Dominican/Jamaican | English
If there was a census when I was born there would have been no box for me to tick to adequately identify myself as mixed, this only came into practice in 2001 and so I could never hide a part of who I am. Overt discrimination is less prevalent than previously, however inequality still persists. Black maternal mortality is a cause I am passionate about as Black British mothers are 5 times more likely to die in pregnancy or 6 weeks after childbirth. Women of mixed ethnicity have three times the risk, Asian women almost twice the risk. FivexMore set up an All-Party Parliamentary Group, a cross-party group of members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords alongside charities, organisations and individuals to raise awareness on the racial disparity in maternal health and work on solutions. The women who founded this organisation are role models to me as they are committed to calling out injustice and saving lives.
The biggest challenge I have faced is getting people to acknowledge that I am mixed and have two cultures. There have been numerous times where people haven’t thought my Dad was my Dad or that my parents weren’t together even when we have all stood as a family. This always used to confuse me and irritate me because if I saw a man, women and children standing together talking and laughing it would be natural to assume they were a family and so why would the difference in skin colours make you think differently. Growing up other children have asked how my Dad can be my Dad when we look different, which would irritate me because at times it felt like I had to justify my existence.
My parents' love has made any differences inconsequential. My wider family has been very open in their acceptance of the differences between my parents. Many of my Aunts and Uncles are also in mixed relationships and have mixed children, so they haven't faced too many issues within the family. Outside of the family they have told me stories of when they were first together and people would take issue with the fact they were in a mixed relationship, and said that both should stick to dating their own race.
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