Mixed Remixed Festival

Win GREAT Giveaways at the Mixed Remixed Festival 2017

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We have some amazing giveaways this year at the Mixed Remixed Festival on June 10, 2017 that you don’t want to miss. Giveaways include gift certificates for the popular scriptwriting software Final Draft, Mixed Chicks hair products gift baskets, a $50 Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill gift certificate, AMC Theater tickets, and amusement park tickets too!  How could you win some of these things?  Well, all you have to do is be present with the winning ticket to win.  Each attendee will get three tickets when they get a name badge.  (No cost to you at all!)  You can see the schedule of giveaways below.

If you haven’t registered yet, REGISTER NOW! Spaces are filling up in many programs.

R E G I S T E R

Band of Vices Presents A Stunning Exhibition of New Art at the 4th Annual Mixed Remixed Festival

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We are excited that Band of Vices (BoV)–an art gallery/collective launched to support visual artists and performing artists–will showcase original new works from their most talented artists at the 4th Annual Mixed Remixed Festival.

Against All Odds (Mildred Loving), oil on wood, 18×24, 2017 Edyta Pachowicz

The exhibition includes the work of several Los Angeles area artists who are changing the art scene with unique multicultural visions.  We are particularly excited to be able to showcase the portrait of Mildred Loving by artist Edyta Pachowicz.  There is a companion piece that you will have to attend the Festival to see.  Don’t miss out on seeing this stunning display in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court decision that allowed people of different races to marry nationwide.  Artwork is available for sale at the Festival.

Don’t miss @bandofvices new art at the Mixed Remixed Festival 6/10! #mixedrace #multiracial

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Band of Vices was originally founded by Terrell Tilford as Tilford Art Group (TAG), which produced art shows and represented artists for over 10 years with galleries and pop-up locations in Los Angeles, New York and the Bay Area.  The company was rebranded in 2015 and has produced art shows and experiences in downtown LA and most recently, the West Adams Arts District. Band of Vices is active on all social media platforms, including BandofVices.com

 

MIXED REMIXED FESTIVAL STORYTELLER’S PRIZE PRESENTATION HONORS MULTIPLE GOLDEN GLOBE AND EMMY-NOMINATED ACTOR AND PRODUCER DAVID OYELOWO

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Heidi Durrow

Phone: 213-293-7077

Email: heidi@mixedremixed.org

Website: www.mixedremixed.org

 

 

MIXED REMIXED FESTIVAL

STORYTELLER’S PRIZE PRESENTATION HONORS

MULTIPLE GOLDEN GLOBE AND EMMY-NOMINATED ACTOR AND PRODUCER

DAVID OYELOWO

 

(Los Angeles, CA) The Mixed Remixed Festival will present the annual Storyteller’s Prize to multiple Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actor and producer David Oyelowo on June 10, 2017 at 6:30pm at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in downtown Los Angeles, 514 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

The Festival—now in its 4th year–celebrates stories of the Mixed racial and cultural experience and stories of multiracial Americans, the fastest growing demographic in America. This year the Festival also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Loving v. Virginia decision, which allowed people of different races to marry nationwide.  A free public event, the Festival—which is the largest nationwide gathering of mixed-race and multiracial families and people–brings together film and book lovers, innovative and emerging artists, and multiracial families and individuals for workshops, readings, and film screenings for a full day of programming and family activities.

“We are ecstatic to honor David Oyelowo,” says Festival Founder and Executive Director Heidi Durrow who calls herself an Afro-Viking because she is African-American and Danish.  “We applaud the work Mr. Oyelowo has done as an artist-activist committed to social justice and for bringing heart to stories about racial and cultural connectedness in films such as A United Kingdom and Selma among others. His openness about talking about interracial families will help so many young people who are mixed and have struggled to find a place in the world, to find strength in their difference, and most importantly to connect their own struggles with the struggle for justice for all.”

The Storyteller’s Prizes are awarded each year to artists, scholars, and community leaders who have shown a dedication to celebrating and illuminating the Mixed experience. Past honorees include Emmy award-winning actors Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, TV and film star Taye Diggs, The Daily Show’s Al Madrigal, New York Times bestselling writer Jamie Ford and Cheerios.

The Festival is produced by New York Times best-selling author Heidi Durrow (The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, Algonquin Books) and a talented group of entertainment professionals.

The event is free and open to the public. This year’s honoree has confirmed his attendance for the prize presentation, which will be presented as part of the Festival’s dynamic live performance, featuring some of the best comedians and performers including Tehran, Sunda Croonquist, Joe Hernandez-Kolski, Joshua Silverstein and Kayla Briet.  Registration is strongly encouraged. For more information and the complete festival schedule, visit www.mixedremixed.org.

Festival sponsors and funders include: 23andMe, Mixed Chicks, Buntoppers, Final Draft, My Heritage Book, Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill, AMC Theatres, the Leo Buscaglia Foundation, and the Puffin West Foundation. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of California Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The 2017 Storyteller’s Prize recipient:

David Oyelowo is a multiple Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actor and producer who has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents.

Oyelowo can currently be seen in Amma Asante’s romantic drama, A United Kingdom, which he also produced. Based on a true story, the film follows Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana (Oyelowo) and Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) whom married in 1948 altered the course of African history in the face of fierce opposition from their families and the British and South African governments and a time when apartheid was being introduced. Upcoming, he will be seen in the third film in the Cloverfield series, produced by J.J. Abrams and released by Paramount Pictures on October 27th, 2017; as well as the lead in the as-yet untitled Nash Edgerton film, co-starring Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Thandie Newton and Amanda Seyfried.

On stage, Oyelowo recently appeared in the New York Theatre Workshop Off-Broadway production of Othello. Directed by Sam Gold and starring opposite Daniel Craig as the title character, Oyelowo earned stellar reviews for his performance.

Oyelowo gained international acclaim in 2014 starring as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ava DuVernay’s Selma. Additional film and television credits include: Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe; Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar; J.C Chandor’s A Most Violent Year; Lee Daniels’ The Butler; Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln; Christopher McQuarrie’s Jack Reacher; George Lucas and Anthony Hemingway’s Red Tails; Tate Taylor’s The Help; Kevin MacDonald’s The Last King of Scotland; and HBO’s Nightingale.

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Mixed Remixed Festival 2017 Presenter Highlight: Elizabeth Hudson, physician and mom

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I had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth when she came to the Mixed Remixed Festival.  I also knew her as a listener of the podcast, The Mixed Experience.  She’s even been a guest host of the program a couple of times.  Her warmth and wisdom is abundant.  We are very glad to have her serve on a panel this year called On Bullying and the Race Talk: How to Support Your Mixed Kid.  Pre-registration is strongly encouraged.

R E G I S T E R

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are you?

I’m a mixed-race physician mom with a love for travel, music and politics. My background is quite diverse with West Africa, British Isles, Eastern, Europe and even some Southern European and Scandinavian heritage mixed in for good measure.

What is your mixed experience?

I am a mixed-race woman married to a white man and am raising a multiracial son

What is the most important thing you want people to know about the mixed experience?

For me, it’s important for others to understand that the mixed experience is different for all. We are not a monolith, as mixed persons, but we all share the knowledge of being a part and separate at he same time. Having a place where we are understood, fundamentally, as we are at the Mixed Remixed Festival, is a wonderful respite.

Do you remember when you first started thinking about the mixed experience? Was it because of a certain moment or event? 

When I was a kid, I remember being asked ‘what are you?’ This struck me such an odd question as I knew who I was: Elizabeth. As time went on, I realized that our society likes to be able to pigeonhole people into categories immediately, and when you are more than one thing, it creates a cognitive dissonance for those who encounter you. As there are now more mixed people, and these images have spread across the country and world,
the idea of being more than one ethnicity is not as hard for most to grasp. This doesn’t mean I am still not ( on a daily basis) misidentified, but it is real progress that I have seen in my 45 years on this planet.

What was your experience when you attended the Mixed Remixed Festival?  Why did you want to come back?

I first visited this festival three years ago. When I entered the door, I was struck by a few things. First, I’ve never been around so many people who look like me! All the women, with curls just like mine: it was amazing. Second, I never felt like I had to explain who I was, or that I was going to be misidentified. Everyone was like me: it’s a mixed-race wonderland!

What are you looking forward to most at the Festival this year?

I am so happy to be a part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Lovin v. Virginia decision. I am also looking forward to seeing David Oyelowo as he receives the Storyteller’s Prize! His portrayal of MLK in Selma was spellbinding!

4 Lies About Why People Identify as Biracial or Mixed Race

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Identifying as Biracial or Mixed Race is Not a Pathological Stance

1. We think we are (or really want to be) white.

 
If only I had a nickel for every time I’ve read a comment like this.  It’s really an offensive comment too.  How on earth do YOU (read random hater) know what I want for myself.  When I say that I am biracial or am specific about my racial and cultural background, it means that I want to be all of what my experience makes me. Period.
 

2.  We are uncomfortable around people of color.

 
This comment is also so thoroughly offensive.  Half of my family is made up of people of color.  In fact, I’m a person of color.  Just because I don’t buy into the idea of race as America insists I should doesn’t mean that I feel alienated from my own family or my own people.
 
 

3. We don’t understand the reality of white or light-skinned privilege.

 
Yes, we do.  Can we just start the conversation there?  
 

4. We harbor self-hating beliefs.

 
Okay, I did struggle with that growing up hearing that I didn’t belong anywhere.  But as an adult I understand that my psychic health demands that I embrace and accept all of who I am–even if that identification makes other people uncomfortable! 

5 Things That Will Make You Feel Like You Can Embrace a Mixed Race or Biracial Identity

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1. Recognize that your psychic health may require self-acceptance of your mixed race and multiracial identity.

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

A study published in 2015 in Current Directions in Psychological Science by Sarah Gaither found that multiracial children who are “raised to identify with both parents and to understand their complex racial heritage [can] have higher self-esteem than mono-racial people. They are adaptable, able to function well in both majority and minority environments. They are more likely to reject the conception that race biologically predicts one’s abilities, which may, in turn, insulate them from the negative impact of racism or bias.” Source: New York Magazine.

5 Things That Will Make You Feel Like You Can Embrace a Mixed Race or Biracial Identity #multiracial

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2. Learn about historical figures who were mixed.

One of the things that helped me start to accept the fact that I could not hide from my complicated cultural and racial identity was learning about other mixed-race people of the past.  For me, Nella Larsen who also wrote about being black and Danish (like me) back in the 1920s became an important figure.  I saw her bravery about talking about being mixed in a racially divided world as a kind of permission.  It’s important to feel like you have a history.  Seek out mixed historical figures.  Here’s one fun resource in The Mixed Experience History Month.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

3. Read books about biracial people (fiction and non-fiction).

 
Multiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoptionThere is an ever-growing literature about biracial and mixed-race characters and people.  Read those stories and find yourself!  We have a couple of resources here if you’re looking for memoirs or kids’ books.  The Mixed Remixed Festival also has its own on-line book club.  You should join us and read some great books!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

4. Watch films featuring biracial and mixed race characters.

 
Multiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoptionDitto films!  It’s an amazing experience to be in a theater and see families that look like your own like the wonderful film, Loving, and now more recently A United Kingdom.  Heck, you can find our stories on Netflix too.  Stream one now! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

5. Connect on-line and in-person with other mixed race and biracial people.

 
Multiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoptionIt’s been so amazing to connect with other mixed folks and families on line in various Facebook groups and on Twitter and Instagram.  Our favorite way to connect though is the Mixed Remixed Festival.  It’s the largest nationwide gathering of mixed families and people held each year in June.  You should join us! It’s free! 
 
 

5 Great Videos About Growing Up Biracial and Mixed Race

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

5 Great Videos About Growing Up Biracial and Mixed Race #multiracial #mixedrace

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1. The Struggles of Being Mixed Race via Buzzfeed Yellow

This video has been incredibly popular.  It has its fans (because it tells hard truths) and detractors (because, well, you tell us).  What do you think?  

 
 

2. Mixed Kid Problems: Growing Up Multicultural via Liza Koshy 

Liza is fun and funny.  We know that you will agree!

 
 

3. Being Multiracial in America via New York Times

This video is almost 10 years old now!  But you’ll be surprised at how much the conversation has stayed the same.

 
 

4. What’s So Funny About Being Mixed? via Mixed Remixed Festival 

This will make you laugh and remind you that no, we are not tragic mulattos.  Mixed folks got jokes too.

 
 

5. What Are You? via Mixed Remixed Festival

 

This great video features Festival favorites Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as well as the cute as a button Cheerios girl!

 
 
 

3 Clever Tools to Simplify Your Curly Hair Days

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3 Clever Tools to Simplify Your Curly Hair Days

Some days I wonder why people use the term “naturally curly” when talking about my hair.  I have been in a life-long search to figure out how to make my naturally curly hair look curly.  These are some of the tools that have helped me on my curly hair days.

1. Mixed Chicks Hair Products

Multiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoptionMixed Chicks Hair Products have worked wonders on my hair.  The products define my curls without weighing them down.  And the product doesn’t flake off like other products can.  My favorite product is the leave-in conditioner, but check out the whole line of shampoos, conditioners, and now hair brushes and hair accessories too!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

2. Fast-drying hair towel

Multiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoptionIf you have long, thick curly hair, a fast-drying hair towel is a real life saver.  In the past, my hair has been damp up to five hours after I’ve washed it.  And maybe you too have experienced that ring around the shoulders of a tshirt when your hair was still wet?  Your curls will dry happily in a fast-drying hair towel without getting smushed.  Try it.

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t smoosh your curls! Dry them fast with a special towel! #multiracial #mixedrace

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3. Lavender Water in Spray Bottle

 

You know how you finally have a great curly hair day and you want it to last forever.  Well, you don’t have to wet your hair completely to make that happen.  Why not just use a little lavender water in a spray bottle to spruce it up.  Here are tips on how to use it from Naturally Curly.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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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.

Mixed Love Notes: I’m pro human . . . I’m a mixed child . . .

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I’m mixed . . . I’m pro human.” #multiracial #mixedrace

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Want more #mixedlovenotes? Sign up and get it in your inbox every day for the month of February!

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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.

3 Trends You Need to Know About How to Talk About Mixed-ness, Mixed Race and Multiracial Experience and Identity

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

Sometimes it feels like the needle is not moving fast enough on the conversation about mixed-race and multiracial identity and experience.  But if we take a moment to take a look at the conversations that we’re having today, there are some changes happening in the way that people are talking.  Here are 3 trends you should know about if you’re talking about mixed-ness these days:

Intersectionality

Legal scholar Kimberle Crenshaw provides a very good explanation of what intersectionality is about in this essay.  (See also her 2016 TED Talk.)  She’s not writing about mixed-race issues in particular but the ideas still apply.

“Intersectionality is an analytic sensibility, a way of thinking about identity and its relationship to power. Originally articulated on behalf of black women, the term brougMultiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoptionht to light the invisibility of many constituents within groups that claim them as members, but often fail to represent them.  Intersectional erasures are not exclusive to black women. People of color within LGBTQ movements; girls of color in the fight against the school-to-prison pipeline; women within immigration movements; trans women within feminist movements; and people with disabilities fighting police abuse — all face vulnerabilities that reflect the intersections of racism, sexism, class oppression, transphobia, able-ism and more. Intersectionality has given many advocates a way to frame their circumstances and to fight for their visibility and inclusion.” Kimberle Crenshaw

 

 

 

 

 

Intersectionality is an analytic sensibility, a way of thinking about identity and its relationship to power. #multiracial

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Multi-Generationally Mixed (MGM)

Multiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoptionMore people are connecting with their mixed backgrounds.  That means people who felt like they didn’t have permission before are claiming a heritage that had been denied them before.  Many of those people are “multigenerationally mixed” — a kind of remix of mixing.  NPR’s Leah Donella wrote a really great piece about this changing landscape and terminology for mixed-ness.  You can read it here: All Mixed Up: What Do We Call People Of Multiple Backgrounds?

 

 

 

 

 

 

People are “multigenerationally mixed” — a kind of remix of mixing. #multiracial #mixedrace

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Reclaiming the Word “Mulatto”

Multiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoptionThere is a lot of discussion about this word that many consider perjorative.  But there are many thought leaders in the mixed race community who are eager to reclaim it in the same way that the LGBTQ movement reclaimed the word queer.  I myself am sometimes one of these people when I jokingly refer to myself as a professional mulatto.  You can check out the wonderful work of Tiffany Jones of the Mulatto Diaries (still relevant now a couple of years later).  And definitely make sure that you read Mat Johnson’s defense of the word mulatto here: Why You Can Kiss My Mulatto Ass

 

 

 

 

Yo, I’m a mulatto. And I have to tell you, it’s great.-Mat Johnson #multiracial #mixedrace

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Multiracial, mixed race, biracial, growing up biracial, biracial identity, multiracial identity, multiculturalism, biracial family, blasian, hapa, mixed race adoption, heidi durrow, mat johnson“Yo, I’m a mulatto. And I have to tell you, it’s great. I was black for most of my life, which is also great, but the thing is I look white and, coincidentally, my dad’s also white (he’s great too), and after a while I needed a word that offered me a better fit, and acknowledge my father and his whole family’s impact on my life, which was also a big part of my identity. So I converted to mulatto, which I see as a subset of the larger African American experience. I actually love the word mulatto.” – Mat Johnson

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