Scottish | Jamaican
I identify as Jamaican & Scottish and I am a Christian straight male. My mum originates from Jamaica and my dad originates from Scotland. I was born and raised in Camden, London.
I was somewhat aware that I was mixed- race from a young age, I would see TV adverts showing an ‘ideal family’ as being White. My family didn’t reflect the same image. My mum was Black, and my dad was White, but I was raised by my mum and my mum family always used to say that I would be considered Black in society, even if though I am very fair skinned.
My dad liked Jamaican culture and he would listen to reggae often so that's why I think my mum and my dad got along so well. My mum always liked British culture as well. My dad also has a mixed-race brother and sister, so he was somewhat familiar with Caribbean culture.
I have experienced challenges in my life based around my mixed identity. One of my first experiences was when I went into a corner shop in Camden with my mum. Me and my mum went to the till and the man gave us a strange look. He said, ‘how does your mum look black and your son look white’. My mum quickly corrected him and told him that I was mixed-race.
I don't think I let my race affect my personal life because I haven’t let it really affect it. I guess its shaped my preference for women as I prefer to date mixed girls or Black as that’s what I’ve mainly be raised around Black or mixed people.
I feel like there are definitely bias attitudes towards mixed-race people. Firstly, people feel that mixed-race people have confused identities because they represent more than one race. Why can’t you represent both races equally without being judged? I also think people feel that mixed-race people have it easy because they’re mixed-race and have the best of ‘both worlds’ when in fact it can be quite the opposite where you’re not accepted by both races.
I wish could be able to speak any languages but unfortunately, I can’t. If I could choose any language I would probably want to know how to speak Spanish or Chinese/Mandarin as they are one of the most widely used languages in the world.
I would say I connect with my Jamaican culture more because I've been raised by the Jamaican side of my family for the majority of my life. I've only recently connected with the Scottish side of my family.
When someone’s asks, ‘where am I from’, I ask them do you mean area or ethnicity. If they say ethnicity, then I would explain my Jamaican and Scottish roots. I don’t really get offended by the question if they are genuinely interested and want to know where I am from, however if someone asks in a way that seems rude, then I probably won’t entertain them.
One positive of being mixed-race is that you get to be a part of at least two different cultures and you get to enjoy the amazing cuisines that come with them cultures which is something that you can brag about to your friends.
I like being mixed-race in today's society because our society is becoming more accepting of other cultures which makes it fun for us. For instance, we’re able to cheer for several teams during the Olympics or in the world cup which is good because if one team loses, we have another team to support just in case.
If I was born again I would study more. Even though my grades are ok I think if I studied more I would be able to pick any occupation I want. I wanted to become a veterinarian when I was younger as I like animals however my plans have changed since.