The time is always right...

The community I want...

Even though it's after 10pm and I'm full of fried chicken, I am also energized and hopeful. This is always how I feel after a Swirl dinner and I get to talk to others who similarly want to be honest about the flaws in our society, and think about positive ways to confront them. And this is not about getting together to pat ourselves on the back for knowing better. We acknowledge our own shortcomings and biases too. And our own inabilities - at times - to confront the very things that we also question.

Multiracial families: Counted but still misunderstood

In the past couple of years, I have noticed a certain complacency that I never noticed before, in my eleven years of leading Swirl. The same passion and the same excitement around building multiracial communities had faded a bit. In the one year leading up to the Presidential election, we launched five new chapters (the norm had been a chapter every year or every other year). People were excited by the energy created by Obama's campaign, and they were motivated and eager to be a part of creating supportive and inclusive multiracial communities.

A life of meaning and worth...

One of my heroes passed away yesterday - Derrick Bell, a law professor and civil rights advocate. Years ago, when I read and resonated with his book, Ethical Ambition, I wrote him a note to thank him. I felt inspired by his choices and his courage to stand up for what he believed in, even when personally risky. I didn't necessarily think that I would hear back, but it was important for me to let him know the impact his writing had on me.

We need new vocabulary

Tonight's conversation at the Brooklyn Historical Museum (BHS) was thought-provoking and energizing.

"What Are You?"

Originally published at The Brooklyn Historical Society Blog

Today’s guest post is by Jen Chau, founder of Swirl, a multi-ethnic, anti-racist organization that promotes cross-cultural dialogue.  “What are you?” is one of those questions like “Where are you from, I mean from from?” that people pose (sometimes ungracefully) when they are curious about someone’s racial/ethnic identity. What Are You? is also the title of an upcoming event (Monday, September 26th at 7pm), part of the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations series, hosted here at the Brooklyn Historical Society and co-sponsored by Loving Day.  BHS is learning more about Brooklyn’s overlapping, interweaving communities and we hope you’ll join the conversation here in the comments and at upcoming events.

On Interracial Dating: The Mixed Panel

I was asked by Racialicious to participate in one of their roundtables on interracial dating. I picked the mixed panel, and here's what we had to say (all three parts of the conversation below!).

Practice makes progress

In my years of diversity work, I am pretty sure about one thing. The people who are "good" at talking about race issues are those who have practiced.

As a participant in discussions about race, I have heard certain white individuals (not all) lament, "I just don't know how to talk about this stuff." And then I have heard some people of color (not all) in turn, say, "I am tired of talking about this stuff every day."

Coffee talk with my new "co-workers"

I have traded in a water cooler for decaf lattes with skim.

Instead of a cubicle, I share my space: six laptops to a hulking wooden table with many knots.

I have different co-workers every day, though some are recurring.

Where have all the mixed groups gone?

(Me giving Fusion the thumbs up this summer - Fusion! I still love you!)

by Jen Chau

So, I'm the creepy alum who goes back to Wellesley, skips into the beautiful student center, finds the student organizations area and leaves a note in Fusion's mailbox. Fusion was the mixed group that I helped to create waybackIdon'tminddatingmyselfi'mprettycutewhat? in 1997. Yup, a "Hi ladies! Keep on fighting the good fight! Love, Jen Chau, Class of 1999." Well, I learned that this last note (left during my 10 year reunion this past summer) was probably never even looked at - this is because Fusion is no longer. I found this out during my visit a couple of weeks ago when I was invited back for Wellesley's Multicultural Speaker Series.

Let's find the racist! And then let's shame the racist!

by Jen Chau

This is - I think - our favorite game to play when it comes to race. Locate the racist, focus on the racist, blog and tweet the crap out of that racist, and shame that racist as much as possible. The racist shouldn't be able to carry on life as he knew it. I too hope for change in the person who took a misstep, but I think we are missing the bigger picture. We use magnifying glasses to focus on individual events rather than seeing the connections and the patterns that point to larger societal problems.