Each summer I think about postcards. I have one box full in my workroom with notes from childhood friends and relatives. The cards are rough around the edges and somewhat worn out. The photos or artwork are faded. I also have a boxful of postcards sent to me through postcard exchange groups. I've turned some of my artwork into postcards and sent them back to the people in these groups. I leaf through the box full of cards I've received and connect with these postcard friends from far away. Though I've never met any of them in person, the writing and thoughts expressed give me a window into the ideas of other people. I don't always agree with all that is written, but at least we have made a small step in understanding each other's point of view.
It's important to me to explore and explain to myself my own viewpoint. I found that writing in a journal has helped me clarify my thinking. I know I grew up with biases and tried to reach beyond them. After taking a workshop about racial bias and healing the racial divide, I found a postcard project that fills a different need than just a quick exchange. The Racecard Project asks you to define or express your experiences with the word RACE in just six words. That's a tough one. What would you say?
Other words, such as CULTURE or GENDER or FAIRNESS could generate a six-word definition that would give you insight into your viewpoint about important issues. What do you think are the most important concepts in each word? Give it a try.
The words Race, Gender and Fairness seemed ripe for a poster right now. I've finished a first draft and a first attempt at adding color. Looking at it, I can see some places that need adjustment and change. The C and the space around it in Race is confusing to read. Maybe a different form of the letter would work better. I am not sure about the color placement in Gender. I think I will try a single dark color for the letters with colors on the stripe behind the letters instead. I need to adnjust the letter spacing in Fairness since the F & A in Fairness are too far apart and the I and R are too close.
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| Rough draft |
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| First draft for a poster. |
A work in progress.
Take a look at the Race Card Project's website to see how other people have defined race:
If you have questions about bias, take this survey at AAUW. org:
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