English/Irish/German | Russian/Zimbabwean
I identify as mixed, atheist & straight. My mum is mixed Russian and Zimbabwean. My dad is mixed English, Irish & German. I was born in London, but we moved the US when I was 4. Growing up I always felt safe and knew I had friends who accepted me in whatever form I presented myself. I knew from a young age that I was mixed, mainly because no one in primary school really knew that Zimbabwe is a country, their parents would have something to say about ‘the Russians’ and someone would ALWAYS have a comment about my parents’ accents. My Grandad was from Zimbabwe, he died before I was born. Because his family is so far away, I have never known anyone from his family and my mom never taught us about their culture or traditions. Her mother is from Russia and her family stayed there so again I didn’t know much about them or their culture. However, because my dad’s family were all in England that was the culture that I was raised in. So being British was the only culture I knew. As I grew up, I learned how to be American and began to bring American cultures into my home. Since moving to London, I have become much more aware of the fact that I know very little about where my family comes from. London is an amazing place where you can celebrate your own identity without fear of ridicule or judgment. There is an amazing movement happening within my generation that is full of people using varying mediums to confidently honor their cultures. Not knowing enough about everywhere that I come from makes me feel pretty insecure when I’m surrounded by people who do. I’d say all of my life has been a positive experience. I feel honored to carry the ancestry of so many groups of people in my blood. Any negative experiences have happened because of other circumstances in my life, not my ethnicity. Being mixed-race in today’s society is pretty damn cool. I can fit in wherever I’d like. If I had the opportunity to be reborn I would return as a pizza, hoping someone would enjoy me as much as I enjoy pizza.
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