LETTER ASSIGNMENT
This assignment is designed to get you to think about the ways in which you talk about your own racial identity and your ethnic identity. It is worth 40 points.
Directions:
This assignment is to be type-written, on 8.5×11 paper, using Times New Roman, size 12 font, with 1-inch margins all around the page. It is to be double-spaced. It is to be at least 250 words (1full page) and no more than 500 words (2 full pages).
Write a letter to your 10-year-old child. Format the letter as you would format any letter you send to a colleague. That is, it should contain a salutation, a body (4 paragraphs long), and a closing.
The Salutation
Begin your letter this way:
Dear ____________________,
(Name your child)
The Body
Begin your letter with the following sentence:
I want you to know what it means to be ___________________.
(Here, indicate whether you identify as Black; Latina/o or Hispanic; Asian / Pacific Islander; Native American; or White. Then, make some introductory statements.)
Paragraphs 2 and 3 should discuss the following:
Be as descriptive as possible. Remember, you are writing a letter to your 10-year-old child.
- Three (3) things that make you similar to other people who also use the racial identity term you chose above. [In one paragraph, identify and describe each of these 3 examples.]
- Three (3) things that make you different from others who may also use the same racial identity term you chose above. [In one paragraph, identify and describe each of these 3 examples.]
Finally, wrap up your letter with a conclusion paragraph.
Hint: If I identify as Latino, I would describe three things that make me similar to others who identify as Latino, and then three things that would make me different from others who also identify as Latino. [Stay within your racial category and avoid examples that are about psychological or individual characteristics (i.e., the fact that you like the color red, and others might not is NOT an appropriate example to discuss)
Teaching Writing at John Jay College 