English | Jamaican
My Grandparents had 5 children in the UK and all of them are with Caucasian partners. There were no other Black people where they grew up. I am not sure how my Grandparents felt about it, all of their grandchildren are mixed-race. My Grandfather passed away before I became a real adult, I would have loved to know him as a grown up. He had some traditional views and I wonder how he would have adapted to the different ways our family has evolved.
My children’s Dad is White, and my children appear White too. That can be a challenge when we are out and about as people ask me if they are mine all the time. I really don’t think it is anyone’s business but I was raised by a Jamaican Mother so you're polite no matter the foolishness coming out of someone’s mouth. At the moment my daughter says she is White ‘like Daddy’. I am hoping as she grows she learns more about the nuance of identity and comes to recognise herself as mixed-race. I am going to have to work harder to make sure they know where they come from. It’s not until having my children that I fully understand you will do anything to make sure they have the best life. I believe that’s what my grandparents did.
I don’t think anyone would describe me as White, but they would describe me as Black even though I am just as much a mixture of both. An odd thing that happens to me often is that I am mistaken for others. People stop me on the street and start talking to me like they know me. Once when I was walking through a local village in the summer when I was around 16, a man got off his bicycle and came over to me and said, ‘I’ve just seen you on the television’. I nervously chucked and went on my way. When I got to my boyfriend’s house, his Mum told me that he was talking about Serena Williams. Though that is a massive compliment, that’s clearly not how he meant it.
I am a teacher, so we come from all walks of life. However, I believe there aren’t enough people of colour in senior positions in education and that needs to change. In order to support the progress of all children, you have to have diversity leading the vision and progress of our education system.
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