BLACK IN IDAHO

Living in Idaho is not easy. My mother, stepfather, brothers, sisters, and I moved here when I was nine years old. We lived in New York until my mom and dad divorced. People have always been compelled to ask, as if entitled to my genealogy, "What nationality are you?" I hate to answer because the question is incorrect. It implies that I don't look like I was born in the United States. "I'm an American," I sometimes reply, sarcastically. I think they really want to ask, "What is your ethnic background?" "I'm mixed," I reply. "My mother is white and my father is black."

My answer is an over-simplification of the facts. It's easier than saying "none of your business" or "Native …