Dear Nella Larsen (response to Quicksand)

Dear Nella Larsen,

Thank you for the interesting and thought-provoking read.  Your narration of the struggles in the life of Helga in Quicksand resonated with me.  As an African-American female who grew up primarily around white people, I really connected with Helga.  It was not easy to be the only black person in most of my classes in high school and on my swim teams, but what was always actually more difficult for me was being shamed for “acting white” in groups of black people.  For most of my life,  I’ve felt too black for white people, and too white for black people, leaving me in a place of confusion and often isolation.  I’ve been rewarded for “acting white” in settings of white people, and I’ve been condemned for it in groups of black people, including members of my extended family.  Though unlike Helga, I am not biracial and I have “people,” this anxiety of belonging has been a constant in my life.  

I also found it interesting to read about Anne’s hatred of white people, and Helga’s response to it.  Obviously, since I grew up around many white people,  many of my closest friends are white, leaving me unsure of how to respond when people make blanket statements that generalize the whole of white society as hateful and bigoted.  These statements obviously come from a place of (warranted) frustration, but it seems counterproductive to further isolate ourselves from a group of people that holds some of the power necessary for our race’s advancement.

Thank you again,

Veronica Stafford