Growing Up in Santa Cruz, March 2023, “Carmel, Beige and Pink,” by Lisa Catterall.
Race is a mirage but one that humanity has organized itself around in very real ways. – Ibram X. Kendi
My son asked me the other day about our different skin colors. He’s six, and something that might have been affecting him for several years is suddenly something he can put into words: “What color am I Mama?”
“You have absolutely beautiful, caramel-colored skin,” I said.
“What color are you?” he asked. I thought for a moment. “Pink and spotty,” I said. I’m an aging surfer, and this was the most accurate description I could come up with.
I wondered if I had been correct in how this conversation went. He seemed quite satisfied with the descriptions and went on playing.
Last week I was very proud of our county when I attended the conversation on racism between Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone held by Bookshop Santa Cruz. The authors are on a book tour for their new release, “How To Be A (Young) Antiracist.” The event had to be moved to the Kaiser Arena, and even that huge venue sold out. It seemed the whole town turned out in droves. It reminded me of the rare years when the sandbar shows up along the Cowell Beach cliff and absolutely everyone plays in the ocean together. Santa Cruz. We ocean, we think. Read more
