When I was reading Tatum this past week there was a section that really hit me. It's on page 38 and says: "Johnathan told me that someone at school had said that he was Black. 'Am I Black?' he asked me. 'Yes, you are.' I replied. ' But my skin is brow.' he said. I was instantly reminded of my own preschool 'I'm not black, I'm tan' argument at this point. 'Yes,' I said, 'your skin is brown, but Black is a term that people use to describe African Americans, just like White is used to describe people who came from Europe.'"

Of course Tatum is right because everywhere else you think of a white people living was concurred by Britain. But when does Europe and Africa stop being where people came from. We don't know where the people from Europe got to that location, and therefore don't say the Europeans came from so and so. It's very important to know history, but when a person is not teaching history and not talking to a little kid is it really right to say that Blacks come from Africa and Whites come from Europe?

I don't think Tatum is saying this, it just got me thinking. I reminds me of an experience I had in high school. It involved a Black girl saying that she didn't like to be called an African America. She wanted to be called a Nigerian. I've always been one to call people want they want to be called, but she after she said this she didn't think twice before calling people White or European. Some people wouldn't have a problem, but others want to be referred to by the country they come from, not the continent. This girl was one of them and I think if you are someone who is challenging others you should be curious and open to other interpretations.

The Tatum section also got me thinking about a friend I have who immigrated from South Africa. She is White, but she doesn't consider herself to come from Europe. She is a South African. This reminder brings me to my question, when do we stop referring to where people came from as though it was a different place? This applies very directly to the fact that a lot of Americans have been referred to as foreign because of the way they look. When is that going to stop?