British | Jamaican
Mixedracefaces have collaborated with UK Parliament to profile some of their staff members and MP’s , helping raise diversity awareness and to highlight that there is a place for everyone in their workplace.
My Mother is British as are her parents. My Father was born in Jamaica but lived for many years in the UK before returning. Both my parents integrated as children with friends of all nationalities. Combining cultures was never an issue for them. I have always believed the mixing of heritages is a beautiful thing, we are after all unique as individuals and not solely defined by where are parents are born but rather our experiences as we grow up. Being mixed has opened a lot of dialogue between myself and strangers due to curiosity as to what mix I am and therefore helped start conversations as an adult that may have not otherwise have taken place. In some cases, I have had hours of conversations with people who have admitted pre-conceptions of both white and black cultures and curious to find out the realities. As a teen, I began to gauge the social response to my mixed heritage but was not vocal about it. I am now proud that I am the best of both heritages and I am far more aware of the signs of potential bias and I am not hesitant to be vocal in that regard. I have always been the type of person to have open and frank conversations and more so now when it is regarding race and gender. People only know what they have experienced or have been informed. Being open to having the dialogue can help promote positive change and better understanding. I feel there is a conscious effort to ensure inclusiveness and diversity, be it gender, sexual orientation or culture. At my workplace, it is highlighted and emphasised openly that they wish everyone to be inclusive and will expose any circumstances where this philosophy is not being adopted. However, I do think nationally there is still an under-representation of women in management regardless of their heritage. If I had the opportunity to be reborn I would return as myself because I am a strong, confident, proud, mixed heritage woman.
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