The Veteran Support Center provides help for Black veterans in Utah

Posted on April 16, 2013 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by LORIEN HARKER

Visit the Veteran Support Center on the University of Utah campus.

There are 147,944 veterans in Utah, according to the Utah census of 2011. Also according to the census, 1.3 percent of the population is African-American.

Needless to say, African-American veterans are a definite minority in Utah.

The history of African-American veterans in the military is rich, and at some times controversial. One of the first African-American regiments to see battle in World War I and World War II was the 369th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Black Rattlers or the Harlem Hellfighters. This regiment was segregated from other white regiments, yet the fighters were heavily decorated.

By the end of World War II, the regiment had suffered 1,500 casualties, and 171 members had received the Legion of Honor.

Similar African-American regiments that have served the United States Military, such as the Red Tails, Buffalo Soldiers, and Tuskegee Airmen, are some of the most celebrated regiments in military history. Yet these regiments were all segregated.

Regiments of African-Americans and white troops were not integrated until the Korean War. Though these regiments could now be integrated, it could be supposed that racism and ignorance toward African-Americans still existed.

However, for Roger Perkins, the director of the Veteran Support Center at the University of Utah, a troop is a troop no matter what color they are.

Roger Perkins served in the Army for 21 years, from 1970 to 1991. During his years of service, Perkins says that the only time ignorance toward the African-American troops was displayed was in the barracks, never around a superior officer.

“You find ignorant people everywhere you go,” Perkins says.

Though the military may have a history of segregated regiments, the military now is more diverse. White troops make up 67 percent of the military, black troops make up 17 percent of the military, and Hispanics comprise 11 percent of the military.

These numbers somewhat correspond with the numbers of veterans at the University of Utah. Perkins says the statistics are as follows: 26 Asian, 22 African-American, 80 Hispanic, seven Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 678 white, and 24 non-specified veterans.

The majority of the African-American troops at the U are in the Army and Marine Corps, Perkins says.

He also says there is no special treatment in the military. People are seen as a troop, and nothing more or less.

In regards to race in the military, Perkins says, “We don’t care.”

Though this is most likely true, the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System offers a support group for minority veterans. But why do they feel that they need this kind of support group?

Jinna Lee, Ph.D., a VA psychologist with the post-traumatic stress disorder clinic, says that the support group was formed for minority veterans to feel more comfortable. The familiarity they feel with a person of color is important.

The Veteran of Color Support Group focuses on helping veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Statistics show that one in four veterans will return from deployment with PTSD. Men are more likely to form PTSD from combat, which is why veterans are often diagnosed with the disorder.

Although only four to seven people typically participate in the group, Lee says talking to veterans of the same ethnic background is comforting to the veterans.

“Issues with race and ethnicity do have an impact of how they function,” Lee says in a phone interview.

Lee says these veterans could potentially feel awkward talking to other veterans who are not of their ethnicity, and it’s easier for people of the same culture to understand them.

Stanley Ellington, the executive director for the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce, served in the Air Force for 28 years. During his time of service, Ellington says he was treated fairly.

Ellington also says that the Air Force made it hard to treat people like they weren’t your friends. During deployments especially, because they all relied on each other, there was a “sense of camaraderie” throughout the entire station.

Ellington says it is not so much an issue of color, but an issue of culture in the military. He likens not understanding someone’s culture to a language barrier. If you can’t speak someone’s language, it makes it hard to form a relationship with them — which he says is key.

Ellington says different cultures have different “paths” they use to get to where they want to be in life, and understanding these different paths means “understanding different terms.” From here, the question of understanding veterans of different ethnic backgrounds becomes a question of being fluent in a specific culture, not race.

Lee says there is such an overlap between race and culture, the veterans look for someone of their own culture to talk about things to make themselves feel better.

Kenneth Hartsfield, 26 , a junior at the U majoring in mechanical engineering, is a member of the Air Force. Hartsfield says he joined the Air Force because he “had no reliable plans after high school and did not want to stay at home and get a job.”

“I wanted to see at least a different part of the country and possibly the world,” Hartsfield says.

Hartsfield says his experience with the military has been relatively color-blind. However, life in basic training was rough for some of his comrades.

“It was a melting pot of life experiences where we all had to depend on the next person to cover our shortfalls,” Hartsfield says. “Some had come from inner city while others came that had only seen a handful of minority people.”

Hartfield’s father was a Green Beret, which is why he grew up in a military town in North Carolina. Not only is his father in the military, but his brother, grandfather, uncle and other various family members also serve.

“My father served 27 years in the Army. My brother is in his first year with the Air Force. My paternal grandfather served in World War II and my maternal uncle served in the Army for four years. I have a lot of extended family that is also serving,” Hartsfield says.

He went to basic training after he enlisted, which he said some had a difficult time adjusting to. Tasks such as laundry and asking questions to superiors came as a shock to some newly-enlisted troops.

“It was a huge culture shock for some but growing up in a military town I and the other well cultured kids had no problem adjusting,” Hartsfield says.

Ellington, Lee, Hartsfield and Perkins all say that racial differences could be a source of conflict between troops. However, all agreed that a more likely cause would be cultural differences.

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The rewarding challenges of transracial adoption

Posted on April 16, 2013 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by CHRISTIE TAYLOR

Experience the lively dancing and drumming at Asante Dance and Drum.

It’s a typical Saturday at Asante Dance and Drum in Lindon, Utah, with moms accompanying energetic children to their weekly classes. The chilly spring morning hasn’t dampened any of the families’ spirits as they enthusiastically welcome each other to class.

One of the usual dance teachers is unable to attend this week’s lesson, which sends the moms into organization mode as they try to figure out a fill-in for her class of 5-year-olds. One woman bravely offers, settling any disturbance the lively morning has suffered.

Nothing is distinctive about this morning or this scenario except every mom who has come to this studio is white, and every child is black.

Another feature that sets this particular morning apart is the rhythmic and repetitive drumbeats that begin to float through the air as the boys begin their drum lesson. The pounding sound from hands hitting leather-covered drums takes on a faraway sound of an ancient African village.

In another room, fast-paced hip-hop tempos pour from the speakers of a class full of African-American girls practicing the week’s hip-hop dance lesson.

The moms gather in the foyer chatting while the background beats and music play. With big smiles on their faces and enormous amounts of pride in their tones, they discuss their children’s weekly happenings.

The commonality of these women is they have all adopted transracial or transcultural children. The terms were designated to describe the process of adopting a child of one ethnicity or race by parents of another race or ethnicity, according to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

“In the United States these terms usually refer to the placement of children of color or children from another country with Caucasian adoptive parents,” the website states.

The classes at Asante provide a support group for these white parents and their adopted black children, and offer the diversity the children aren’t exposed to in their everyday lives.

The adoptions of the students at Asante fill both the transracial and transcultural categories. Most of the children in this group who were adopted transculturally came from Ethiopia.

Hannie Smith, 13, who was adopted from that country when she was 4 years old, thinks the dance class has been a great way to reconnect to her culture. “It’s cool to bring us all together,” she says about the weekly class.

Smith, who lives in Utah County and is maybe one of five ethnic students in her kindergarten through 12th-grade-level school, loves coming to the class and connecting with other children like her.

Asante Dance and Drum was formed specifically for children like Smith who are adopted by white parents and experience little diversity in their communities. The original founder of the group left and it was up to the moms to keep the program running.

The dedicated women running the program want the group to expand to include anyone interested in learning more about the diverse group and to children of all ethnicities.

“We’re not just about adoption, we’re about the whole child, celebrating our differences and similarities,” said Sage Service, one of the adoptive moms.

Service adopted her daughter, Mya, as an infant. She has taken Mya to the dance class since she was 3 months old to expose her to the diversity as well as show support for the program.

The lack of diversity these adopted children experience is one of the main reasons why transracial adoptions are so controversial in the United States.

Adoption experts seem to have conflicting opinions on children being placed in homes without at least one parent who resembles them in ethnicity, according to HHS.

Some think a child should always be placed with at least one parent of the same race so the child has a way of forming a racial identity; others argue that race shouldn’t even be considered when determining placement of a child. The latter feel the family needs of the child far outweigh ensuring they are placed with same-race parents, according to HHS.

In 1994 a bill addressing transracial and transcultural adoption came before Congress. The bill, submitted by Sen. Howard Metzenbaum  of Ohio, caused intense debate among members of Congress, but eventually passed both the Senate and House of Representatives.

The Multiethnic Placement Act brought people from opposite sides of the controversy together and paved the way for both sides to agree. According to HHS, “adults of all cultures need to work together to help adopted children of all cultures reach their highest potential.”

While having a family has been a huge benefit in the lives of the children at Asante, a wish for more diversity education, especially in school, was a common theme among them. Many said that although they were happy with their home lives, school was more of a challenge.

“I wish we did talk about it [diversity] more,” said Hope Vanderwerff, a 14-year-old attending Canyon View Junior High in Orem. “We learn about other countries in world geography, but that’s about it.”

Diversity aside, some experts believe the rise in transracial and transcultural adoptions can be attributed to the scarcity of young white children available for adoption, according to HHS.

But some families have other reasons for adopting transracially.

Anna Watson was a county worker who had eight biological children before she decided on transracial adoption. She met her daughter, Jane, while working in foster care when Jane was an infant. (Both have requested pseudonyms to protect their privacy.)

When Watson applied to adopt the infant she was denied. “We were the wrong color,” she said.

She wouldn’t accept that as a legitimate answer and hired an attorney to sue for custody. Jane’s biological family fully supported Watson’s intent to adopt and she eventually won the case.

“She was born on drugs, she shook and threw up and was developmentally delayed,” Watson said about Jane. The biggest reward and challenge was all the hard work it took to get her daughter to the healthy, beautiful young woman she is today.

When Jane was about 17 months old, Watson discovered the toddler’s biological mother was pregnant again. She wanted to adopt that baby as well. She was told the infant would be placed with her when she was born. Instead, the newborn was placed with an ill-equipped 65-year-old woman because she was also black.

She said the state even went so far as to call her and threaten to pull her foster care license if she chose to pursue the adoption.

Watson went to court a second time and sued for custody anyway.

In court, Jane was asked to draw a picture of herself and her mom. The young girl drew herself as brown and her mom as white. Watson said that when the court asked her daughter why she had chosen those colors, Jane said, “Because heavenly father said so.”

She won the case and legally adopted Jane’s sister.

Jane, now 19, teaches African-American and hip-hop classes at Asante and is getting ready to serve an LDS mission in Atlanta. Her sister was accepted to Brigham Young University and will attend this fall.

Jane said it was interesting growing up in Utah. With little diversity outside of her family, she found school a challenge.

“I experienced a lot of stereotypical name-calling, she said. “Sometimes I would get offended, but realized they just didn’t understand or they were doing it to be rude.”

The only time she would bring it up to her mom was if it was constant. Other than that she would just try to stand up for herself.

“My mom was so forward, so if it was small comments I would just keep them to myself,” she said.

Susie Augenstein didn’t struggle with the adoption process itself. Her challenges began after she brought her adopted children home.

Augenstein adopted a sister and brother from Ethiopia, both of whom had survival issues. She said her son, who was struggling the most, would often push his new parents to test their love for him. She said they had to constantly reassure him.

It took a lot of time, patience and counseling to get him to trust the parents and their love for him.

That was tested again during a recent trip to Ethiopia. The Augensteins’ son feared they were taking him back, when in actuality the family was going to meet the children’s aunt. When she placed the children for adoption, she told the orphanage that the biological mother was dead. That was the only way the institution would take the children.

Augenstein recommends that any parent who adopts a child, whether transracial or transcultural, find a good counselor who can help deal with the issues of trust that children may experience.

Like many of the other moms at Asante, Carrie Peterson was inspired to adopt after learning about children’s poor living conditions. In her case she was compelled to adopt after hearing media reports about the horrific conditions of Romanian orphans. Although she ultimately did not adopt children from that country, she did adopt two newborn girls from Philadelphia.

Peterson said that in 1992, the concept of transracial adoption was fairly new in Utah.

She found that being among the first families to adopt transracially caused many people to be patronizing because they thought she was so “saintly” for adopting poor black children.

“We’re just a family, we just love each other,” she said. She doesn’t feel saintly about her choice to adopt; she just wanted to have a family and these children needed one.

Sage Service doesn’t feel any better than anyone else either for her choice to adopt transracially. “Mya would still be the amazing girl she is and have a great heart had I not adopted her,” she said. She feels Mya’s experiences would be different, but not better or worse.

Rhonda Fairbourn, the adoptive mom who filled in for the absent dance teacher, thinks each dimension of raising children, whether biological or adopted, has its struggles.

“I was living in a bubble,” she said about her life before she adopted. “I don’t live in a bubble anymore because of the kids’ struggles.” All her children have had problems in all different ways.

These families can all attest that adopting transracially has its challenges. And although it’s controversial, the love they feel for their children is real.

As Sonya Doty, an adoptive mom said, “It’s by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but the most rewarding.”

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Interracial marriage acceptance is on the rise in the US

Posted on April 16, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by ALEXA WELLS

Anti-miscegenation laws were laws that enforced racial segregation with marriage and intimate relationships by criminalizing interracial marriage and sometimes also sex between members of different races. According to Wikipedia, these laws were first introduced in the United States from the late 17th century by several of the 13 colonies, and also by many states that remained in effect in many U.S. states until 1967. Since this law against interracial marriages was repealed, acceptance has been on the rise.

Fewer than 1 percent of the nation’s couples were interracial in 1970. However, from 1970 to 2005, the number of interracial marriages nationwide increased from 310,000 to almost 2.3 million, or about 4 percent of the nation’s married couples, according to U.S. Census Bureau.

“Utah, like many other states, had a law at one time that prohibited interracial marriages. It was passed by territorial Legislature in 1888 and it wasn’t repealed until 1963,” said Philip Notorianni, director of the Division of State History in an article from Deseret News.

Fitzgerald Royal was born and raised in Salt Lake City and met his wife, Sandra Naybom in 2006 during a Christmas party at Sandra’s neighbors house. Royal is African American and his Naybom is white. They have a 3-year-old  daughter and moved to Los Angeles for work in September 2010.

“My family was very accepting of me marrying a white woman, but her family was not happy with it at first. They thought that I was not worthy of their daughter because of the stereotypes that follow. I think that they have warmed up to me now because of our daughter being in their lives,” Royal said over a phone interview.

With Utah being only 1.3 percent African American, 13.2 percent Hispanic, and 2.2 percent Asian, it is not as likely to have an interracial marriage than in other states with higher diversity.

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Patricia and Peter Cho with their daughter Nicole.

Peter Cho was born in Hong Kong and moved to London on his own for high school. When he graduated, Cho came to Salt Lake City to attend Westminster college, where he graduated with a degree in computer programming. While he was at Westminster, he met his wife, Patricia Cho, and has now been married to her for twenty five years. Patricia Cho, who was born and raised in Mexico City, also moved to Salt Lake City to attend college and now works as a reservations agent for JetBlue Airlines.

“We like to make sure that our children learn about both sides of their heritage by keeping up with family traditions that we both have experienced from childhood. Traditions such as Chinese New Year and Cinco De Mayo are a big deal in our household,” Peter said. “We travel and visit family in Mexico and Hong Kong quite often because of Patricia’s flying benefits. It gives us the opportunity to show our children where we grew up and learn about their nationality.”

Patricia often feels stereotyped for being in an interracial marriage. “I think that people still have a long way to come on accepting interracial marriage. I get strange looks and judged because I am married to an Asian and I am Mexican. My friends at work ask me why I married Peter, but I don’t see him as being any different than me. I don’t care because I love him and our family that we have made together. I wouldn’t change it if I could.”

In an NBC News story, “Interracial Marriage in US hits new high: 1 in 12,” Daniel Lichter, a sociology professor at Cornell University, said, “The rise in interracial marriage indicates that race relations have improved over the past quarter century. Mixed-race children have blurred America’s color line. They often interact with others on either side of the racial divide and frequently serve as brokers between friends and family members of different racial backgrounds. But America still has a long way to go,” he said.

Fitzgerald Royal and Sandra Royal with their daughter. Photo by Sandra Royal.

Fitzgerald and Sandra Royal with their daughter. Photo courtesy of Sandra Royal.

According to Pew survey data of social and demographic trends, about 83 percent of Americans say it is “alright for black and whites to date each other” jumping up from 48 percent in 1987. With these statistics on the rise, the US society is building its acceptance. The US has come a long way since slavery and black segregation, and the statistics are improving year by year.

“When I look at someone, I don’t really notice their race nor do I care,” Sandra Royal said. “I am just concerned about what type of a person they are. Race does not matter to me at all.”

Filed under: African American, Arts, Entertainment, Culture, Asian American, Hispanics & Latinos(as), Profiles | Leave a comment »

Black Student Union at the University of Utah helps students connect

Posted on April 9, 2013 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by GUSTABO RODRIGUEZ

Explore the Student Involvement Wing and the Center for Equity and Student Affairs and the Office for Equity and Diversity.

The University of Utah is a school where high school students can expand their educational horizons.

Students from a diverse background also apply to the U to expand and get a higher education. But some of them need help adjusting to the new school and to obstacles they might face as they attend the U.

The U has a variety of clubs and organizations that help students of diverse backgrounds with college life. For example, these clubs might help them get into classes for their majors, academic advising and financial advice.

There is one organization in particular at the U that helps African-American students.

The Black Student Union is one of the diverse organizations at the U that is dedicated and focused on helping the underrepresented students. BSU helps black students get involved with the school and within their community.

BSU has even hosted a special day at the U for black high school students to get them interested in higher education and inspire them to apply to the U or other institutions. BSU members have workshops, activities, and they give the visiting students a tour around campus.

The conference also helps students apply and enroll at the U or another school by telling them what to expect when they enroll.

This is why BSU is there ­­­— to help incoming U students get to know not only the school but also other students if they feel lost during their first semester.

James Jackson III founded ACCEL (African-Americans Advancing in Commerce Community Education & Leadership). Jackson was part of BSU in his early years at the U. This organization helped him become comfortable on campus. He did not feel like he was in a strange place anymore after he joined BSU.

“It was an opportunity for me to socialize and I made friends on campus,” Jackson said in an email.

He also had help from older students in BSU to show him around campus. This was also another opportunity to make new friends.

Not only does BSU work with the black students, but it also helps other clubs on campus. For example, they have participated in events for the Social Justice Advocates and the Asian American Student Association. This is a way to let students know that BSU helps other groups regardless of their background. They’ve also worked with the Kick off Black Social where other black students and staff bond and have a stronger community.

Fattima Ahmed got involved with BSU when she got an email stating the group needed volunteers to participate in the annual high school conference her freshman year.

“Coming to a new environment I was wanting to get involved in my campus and community. I was eager to grasp the exciting opportunity!” Ahmed said in an email interview.

To seize her opportunity to join BSU, Ahmed went to an advisor at the Union Building and the advisor recognized her from the high school conference.

The advisor told her to attend the next BSU meeting to see what BSU was about and what to expect.

“Before I knew it they were encouraging me to run for an executive position,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed has had students from high school reaching out to BSU to get the black students in their high school to get together to form a stronger community.

“I’ve personally worked closely with students to help them toward the intense processes of college; including college admissions, financial assistance, and certainly support,” Ahmed said.

The Black Student Union has 200 members and counting, according to the email addresses BSU has in their directory. These are not only former students from the U, but also members within the faculty at the U, alumni and community members.

Future college students at the U can count on BSU to help them throughout their college years. BSU has a service and supporting faculty and advisors who provide personal mentoring, not just for school but also to the students.

“They whole-heartedly support our future endeavors and provide any support to make sure we get there,” Ahmed said.

Faculty and the advisors help BSU and their students connect with other resources on campus and share their personal experiences in an attempt to aid students in their college endeavors.

The financial questions from students are a specialty of Ahmed.

“It’s an interesting hobby of mine to personally assist students with situation such as these,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed is not only involved with BSU as a member, but she is there to work with the new college students here at the U one-on-one.

“I’ve worked with students in a more collective manner, but I’ve had so many experiences interacting with them one on one on a personal level. I love being able to specifically learn about interests, family, and academics,” Ahmed said.

If students are confused or don’t know what classes to take next, BSU works with the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs. The center, located on the second floor of the Student Union, provides academic advising for students.

“Denise E. Francis Montaño has provided so much help for students who come to receive advising,” Ahmed said.

Montaño is one of the many advisors CESA has for students who seek help or guidance to pick their classes. She is more than an advisor— she treats every student as a friend and will listen to them. It doesn’t matter if a student has a question about school or just wants to talk; Montaño will be at the CESA office.

“Any student who walks through our doors can connect with any and all of our advisors,” Montaño said in an email interview. “Students connect with advisors for a variety of reasons and may talk about their academic progress, negative and positive experiences in the classroom/campus/or SLC, issues that cause them to feel discouraged/stuck, family challenges — anything.”

She is not Ahmed’s advisor but she welcomes any question that she might have. Ahmed and Montaño have shared work-related experiences with the Inclusion Center for Community Justice. This is a nonprofit organization being hosted at the U; this is a small program that provides experiential programing to promote dialogues for inclusion and social justice for the state of Utah.

“Fattima has been a consultant for BSU and even though her schedule is filled with services she does as a social justice advocate she took on the role of a BSU officer,” Montaño said.

Volunteer work is also an emphasis of BSU. This year the group has partnered with the Bennion Community Service Center to bring the US Dream Academy to campus. This mentoring program is designed for students from third and eighth grade levels who have parents in jail and help them understand and keep going to school.

On April 20, 2013, board members Jasmine Walton and Charity Jefferson worked together to provide the BSU Black Affairs to celebrate the end of the spring semester. This was a dance event for every student to get a chance to dress up and have a good time with friends.

To find out more about BSU, students can visit the CESA office at the Union or follow the group on Twitter (@UofUBSU). BSU has an annual membership fee of $10 that each person, including the executive board members, pays in order to join. This helps BSU fund the opening social they have at the start of every year.

If students are interested in joining the BSU board or have any questions, they can email BSU at bsuoftheuofu@gmail.com.

“No you do NOT have to be black to be in BSU nor do you have to be in order to run,” Fattima Ahmed said in an email. “We stand as a group who welcomes all!”

Filed under: African American, Education, Organizations | Leave a comment »

Transracial adoptions on the rise in Utah families

Posted on April 4, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by TALON CHAPPELL

The home of Jim and Connie Child in Layton is a traditional Mormon dwelling: a spotless front room with a pearly white couch, followed by a stairway with artisanal wooden handrails and family photos hanging from the adjacent wall.

But, one look at the family photos and it is clear that the Childs are different from other families who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Jim and Connie have adopted two children in their 23-year marriage, 15-year-old Ashton and 8-year-old Camilla, both of whom are of African American descent.

The Childs are just one of numerous families who have taken part in transracial adoption in Utah over the past several years. While actual numbers are rough estimates, the American Adoption Agency says that transracial adoptions are on the rise not only in Utah, but nationally as well.

After a two-year wait, Jim and Connie learned that they were going to be parents for the first time. Baby Ashton was brought to the Childs’ home in August 1997. Baby Camilla was brought home the same month in 2005. Finally, the Childs had their perfect little family, and nothing could take that away from them.

“We were ecstatic about having a child,” Jim said after officially adopting baby Ashton.

Initially, the Childs didn’t think about the difference of parenting black children in a white household. But they couldn’t ignore it forever.

“We knew white, black, green or pink that we would raise our children to be good members of the church and share our values,” Connie Child said. “But we also didn’t want to shun our children from their cultural background.”

Kayleen Vidal ran into this quandary often when she worked at A Act of Love Adoption Agency.

A Act of Love Adoption Agency has been assisting expecting adoptive parents since 1993.

A Act of Love Adoption Agency has been assisting adoptive parents since 1993.

“Lots of transracial adoptive parents wonder how they can maintain some kind of lifeline to their child’s cultural roots…. Some parents just ignore it, but we encourage them to be involved and do m

any different kinds of cultural activities that coincide with their values and beliefs,” Vidal said.

Vidal herself was adopted and after she learned that she could not bear children, she chose to adopt. After bringing home her baby girl, she decided to help other hopeful parents take in the thousands of

newborn and foster children up for adoption. She loves seeing interracial families and was so proud when she was able to help create one through adoption.

“Multiracial and multiethnic families need to be more commonplace in Utah,” Vidal said. “I believe racism will diminish when people see the happy, healthy families that transracial adoptions create.”

So, what exactly do the Childs teach and do with their children to avoid the cultural pitfalls that can occur in transracial adoptions?

Ashton Child says his parents are a big influence on him and who he surrounds himself with. “My parents are really involved in the stuff I like … the music I listen to, and the games I play, and the kids I hang around with, and the girls I hang out with.”

Ashton’s goals offer a snapshot of how his white, LDS family background merges with his fondness for black cultural icons and figures.

“Well, I haven’t thought about it much [future career] but maybe a music producer or artist … after I serve my mission, of course,” Ashton said.

Ashton’s future goals are sweet music to the ears of Shawna, Ashton’s birth mother.

Shawna still stays in touch with the Child family from time to time, making visits on holidays and special occasions. But she makes a point to not be too involved in Ashton’s life.

“I was comfortable with my decision,” Shawna said. “I gave my baby to that family with the trust t

hat they could take care of him better than I could, and I believe they have.”

Shawna says she is proud of Ashton’s aspirations and she hopes that he becomes successful in whatever he chooses.

“Although it’s not my faith, I’m glad he wants to serve a mission,” she said. “It’s good for children to have faith in their lives and the Childs have instilled real faith in him … and I don’t care if he’s a producer, doctor, teacher or whatever. I just want him to be happy and not make some of the decisions I made when I was young,” she added, with a crack of emotion in her throat.

The U.S. does not have a system to keep track of the total amount of adoptions per year, but there are several reports that offer estimates of public and private adoptions.

According to the North American Council on Adoptable Children, 6 percent of Utah’s foster-care children are African American and of that number, only 3 percent have been adopted.

Those interested in adoption can find numerous adoption websites both locally and nationally. Foster parenting is also a viable option for those who do not wish to wait the typical amount of time for an adoption to open up, or who cannot afford the costs of a traditional adoption. Utah law requires that adoptive parents be single or married, but couples living in an unmarried sexual relationship (including gay and lesbian couples) may not adopt in Utah.

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Thelina Smith, Miss Black Utah USA, strives for science education

Posted on April 4, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by LORIEN HARKER

On the Miss Black USA pageant website there is a statement that reads, “It’s time to redefine what it means to be a courageous, compassionate [and] CONFIDENT black woman today. We’ve got obstacles to overcome and stereotypes to smash. Sound like your kind of revolution? Join the movement.”

Thelina Smith has got some smashing of her own to do.

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Smith competing for the title of Miss Pioneer Valley in August 2012.

Smith is the current reigning Miss Black Utah USA. She also is a junior at the University of Utah who is studying biomedical engineering with an emphasis in biomaterials and leadership studies.

Smith is extremely busy with duties of the crown and sash, such as being an advocate for heart health while promoting her own platform. However, she makes sure to be involved with her studies. Smith started the first chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers at the U, reactivated the U’s Society of Women Engineers and is a biomedical engineering ambassador for the College of Engineering.

As a requirement for her title, Smith also promotes a platform, or an issue she feels needs to be addressed within the community. Smith says her platform, “Engineering the Leaders of Tomorrow, Because Tomorrow Matters Today,” is meant to “motivate minorities and underrepresented students to engage in STEM education.”

Smith says her platform has three goals. First, to reach out to the community, specifically women, through educating them on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. Second is to “continue to charter diverse student organizations throughout Utah that serve to recruit and retain minority and underrepresented students in STEM fields.” And third, she wants to “establish a council” to mentor the youth she hopes to recruit into math and science education.

“I feel that this pageant allows me to take my efforts to the next level,” Smith says in an email interview. “I want to challenge young ladies to think about what it is to be beautiful and smart and to capture the attention of young men to let them know they can have a future within STEM education.”

Smith has also been working on partnering with the National Society of Black Engineers, The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, The American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and the Society of Women Engineers, of which she has been an active participant. Smith wants to partner with these societies to form a council called STEM-Diversity Industry Advisory Council.  This council would include “community leaders and local STEM company representatives that will [oversee] the support of these student chapters,” Smith says.

Despite her full schedule, Smith is making time to run for Miss Black USA in Washington, D.C., in August 2013.

Although there have been women of color to win larger national and international pageants, Smith doesn’t feel women of color are being represented to their full potential within these programs.

 “I wouldn’t consider myself ‘marginalized’ in pageantry but rather ‘underrepresented.’ There have been women of color to capture the crown as Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Universe, [but] this is still relatively a small number in comparison to the number of years that these organizations have existed,” Smith says.

Lana Thompkins, the public relations spokeswoman for Miss Black USA, says in an email interview that the Miss Black USA is necessary because women of color do not feel beautiful with today’s standards of beauty.

 “Self-esteem is the core of a woman’s belief in herself. Miss Black USA sets our own standards of beauty,” Thompkins says.

African-American women have been faced with many stereotypes, Thompkins says, and the purpose of the Miss Black USA pageant is to disprove these stereotypes.

“While 80% of Miss Black USA contestants are graduates or professionals and represent a new generation, we are often negatively typecast, demeaned, and portrayed in the media and in the workplace as ‘broken,’ ‘unattractive,’ ‘alone,’ ‘hard to work with,”’ and even ‘violent,’” Thompkins says.

Raychellene Talbot, the wardrobe coordinator for Miss Utah under the Miss America Organization, feels that Miss Utah has a “melting pot of pageant girls” despite the fact that there has yet to be an African-American Miss Utah.

“We have so many different contestants at the local and state level. I know Miss Utah Outstanding Teen 2011 had 6 different nationalities,” Talbot says.

The Miss Black USA pageant was founded in 1986 by Karen Arrington. The scholarship program boasts a two-year tuition scholarship to Miles College, a historically black college in Fairfield, Ala.  The scholarship also awards a fully furnished apartment close to campus. If contestants such as Smith win and choose not to attend Miles College, they do not receive the housing benefits.

Women who have competed for the title of Miss Black USA have gone on to win titles within the Miss USA organization. Chenoa Greene, Miss Black New Jersey 2007, went on to become Miss New Jersey USA in 2008.

Thelina Smith says, “The Miss Black USA pageant is a showcase of women who otherwise may have been overlooked.”

Filed under: African American, Education, Organizations, Profiles, Science & Technology | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Mahider Ethiopian Restaurant and Market offers a taste from Africa

Posted on April 2, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photos by DANEALLE PLASCENCIA

What is your first reaction when you hear that Salt Lake City offers food directly from Africa? Probably the answer would be, that is impossible.

Next you might wonder how food from another continent tastes and what the principal ingredients are.

Salt Lake City offers an extensive variety of unique restaurants, especially in close proximity to one and other in the downtown area.

The number and location are the main attraction for some visitors.

Most of these restaurants are owned by local residents who have emigrated from their home town to look for better business opportunities in the Salt Lake  Valley.

Sleshi Tadesse (center)

Sleshi Tadesse (center) with his cooks.

Such is the case with Sleshi Tadesse, who is a resident of Salt Lake City and the owner of Mahider Ethiopian Restaurant  and Market located at 1465 S. State St.

He emigrated from Ethiopia, Africa, 14 years ago to come to the United States because of personal desires.

First he lived in Los Angeles for a couple of years, and then he decided to move to Salt Lake City to go to school and find better life opportunities.

Tadesse got a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Weber State University.

After working in his career field, and getting laid off too many times, he decided to create his own business and experience something different from what he studied.

He started the project in fall 2011, with a small market with products imported directly from Africa, including the basic spices, meats, natural juices and traditional artifacts.

After some time, he realized that he needed something else to make his business more successful and attractive for the community.

That is how he started an addition for his market.

The project Tadesse had in mind was to create an Ethiopian restaurant in addition to his African market with traditional dishes.

After being just a draft idea, it became his own project that he named Mahider Ethiopian Restaurant and Market.

Now Tedesse is the owner of the first Ethiopian restaurant in Salt Lake City.

His restaurant represents some of the oldest dishes in the world that were created in Ethiopia, and recipes from his family back in Africa.

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The flat bread vegetarian platter features a corn puree, green beans and carrots.

Mahider offers a variety of entrees made of beef, chicken and vegetarian delights made with collard greens, cabbage, split peas and lentils. The restaurant also offers salads as well as beers from Ethiopia.

Ljubisa Mijatovic, a first-time customer, said, “I am vegetarian, and I’m really surprised of all the vegetarian options that this restaurant offers, especially the veggie platter which is great.”

Herbs and spices are imported from Ethiopia to make the traditional flavor come out from the dishes and allow customers to have authentic African food.

Tradition is an important part of Mahider’s restaurant.

It encourages customers to eat the traditional flatbread and other dishes with their hands as is done in Ethiopia. Of course, utensils are provided in case that gets too complicated.

The famous Ethiopian flat bread is made of indigenous grain called “teff,” which is one of the oldest grains on Earth and makes interesting and unique flat bread.

Another important tradition and example of Ethiopian hospitality that Mahider’s Restaurant and Market offers are the coffee ceremonies. They are an integral part of Ethiopia’s social and cultural life, which describes how close the culture is.

These ceremonies consist of having home-roasted Ethiopian beans, and making fresh coffee.

“Coffee has social value in our society and is deep rooted in our culture,” Tedesse said.

This is made right in front of the customer and is designed to share with family and friends in front of an interesting background. Short stools are decorated with different kinds of fabric and some of them are carved from wood.

The coffee ceremony is a mark of friendship or respect for the African community, and the ceremony can go for at least a couple of hours, depending on the customer’s time and ability.

Coffee ceremony arrangements

The restaurant offers a unique space for the coffee ceremony.

“Experiencing the coffee ceremony is a plus of this restaurant. Besides sharing great dishes with your family, you get to enjoy coffee, and have a great conversation,” Mijatovic said.

Culture and community acceptance is really important for Tedesse, and he is really happy that the community has accepted well his traditional food and customs, which was the reaction that he was looking for.

Mahider Restaurant and Market has become increasingly popular with Salt Lake City residents, and customers who have tried the food have posted good  reviews on Urbanspoon.

“The business is going pretty good, especially Friday, Saturday and Sundays,” Tadesse said.

Mahider Restaurant and Market is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and weekends from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information call (801) 975-1111.

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‘Django Unchained’ — the ‘d’ is silent, but not the critics

Posted on April 2, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by RENEE ESTRADA

The 2013 Academy Awards were held on Feb. 24, 2013. Films, actors and others in the industry were honored for their talents. While all the films got their moment in the spotlight, one film seemed to stand out from the rest, and that film was “Django Unchained.”

“Django Unchained” stood out from the rest because of the controversy it garnered in the weeks prior to the awards ceremony. Many spoke out against the film because they believed it to be racist, crude or desentizingly violent.

“Django Unchained” received two Academy Awards: one for best original screenplay, awarded to Quentin Tarantino, and one for best actor in a supporting role, awarded to Christoph Waltz.

The movie is about a freed slave, Django, who joins bounty hunter King Schultz in his search to find criminals. He does so in order to earn the money to buy his wife, Broomhilda, her freedom, and the two can be together again. All along the way he mercilessly kills white slaveowners.

Some critics, namely Aisha Harris of Slate, say the entire film is a blatant slave revenge fantasy. In her piece, “When Blaxplotation Went West,” she argues, “He’s [Django] not standing up on behalf of his fellow subjugated man. You can choose to identify with Django, but if you do, you’re rooting for his overcoming of oppression, not a collective victory for the black race.”

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Meanwhile, blogger and critic Jamelle Bouie argued that while the story of Django may be unrealistic, at least the movie depicts some true aspects of slavery, which is very unlike Hollywood. There is no gentle and kind slaveowner. Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, accurately portrays the cruel slaveowner who was depicted in history books and imaginations. He is ruthless and probably doesn’t have an ounce of compassion.

Ingrid Gonzalez, a student at the University of Utah, agreed with these sentiments.“’Django’ showed how blacks were treated at that time. The director didn’t cover anything up,” Gonzalez said. “When it came to the treatment of slaves I feel that it was spot on, and to me that’s rare in movies because most movies show kind slaveowners, and there really weren’t many of those.”

Some critics, namely James Rocchi of Box Office, defended Tarantino’s work, suggesting the violence and language used is his style. In his review he wrote that the film combines “his maniacal style of mashed-up fragments from the cultural canon with a seriousness of intent that turns Django into a discussion of both pop and politics.”

A few years ago Tarantino made “Inglorious Basterds,” a fictitious movie in which Jews went in search of Nazis to kill and scalp them. The film enraged Germans for the depiction of Nazis. In an article for the U.K Telegraph, Richard Alleyne wrote, “Germans fear it will turn the Second World War into a comic book adventure in which their countrymen have no redeeming value.”

Others say the language in “Django Unchained” is over the top, considering the n-word is used more than 100 times. “Pulp Fiction,” another film written and directed by Tarantino, is not a movie involving slavery and Tarantino was criticized for his usage of the n-word in that. Given that “Django Unchained” is set in the antebellum South, some might argue the word is more historically relevant than a film set in California during the 1990s.

Some critics say that the violence is what is excessive. Jermaine Spradely, the multicultural editor at the Huffington Post, argues, “The problem is that, by showing non-stop killing, maiming, whipping and beating throughout the entirety of the film, by the end, the viewer is so desensitized….”

Some viewers agreed with that. Sara Scott, a student at the U, said, “I liked the movie but the gore definitely took away from it. The violence was over the top in my opinion, but I knew before I watched it that’s Tarantino’s style.”

While critics may not agree on what the film represents, movies like “Django Unchained” prove that viewers need to watch with a close eye. As controversial as movies can be, that doesn’t always negate their value. Some aspects can be surprisingly accurate, while others can be outright appalling.

Filed under: African American, Arts, Entertainment, Culture, Media | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Ogden resident Stanley Ellington enjoys helping the community

Posted on April 2, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photos by GUSTABO RODRIGUEZ

Helping people in the community of different cultures is a job that not everybody can fulfill. Reasons for helping or not helping people can come in various answers or excuses, but not for one man who helps from his heart.

Stanley Ellington was born in Alabama and lived in Washington, D.C. for seven and a half years. Then he went to Germany for two and a half years. He returned to the U.S and lived in Kentucky in 1974.

In the U.S. Air Force, Ellington helped people solve their personal problems related with their job or family.

In 2000, he moved to Utah because of his job in the Air Force. He retired in 2002 after serving for 28 years. From there, he knew that he wanted to continue to help people. He moved to Utah where the diversity is lacking, and was further motivated to help marginalized communities.

“I’m a good bridge for helping out people in the community,” Ellington said.

He enjoys helping individuals. For example, he helps an elderly woman by taking her husband to the doctor.

Stanley Ellington

Stanley Ellington is a leader in the community.

Ellington also was the first executive director of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce.

He is part of the National Baptist Association, which is divided in the states of the Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. He has many ways to help people not only in Utah, but other states by helping the other churches in those states.

He is a Christian minister for the New Zion Baptist Church in Ogden and now as a licensed minister he can help more people in the community. Ellington gets involved with the community in Ogden not only through his profession, but also through the church. He is the director of the Christian education of the church. By being in charge of the education department, his duties are to set classes for the Christians and prepare the four phases of the classes.

In 2006 he built his own business that provides consulting in business management. During this time he was made the first executive director of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce. He helped small businesses in Salt Lake and the surroundings areas to thrive in the community.

People from the black community, like many other people, are always looking for a new opportunity. Ellington said that he knew a woman who went to look for a job and the first thing they asked was if she knew Stanley Ellington.

“Just because we’re black were supposed to know each other,” Ellington said.

He has experienced different cultures here and learned the customs of other individuals. Working for the State of Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development he learned that some women don’t greet men or other people. So Ellington had to create a new way to greet a woman from a different culture.

Kathryn Crosby, a friend of Ellington, met him two years ago through their affiliation with the Utah Business Development Alliance.

Kathryn Crosby

Kathryn Crosby appreciates her friendship with Stanley Ellington.

Crosby has a great admiration for Ellington because of the way he can handle situations, and for his accomplishments with the community and his life.

“Stanley has a unique ability to see clear routes through complicated issues, and to communicate with people from all walks of life,” she said in an email interview.

Crosby also said Ellington has a contagious amount of energy and enthusiasm.

“I consider myself very fortunate to be able to call Stanley my friend and colleague,” Crosby said.

She respects Ellington because he works hard to help out people and he does not settle for reports that he is very sure do not make sense.

For example, he said that in Utah there was a report that locally-owned black business were increasing year after year, but he was not convinced.

Ellington said it is difficult for business owners to seek additional training because they can’t leave their business to go to school. If they do, they risk losing clients. He feels that the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce can help entrepreneurs by offering classes online. Webinars, or online seminars, also could be a good idea because people have become more computer savvy. He said a program on public television that would help educate business owners might be useful too. He said that it would be another way to educate not just the black community, but also people from different cultures who want to succeed in Utah.

Ellington has influenced many Utahns because of all the organizations he has been involved with.

“I’ve been labeled the African American representative,” Ellington said.

Cynthia Nielson met Ellington when she joined the Utah Business Development Alliance (UBDA). Nielson and Ellington have worked together on many projects, including managing, organizing and preparing presentations.

“Stanley has extensive training in business management and administration,” Nielson said in an email interview.

She also said that Ellington has been a big influence in the goals of UBDA, which includes assisting small businesses in finding and getting contracts that are going to help them succeed by getting their name out into the market.

“Stanley is a great teacher and donates a lot of time to our non-profit organization. Stanley is eager to improve himself through education and is dedicated to his religion. He has a kind heart and I admire him greatly,” Nielson said.

Stanley Ellington came to Utah to do what he was born to do: help people. That mission was his destiny.

“God brought me to the state of Utah,” Ellington said.”I don’t know why, but it was to fulfill my mission in Utah.”

Filed under: African American, Business, Organizations, Profiles | Leave a comment »

Growing up biracial in Utah

Posted on March 21, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by CHRISTIE TAYLOR

According to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, “it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white!” But what about being black and white, or any other biracial mix for that matter?

According to 2010 Census research, people who claim two or more races in Utah make up .027 percent of the total population of 2.7 million. That means just 75, 518 people identify as mixed-race. Eighty-six percent of Utahns, or 2.4 million, are white.

Kenna Scott, 28, whose mother is half white and half Italian and father is African-American, is among those of mixed races. Growing up biracial in Utah proved difficult for her. With little diversity in the state, she learned early that she was different.

Scott, whose darker skin, brown curly hair and big brown eyes are a complete contrast to her fair-skinned, blond-haired, blue-eyed mother, recalled her first experience with racial discrimination.

While attending a preschool in Cottonwood Heights, she was told by a fellow classmate “that their mother did not want me playing with them because I was black,’” she said in an email interview.

It had an enormous impact on her at the time because she never thought of herself as anything but a person, she said.

“I never realized I was black, it never came up,” she said. Her parents divorced prior to her birth and Scott never met her father.

Her mother, who had always taught her to love and accept everyone equally, contacted and met with the parents of the child. “I can remember playing with the other child while our parents yelled in the background,” she said.

It was the first of many times her mom would have to defend her daughter against racism.

While in the first grade a child came into class with mud on his face saying, “Look, I’m Kenna, a black pig,” she said. All the kids in the class laughed, and she spent the rest of the day crying. The hurtful nickname stuck with her through elementary school.

“I could not understand why my skin color affected people, why was I different? What was wrong with me?” she said.

Scott recalled the first time she finally had some answers to those questions.

While in the third grade she learned about Martin Luther King Jr. and saw other people being treated poorly because of their skin color, she said.

“For many reasons I remember that day clearly and remember feeling confident in my skin color, feeling proud,“ she said. Scott realized that being treated poorly by others wasn’t a reflection on her, but on those who saw her only as a black person.

After that life-changing moment, she began telling kids who were teasing her, “You were taught to hate, you do not have to hate me because your parents tell you to,” she said.

While at Butler Middle School, she experienced some diversity and met kids of other races, which helped her feel less lonely, Scott said. The experience was short-lived.

When Scott attended Brighton High School, in Cottonwood Heights, it was a lot less diverse and she was exposed to more extreme adversity. The first week of school someone wrote on her locker, “Your mom is a nigger lover,” she said.

When she complained to the principal, she was told she would need to stay after school to clean it off.

Scott’s mother met with the principal. She told him he better find out who wrote the slur and punish those individuals, not her daughter, Scott said. Two weeks went by and the racial remark remained on her locker. It was finally removed after Scott’s mother threatened to sue.

Shortly after the incident, Scott remembers being ecstatic when she met an African-American girl at school, and the girl seemed equally excited to meet her.

As an attempt to better fit in with the majority white student body, Scott had blond highlights dyed into her hair and wore blue contacts to school. She was shocked when her new friend reacted by telling her she was trying to “act white,” she said.

The girl accused her of being a “traitor” and continuously barked like a dog at her in the hallways over the next couple of weeks. “Without knowing it, she made me dislike or be afraid of black people. Would they all say this?” she remembers thinking.

She felt betrayed by white and black people and wondered where she fit in being both, she said.

“This constant battle is the ultimate metaphor of someone growing up biracial in Utah. We simply do not know where we belong,” Scott said.

“Raising Biracial Children,” a book by Kerry Ann Rockquemore and Tracey Laszloffy, tries to help parents and professionals build a better understanding of multiracial identity issues, like those experienced by Scott.

The book, written in 2005, tries to decrease “a wide divide between academics who research biracial identity, and the everyday world of parents and practitioners who raise and deal with mixed-race children.”

Roquemore and Laszloffy’s book description states, “As the multiracial population in the United States continues to rise, new models for our understanding of mixed-race children and how their conception of racial identity must be developed.”

The idea was timely, because five years after the book was published new research showed an increase in interracial marriage.

The Pew Research Poll released in February 2012 shows 71,227 couples entered into interracial marriages in Utah from 2008 to 2010.

The data showed the overall interracial marriage percentage has increased nationally from 6.7 percent in 1980 to 15 percent in 2010.

The poll stated, “43 percent of Americans say that more people of different races marrying each other has been a change for the better in our society.” That is more than four in 10 Americans who feel the change has been positive (44 percent had no opinion either way and 11 percent found it a negative change).

With 22 percent of national, interracial marriages happening in Western states, growing up biracial in Utah seems to be have a new tone for the generations after Scott.

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The Usserys at Maddi’s 2012 graduation from Tooele High School. From left: Morgan, Ben, Maddi and Diana.

Diana Ussery and her husband, Ben, moved to Tooele, Utah, from Illinois when their daughters were 6 and 2 years old. Maddi, now 19, and her sister Morgan, now 15, are half white and half black.

“No one has been blatantly rude or excluding to the girls,” Ussery said in an email interview. Maddi has brought up discussions with friends who were curious about her race, but she’s never mentioned any fights about it.

She said the racial tone in Utah is overall friendly and feels it has been a good place to raise her girls. Some people have been surprised when they discover her husband is black, but they’ve never been rude about it.

“I don’t see actions, mine or others, coming from the race perspective,” Ussery said.

Trying to connect her girls to both sides of their racial identities hasn’t been a big issue in raising them either. “I am very open and I encourage the girls to be so as well. I’ve tried to teach them to look at the person, not the race,” she said.

A part of her does wonder if race has contributed to the lack of close relationships her family has with other families in their community. She also considers religion as a possible problem. The Usserys, who are not Mormon, live in a tight-knit Mormon community.

Karen Henriquez and her husband, Tony, have two kids, Nia, 11, and Ben 6. Karen is African-American and Tony is Salvadoran. Growing up in Midvale, the Henriquez kids have been exposed to a bit more diversity than that offered in Tooele.

In an email interview, Henriquez said her kids “assumed they were Mexican because their sitter is, and a lot of their friends are,” in reference to their racial identities.

When the couple explained to the kids that their dad was actually from El Salvador and mom was African-American, their response was, “but mom you are from Colorado.”

Ben also asked once, “I just thought dad was brown and you were browner, but you are black?” she said.

“I have known black children that have grown up in all-white communities that have struggled when exposed to primarily black communities,” she said.

A trip to Texas last summer to visit Henriquez’s family proved her children didn’t have a problem making that adjustment. The children got along great with their African-American side of the family, she said.

The children had a great time in Texas and can’t wait to go back for a visit, but they seem happy in Utah for the most part, Henriquez said.

As a way of helping their kids develop healthy identities in a state with little diversity, they spend quality time with each child and support and encourage their interests, Tony said in an email interview.

When they were younger, the children were enrolled in a Spanish-speaking daycare. And, even though the provider spoke mostly English, they were surrounded with Latino foods and culture, Henriquez said.

More than anything else, both parents hope their children “have a good education, succeed in life and have patience to deal with the remaining people that do not have the education and wisdom to see past the differences of skin color.”

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