Nicole founded Hyphenated Nation, a website devoted to ending the compartmentalization of Americans. The motto: Don’t Check the Box, A Call to Action to Eliminate America’s Hyphen and Bring about a Return to Unity as Americans.
I had the pleasure of interviewing this amazing woman about this important cause. Read the interview below:
Hi Nicole,
I think this is fantastic. I LOVE what you are doing.
We are called the UNITED States of America for a reason. This movement will create a dialogue which hopefully will lead to actions.
Me: So tell me what lead you to start this movement?
Nicole:
The realization that I lived in a Hyphened-Nation only became evident to me after I travelled and lived overseas. I experienced an awakening of my true self that I never realized was suppressed. At least not until I lived in a country whose countrymen viewed me as a person, with no preconceived stereotype based on the color of my skin. I was assumed to be British until I spoke, and then I was simply viewed as an American. Not as an African-American with all the stereotypical notions shackled to my nationality. It was an awakening moment.
When I returned home the stark understanding that I could not be my true self in my own homeland weighed down my heart and soul like a stone. I started writing about my experience as both a therapeutic, and inspirational tool. I decided to write about my experience to leave as a legacy to my nieces and nephews who would have to grow up in hyphenated society. As I enlisted Beta readers to review each chapter, more and more people started sharing their stories and asking me to spread this message to a wider audience. That is when I learned how many people felt this suppressed pain of being tied to a hyphen. That’s when the movement began organically. To quote from my book, "The hyphenation of your nationality minimizes your standing in the nation. The hyphen might as well act as a minus sign. Both are represented by the same symbol, and have the same consequences. Just as a minus “takes away” a numerical value, its counterpart hyphen lessens the value of your nationality."
When I returned home the stark understanding that I could not be my true self in my own homeland weighed down my heart and soul like a stone. I started writing about my experience as both a therapeutic, and inspirational tool. I decided to write about my experience to leave as a legacy to my nieces and nephews who would have to grow up in hyphenated society. As I enlisted Beta readers to review each chapter, more and more people started sharing their stories and asking me to spread this message to a wider audience. That is when I learned how many people felt this suppressed pain of being tied to a hyphen. That’s when the movement began organically. To quote from my book, "The hyphenation of your nationality minimizes your standing in the nation. The hyphen might as well act as a minus sign. Both are represented by the same symbol, and have the same consequences. Just as a minus “takes away” a numerical value, its counterpart hyphen lessens the value of your nationality."
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| Nicole |
Me: Tell me more about your experience in London where you were viewed only as American, rather than as African-American.
Nicole:
During my time in the UK, the first time I realized I was dealing with a completely different cultural mindset, was when I went shopping for running shoes at a popular sporting goods store. As I walked in to the shoe section, there was a large billboard on the wall of a black man, and a white woman, his arm was around her and they were obviously a romantic couple embracing after a day out at a sporting event.
I felt a shockwave go through me as I looked at the billboard. I had never seen an advertisement in a major store in California featuring an interracial couple embracing in a romantic fashion. It made me feel great because from my perspective it was almost as if it was an affirmation saying, this is all right, and this is good. You can love anybody you choose. I have to laugh as I think back on how I looked around to see if anyone else was as shocked as I was. No one gave that poster a second glance; it was merely business as usual. Nobody gave a hoot. I thought, “Toto we are not in Kansas anymore”. I think this billboard affected me deeply because in my many years of being in an interracial relationship, I had never seen this type of advertising. Yes, America does portray us as a melting pot as long as all the ingredients are kept in separate pots.
That experience was the first of many “Moments of Clarity”. When you grow up surrounded by images that depict what is good and what is bad, what is acceptable, and what should remain behind closed doors, of course those images are going to be imbedded in your conscience. Our television, radio, and billboard advertisements for the majority rarely show interracial couples in major advertisement campaigns.
Why? Is it because it is a dirty secret? Is America not yet ready to see that image? Are the powers that be not ready to let that image be the standard? Who knows why, but I do know that this is the American reality. I have to admit that the saying, “Divide and conquer” never held more relevance for me, in regards to race and diversity in America.
Me: I have such disdain for having to check the ethnicity boxes on forms. See, there is one thing of having pride for your culture, but another when you have to put yourself in a box. I always was able to check ‘Caucasian’ or white (I do not even know my true lineage, just the fact that I have family hailing from Poland, Hungary, Russia, among other nations), but I went to a high school, where 75% of the students were ‘Indian,’ and when they had to check the boxes, there was never a great answer for them. Some would say Asian, some would say ‘other’…No one should have to label themselves as ‘other.’ And even before that, going all the way back to middle school, I remember my friend of mixed race not knowing if she should check ‘African American,’ ‘white,’ or ‘other.’ How have you dealt with this issue personally?
Nicole:
America has evolved into a society where we no longer see each other as Americans. I am a born and bred American, yet I have been asked innumerable times throughout my life, “What are you?” based on the color of my skin, and the way I speak. Questions like, “You can’t be just black.” Or “You don’t look all black”. Like this somehow helps them determine who I am or how I should be treated. This stems from living in a hyphenated society. I have no intention of living up to someone’s learned expectation, via media stereotypes
Me: It is 2016…It amazes me how this is still an issue and such a big one at that! How do you suggest we can best educate others about how to eliminate the hyphen, because for every supporter, there are a number of detractors who are so deadset on it, since it’s ‘always been this way’?
Nicole:
Our movement’s battle cry is, “Don’t Check the Box™” it is a call to action. Read the book Hyphened-Nation ™ Don’t check the Box is available on Amazon. We have wristbands to show your support, and we have a template letter on our website that only requires your signature, your local representatives name, then you can cut and paste and email, or print it out and snail mail it to you state representative. Americans have been burdened long enough with a hyphenated nationality, ant it being used to determine who they are.
Me: What are your views on cultural pride?
Nicole:
I think cultural pride is fantastic! It is wonderful to be able to trace your ancestry to its origin and to learn about the customs and practices of your ancestors, it lends to a greater sense of self and personal pride. As a born and bred American, my American culture is the only one I know. With that being said, I believe personal pride should be just that, ‘personal’. Familial pride should be ‘familial’, and national pride should, ‘national’. There is no room is todays America to be proud of who you are merely because of the hue of your skin. It is one of the most divisive concepts of personal pride in American history
Me: What do you think the reason is that America is the country who hyphenates its Americans?
Nicole:
I find it ironic that even though the words man or woman never appear in the constitution, it has been used as an exclusionary document in its principles of race and gender since its inception. The only identifying word used in the Constitution for Americans to interpret to whom it refers is the word citizen. The Constitutions preamble states, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Being categorized as a hyphened American goes against the very foundation of what our country was built upon. It does not work toward “forming a more perfect union”, it works against, “establishing justice.” It has done the opposite of, “insuring domestic tranquility.” It does not “promote the general welfare of its citizens”, nor has it succeeded in “securing the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”
This is an example of “Divide and Conquer”. We (the American People) have allowed our media and our government to do just that by sanctioning our nationality to be hyphenated. It’s easier to control people who are divided rather than united.
Me: Where do you see this evident in everyday life? As Americans, how can each person begin making a positive difference now to create the change needed to lose the hyphen?
Nicole:
I see this evident everywhere. Look at politician talking about capturing the Asian, Latino, Black vote. Aren’t all these people American? What about capturing the American vote. How many billboards feature ad with multi ethnic couples? It’s still taboo in this country. Remember the Cheerios commercial?
As Americans we should make an effort to refuse to check ethnicity boxes. I realize in some cases it is needed, but by and large it is not. There are many brands I refuse to support. I will not buy their products simply because I do not appreciate the way they depict Americans of color. There are many television shows I refuse to watch because of the negative stereotypical portrayal they use to depict people of color. I also will not buy the brands that support their programs. This is not difficult because luckily in America, my alternative choices are limitless. If you support via viewership or monetarily something that you feel is wrong, and then wonder why it never changes, look in the mirror. .
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