So possibly the question could more precisely be phrased as “What part of you is black?” Not, “Where are you from?”

Perhaps you are all familiar with the “one drop” philosophy, adopted by American slave owners. Essentially, as long as an individual had even one drop of African blood, that individual was considered Black, regardless of what could sometimes be a very mixed lineage. Well, the “one drop” concept is, in some ways, alive and well today and is the unspoken subtext that spurs someone to ask “What are you,” when I am clearly and visibly something other than white. So possibly the question could more precisely be phrased as “What part of you is black?” Not, “Where are you from?” After all, when I truthfully answer with Guelph, Ontario, no one is never satisfied!

Araba Ocran-Caesar, “1.1 But Where are You Really From? Part IV: Oh, really? You were born in Guelph?,” Schema Magazine, (August 3, 2009). http://www.schemamag.ca/indepth/2009/08/feature-ocran-caesar.php.

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