English | Zimbabwean
I identify as mixed-race, biracial, bisexual/pansexual or queer & an atheist. My mum is from Zimbabwe and my dad is English. I was about 4 or 5 when I first began to understand I was of mixed ethnicity. It started when people would comment on my afro hair. Later in adulthood I think a positive experience has been embracing my Zimbabwean/African heritage more and identifying more as person of colour and with other people of colour (especially the queer POC community), where before I identified much more with my White friends and family. I now feel proud of my unique heritage and let my hair grow natural again after having it straightened for years as a sign of this. I think my identity has also allowed me to be in a position of understanding to an extent both White and POC worlds. Privilege and racism and using this position to be an outspoken anti-racist as I grew more confident in my identity. And after reading the transformative and powerful Reni Eddo-Lodge book ‘Why I Am No Longer Talk to White People About Race’, to have some awareness-raising conversations about race and racism with White people. I have no idea what I would like to come back as if I was to be reborn, I’m happy just being who I am for the most part so haven’t thought of that much. Hopefully there will also be better, more realistic representation of mixed-race people in the Western and mainstream media and it will become normal, as is slowly starting to happen. As the media grow more aware of the need for diversity and reflecting their mixed-race audience who ultimately will increasingly buying their products, and so also making more economic sense to tell their stories. I do believe that however, there is always a backlash which comes with this and is already present, as the status quo fear their position at the top being steadily undermined or threatened. So that unfortunately I think there will always be some form of prejudice and racism as people seek to maintain their advantages.”#mixedracefaces check out my page: https://m.facebook.com/dandylionmakesmusic
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