Shannon Luders-Manuel

Shannon Luders-Manuel

Bio

Shannon Luders-Manuel is a freelance writer and editor living in Los Angeles. Her articles and essays have appeared online in such publications as the New​ York Times, Essence.com, and JSTOR Daily, and she is the author of Being Biracial: Where Our Secret Worlds Collide: Educators' Guide. Shannon is an academic / creative hybrid who loves living in between the lines. Find her on Instagram or Twitter. 

Shannon Luders-Manuel Articles

No one asked me to do this. I am ok being the bridge between my two worlds; it’s a badge I wear with pride.

Introducing My White Family To My Black Culture

I’m a mixed-race, black and white Californian, and this was my first time in the South.

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Despite our skin tones, our realities weren’t that disparate.

My White Childhood Best Friend Was Forbidden to See Me — Until She Found Me 29 Years Later

When her parents picked her up the next day, their eyes bored into ours with disgust. Not only was I black, but my otherwise white cousins were one-quarter Japanese. In my last memory of Brandy, she swam away from me in the unheated pool we shared with the high school next door.

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The author and her niece — so much cute!

Understanding My Privilege As A Mixed Race Woman With White Family

I have my own army who fights against injustice. I have a mother who handed out fliers boycotting grapes during Cesar Chavez’s unionizing efforts. I have an aunt and uncle who told me never to question the importance of affirmative action.

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I was most worried about my half-brother in Fort Lauderdale, and I benignly clicked on a news link about the city on my Facebook sidebar.

Coverage Of Black Looters During Hurricane Irma Reinforces Stereotypes

Like many Americans, I tried to keep close tabs on Floridian friends and family during Hurricane Irma. I clicked on a link that announced that a news crew had caught looters on tape and that the perpetrators had subsequently been arrested. The looters were black.

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Soon I’ll take the crèche out of the back of my closet and arrange it on my bookcase.

Inheriting My Grandma's Crèche Keeps Us Connected

Soon I’ll take the crèche out of the back of my closet and arrange it on my bookcase. Someday I hope to pass down the responsibility to my niece.

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“Just feel it,” my friend said. “Take it as your father speaking to you, telling you how much he loves you.” (Image via YouTube)

"This Is Us" Mirrors Watching My Absent Black Father Die of Cancer

When This Is Us debuted, I was all in. What I didn’t expect is that it would touch my heartstrings in a way I hadn’t prepared for.

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