Luxembourgish | Antiguan
My Mum is from Luxembourg and my Dad is from Antigua & Barbuda. They met in the 1980s at a US military base in Germany, while my Father was serving in the US Air Force. Their cultures weren’t combined too well in our family, which is why I feel torn between both sides to this day. I grew up in various Southern states of the US until I was 7, and then moved to Luxembourg where I completed both my primary and secondary schooling. I therefore know my Mum’s native country, culture and relatives very well and speak all related languages (Luxembourgish, German and French). Although my Father has always cherished his Caribbean roots, I don’t see my other Antiguan relatives very often and also don’t speak patois (although I do understand it without issues).
So far, I’ve spent the majority of my life in Luxembourg and still fly over about twice a year, hence do not feel the need to consciously ‘connect’ with Luxembourgish culture. Also, I work in a very ‘European’ environment and a significant chunk of my work and interactions with colleagues is done in German and French.
My outlook on my mixed-race identity has changed growing up, especially since moving to London. I’ve done a lot of reading on race relations from colonial to current times, attended talks, exhibitions and sought out groups such as this one. The feeling that Black history was simply left out of my schooling makes me quite angry and increases my desire to educate myself as I establish myself as a young adult. More importantly, I’ve gone from being ashamed of my Black side and trying desperately to blend in, to being proud of my Caribbean heritage and regretting I wasn’t more curious about my Father and the family history back in the day.
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