Mixed Remixed Festival

We’re Reading Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon Join us 4/23 5PM Pacific

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Multiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoption

Join us for our On-Line Book Club Discussion About Mixed Race and Multiracial Books!

We’ve been having so much fun reading together since we launched our on-line book club last fall.  This month we’ve been reading Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything, a heart-wrenching and fast-paced read.  The book has been made into a major motion picture starring Mixed Remixed Festival fave Amandla Stenberg.

Join us this Sunday April 23 at 5pm on the phone (it’s a community call), listen live on your computer, or talk with us in the chat room to discuss this wonderful book.

We’re talking about @nicolayoon Everything, Everything! Listen in!

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Our Literary and Workshop Director Jamie Moore and Festival Founder Heidi Durrow lead the discussion.  If you can’t join us live, you can always download the podcast from itunes.  You can also submit any questions or comments you have on our Goodreads book club page.  What’s your favorite line from the book?  What’s your favorite scene?  We’ll read your comments on the air!  We can’t wait to talk with you about another great book about the Mixed experience. 

Multiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoption

 

 

Mixed Love Notes: I am not a mutt.

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I am not a mutt. #multiracial #mixedrace

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Join us for the largest gathering of multiracial and mixed-race families and people in June 2017 for the 4th Annual Mixed Remixed Festival.

5 Essential Resources for Parents of Mixed Race and Multiracial Kids

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multiracial, mixed race, biracial, hapa, mixed remixed, mixed festival, mixed roots, mixed race blogsPeople often ask us for parenting resources and we’re happy to help.  Usually we have done it piecemeal — one email at a time.  But we’ve decided we’re going to pull together as much information for you and post it here on the Mixed Remixed Festival blog.

Here is just the beginning of the research we’ve done:

5 Essential Resources for Parents of Mixed Race and Multiracial Kids

  1. Mixed Like Us: 5 Ways to Support Biracial Children at Home and in School by Kimberly Cooper via Huffington Post

Cooper has written widely about this subject and has been active in discussion multiracial experience for decades now.  She asks a simple and important question in her article: “But what if mixed-race and biracial children were supported for an identity which embraced both parents?”  She then outlines some concrete steps that you can take to make that happen.

But what if mixed-race and biracial children were supported for an identity which embraced both parents? @literatigurl #multiracial

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2. Raising Mixed Race: Multiracial Asian Children in a Post-Racial World by Sharon Chang

This book has received a lot of attention since its publication last year.  It’s unique in that it focuses specifically on Asian-American mixed kids, a topic that is often given short-shrift in a country that thinks of race in black and white.

3. 7 Things Your Parents Didn’t Tell You about Raising a Biracial Child by Deidre Anthony via Huffington Post

Anthony is a great blogger to follow and this post is really important because she tells truths you may not be able to accept yet, but you need to hear as the parent of a mixed kid.  Make sure you check this out.

4. How to Raise Confident Multiracial Children by Chantilly Patino via Bicultural Familia

The best thing that you can do as a parent of a kid of any polka dot or stripe is raise a confident child–one who is comfortable in his or her own skin.  That becomes a challenge often for mixed-race kids who are defined by what they look like more than what their experience may be.  This is a great article about how to instill confidence in multiracial kids.  And Patino’s blog as a whole is a great resource too! 

5.  What I wish white moms of biracial kids like me understood by Rachel Charlene Lewis

Lewis does a fine job of sharing some of the ideas that I try to share with white moms who look to me to advice.  Again, she has some tough lessons for parents to learn, but I guarantee they are lessons you will want to learn.

We’ll keep bringing you more resources. Do you have any that you think we should share? 

Essential Resources for Parents of Biracial and Mixed Race Kids. #multiracial

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Join us for the largest gathering of multiracial and mixed-race families and people in June 10, 2017 for the 4th Annual Mixed Remixed Festival.

Bill of Rights for People of Mixed Heritage: I have right to . . .

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Here is another reminder from Maria P. P. Root’s Bill of Rights for People of Mixed Heritage . . .

“I have the right not to keep the races separate within me.” #multiracial

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A Reminder of the Bill of Rights for People of Mixed Heritage by Maria P.P. Root

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mixed race, multiracial, biracial, growing up biracial, mixed race blogsIn 1993, Dr. Maria P. P. Root wrote this ground-breaking Bill of Rights for People of Mixed Heritage. 

I remember reading it for the first time that year and thought–there is no way that people will allow this. 

Some 10 or 15 years later, I finally started to feel comfortable in my own skin and complication and realized that people couldn’t give me rights I had to declare them.  

We have done a very poor job of telling the history of the mixed race and multiracial experience generally.  So we have included this here so people don’t forget that we really are making some progress by even being able to name ourselves and gather in community on the internet and once a year at the Mixed Remixed Festival.  We’ll be sharing some of these rights with you as periodic reminders for you to claim all of your complicated heritage.-Heidi Durrow, Festival Founder

I have the right to id myself differently than strangers expect. #multiracial #mixedrace

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Picture Books for Mixed-Race and Multiracial Kids

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We often get requests from parents for suggestions of books they can share with their kids that feature mixed-race characters.  We’re working on developing an all encompassing resource, but for now we wanted to share some recent picture books that should definitely be part of your child’s library!

New Picture Books for Mixed Race and Multiracial Kids #multiracial

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My Name is James Madison Hemings by Jonah Winter

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This is the story of the son that Thomas Jefferson had as a result of a relationship with a woman who served as his slave. Publishers Weekly describes the book as a “poignant and personal dimension to the story of Thomas Jefferson’s family with Sally Hemings through the fictionalized first-person perspective of one of their sons . . . . candid narration, [and] emotive acrylic art underscores his perception of his life’s station.”  Check it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sound of Silence byKatrina Goldsaito

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We were so lucky to have Katrina present at the Festival this year!  Her book has since earned rave reviews everywhere.  Get a copy of this great children’s book about a young mixed boy in Tokyo.

 

 

 

The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko

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This is a must-read book for mixed-race families.  The beautiful film Loving out in theaters now tells the tale perfectly for adults, but don’t let the kids grow up without knowing the history of how the Loving’s fought for interracial marriage to be legal in every state.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed Me by Taye Diggs Illustrations by Shane Evans

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We were so thrilled to honor Taye Diggs and Shane Evans at the Mixed Remixed Festival in 2016 for this wonderful book about a mixed-race boy who is learning to embrace and cherish both of his parents’ cultures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dahlia’s Little Curls by Rachel Minniefield Ersing

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I wish I had a book like this when I was a young curly-haired get so I could learn to embrace my curls before I turned 40! This is a sweet little book that was just released in December. Check it out now.

Top 10 List of Lists About Mixed Race and Multiracial People and Families

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mixed-family-logoWe’ve noticed that there are a lot of lists out there that have to do with mixed-race folks and families.  We thought we’d do a round-up of our favorites here!  So, in no particular order here is the Top 10 List of Lists About Mixed Race and Multiracial People and Families!  Did we miss any of your favorites?

Top 10 List of Lists About Mixed Race & #Multiracial People & Families #mixedrace

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  1. 11 Crazy Things You Hear When You’re a Biracial Woman via Cosmopolitan
  2. 14 Things Never to Tell a Biracial Person via The Odyssey
  3. 6 Things I Wish People Understood About Biracial People via Vox
  4. 17 Things Only Kids Who Grew Up In A Mixed Race Household Would Understand via Buzzfeed
  5. 26 Questions Mixed-Race People Are Really Very Tired Of Hearing via Buzzfeed
  6. 17 Struggles of Being Mixed Race via Thought Catalog
  7. 15 Things Never to Say to Parents of Biracial Kids via Huffington Post
  8. 10 Things Not to Say to Mixed Race Native Americans via Cecelia Rose LaPointe
  9. 5 Amazing Things About Growing up in a Mixed Race Family via Health and Parenting
  10. Seven Reasons Why I Love My Mixed Race Family via Huffington Post

 

 

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Join us for the largest gathering of multiracial and mixed-race families and people in June 2017 for the 4th Annual Mixed Remixed Festival.

 

Movies with Biracial Characters on Netflix

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mixed race, multiracial, biracial, biracial celebrities

 

Barry (2016)

mixed race, biracial, multiracial, mixed root, biracial celebrities, heidi durrowThis touching film was the inspiration for this list of films of biracial characters in films on Netflix.  Barry is an Amazon original production and it’s really good.  I got teary-eyed more than a few times watching the film and the way in which it shows young Barack Obama negotiating his place in the world as a young biracial/African-American man. Devon Terrell (be-still-my-heart) puts in a solid, nuanced, and touching performance of young Barack Obama striking a great balance with the way he speaks –it is in no way an Obama impression but you feel the style of his speech replicating his thought process as it does still today.  Don’t miss this film.  Did I mention that it’s really really good. 

beyond-the-lights-1Beyond the Lights (2014)

This is one of my favorite films.  It is truly a wonderful love story and guaranteed to make you cry. The story is centered on the story of a mixed-race pop singer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and her troubled relationship with her mother-manager and her skyrocketing career.  Enter a policeman doing extra duty as a private security guard (Nate Parker) when she needs him most.  The love story plays out so beautifully.  And it also becomes a love story in which the heroine finally learns to love herself.

 

 

 

Movies on Netflix with #multiracial #mixedrace characters!

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yelling-to-the-sky-3Yelling to the Sky (2012)

This is a really beautiful and painful film that I sure wish I had seen when I was younger.  Zoe Kravitz stars in this film about a biracial girl who is growing up amid violence and neglect.  You really want to reach out and help this young woman as she tries to navigate this difficult world and ultimately tries to make better choices for herself.

 

 

 

 

 

french-dirtyFrench Dirty (2015)

We were so lucky to screen French Dirty at the 2015 Mixed Remixed Festival.  It’s a beautiful and visually compelling film about love and deception and the complications of sibling rivalry and love.  The film has been dubbed “a very Los Angeles version of the kind of French romantic drama made by Eric Rohmer, Francois Truffaut, or more recently Arnaud Desplechin.”  The film is a fresh take on the multiracial and mixed-race experience that has family at the heart of it.  Definitely check this out.

 

 

little-white-lie-3Little White Lie (2014)

This excellent documentary about how Lacey Schwartz was raised to believe her tan skin came from her Sicilian grandfather only to learn the truth as a young adult about her biracial background is a stunner.  I had a chance to see the film in a theater full of mixed folks and you could hear us all gasp at certain parts.  The film does an excellent job of exposing how our country’s ideas of race complicate familial relationships as much as they make it difficult for us to claim them.

 

 

 

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Trevor Noah: African American (2013)

 

It’s worthwhile to check out this stand-up by Trevor Noah that was recorded long before he was tapped to be on much less host The Daily Show.  Of course, I love that he mines the humor of being mixed-race in apartheid South Africa.  BTW there really shouldn’t be a lot to laugh about on that subject, but Noah finds the funny for us.  It may seem a little dated given the current state of the country, but I think you’ll find the humor in it when we really need to laugh.

Top Ten Stories About Mixed-Race, Biracial, Multiracial People and Experience 2016

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Amazing droplets on a glass with a lights of the city on the background creating wonderful bokeh. Keywords: raindrop;light;shiny;street;rain;city;liquid;storm;autumn;view;glass;abstract;window;weather;wet;drop;urban;flowing;wind;refraction;water;surface

We’re taking a look back at the year and wanted to highlight some of the big stories about biracial and mixed race people and experience that made the headlines this year.  Here are our top 10-ish in no particular order.  What did we miss?

Top Ten Stories About Mixed-Race, Biracial, #Multiracial People and Experience 2016

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  1. Loving, the film

loving-film-posterIf you haven’t seen the film yet, you simply must.  We were so excited that Focus Features signed on as a sponsor this year as they worked to reach the audience that this film would mean the most to.  When we finally saw the film in a private advanced screening we were not disappointed.  The performances of Ruth Negga (a mixed chick!) and Joel Edgarton are quietly stunning.  Director Jeff Nichols has done a wonderful job in portraying the people behind the case of Loving v. Virginia.  I’ll say it again: If you haven’t seen the film yet, go see it NOW–and if you have go see it AGAIN! We want to make sure that Hollywood knows that when they make stories about our experience and our lives we will support them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

prince-harry-and-meghan2. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

There’s no telling how long this couple will continue to be a couple, but they are now and I think it’s pretty darn cool.  We might have a mixed chick as British royalty soon according to this report.  Stay tuned.

 

 

 

dwayne_the_rock_johnson_street_tribeca_2009_portrait3.  The Rock is People’s Sexiest Man Alive

The Rock was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive this year and who are we to disagree!  He’s had an amazing year professionally as well with his hit comedy with Kevin Hart and then his star turn in the Disney animated film Moana –you’re welcome!  I can’t wait to see what he does next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

dsc_01124.  Mixed Remixed Festival 2016

Yup, we put the Festival on the list because it was the very biggest and best it’s ever been.  We received write-ups by NPR, NBC News and the Los Angeles Times.  We set attendance records (close to 1000 people this year) and we had a line-up that was unparalleled–not to mention the most amazing live event show to date where we honored Taye Diggs and Shane Evans for their book Mixed Me!  We’re working on how we can follow up all of the amazing-ness already.  Again, stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

kamala-harris5. Kamala Harris Elected to U.S. Senate

I think Kamala Harris is the first mixed chick ever elected to the Senate (but please fact check me if you can).  She will represent California as the first black female senator and the first Indian-American senator from our state.  We hope you can do the important work the country needs, Sen. Harris!

 

 

 

 

 

14390801_522124778715_8122757894133085338_n6. African-American Culture and Denmark Conference

Okay, you may not have heard of this, but it was a really important conference.  It was a two-day conference at the University of Copenhagen that really was illuminating.  You would be surprised about how many connections there are between Denmark and African Americans: black American jazz artists that emigrated there, Nella Larsen, painter William H. Johnson, and even Booker T. Washington had ties to the country.  The fact that they are talking about racial and cultural connectedness in Denmark that has for so long been a homogeneous population is real progress!

 

mx14_hd_keyandpeele7. Key & Peele Take Home an Emmy

What can we say but BRAVO! Yes, we miss the duo on their show, but we’re so glad that they received the recognition that they so deserved.  They are both busy with lots of new projects.  We continue to be their biggest fans.

 

 

 

mx14_collage_long_dsc04947-resized8. Saying You’re Multiracial Makes People Think You’re Prettier

I wouldn’t exactly categorize this as good news, but there it is.  Robert Reece in a study found that black people who simply said that they had multiracial identity were perceived as more attractive.  According to Reece: “Not only were people who identified as multiracial rated as more attractive on average, but even the multiracial people with the darkest skin tones were rated as more attractive than the monoracial black people with lighter skin tones. In essence, this combination of results means that simply identifying as multiracial may make a black person appear more attractive to others, regardless of how he or she actually looks.” I’m not sure what the takeaway should be with this information.  What do you think?

9. Women Are More Likely to Identify as Mixed

A young girl in pale pink veil.I wasn’t surprised to read about the study that found that mixed-race women are more likely to identify themselves as mixed race than men. According to Stanford professor Laura Davenport, who did the study: “It would seem that, for biracial women, looking racially ambiguous is tied to racial stereotypes surrounding femininity and beauty.”  This was another important study that is helping us understand how racial and gender identities work together–something we will need to understand better as we become an increasingly mixed-race and multiracial country.

 

 

 

 

 10. Hamilton

hamiltonWhat can I say about Hamilton that hasn’t already been said?  It’s an amazing genius achievement in every way and has had a profound impact on American culture with everyone from teens who have memorized the soundtrack and now also the mixtape songs.  Congrats to Lin Manuel Miranda and the whole multicultural cast on all of the success and thank you for the great work you do!

Okay, so what did I forget? Do tell!  And happy new year! 

What were the top 10 stories of the #multiracial #mixedrace community in 2016?

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Join us for the largest gathering of multiracial and mixed-race families and people in June 2017 for the 4th Annual Mixed Remixed Festival.

Read Nella Larsen’s Passing: February’s On-Line Mixed Race & Multiracial Book Club Pick

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nella-larsenWe’re excited to read Nella Larsen’s Passing for our next on-line book club pick!  Nella Larsen was a black/Danish writer of the Harlem Renaissance who was writing about issues of the Mixed experience way before her time.  I have read the book at least a dozen times as has Jamie Moore.  So please don’t miss this discussion that we’re planning for Feb. 5 at 4pm Pacific!  

Read Nella Larsen’s Passing with @heididurrow & @mixedreader for our #multiracial on-line book club.

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You can get a copy of the book here OR really anywhere (including used bookstores).  You can also find it as an e-book.  Make sure you join us for the on-going discussion over on Goodreads if you can’t join us on 2/5.  And remember you can also email us questions or post them on Goodreads if you’d like to ask a question or make a comment and you’re not able to join us live.nella-larsen-passport-with-logo

Here is my synopsis of Passing in my NPR commentary on the book:

“Passing is set at the height of the Jazz Age — when Harlem was in vogue. It’s the story of two light-skinned black women whose comfortable lives unravel when they are reacquainted in a whites-only restaurant: Irene, the wife of a prominent African-American doctor and the mother of two boys; and her childhood friend Clare, who is passing as white.

Clare longs to be among black folks again. And at the risk of her racially intolerant husband discovering her real identity, Clare secretly joins Irene and her husband at the best clubs and parties where the Harlem literati and intelligentsia meet. Larsen’s slim book reads like a literary page-turner. Will Clare’s secret be exposed? Will she return to Harlem? Will the women’s friendship survive Clare’s renewed interest in her African-American roots?”

Read Nella Larsen’s Passing for our #mixedrace #multiracial stories on-line book club!

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Learn More About the Mixed Remixed Festival On-Line Book Club

Mixed Remixed FestivalWe choose books that we think will speak to you and deal with mixed-race and multiracial families and people.  Each month we host a call-in podcast so that we can discuss the book together and if we get more interest we will start an on-line Twitter chat.  Can’t make those events? Well then you can keep the conversation going in our new Goodreads Book Club all month long.  Join the group now. 

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