June 9, 2000

Emmy-award winner Teja Arboleda struck an animated pose during his performance at the MGH June 1. "Ethnic Man," a funny, touching and inspirational show about growing up multiracial, draws on Arboleda's personal experiences.

Speaking to a large audience in the Wellman Conference Room, Arboleda talked about his diverse background and his childhood in the United States and Japan. "People thought I was 'exotic,'" he says. "I thought, 'How could I be exotic? I was born in Brooklyn, New York.'"

Arboleda acted out characters from his life, including the nurse who asked his mother right after he was born why he was "so dark," and the cab driver who told him to stay "with his own kind." He also talked about more subtle messages of discrimination, such as the stereotypes in Japanese cartoons and the pink, "flesh-colored" Crayola crayon. "I learned to cope," he says.

Teja Arboleda plays with an inflatable globe, one of the props used in his performance.

Arboleda spoke about the research he did into his family history, which, along with a diary of his life given to him as an adult by his father, has led him to accept and embrace his multicultural background. "I finally know who I am," he said. "Now I love who I am."

The presentation was sponsored by the Association of Multicultural Members of Partners (AMMP).