Indian | Congolese
I am half Congolese African, half Indian. My Mother is Indian, although she left India when she was seven and her family moved to the UK to have a better life. My Dad originates from The Congo. I think I always knew I was mixed, but it wasn’t always clear to me what my heritage was exactly. I knew I was Black because I think that’s how everyone viewed me anyway, but my Mum is so light skinned she could probably pass for being Spanish or Portuguese so it didn’t really occur to me till I was about seven or eight that I was half Indian and it probably wasn’t something I have embraced Mum until I got a lot older and wanted to know and be proud of my heritage. I think my parents were very aware of the hurdles non-White people face and wanted us to blend into the culture as much as possible. We had a pretty English upbringing. For example, we only ever spoke English at home and as a consequence I don’t know either of my mother tongues. Sometimes you have this feeling that you don’t really fit into anything? I know that despite being mixed-race I will predominantly be seen as a Black woman; a label I’m very proud of but I feel ignores a whole half of my culture and history. I’m aware that as a mixed-race person with lighter skin, straighter hair and more Eurocentric features than a lot of other fully Black women that affords me certain privileges. It makes it more likely to be taken more seriously in job interviews for example and I am more likely to be considered ‘pretty’. I feel like we’re moving towards a culture where being mixed-race is quite desirable to be honest. However, with that comes a certain level of privilege that I think mixed-race people have to acknowledge. I don’t want to feel like I’m on a pedestal above women of colour who aren’t mixed. Colourism within the non-White community is real and I want to make sure to do everything I can as a mixed person not to play into that. If I had the opportunity to be born again I would return exactly as I am. I wouldn’t choose to be anything other than the mix that I am.
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