MixedRoots

MixedRoots Blogging while mixed. Commentary on being biracial, challenging perceptions of race & religion in life and politics. Connecting all Cultures. Unity and Peace. Dedicated to celebrating all cultures, including mixed-heritages, inter-racial & inter-religious families and unions while educating others about the unique mixed-race and multicultural experience. Bridging the gaps between racial, ethnic, cultural & religious differences.

Friday, July 25, 2008

My Mixed Roots

My Mixed Roots

A little girl (that is me, yours truly) annoyed by negative perceptions of race and racial identity it's place and the narrow identity spaces in this world.   
I like most kids just wanted to fit in.  Very tender heart, hurt by the labels I didn't want nor deserved. But as most do, learned to navigate and get through each day, always with a smile.
My gramma used to tell my mother, "you'd never know anything ever bothers that girl, she's always smiling"  Gramma... I'm still smiling!


Isn't TV in color these days?  Why isn't this an image we can see on TV or in films more often? 
 I'm here with my dad and my mom- who is pregnant with my sister in this photo.



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Thursday, July 24, 2008

"Mixed & Multi"


 "Mixed & Multi"  
An Inter-racial couple talks to CNN's Soledad O'Brien, a biracial journalist about their "mixed & multi" experiences.  Bill Cohen, former U.S. Defense Secretary, had a multi-religious background and married Janet Langhart, born Janet Floyd, an African American journalist with a multi-racial heritage.  They wrote a memoir about their mixed & multi experiences as well. 

It also appears that Ms. Cohen has written a wonderful stage-play. An imaginary conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till and they share their experiences with one another. This no doubt is a powerful play and ultimately challenges our capacity on acceptance, empathy and tolerance regarding cultural, racial and religious diversity. Bravo Janet!   I wish it much, much success and I hope to see it someday.  Hope you can bring it to Metro-Detroit area, we need it!

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Featuring...Zoe Kravitz


Featuring.. Zoe Kravitz

Of course you remember Lisa Bonet ( a biracial actor, of the Cosby show & A Different World) and her former husband Lenny Kravitz- a biracial musician and son of Roxie Roker, actor (Helen Willis on "The Jeffersons).
Their daughter Zoe ( whoa, I remember when she was born!) makes an appearance on this video. It's similar to the "YES WE CAN"-- video that was featured in my "
Obama Fest" a while back.

Check it out.
    We Are the Ones -(we can change the world)

it takes a second or two to load and be sure to view it through to the very end.  (or here's a shorter version immediately below)






This is a similar with many sharing their opinions about Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
What stood out to me is that there is a young --self-identified mixed-- woman who shares her thoughts.

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Obama referred to as an OREO: Just a matter of time!

Obama referred to as an OREO: Just a matter of time!  

Okay, the day before he was depicted as a terrorist, he was referred to as an "OREO".  I guess this was just a matter of time.  The country might begin to see the truth of what people think of a biracial person.  It's what's on the minds of people everywhere but it's rarely talked about: What to think of a black/white mixed person.

Naturally, you know Obama will rise above it. All of us mixed rooters will deal with it, but what about the children who are biracial (black/white mix) who hear this.  It's such a slap in the face, to Barack's esteemed position.  It's just as bad as using the "N" word in a way.  Why?  Because it's a term that is used to degrade or low-rate or put a mixed person in their place by both blacks and whites.  This use of this term leaves you no refuge as a mixed person.  Who do you draw support from when people from both sides of your mix call you this?  Only another mixed person can truly understand, relate and offer support.   I have been called an Oreo --among other things-- many times in my life.  And not doubt for the same reason Barack was referred to as such- for having a white mom and for having brown skin but being viewed as "not black enough" so my insides, my internal perceptions must be white not black.  The idea behind the term is to convey in the most harsh way... how can you "really" be black if you're part white?  You can't understand the struggle of being black so while you look black you're not one of us you're white as far as we're concerned.  

So now, if people are paying attention, they'll begin to see a real side of the "mixed experience".
For the RECORD, calling a mixed person an OREO is just wrong, anyway you look at it's wrong and should not be accepted!
Roland Martin.. you should have noted, (it would have been nice if you had anyway) that referring to Barack in this way is just wrong, but instead you said "him having a white mom is a qualifier". So to my point, sometimes a mixed-race person stands alone, when the ugly head of the mixed-race racism rears it's head ::: hear Roland's remarks on CNN.com videos





© 2008 T. Fatimah Williams -MixedRoots

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Monday, July 14, 2008

Satire?


 Satire: Wit used to attack or expose stupidity

This July, 21 New Yorker magazine cover is designed to merely demonstrate the perceptions people have.  It's causing a lot of controversy along the way. Naturally, Sen. Obama's political camp is very unhappy about this depiction (in the name of Satire). In many ways, this cover, could assist in manifesting the misconceptions and prejudices about Sen. Obama and even his wife, the culture of black pride and the religion of Islam.  The result of this cover may not promote nor prompt people to educate themselves at all, instead it simply could perpetuate opinions and give some reason to hold stead-fast to their misconceptions.   Some may not even recognize the objective of SATIRE: Wit, used to attack or expose stupidity.
There's so much going on in this image...it's all suppose to reflect the stupid notions some people have.  The portrayal of Mrs. Obama, her hair in a fro, reflective of "black power", her being adorned with gunfire and clothes clothes that reflect battle, sassy hand on the hip, while giving her husband the "secret code" fist bump. Then we see what's suppose to be Sen. Barack in an interpretation of a cultural/traditional Islamic clothing, a portrait of Bin Laden above the mantel, and for crying out loud- the US flag burning in the fireplace.  

What do you think of this satire? 

I don't know if it's ever going to happen, but I the romantic, optimist that I am, believes it's possible to work as a team with negative energy as our opponent. The world would be so much better if we: all ethnicities, races, genders, ages, religions, countries and so forth just get committed to niceness over meanness, respect over disrespect, positive over negative, empathy over judgement, and charity over greed. Don't ya think these five could make things better world-wide?  






© 2008 T. Fatimah Williams -MixedRoots

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Sunday, July 06, 2008

Passing for Black: Eyes of Pain

Passing for Black: Eyes of Pain

Mixed Roots Movement hosted a cultural culinary event last saturday and a new --middle aged-- couple  joined us for the first time.  Both are mixed-race, the husband (we'll call him "Leo") with blue eyes told a story that I just can't get out of my mind. His eyes were intense and the pain of what he felt could be seen in his eyes..

Leo's father a biracial (black/white) man, although he looked white and could have "passed" lived his life according to the one-drop rule his entire life.  Leo began to share his recollection of driving to see his father in his home for the aging.  Through tears, Leo finally got to the part of his father's death.  Leo shared that staff marked his father's  race as "white" on his death certificate.  I was stunned. I didn't know what to say.  Here is Leo, his first time at a Mixed Roots Movement activity, he's obviously connected and we to him.  Our events and activities are always a time of sharing and relating but this story struck me like none I've heard yet.  Leo went on to explain that it was painful that in this country his father was made to choose, and if he didn't the one-drop rule chose for him.  But what seemed to most disturb Leo was that his father was subject to discriminations from both blacks and whites and he lived his life as a black man, but then died a white man!  He said it was all too ironic.  He said that when he returned home from the funeral, and told his friends what happened, they all wanted to know if he was going to take steps to change the record.  Leo said, the record was made and his father is dead now, changing it wouldn't change anything.  To me, it's indicative of just what being mixed --specifically black/white-- in America is.  

Mixed People live full lives with experiences like this and who cares?  Anyone? Anyone outside of the "mixed" community?  I certainly hope so.  If not, just listen, our stories are on the way.There are several mixed race people and organizations that have being doing work for years that if not already are public, have found the strength to go public.  The stories real and fiction are and will be gripping and compelling and certainly noteworthy.
 




© 2008 T. Fatimah Williams -MixedRoots

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