British | Indo-Caribbean
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First and foremost, I identify as a Londoner and British. I describe my ethnicity as White British and Indo-Caribbean I follow no defined religion and I’m straight. My Mum is British and my Dad from Guyana. My Dad was born a British citizen and always identified with all things British as they were perceived from that distance. So, they had more common cultural references than you might expect. But they split when I was 5, probably in part due to their different approaches to things. My Dad had no family in the UK so that meant I was less immersed in the West Indian culture than I might have been but really loved feeling part of it when visiting family abroad. I would describe my culture as British, London specifically and that’s so mixed, I’m really lucky. I feel it through music, language, humour and art. My Dad was the only one of his siblings to come to the UK which probably affected how much I connected with being Guyanese. My Dad has always cooked West Indian food though so that cuisine is always like home to me as is the working-class food of my Mum’s parents, I love a pie and mash. I would say my mixed heritage made me more open and interested in the world and different cultures and experiences from a young age. I am lucky to have worked with some strong female role models but when you identify strongly as British but aren’t White, senior role models who look like you and have had the same experiences are rare. Representation really makes a difference. It’s so much more obvious to me now watching my children learning to understand the world and their place in it. That is why this project is so important. I would be very interested to know how a White, straight man experiences the world, but I wouldn’t choose it. I would always choose to be born into a cosmopolitan city, as a female from a mixed background. For me, the strength and privilege of my identity outweighs any negatives. I would just want to realise and use those strengths earlier in my life next time!
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