THE QUESTION: R390: I have a personal and professional goal of learning as much as possible about ethnic diversity. I work in Human Resources in a fairly diverse small company. I’m a white female and feel I need a black “mentor” of sorts whom I can ask questions of. But I’m afraid to approach one of my co-workers because I …

THE QUESTION: R400: Do white people believe that all of the discussions about race make people of color feel bad about living in the United States? POSTED AUG. 7, 1998 Mafusa, African American <wawardjr@pacbell.net>, Rocklin, CA ANSWER 1: I don’t believe discussion of race issues makes people of color feel bad or uncomfortable – I think racism makes people feel …

THE QUESTION: R410: How do blacks who have hair in beads or other tightly configured forms, such as some U.S. tennis stars and other media notables, clean their hair of perspiration, oils and dirt? POSTED AUG. 9, 1998 Robert, white <sml@tenforward.com>, Sequim, WA ANSWER 1: To wash my hair when it is in braids, I usually put an old pantyhose …

THE QUESTION: R420: I have worked in several hospitals in areas with large Filipino populations. I have noted that many of the women bring lots of food and love to share with all the other Filipino staff on the floor, and will often included me. If this food sharing a cultural thing? POSTED AUG. 14, 1998 Darci, 31<darlink@hotmail.com>, San Diego, …

THE QUESTION: R430: In San Francisco recently there was a debate over required reading in the public high school district. It broke down to a race issue. I continually heard the statement that the kids needed to read from authors who reflected their ethnicity to feel more positive about themselves. Is it possible this line of thinking could cause us …

THE QUESTION: R440: Many times when I am watching television, I notice that a good number of African-American females’ names begin with “La,” such as Latonya or Latoya. Is there something in family heritage that accounts for using that prefix? POSTED SEPT. 1, 1998 Matt D., 15, white <bluefan@hotmail.com>, Novi, MI To respond BACK TO TOP THE QUESTION: R439: I’ve …