Irish/German/French | African American

Photo credit: provided by subject

I know that on my Mother’s side we are Irish, German and French. Since I don’t really know my Dad’s side I reached out to his sister, she said that all that they know is that they are African American and not much other than that. My Uncle has said that we have Indian descent, but that’s something they are not 100% sure of. As my Father wasn’t in my life I was predominantly raised by all my Mother’s side of the family!

When I was in middle school, I overheard a group of girls talking about me, asking ‘why that Black girl talks like she’s White?” And that was something that STUCK with me and made me self-conscious, as if color has a specific voice it has to be, which is obviously untrue. I was very aware of my looks from a young age and always felt like I was different, as a teen and early adult, I always felt like I was seen as taboo or fulfilling someone’s fetish. Growing up I really wanted straight hair because I thought I didn’t have ‘good hair’. So I straightened it for years until I finally just embraced my natural curls.

I think interracial relationships used to seem very taboo and like they would make you look and examine the people and give them a stereotype based off of your judgment. I feel like now; interracial relationships are so common that it’s something I don’t think as much about.

Being mixed has opened my eyes to even more ethnicities of people. I think now, I EMBRACE who I am. From my physical features, to my hair, letting the two parts of me co-exist simultaneously; I’ve matured and grown into who I am as a person even just over this past year.