869: Ethnic Arithmetic

Published: May 3, 2023, 8 a.m.

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Today\\u2019s poem is Ethnic Arithmetic by Sara R. Burnett.


The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes\\u2026 \\u201cOne of the deeply harmful and insidious ways white supremacy wounds people is having them believe they are superior to (or less than), based merely on skin color. There\\u2019s a deep sadness in not seeing each other as whole human beings, in not recognizing the gift and potential beyond bureaucratic designations that confine us. Even here, I almost wrote \\u201cdefine us.\\u201d Identity is fraught and never more so than when we are reduced to a box to check on a census document, employment record, or audience survey.\\u201d


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