Indian/Jamaican | Irish
I am Irish on my dad’s side and mixed Jamaican & Indian on my mum’s side. They met through my dad’s sister as my mum and my dad’s sister were friends at University.
Because I look very fair not many people notice I am mixed, every now and again people spot it. The majority of people that notice are mixed themselves.
There are times I feel like the odd one out, especially at family functions. You’ll see a sea of white faces and then there’s me and my brother, it can be a bit isolating at times. There’s not many people that I can relate to. In my adult years I have learned to appreciate where I come from, I can’t tell people I am one race because that is disrespecting the other side. I acknowledge both sides and maintain the balance.
Most white people perceive me as being white, I want people to know the whole me but I don’t want to bring it out of nowhere.
I feel disconnected from my Jamaican & Indian side, as a child I was more connected to my Irish side and was raised reading Irish children’s books. I’ve visited Jamaica once as a baby, I’d love to go back one day. I visit Ireland all of the time, but I do feel disconnected as I am the only brown person in my Irish family. I think they are secretly happy that I am very fair, so I can blend in well.
I find being labelled as mixed makes me feel validated and welcomed. The negative is when people tell me I am adopted, never asking but always telling me.
There was one time in school that one of my teachers spoke about racism in America, for the white kids he discussed how it would be for them and then how it would be for the black kids. When he got to me he just said, “I don’t know” and singled me out for being different. He went over it so many times it became uncomfortable.