the American identity (more
specifically, the Hoosier identity) I sometimes choose to
claim. She politely doubted that "real" Americans have black
hair like mine.
Anyway, under such circumstances, it is very difficult for me to
find a voice of my own in this country's ever-
intensifying racial dialogue. I suspect the same is true for many
other Americans whose racial identities are
subject to as much quixotic shuffling as my own. For example, I
take very seriously such matters as the future of
affirmative action and the good it has done. But given my
experience, I find it increasingly difficult to take
seriously the premise of race from which such debates are

3. proceeding.
There are many such debates going on. Take the government's
decision that I, in the company of my fellow
Americans, may choose from among an enriched list of racial
categories in the 2000 census. This suggests a
more democratic spirit than that shown by either England or my
employers, all of whom categorized me without
asking my opinion on the matter. But my racialized experience
has taught me that I am being offered a choice of
social fictions--suspect social fictions--and I don't think the
Census Bureau is doing me the favor it thinks it is.
The identities we accept are portentous because they will follow
us around forever. For example, we have come
to accept the term "Hispanic," which became a minority
designation under the Nixon administration in 1973.
"Latino," more popular in the Western states, will be offered as
an alternative in the next census. Many who are
labeled so today privately scorn the term, choosing instead to
think of themselves as Mexicans, Bolivians,
Dominicans and so on. But because the government says they
are Hispanic or Latino, so must they.
Of course, the move to create more "officially" recognized

4. classifications is supported by a number of people
who want to escape the racial cage they find themselves in, and
I appreciate the irony. Many of these people
consider themselves to be of mixed race and resent being forced
to choose between their parents' identities. I have
sympathy for this group. It’s no more interested in an assigned
identity than I am. But I don't see how an ever more
refined listing of racial categories is the answer to such a
problem, so much as a surrender to it. An end to official
racial categories seems a much more appealing solution.
Now a whole national dialogue on race is underway. What I
have come to want from such an exchange is what I
used to think every American wanted: to be taken for who I am.
I know that racism and other forms of prejudice
have prevented this ideal from being realized, but it remains a
respectable ideal nonetheless, and was, after all,
best articulated by my sometime fellow black, the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr. For all that colorblindness--and
indeed blindness to ethnicity and even gender--has become
perceived as utopian, I'm sticking to it.
I should add that what I know about American ethnic hatred is
not just intellectual. Among the myriad

5. classifications I have been tagged with is a variation on the so-
called n-word intended for Arabs. The epithet
was hurled at me on at least two occasions back home in
Indiana, along with, the first time, eggs, and the second
time, a putrid tomato. All hit their target, the epithet included.
Even so, I prefer to take my chances as an
American among other Americans, and not to construct an
alternate identity out of my ethnic origins as a shield
against hurt. Don't misunderstand; I could not be more proud of
those origins (despite troubles in my native
land) and the magnificent history and language that accompany
them. But I'm here now
“Mr. Z” by M.Carl Holman (1967)
Taught early that his mother’s skin was the sign of error,
He dressed and spoke the perfect part of honor;
Won scholarships, attended the best schools,
Disclaimed kinship with jazz and spirituals;
Chose prudent, raceless views of each situation.
Or when he could not cleanly skirt dissension,

6. Faced up to the dilemma, firmly seized
Whatever ground was Anglo-Saxonized.
In diet, too, his practice was exemplary:
Of pork in its profane forms he was wary;
Expert in vintage wines, sauces and salads.
His palate shrank from cornbread, yams and collards.
He was as careful whom he chose to kiss:
His bride had somewhere lost her Jewishness.
But kept her blue eyes; an Episcopalian
Prelate proclaimed them matched chameleon.
Choosing the right addresses, here, abroad,
They shunned those places where they might be barred;
Even less anxious to be asked to dine
Where hosts catered to kosher accent or exotic skin.
And so he climbed, unclogged by ethnic weights,
An airborne plant, flourishing without roots.

7. Not one false note was struck—until he died:
His subtly grieving widow could have flayed
The obit writers, ringing crude changes on a clumsy phrase:
“One of the most distinguished members of his race.”
NAME:
DATE:
ENGL 100
Narrative Paragraph – Prewriting Template
NOTICE:
· There are 4 steps for this assignment: Planning (1), Rough
Draft (2), Revised Draft (3), and Edited Draft (4).
· In order to complete the writing assignment correctly and to
receive the maximum amount of points for your work, you must
complete all 4 steps.
· Points will be deducted for any missing step.
· Review the assignment instructions and the grading rubric
carefully to ensure that you have completed all of the required
elements before submitting your prewriting assignment.
Narrative Paragraph Planning Guidelines
Topic: Choose a personal experience worth writing about. Think
of a memorable event from your own life that you can condense
into one 200-word paragraph. Do not choose an event that
requires great length to tell. Use any one or any combination of

8. prewriting strategies to generate topic ideas. There is also a list
of suggested topics in your textbook.
Attitude/Point: This should be the point you want to make with
your story or your controlling idea. It could be something you
learned from your experience or some truth you want to prove
or demonstrate.
Audience: Be specific in selecting your audience. Who would be
interested in hearing this story? Who might benefit from hearing
it? The audience cannot be your instructor, your classmates, or
yourself.
Purpose: Is your reason for sharing this story with that
particular audience 1) to inform, 2) to entertain, or 3) to
persuade? Choose one or perhaps a combination of two.
Topic Sentence: Combine your topic and your point (controlling
idea) into a complete sentence.
Paragraph Plan: Brainstorm a short list of key events of your
story. This means the MAIN events and important supporting
details. Eliminate anything that is not relevant to making your
point and generate a plan similar to the sample in your text.
Include this list in the space provided in the Prewriting
Template.
Step 1: Narrative Paragraph Planning
Directions: Fill in the fields below in response to the writing
prompt. Be sure to complete each component of the planning to
ensure that your content is correct.
Writing Prompt: All of us have those “Kodak moments” when
we wish time could stand still. Picture a memorable event in
your life for which you will write your narrative paragraph. Be
sure your point comes across in the topic sentence.
Topic:
Attitude/Point:
Audience:
Purpose:

9. Topic Sentence:
Paragraph Plan:
Step 2: Narrative Paragraph Rough Draft
Directions: Write a rough draft that follows your paragraph
plan, beginning with your topic sentence. Do not worry about
spelling or grammar; just let your thoughts flow. End with a
good concluding sentence that restates your controlling idea or
expresses a thought that restates your dominant impression. It
should be approximately 200 words, no less and not too much
more.
Step 3: Narrative Paragraph Revised Draft
Directions: Copy your Narrative Paragraph Rough Draft (from
above), paste it below, click on “Tools” or “Review” if you are
using Microsoft Word, and hit “Track Changes.” This is so your
instructor can see all the changes you make. Begin reading
through your rough draft and make changes to the content as
you see fit. Add more descriptive words if needed or delete
irrelevant ones that do not help create your dominant
impression. Add transitional words or phrases to help the
paragraph flow in a logical order. Then, save the draft with the
changes.
Step 4: Narrative Paragraph Edited Draft
Directions: Turn off the “Track Changes” feature. Copy your
Revised Narrative Paragraph Draft (from above) and paste it
below. Now, click on “Tools” or “Review” if you are using
Microsoft Word and turn the “Track Changes” feature on. Edit
for any spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Save these
changes.
NOTE:Use of contractions (can’t, won’t, doesn’t, etc.) and
second person (any form of the pronoun “you”) is strictly
prohibited and will result in loss of points on writing
assignments.

10. Page 1 of 5