English | Turkish
I am half English (with a bit Welsh) and Half Turkish. My family is very mixed and from multiple religions: Christian, Muslim and Jewish. I recognized I was mixed-race at the age of 5. I am a product of both of my parents. They are very open-minded. I have the respect and ayip code drilled into me, plus I take my shoes off in every house I go to; but also my Mother is a feminist and that along with my Father’s secular thinking is a part of the mix of my identities. We are all multiple identities and these shift with time, engagement and situations. Being mixed is a river which runs through every vein, every atom. My native language is English, I have a degree in English from UCL, I think I speak it pretty well! I swear in both and I understand the codes and mores of both fluently, but I am not fluent in Turkish. A positive of my mixed identity is that we have a compassion for those who have been othered and we often have to work out what things mean to us, as we do not fit into one racial identity, so it can be a shifting narrative, but it allows us scope to dig deep. I think being mixed-race is harder again, than it was in the noughties, sadly. We need a rise in intersectional thinking and a commitment to break down the paradigms which hold back so many from multiple backgrounds. Immigration has been great for the UK economy (and arguably its restaurants) and should be celebrated not excused. The hostile environment has seen an escalation in a lack of compassion, as has the refugee crisis, when in reality many of those who are fleeing wars would be an asset to the UK if they were allowed to integrate and use their skills and education to boost the UK economy. Immigrants are not a drain on the UK’s finances, they put far more in than they take in benefits and this story should be honored. If I had the opportunity to be re-incarnated, I would come back as someone who like me had access to free university education and then I would try to ensure that others like me have these opportunities as well.
Want to read more? - Subscribe here #mixedracefaces