Ethnic Background Essay
I was born into a mixed family much like Tiger's. My mother's father was Chinese–American,
orphaned by his birth–family and raised in the South. My mother's mother was African–American
and, following the family legacy, she received a degree from Fisk University in Nashville, TN. My
relatives were instrumental in the foundation of the Avery Normal Institute in Charleston, SC, an
educational institute for African–Americans founded in 1865 (now associated with the College of
Charleston). My mother grew up in a segregated society where choices were rarely available. She
received her Master's degree in Library Science from HBC University. My father's family is of
German/Scottish/Irish/Danish decent. When faced with racial classification forms,...show more
content...
Ironically, since acquiring my husband's last name, people assume and accept without hesitation
that I'm Irish. I have curly hair like a "good Irish girl" or often hear, "Susannah O'Connor sounds
like a "good Irish name." Judging by my married name alone, I have been shuffled into the
Irish–American–Caucasian check–box.
I was raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. Silver Spring was a diverse community, our
neighbors were Yugoslavian, Korean, Italian, and included many others. There were many
ethnic–specific markets and restaurants near our house where we tried many different foods. Our
community pool was located in a conservative orthodox Jewish section of Silver Spring. Outside of
swim season, our family was included in many Passover seders, sukkoh parties and Bar/Bat
Mitzvah's through relationships developed on our swim team. I felt comfortable in our culturally
dynamic neighborhood and felt fewer pressures to be classified into a specific ethnic category.
When I was in middle school my father inherited his parent's house and our family made an
uncomfortable transition to Chevy Chase, Md. In contrast to the Silver Spring community, Chevy
Chase is a White, upper–class, wealthy suburb of Washington, DC. Many of our neighbors belonged
to one of the three local country clubs that, until just a few years ago, did not admit minorities. Other
than neighborly requests for babysitting duties, our
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