Mixed messages |
The Queen’s Journal
Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Volume 141, Issue 16, 2013-10-22
Olivia Bowden, Assistant News Editor
Many mixed race people, myself included, have trouble defining our ethnic identity.
As a child, I’d put on my mother’s makeup and be confused as to why her dark brown foundation didn’t blend with my pale skin. A family reunion with my dad’s side felt strange as I looked nothing like the blonde hair, blue-eyed bunch.
Both sides of my family, South Asian and Anglo-Saxon, have thoroughly accepted that I don’t reflect either side in my appearance. But, the question remains, where do I belong?…
…It’s sometimes unsettling when people ask me where I’m from. While it might seem like an innocent question, it makes me feel like I have to accept a racial label. I’ve completed many surveys where I’ve had to state my race as “other”.
It’s especially sickening when I’ve been told that I am “lucky” to pass as white. Some people feel comfortable saying racist comments in reaction to my appearance. I’ve been told that I’m “pretty, for a brown girl”.
Looking “white” does not mean I am okay with racism…
Read the entire article here.
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