We are very proud of the “I Am a Story” t-shirt that we debuted at the 2016 Festival earlier this year! We have crew-neck, v-neck and kid sizes for you to enjoy. You can order on-line now! Support the Festival you love and get a great t-shirt for just $25 USD including shipping. (PLEASE NOTE: We do not ship outside of the United States. Overseas orders will be cancelled.)
Hey there! I’m Meghan, a 22-year-old Detroit area native and one of the newest guest bloggers to the Mixed Remixed community. I’m a young biracial woman mixed with African American and Caucasian (German and Irish)—however, I don’t know much about my African American family and/or roots. In fact, I was raised exclusively by my white mother and in an entirely white family.
I wanted to take a unique approach to this concept of feeling disconnected from one side of your biracial ethnicity and delve not only into my internal conflicts and concerns – but also into the experiences of my mother and how she managed raising a biracial child (me) in a solely white environment. Through an interview between my mother and I, one can ultimately see how our relationship shaped the views on my biracial makeup.
Enjoy!
As I faced my reflection in the mirror, I studied my caramel complexion and deep chestnut eyes carefully…“Am I adopted?” my eight-year-old self wondered.
At the time, my thoughts didn’t seem irrational. The children at school would tell me I couldn’t be more than one race, and the boxes on the standardized testing didn’t defy that concept. “I had to be adopted,” I confirmed to myself with a slight nod.
I didn’t resemble any of my extended family members—which I definitely found unsettling. However, I was particularly put-off by the lack of resemblance I had to my mom. Being an only child in a single parent family, my mom and I were naturally closer than many children are to their mothers. My mom was all I had and I felt bewildered that we looked nothing alike. She had piercing hazel eyes that illuminated against the light and honey blonde hair that maintained an effortless shine. I carried none of those features.
Still staring at myself intently, I scratched my chocolate curls, confused. At the tender age of eight, I most certainly didn’t believe that even having parents of separate race was feasible.
My father wasn’t brought into conversation very often and in general; my interaction with other races and ethnicities were limited.
Finally, I stepped off the stool that gave me height to the mirror and tucked attempted to tuck quietly below the sink. Instead, its legs scraped and screamed against the cold tile floor—similar to the screaming confusion I heard in my head. “Who am I? And when was I adopted?”
Fast-forward 14 years and of course, I’m no longer eight. Instead, I’m a 22-year-old woman who has self-actualized and developed a growing understanding toward her biracial background thanks to the encouragement of my mom.
Throughout the years, I was curious as to how she managed to raise me and if she endured struggles along the way. So, being inquisitive in nature, I decided to sit down and ask her what had been on my mind throughout majority of my life. Here’s what she had to say:
During pregnancy/once you found out you were pregnant, had you ever thought what it would be like to raise a biracial child? Did you initially think there would be any type of struggle in terms of racial identification?
Initially, no. I didn’t think there would be any type of struggle. My main responsibility was raising you and making sure I provided for you. Thinking back, it may have been oblivious for me to think I wouldn’t run into struggles in helping you to identify with your African American side. I also should have been more aware to the potential issues of raising you in a primarily white community where there weren’t many biracial or black children at the time.
Living in a predominantly white community, what would you say some of the hardships were being a white, single parent raising a biracial child?
There were definitely several. Especially once you got to be school aged. A lot of the time, I felt like people would look at me and then look at you and try to figure out what was going on and how we could possibly be related. Regardless, though, I wanted you to know that just because you may have looked different from a lot of the other kids you were in school with – you were beautiful and special. You still are! I really tried to encourage you to love your hair, love your darker skin and recognized that being you is perfectly wonderful. Another issue/hardship I remember was when you were in six. There was an incident when you were in first grade where one of your friends told you, you couldn’t play with them that day because you were black. I spoke with the principal later that day and even again later that week to really enforce teaching racial tolerance at the elementary school. I think back in 2000/2001 racial tolerance was still a very new concept.
What was your reactions to me asking if I was adopted?
It made me sad that you thought you weren’t related to me. At the same time, I could understand where you were coming from. I really wanted to try and find ways for you to embrace your black side. I tried to use words of encouragement and have you watch TV shows with mainly black characters! I also got you a black dolls. But it was still hard being that you were never really surrounded by other African Americans at school, in our family or in the community at large.
Did you ever find yourself to be the subject of any scrutiny while raising me?
Oh my gosh, yes! One of the most notable things I can remember was about your hair. I would be walking down the street with you or in a grocery and African American and/or mixed women would approach me about your hair—saying they could do it for free of charge or at an extremely discounted price if I needed. A lot of the time I would say it was fine but thank you for offering. But in my head I was just like “really?!” I guess I felt inadequate and even insulted that they felt I didn’t know what I was doing when it came to your hair. I initially tried to brush it off but eventually the more I was asked if I knew what I was doing [with your hair], the more I got aggravated.
Were you ever asked if I was your child? If so, how often and how did that make you feel?
Sometimes, yeah. If we’d be in a store together people would sometimes ask if we were together or if I was your daughter. When you were growing up I got it more from the young kids, though. They had trouble understanding why I was light and you were darker.
Overall, what are your thoughts about raising a biracial child and how do you reflect back upon that time?
I’m proud. I’m proud of the woman you’ve become and glad you’ve ultimately come to understand both sides of your race. I wanted you to be well adjusted and very receptive to both sides of your multiracial makeup. It may have come with some unknown territory at the beginning of it all, but I couldn’t be happier.
—Hey there! I’m Meghan, a 22-year-old Detroit native mixed with black and white. I’m a storyteller at heart and have a passion for all things related to multiracial culture, reading, writing, crime thrillers and current events! Feel free to check out my blog, Biracial Beauty and follow me on Instagram @meghandooleyy
Join us for the largest gathering of multiracial and mixed-race families and people in June 2017 for the 4th Annual Mixed Remixed Festival.
You kept telling us that you love the Mixed Remixed Festival but you wanted MORE! And we heard you! That’s why we have started the Mixed Remixed Festival podcast that debuts this week!
Catch the wonderful conversation that Festival Founder Heidi Durrow and Festival Literary & Workshop Director Jamie Moore had about the inaugural book club pick, Loving Day by Mat Johnson. We talk about the characters and issues that Johnson’s excellent story about a mixed-race man confronts when he learns about a daughter he didn’t know as she grew up and tries to help her with her racial identification. You can listen to the episode here or download it from itunes. Be on the lookout for the announcement of the next book club pick!
Yes, we have a monthly call-in and chat discussion, but we’re also on Goodreads and we’ll keep the discussions going there all year-long and always updated. Join our Goodreads group and stay up to date!
The Mixed Remixed Festival Podcast Will Also Feature Festival Archives!We’re also working on sharing the audio from past festival with you so that if you missed it you can listen in. And if you were there, you can re-live your great festival moments. Stay tuned!
Join us for the largest gathering of multiracial and mixed-race families and people in June 2017 for the 4th Annual Mixed Remixed Festival.
Make-up and I have had a very interesting relationship over the course of my 26 years of life. I wouldn’t say we started off too strong given a.) I didn’t know what I was doing, b.) my beauty trendsetters consisted of The Olsen Twins, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson…need I say more? c.) My mother is much lighter than me and didn’t wear too much make-up, but when she did it was pink blush and a red lip. I don’t advocate for wearing make-up at an early age; however, I was a cheerleader and we were required to wear uniformed make-up, so it crossed my path at many points of adolescence.
We started off with glitter, crème eyeshadows, pink blush and now have transitioned to bold lips, highlighted cheeks and blended tones. Looking back there are many times I cringe at failed make-up experiments that did not look good on me. I remember concluding early on the classic “red lip,” was not made for my skin tone. There was even a period of time I stopped wearing make-up all together because it was frustrating trying to find foundation, bronzer, cover-up, and lipsticks that looked good on my skin tone. For an amateur like myself, make-up in general can be wildly overwhelming, there is just so much product that is for 1,000 different things. If you asked me up until maybe these past three-four years what beauty brands were available for people of color, I’d think Covergirl, Olay, Avon, Neutrogena and L’Oreal. This was few and far between because the availability of options was very limited for anything past maybe a golden skin color.
Now with the rise of diversity and inclusion in beauty products you have MAC, ColourPoP, Nars, Urban Decay, and Iman Cosmetics. Social media and the rise of vloggers and beauty swatches also highlight what goes best with your skin tone before you even think of purchasing. I don’t even need to stand in front of an illuminated case at Wal-Mart or Target trying to match bottles to my skin. It’s truly amazing. My launch back into the make-up world started with Karrueche Tran’s collaboration with ColourPoP, and now I’m actively paying attention to beauty brands, marketing, and seeing what companies reflect products that are made for me. I feel confident wearing make-up and think it’s great the beauty industry is working to include and advocate for diverse models in make-up, skin, and hair. Younger generations have Zendaya, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato to use as their beauty trendsetters and it’s great to see the leaps and bounds diversity is making in all facets of business.
Is there still more work to do? Of course. I love ColourPop, but they received a lot of scrutiny recently for negative make-up labels associated with darker skin products, or Kylie Jenner who claims to have uncovered the secret for a “perfect nude for darker skin tones.” However, the attention and action by consumers to these beauty blunders have been swift. With major companies like MAC having collaborations by Taraji P. Henson and the late Selena Quintanilla, we’re seeing progressive change towards incorporating high profile figures to showcase beauty reflective of all races and cultures.
—Desiree is Texan Lady living in the windy, sometimes temperamental city of Chicago where she is getting her MFA in Creative Writing.
She has publications with The Rivard Report, NSIDE Publications, Study Breaks Magazine and Unite 4: Good. Her approach to writing whether fiction or non-fiction is to keep it as eclectic and diverse as her interest so she is ambitious in wanting to have her writing cross all platforms. She seeks to continue to improve in her skill set as an author, writer, and storyteller while educating others on being bi-racial and interracial relationships. As she continues finishing her MFA she looks forward to the new opportunities that lie ahead and embracing whatever life throws her way. She is currently a contributing writer for Swirl Nation Blog, EliteDaily.Com, an Editorial Fellow with The Tempest, and created the new “Your Hair Story Series,” with Mixed Chicks Hair Products.
Join us for the largest gathering of multiracial and mixed-race families and people in June 2017 for the 4th Annual Mixed Remixed Festival.
The Tempest is an online editorial with over a two hundred thousand user following that caters to creating an open space for diverse millennial women. It was originally a faith based editorial site called Coming of Faith for Muslim women, and then, they decided to expand it so that a wider range of women could tell their stories.
About a month before I attended the Mixed Remixed Festival for the first time as a panelist, I became a contributor for The Tempest. I first started out as a contributor, than an editorial fellow, and now I edit for their Race section, while also writing one piece a week.
A little bit after school let out, I decided to submit my pieces to other online forums. I have been published on the AltFem Magazine site, and I was an intern with The Black Sheep Articles and got to publish pieces on their site. However, I wanted to showcase my work where I knew I could reach a wider range of people.
Moreover, I only talked about being mixed race on my personal blog as far as online content goes. Because of the Mixed Remixed Festival’s encouragement for me to keep writing and to spread my writing to other places, I wanted to make sure I talked about being mixed race on other online platforms.
I spent the next couple of weeks submitting essays and poems about my experiences to various websites. I even submitted a piece to the Huffington Post’s submission page, and, obviously, I never heard a response back.
To this day, I keep thinking that it was because mixed race identities placed into a binary tend to get more views than other mixed race identities. I could be wrong, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking about that from time to time.
I remember really enjoying a couple of articles that were published on The Tempest, so I decided to submit an article about the struggles of explaining my racial identity as a second generation mixed race woman.
Next week, I got a response from them, and it was the first time someone actually responded back to me that wasn’t an automatic rejection email.
They actually wanted my piece on their site!
I got to work on my piece some more with the Race and Politics editor of The Tempest, Asma Elgamal, so that I could make it more personable and write about the things that pissed me off the most when it came to feeling obligated to explain myself as mixed race woman.
After that piece went live, I began to send Asma more pitches about mixed race representation in the Roots miniseries on the History Channel, the show Recovery Road, The Tonys, and even some of my favorite books.
Because of how often I sent pieces to her, she asked me if I wanted to become an Editorial Fellow, so that I could publish pieces on the site five times a week, and write for other sections besides the Race section.
I said yes right off the bat. I was that excited!
Being an editorial fellow for The Tempest gave me a platform to talk about what it meant for me to be mixed race in various contexts. I didn’t always write pieces about multiraciality, but when I did, it was a great way to receive feedback from others who either didn’t know that that’s what some mixed women experienced, or was able to relate to it if they identified as mixed.
Also, even if the piece isn’t strictly about multiraciality, being able to include that about myself a little bit in an article, whether the topic is not mainly about race, or <a href=”http://thetempest.co/2016/07/18/culture-taste/culture/i-dont-need-to-pray-about-it-i-need-to-go-to-therapy/”I’m writing about one of my races over another</a? because the piece calls for it to do so, means so much to me.
Having my face on their site for others to see a mixed race writer means so much to me.
A bit before my fellowship came to an end, Laila Alawa, chief editor and the founder of The Tempest, decided to contact me about a position to work with Asma as the Race editor for the site.
I wasn’t even thinking that could be a possibility in my future with The Tempest. I thought I would be a contributor again once my fellowship ended.
Receiving the opportunity to help women craft their stories about their racial background, and being a face that stands out in the list of staff who were predominantly Middle Eastern and South Asian Muslim women is not an opportunity that is just handed to anyone. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort to get to that place.
It was nice to see that the amount of effort I have put into The Tempest was being noticed to the point of becoming a staff member for their site.
It is such a great online community of women. The fellows, the staff, all the women are so open. Such a diverse of fellows and contributors work hard on The Tempest, and I am proud to continue to be a part of this safe place.
Maya Williams, Blogger for The Mixed Remixed Festival
Hey, everyone! I’m Helen, one of the newest guest bloggers on the Mixed/Remixed team. I live in gritty New York City, in the borough of the Bronx…one of the last places to be touched by the city’s relentless waves of gentrification. I have a huge and sunny room in the cozy neighborhood of University Heights, with picture windows gently framed by gauzy pale pink curtains and an inky-black dresser covered with crystals, head wraps, and prayer beads. I am a psychology student, spiritual practitioner and author who is working on her third book. And I am ecstatically biracial—African American (Igbo and Yoruba Nigerian, as well as Aztec Mexican), Czech and Italian.
I thought that, for my first guest post, I might break the ice by introducing you to an oldie-but-goodie article floating around on the Huffington Post. On September 21, 2015, the Huffington Post published a blog article called “What It’s Like to Be Multiracial in a Black and White World,” written by a mom named Danielle Campoamor. The article talks intimately about Danielle’s experience growing up as the child of two differently-born parents—her father is Puerto Rican, her mother Norwegian. I, for one, instantly identified with many of Danielle’s experiences, and found it so satisfying to hear her speak frankly about them.
Danielle talks about what it was like to grow up bicultural as well as biracial, feeling the richness of being able to speak two different kinds of languages and eat two different kinds of food. She also shares what it was like to feel like an outsider in her family because of her coloring, which was different from most of her family’s. Finally—and this is where she really got me—she talks about never being accepted by other Latinos, who felt she was a privileged brat because she looked white and had different cultural experiences—she dressed differently, spoke differently, and listened to different music than the other kids.
Wow. That’s basically been the story of my life. I actually grew up in New York City, in the Times Square area. I went to neighborhood public schools and then to elite private schools on scholarship, but I never felt like I belonged in either environment. Race was a constant theme throughout those years, as I desperately tried to make my way socially in environments which refused to accept me as I was—the child of differently-born Buddhist hippie types, a fan of grunge music and fashion, abstract poetry and activism, spicy food, and spirituality.
I was consistently pressured to conform to a more culturally-acceptable stereotype of what black was, even as the black kids in my environment scorned and rejected me for “not being black enough.”
It didn’t help that I landed on the streets shortly after my graduation from high school, and have struggled to escape them ever since. The streets are not kind to people experiencing racial identity crises, especially when they’re very conspicuously biracial, as I am. I have been consistently bullied during my time in this system, for the way I speak (like a “white girl”), the way I dress (either in corporate casual or hippie garb), and the way I think (I currently identify with both radical and conservative political views). It has been such a struggle for me to stay true to how I feel in the face of a system that says that the very reality of who I am is a mistake, almost a thought crime.
My activism basically keeps me alive. I look forward to sharing it with you! 🙂 See you next time.
—Helen O’Neil is a psychology student, spiritual practitioner and freelance writer living in New York City. She is exuberantly biracial (Igbo and Yoruba Nigerian, Aztec Mexican, Czech and Italian) and a devout metaphysician. She sews her own clothing, adheres to a vegan diet, and is devoted to a healing lifestyle. Helen overcame an excruciating childhood of homelessness and abuse and an adulthood spent in the shelter system to earn a college degree, and is now building a freelance writing career. http://bronxwarriorpriestess.wordpress.com Twitter: BxWarrPriestess
Join us for the largest gathering of multiracial and mixed-race families and people in June 2017 for the 4th Annual Mixed Remixed Festival.
Colleges are beginning to take multira
cial issues seriously. After the racist incidents at the University of Missouri (which included a swastika etched in feces in a dorm stairwell as well as the student body president being called the n-word) have cost the school an estimated 36 million dollars in revenue. The lesson is clear: racism is a problem. And it’s a problem the universities can’t afford to overlook.
A large dialogue has developed between students of color on campuses around the nation. From Black Lives Matter demonstrations to Georgetown University’s acknowledgment of its role in slavery. With President Obama’s election in 2008 there was real hope that America had entered a post-racial society. However, racism is not something that an election can solve.
And it appears that colleges are bringing the mixed race experience into the conversation. It makes sense considering the median age of multiracial people is 19, or college age. In addition the multiracial population is the second-fastest growing racial group in the United States. To exclude multiracial students from the conversation would be a mistake.
Single race minorities and multiracial people share certain challenges, true, but
The mixed race experience includes confusion based on appearance, the feeling of never being “enough” to be considered a “full” member of either culture, to white-passing, or sexual fetishization.
A Common Problem
Microaggressions are a problem both single race minorities and multiracial people have to deal with. A 2014 study by Brittany Hunt found that microaggressions have serious consequences on multiracial students. The effects of microaggression includes feelings of isolation and burnout and some students are at risk of dropping a class or leaving college altogether. For a really good example of what microaggressions look like, go here.
With that in mind recent efforts from universities like Clark University have targeted microaggressions. Clark has started having seminars for students during orientation week covering subtle racism. Of course, not all colleges are on board. But it’s a start and it’s a good start. There’s also a growing recognition of the unique position mixed race students are in with regards to their culture. Yale has a pilot program for multiracial peer liaisons. This comes after finding the single race cultural houses weren’t addressing the specific needs of mixed race students on campus.
Also, academic interest in mixed race studies looks to be increasing. In addition to Brittany Hunt, there is Cornell University’s Mixed Project. The Mixed Project started on Facebook that asked multiracial students a very simple question, “What does being mixed mean to you?” And then posting a picture of the student with their handwritten answer. This idea grew into a book fittingly titled Mixed which is a collection of twelve essays by Cornell students.
Wherever the future of academia goes, mixed race students and studies are going to have a big hand in shaping it.
Elliott Rose, Festival Blogger
I always enjoyed the saying, “what you are does not have to define who you are.”
For it is one of the truest realisations I think we can make as human beings. We spend a lot of time trying to find ourselves and more often than not, start linking it to things outside of ourselves. Our sense of belonging has a lot to do with what we think we’re a part of; our culture, religion, race, and political affiliation. These begin to define our very being, but in reality have very little to do with the person you are at your core.
As happy as I am to be able to come from two cultures, two “races” and two geographical backgrounds, at the end of the day, these are mere labels. And I’ve realised, I have very little interest in being labeled.
Labels box you in and force you into a category where you are often expected to behave in certain ways, and to like and dislike certain things because of the “box” you belong to. Who wants to live like that?
We are all so much more than these boxes we even make for ourselves sometimes. We are constantly transforming with every breath we take. Allow yourself to be who you are naturally and not the person that society dictates you should be.
Jim Carrey once said, “Like many of you, I was concerned about going out into the world and doing something bigger than myself, until someone smarter than myself made me realize that there is nothing bigger than myself.” I think this really speaks to finding your own identity as well.
As you search for yourself and yearn to discover your true self, know that it’s been there since the very beginning. Self-identity is a never ending journey that leaves every day with a new adventure to be had and a new puzzle to solve – love, live, life!
“You owe it to yourself to figure out who you are, but you don’t owe it to anyone else to explain or defend it.” – Soledad O’Brien
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Written by Theresia Rogers
Blogger and aspiring filmmaker, check out her YouTube Channel.
We’re expanding our dedicated volunteer blogging team and we want YOU to be part of it. Please email info(at)mixedremixed.org with a brief letter of interest and experience including links to up to 3 blog posts or essays you’ve written.
Everyone can’t help but LOVE on the film Loving! And that’s no different in Toronto where the film will screen as part of TIFF! Look what People magazine says about the film that is already creating lots of Oscar buzz! The film will also open the Austin Film Festival.
If you’re in New York or LA, stay tuned for more information about the meet-ups we’re planning for Festival folks so that we can see the film together! #thisisloving
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