what & why

What is "skinvisible"?

"Skin Visible: Stories of Race at Luther College" began as my senior project as an Africana Studies & French major in the spring of 2009. A collaborative effort between myself and Rachel Billstein, the project consisted of two months of interview-based primary research and reflection followed by a month of creative output, resulting in a 30-minute performance piece, a cast of fifteen, and a one-night show before an audience of 200.



The process transformed me personally and shaped me academically, and Rachel grew to be someone I consider one of my closest friends and allies. The title of the show comes from the idea of race as an invisible wall, one that is very concrete yet often unseen by the dominant (white) members of the American power structure.  White people in a white-normative society don't need to recognize the wall, leaving non-white members to "bump up" against race as an everyday aspect of their existence. As I continue to explore my white identity and develop an understanding of myself as raced, it's pertinent to acknowledge the choice involved for me; my skin can be invisible. And yet, my skin is constantly visible, constantly a projection of a race, a culture, a set of stereotypes, a history.

Why is "skinvisible" the title of this blog?

It's a simple self-reminder, a tactic to bring myself back to how I live day to day, what I do and why that matters to me and to other people. How one is perceived by others makes (or breaks) the experience of life in community: hometowns, families, cities, nations, romances, wildernesses. I am trying out this blogging thing because I like to share. I like to question, ponder, and doubt. I believe that actions speak louder than words, and words imbued with power incite action.