English/Italian | African-American/Puerto Rican
My Father grew up in New York, he is African American/Puerto Rican. My Mother is Italian/English and she grew up in London, they met at a gig where he was performing in London, Camden in 1988. My Father was Muslim, and my Mother grew up with both Christian English Mother and a Jewish Italian Father, and I believe she very much had been influenced by both cultures.
My Grandparents reacted badly at first when my Mother met my Father despite being from different backgrounds themselves, He was 20 years older, Black, with a different religion. They had prejudice based on fear, cutting my Mother out of their will at the time. I think it’s important to mix different cultures and races, you grow up without fear of others, a different viewpoint of the world, a clearer understanding that we are all just human regardless of what colour, religion or race.
I have been lucky to have a Mother and Father who both had many different influences. My Mother into a varied mix of world music, mainly Latin music, running her own salsa club, and a Father who himself was a famous poet, in The Last Poets, and key influence on Hip Hop music in the 70’s up until today. Having two parents into such a varied mix of music and cultures inspired me, and I have taken after both of them in so many ways, also becoming a make-up artist like my Mother, and an artist like my Father doing my own version of poetry with my painting.
From a young age I visited Italy and Israel, connecting with the Jewish side of my family from my Mum’s side. As a young adult I went to America where I connected more with my Father’s African-American Muslim side of the family. I am still connecting to my other 7 siblings in the US, and one sibling in France, and my English sister.
Although I may have struggled with my identity as a child, my outlook has always been very open minded. As I have got older and connected more with my Father’s side, I feel more of an understanding and appreciation for different cultures.
Want to read more? – become a Patreon or Subscribe here #mixedracefaces