There is a particular way race works in this country that is tied to how our people are seen and interpreted. If you have dark skin, no matter where you’re from or what language you speak, you are more than likely treated as a black person. And if your appearance is ambiguous, people will try to figure out how to racially classify you. Now, we know that race is highly problematic—that the concept doesn’t pass scientific muster. But we also know that in the history of this country certain people are seen as black and others are not. As W. E. B. Du Bois noted in his 1940 autobiography, Dusk of
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