English | Jamaican
My values have changed a lot since the start of the pandemic. I've tried to slow down. I'm no longer flying through life at 2000 MPH and spending my time in an unproductive way. I moved back to my hometown on the South East Coast of the UK. An empowering experience. I always attributed my own identity-confusion with the place that I grew up. I blamed Hastings for everything. But now, I saw the positive and negative sides of that small town, and realised that it sculpted me into the person I am today. It helped me realise that I can be proud of who I am, no matter where I go. I don't have to shy-away from certain situations, or dress in a certain way, or put on a certain accent.
I connect to each of my cultures through spoken word. I tried acting, being sporty, playing the guitar and writing songs, but poetry and spoken word were the only things that helped me. My first couple of years in London raised a number of questions about my identity and where I fit in this mad world. I'd just graduated from university, and had a bunch of different theories, ideas and insecurities floating around my head. Poetry has helped me understand myself. Through the London spoken word scene, I have met so many people with incredible stories. I've never been so proud to be Black & mixed-race.
Being Black and White, it's hard for people to see your true colours in a world that can only see Black or White. When I tell people that ‘I’m Black’, they simply accept that. If I told someone that I was ‘White’, they would reject it. I’m proud of my mix, it makes me feel like superman. I love being able to manoeuvre through this world like a weird racially fluid chameleon. I love the fact that, in a way, I represent the future. Everyone on the planet is already mixed in some way or another but being continentally mixed is beautiful! I think as I get older, I’m able to understand the significance of my own personal history, and those of my ancestors. I’ve never felt so empowered to talk about the trials and tribulations of my two-tone skin.
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In collaboration with Poetic Unity