#dual heritage

[qwesomegal]

Any other mixed race POC out there have a really complicated relationship with their second culture (ie not the culture of the country you live in) or just me???

[moonfirebrides]

She's the first acknowledged person of colour and you know thats a wonderful thing, But I dont think its a massive step forward. Its the royal family stepping into the future. But its not like hes trying to marry Lupita or Serena Williams' it's very acceptable.

Comedian Gina Yashere on the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. (My thoughts are that there is a difference, there would be an out and out race war had she had been a racially unambiguous black woman....and not a Mixed Race appearing woman...Let’s face it - Honey Williams)

[ohtosayornottosay]

OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Hello there, and welcome to PREFER NOT TO SAY!

Prefer Not To Say is a community where individuals can share their experiences and stories of identifying as dual heritage, or commonly, mixed race. This is a positive and accepting space to discuss the unique and individual experience of being a person of dual heritage, growing up with more than one culture and finding your personal acceptance within that space. 

People of dual heritage may be of black and white heritage, as is most often portrayed in media (and is what the owner of this blog is too!), though this is a common misconception that is bordering on a stereotype. Dual heritage individuals come from a variety of backgrounds just like people of solitary heritage: caucasian, black-backgrounds, East and South Asian, combined with national heritage that is also inherited in multicultural societies. 

The experiences, history and appearance of every dual heritage person is different and unique: as is common sense, just because two people are from similar genetic or societal backgrounds, no two lives are ever the same. 

On this blog, we are looking to showcase the diversity of dual heritage people in  the ways stated above. We would like personal written posts, essays, poetry and the like accompanied by portrait photography, family photos, illustrations - whatever you can think of! Email [email protected] with the subject line “Submission Inquiry”, an introduction to yourself and what you would like to contribute. You can also submit full pieces for consideration if you prefer :) 

Let’s get creative and celebrate our differences!

NOTE: Lambasting of any races will not be tolerated. NO WHITE HATE. This is a positive and welcoming place and contributions MUST be respectful to all races and genders.

[hxneybun]

Mixed race pride.

I’ve posted about this before but I’m gonna try again: I feel this website has very negative view of mixed race/biracial/dual heritage people, but only when the person/group concerned is of white and black mix. A lot of tumblr racial politics recently has been to do with ‘blackout’ and the arguments for a 'whiteout’; also, there has also been calls for 'brown’ girls/boys/they to be more confident in a world where white people are considered as the most beautiful people. I, personally, do not like being called brown. That is a personal thing. But I don’t think the fact that tumblr regularly forgets people of dual+ heritage in favour of keeping things simple is personal; I’ve spoken to my white friends that use tumblr, and they agree with me. I just saw a post about non-white people being able to have blue eyes with a note at the bottom saying: “and they don’t have to be mixed race at all!!!” - or something to a similar effect. It came across as very aggressive. Now I don’t know if it was made by a 'non-white’ person who is angry at the treatment of people who do not benefit from the mostly white feudal system of society (which I must say is, particularly is America, abysmal and vile and barbaric) or it was made by a white person who wanted to show their solidarity for every race. What I do know is that the end note of that post was made with venom and that is not what we should be spreading throughout a website which has been shown to mould the views of people. As mentioned above, I have only spoken to white peers about this issue, and this is because I do not have many PoC friends. This is a fact. I am a minority, even compared to Black and Asian people. Remember, this post is mostly personal to me. I think the reason the lack of mixed representation on this website surprises me is because I always think of tumblr as a safe place where everyone can be theirselves. I feel like there is a certain 'aesthetic’ you have to fit to be a part of this community, and that aesthetic is an outcast, but even as an outcast, I still feel ostracised. I feel like this whole mentality stems from the idea of racial purity and not mixing skin colour (similar to Death Eaters in Harry Potter); it is as much the fault of the white community as it is the Black community. I never see posts about white and Caribbean girls or African and white people, and it upsets me that most of the people on this site are annoyed at the fact that mixed race people have always been stereotyped as being 'desirable’ which is a construct of society, yet people like me are being blamed for being born with a skin colour that people aren’t used to, even less that black skin. Now I know this slight 'oppression’ is nowhere near as devastatingly awful racism against black people is, but it has been bugging me for a while now. We need mixed pride, and we need role models. Mariah Carey, Halle Berry, Thandie Newton, Dwayne Johnson, Tiger Woods, Vanessa Williams, Lenny Kravitz, Sherri Saum. All of these gorgeous, strong, independent people we should look up to. I used to be feel very weird about being darker than my friends, having curly hair, having a flatter wider nose but now I’m starting to feel good about being different. And I feel tumblr only promotes certain types of difference. I’m starting to fall in love with myself and my body and it’s time everyone else biracial should too.

[cmpickard-interfaces-blog]

'Living in two cultures gives one different ways of looking at things.  ... A picture can show what a person looks like, but is it enough to class them as 'halves'? What you see up front is only a reflection of what’s inside. People need to reconsider what it means to call people 'half' instead of for example Finnish-Japanese. In both countries, which are both very homogenic in terms of population, people started to think what it would be like growing up with two cultures and not just one. They began to realise what a positive thing that could be.

Elina Moriya

[http://www.intermix.org.uk/gallery/elina_moriya.asp]

[cmpickard-interfaces-blog]

Essential Guide To Working With Mixed-Race Young People (2011)

[cmpickard-interfaces-blog]

A look at mixed-race identitiy...on their own terms. Faces of British mixed-race identity are celebrated in a new publication launched during Black History Month 2008. Mix-d: uk - A look at Mixed-Race Identities was put together by The Multiple Heritage Project. This social document explores contemporary mixed-race realities and experiences.

http://www.mix-d.org/gallery/for/mix-d-uk-a-look-at-mixed-race-identities

[pakeha-maori]

Family Warfare

“Broken family” is the word or technicality for my half-done half-blood family. “Didn’t plan for that one did you” half-done half-blood family. “We knew it’d never last so long you and your” half-done half-blood family. “You deserved it for mixing our purity” half-done half-blood family. “It’s okay they don’t look that way” half-done half-blood family.   Thank you for punching me in the face by calling me what you want to see and insisting that my feelings can't be right because you've decided my identity. Thank you for tearing my DNA from my ventral  streams and analysing my mongrel blood for your puritanical dreams. My DNA didn’t make me My DNA didn’t raise me In fact meeting my DNA for the first time last year didn’t even faze me. But my DNA never took away the single Mum who saved me And for all the lack of blood support I turned out a full human, half-breed crazy.   Some of you might share my blood  but you are nothing that I want to be So thank you and fuck you for your advice I'm happier alone, just being me.  I have found home away from you where I share my identity  the mixed people of the world they are my family.  July 2013