The Delicate Dance: Living White Being Black A Memoir

By: Paula Heariold-Kinney

Societal forces that shaped her life as a black woman impact Paula’s life. She finds herself attempting to fit into a dominant white society. She describes events from childhood to present that contributed to her life experiences. She addresses her parents’ endeavors to teach her how to assimilate and to value the white culture in order to succeed in life. She finds herself concealing her cultural identify when she is in an all-white environment.

A hurtful childhood encounter shaped her mindset in believing being black was a negative attribute. As a four-year-old, she experienced a very negative situation, which launched the beginning of a trajectory that compelled her to transform her life, by assiduously working diligently to assimilate into a white society. She captivates the love and strong foundation of growing up in a black family. Yet the complexity of doing a delicate dance between two cultures was not without anguish.

Paula shares both her outward journey and her inward journey. Although she becomes a successful professional woman, it was fraught with experiencing emotional, mental, and psychological consequences.

About the Author

Strong and effective leadership has been the hallmark of Paula Heariold-Kinney. She has been an educator in positions as teacher, secondary principal, district administrator, and adjunct professor. She began her early career with IBM as an educational support specialist. She currently is a leadership coach for several nonprofit organizations and serves on several nonprofit boards. Her research and publications have focused on equity, respect, and acceptance through open and courageous conversations based on trust, shared principles, and values.

Kinney has been married to her husband, Dan, for 47 years, and they have three adult daughters.