Reflections on More Than Meets the Eye

"Everyone, no matter who you are and where you grew up, has a culture—and that shapes how you interact with the world and vice versa."

More Than Meets the Eye, by Adaurennaya “Ada” C. Onyewuenyi, is an intriguing short read about culture and race. I began to develop my own construct of culture during my 14 years as an educational leader at an international school in Brazil and as the father of two children who were born and raised in Rio de Janeiro for much of their young lives.

I began to see how we categorize others based on perceived race. I began to understand how nuanced our perception of race, as well as culture and language, really is. I remember the confused looks on my white children's faces when people would ask, "Where are you from?" The assumption was that they were from the U.S., based on their appearances and accents.

Unless you spoke to them in Portuguese, of course. Or realized they had more cultural references related to Brazil than to the U.S. Until you learned that for them, the family's eventual move to the U.S. meant "living overseas."

"Where are you from?"

I am not sure they still know how to answer that question, now that they have lived in many cities and have traveled the world. Like many assumptions around race, the question "Where are you from?" tends to label and categorize, rather than expanding the conversation and deepening understanding.

"Where have you lived?" That's better.

Let's lean in and get curious about each other's stories.