Dear Helga Crane,

What is it like to experience opposite ends of a racial spectrum? In the United States you were accepted neither as a black woman nor as a white woman, and in Denmark you were treated with the dignity reserved for demigods. Being looked down upon as a human is undoubtedly a troubling experience which can leave lifelong scars, but can being treated as more than a human, better than a human, have similarly negative effects on the human psyche? To be treated as an equal is one of the most powerful experiences as an individual; being recognized as someone who is deserving of respect can set the stage for a lifetime of self-assurance and happiness. Did the differences in Denmark and the USA have similar effects? or were they incomparable?

Sincerely,
Luca MacDougall

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