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CELEBRATE MULTIRACIAL HERITAGE WEEK JUNE 7-14!


Our friends at Project RACE have put together this great video for Multiracial Heritage Week which kicks off today (June 7th)! The Multiracial population is the fastest growing in America and deserves to be recognized as a group. 

Project RACE advocates for multiracial children, multiracial adults, and their families primarily through multiracial education and community awareness. They do not advocate for racial classifications, but are committed to the appropriate inclusion of multiracial people on any forms that require racial identification. They also support policies that make a positive impact on people of multiracial heritage at local, state, and national levels.

Enjoy their video and please share it in support of their message!


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ALICIA KEYS AND HER #NOMAKEUP MOVEMENT


ALICIA KEYS AND HER #NOMAKEUP MOVEMENT via Swirl Nation Blog

Alicia Keys is done covering up.

“Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing,” she said. 

In a world of contouring, filters and extreme plastic surgery Alicia has decided to go in the opposite direction. I applaud her for uncovering in an industry where often times looks seem to be equally weighted to talent, especially for female artists.

Is it just a marketing move for her new album? I hope not, but I have to say it makes her stand apart from the army of pop star clones and that is refreshing. It makes me want to share her music with my 12 year old daughter and show her that someone with exceptional talent such as Keys is 1,000,000x more compelling and aspirational than many others in this Kardashian obsessed world.

Alicia explained that this movement was ignited by "a totally raw and honest photoshoot for her new album" with photographer Paola Kudacki.

Keys, arrived on-set from the gym with no makeup on and a sweatshirt — a look she called  a “quick run-to-the-shoot-so-I-can-get-ready look” — ended up staying in that exact look for the shoot. 

“I swear it is the strongest, most empowered, most free, and most honestly beautiful that I have ever felt,” she said of the experience in an essay she wrote on the website Lenny.

Personally I also feel empowered the more stripped down I am. Outside laying on the beach, sun on my skin, hair textured from a mixture of sand and salt water- that is when I feel most beautiful. But I also appreciate the art of makeup, using it as another means to express your creativity. I think it's a healthy balance of knowing that covering up isn't necessary. A woman should feel equally strong and powerful no matter what she chooses to adorn her exterior with. 

What are your thoughts on the #NoMakeup movement? 

 

You can see Alicia’s new video below:


 

 

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BOSTON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT CREATES 411 PERSONALIZED DRAWINGS FOR CLASSMATES TO HELP REDUCE RACIAL TENSION


Phillip Sossou is a high school senior at Boston Latin High School, which has had a significant amount of racial tension over the last year. He decided he wanted to celebrate all 411 of his classmates as a special graduation gift so he used his artistic talent to work and created wonderful charcoal portraits of each and every student. Check out the video for more 

According to Buzzfeed Sossou is headed to Bunker Hill Community College this fall and is then hoping to attend the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, after. I hope he continues to find ways to use his art to bring joy and bring together community! 

Here is another video of his work: 


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Korean Rapper Dumbfoundead Tackles Hollywood Whitewashing In New Music Video


Korean Rapper Dumbfoundead Tackles Hollywood Whitewashing via Swirl Nation Blog

This music video is EVERYTHING. Kudos to Korean rapper Dumbfoundead for having the guts to tell people how it really it in the United States for Asians. Specifically Asian males. 

In his newest video called "Safe", he explores Hollywood whitewashing, and what it means to be Asian. Name the last time you saw an Asian male play the lead in a major Hollywood blockbuster? You probably can't, and that's just sad. 



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So about that racist Chinese detergent ad…apparently we are being “too sensitive”


It seems like we are in the year for ads that are causing quite a stir. Whether it’s racist people who are upset by the fact Old Navy promoted a multiracial family causing a social media frenzy. Then there’s Qiaobi, a laundry detergent based out of China promoting colorism in a tasteless commercial that has now gone viral.

If you haven’t seen it, watch it now and join the rest of us who went from shock to pure awe at the blatant racism this ad promotes in a tongue and cheek manner I suppose the consumer is supposed to find humorous or clever.

For those of you who would like to enjoy your week and not entertain the ignorance of it by watching then I here’s a quick summary of this laundry detergent commercial. The ad starts with a Chinese woman who is washing her clothes and is approached by a paint splattered black man. He attempts to seduce her by whistling and then getting in close proximity where you get a small vibe that they may kiss. No harm or foul… until she stuffs a detergent into his mouth and pushes him into the washing machine. When he emerges he is a young, clean Chinese man smiling at her and winking into the camera with laundry detergent packet.

China has always had a very problematic view with race/skin tone as a culture often promoting the misconception to its people that the lighter their skin tone is, the better they are. While other countries have different standards of beauty that can often be viewed as problematic, there is no arguing that this ad was created in severely poor taste.

Audience reaction to the commercial has been one of suck disgust and horror the company released the following apology over the weekend:

"[Due to] the harm that has been caused to members of the ethnic African communities as a result of the advertisement's circulation and the over-dramatization by the public opinion, we hereby express our apology and sincerely hope that the internet users as well as media will not over-analyze," the company said in a statement. "We strongly oppose and condemn racial discrimination."

 The ad had received over 8 million views on YouTube since being posted by an independent person on Thursday and the company stated they have removed all of traces of it as best they could online. Eliminating it from the internet does not change the fact that the producers of the commercial and the company itself weren’t initially as apologetic as they should have been for the response to the ad. The company told Chinese nationalist newspaper The Global Times:

“We meant nothing but to promote the product, and we had never thought about the issue of racism.”

A smart musician once stated that the road to hell is paved with good intentions and perhaps the company and other foreign entities will take careful consideration in the models, story, and overall promotion of their products in the future.

As for what their company representative Mr. Wang stated regarding that the critics were “too sensitive,” I’m sure we can all agree that if anyone is lacking sensitivity it was the company in the production of said commercial.


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THE N WORD… CAN YOU SAY IT? CAN YOU SING IT? THE BRENTWOOD SCHOOL DEBACLE


If you have to ask, the answer is no.

Recently LA’s Brentwood School made the news for a video that leaked. It featured of a bunch of high school kids who were partying on a yacht while singing along to A$AP Ferg’s “Dump Dump”. The kids appear to be mostly white and are singing along to the lyrics which include the N word (with an 'a' at the end).

The video clip got out on social media and former baseball player Barry Bonds, whose daughter attends the school, posted it on his Twitter page.

There are a lot of people who don’t think the kids did anything wrong, since they are “just singing along to a song” [insert eye roll]. Let me just stop those people right now.

Yes A$AP Ferg can say the N word. Yes Beyonce can say the N word. Yes Kendrick Lamar can say the N word.

They are artists. African American artists. They convey THEIR experience, THEIR story, through THEIR art. The N word, no matter how ugly and disturbing, is part of African American history. Current day some individuals choose to embrace taking ownership of the word and use it to express themselves. But unless you are African American that right is not available to you. 

Permission is not granted.

This is a conversation I have had with my own daughter (who is half black) more than a few times.  The most recent example was after we watched the movie on Jesse Owens' life, Race. The word was used throughout the film, so it prompted another conversation about what it meant and how it is used current day. After I heard about what happened with the Brentwood students we had the talk again.

We have also talked about why even though I sing Beyonce's new song "Sorry" at the top of my lungs at least once a day, she will hear a distinct pause during certain parts of the song because I, as a white woman, do not have permission to sing that particular lyric. Will she sing along to that someday? Maybe, her blackness gives her that choice. She hears male friends of ours use it in casual conversation, she hears it in songs, she is not shielded from it. Because shielding does not educate, conversation does. 

 

THE OTHER SIDE

As I was researching this story, I came across Mark Dice’s YouTube page with a video that shared his thoughts. I hesitate to even share this video because as I listened I had a similar feeling to when I watch anything Trump related, I wanted to crawl through the screen and punch him in the face. So watch this with that warning in mind:)

The comments are awful. This guy saying the N word is awful. I don’t agree with anything he is saying. But I also know many Brentwood parents probably share his sentiments that it is "no big deal". But I will respectfully let them know that they are WRONG. 

 

LET'S TEACH SOME ACCOUNTABILITY

The kids on this yacht are well educated, at least in the traditional classroom sense. They should know better. Their parents, their school and their community need to hold them accountable. I am POSITIVE if this same group of kids were enthusiastically singing along to a song with homophobic lyrics or anti-Semitic lyrics the community as a whole would be outraged.

These kids are beyond privileged and they have access to everything the world has to offer. An education worth 40k a year is a beautiful thing to be able to give your child however, the learning needs to extend beyond the classroom if these students are going to become adults with integrity. Excusing this behavior, or laughing it off, is not going to do them any favors in the future. 

I hope these kids, their parents and their school learn 3 lessons from all of this negative attention: 

  1. Kids need to be engaging in conversations about race in school and at home from a young age. Diversity and cultural understanding needs to always be top of mind. Schools and parents often avoid these conversations for fear they can sometimes be uncomfortable but they are vital and need to be addressed early and often.
  2. Expose these kids to the real world. Not the privileged world of 5 star hotels in glamorous locales, but the real world.  Give them the opportunity to see life through others' eyes. If you have never been marginalized because of race (or gender) it can be hard to understand that experience. The only way to do that is to surround yourself with people who have had that experience and to hear their perspectives. 
  3. Teach these kids RESPECT. Respect for everyone. Children model behavior. Behavior they see at home and behavior they see on screens. It is up to the parents to "check" these kids. That means being an upstanding human being yourself and if you witness people making comments or disrespecting another individual you must speak up and model that behavior for your child. 

Oh and as a bonus suggestion... 15 year olds alone on a yacht with alcohol is not a great idea. 


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THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM... A MIXED RACE FAMILY IN 2015'S FANTASTIC FOUR


THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM... A MIXED RACE FAMILY IN 2015'S FANTASTIC FOUR via Swirl Nation Blog

Marvel’s reboot of the Fantastic Four was well a flop. A small blip on the comic book franchise movement we have seen since the early 2000’s with Spiderman that has now trickled down to Captain America, Thor, Batman and every superhero in between. Now, I’m an avid fan of the wave of comic book adapted films that have given me thrills, chills, and nostalgia for my childhood on a Saturday morning with cereal. I love them. I have such a swelling joy for them that I’m probably that person really overexcited for a midnight premiere. I was even more excited when I found out they were rebooting the Fantastic Four and that it was going to reflect the reality of myself and people I grew up with, a mixed race family. The response to this new dynamic was not received as warmly as I would have hoped though, not in the slightest.

 

I loved the first adaptation of the Fantastic Four when it was released in 2005 with stars like Jessica Alba and Chris Evans. Evans played the character Jonny Storm (The Human Torch) who is the sibling to Alba’s Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman) and they proceed with the narrative of getting their powers and becoming a team that saves the world. Despite the comic book sibling’s being traditionally white in the comic book, nobody made uproar over a Blonde haired, blue contact lens; light complexioned Alba portraying Sue Storm. She’s hot, and was arguably at the height of her Hollywood career so no fuss was given to the fact she was a minority sister to Chris Evans…. but then again audiences didn’t see that amongst her hair, eyes, and body hugging suit. I don’t even think my fifteen-year-old self questioned how they could be siblings because she looked so white- and argument could be made that they were being authentic to the comic book and it wasn’t necessarily a racial issue.

 

The new 2015 reboot took a different spin on The Fantastic Four that broke into the comic book world in the 1960’s by taking an original take on their origin story, casting a younger cast, and making the infamously charismatic Human Torch to be played by breakout Hollywood star Michael B. Jordan.  If you have never heard of MBJ (please go watch Creed/Fruitvale Station- you’ll thank me) or somehow missed the mixed media response to the casting of siblings with two different ethnicities, then I encourage you to Google interviews when you finish reading this.

 

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM... A MIXED RACE FAMILY IN 2015'S FANTASTIC FOUR via Swirl Nation Blog

Now, being the progressive generation that we are, many praised and hailed the casting that gave Sue Storms a black father and seemingly black brother. In the classic case of having to defend the question most multiracial families encounter- the “WHY” and “HOW” was a large part of many popular press junkets the stars did. 

 

Atlanta Rock 100.5 Morning show DJ’s asked: “How could the two actors of different races, conceivably, be siblings in the movie? Hmm. “But you’re white and you’re black. How does that happen?” to which Michael B Jordan responded: “They could be raised as brother and sister. There’s a whole bunch of family dynamics that could be without the ‘obvious adoption.’” 

 

Crazy right? Even late night TV hosts like Jimmy Kimmel prodded Michael B. Jordan during an interview as to how they were going to explain to audiences. Kimmel stated: "Kate Mara, I don't know if you know this, is a white person, how did they figure that out?" Jordan responded with “I'm pretty sure there's white people out there with other ethnicities brothers and sisters. Doesn't mean biological. It's the world that we live in."

 

I’m in no way promoting you to watch the movie because to be honest it wasn’t that good, but it had nothing to do with the cast, the story itself just didn’t make sense.  I appreciated that even in the movie they didn’t focus on explaining the history or giving some context on how the two siblings were indeed siblings. Coming from a mixed race family many of us can attest to our siblings not sharing the same skin tone that we have or even that we don’t share the same features as our parents.  Mixed families are beautiful and I’m happy that the cast took strides to answer eloquently and without the same level of misguided ignorance as their interviewers.

 

I hope as Hollywood continues to develop their casting tactics in the future less attention can be paid to frivolous questions like how characters of different races can be considered family. Maybe perhaps someday there will be a time when this doesn’t flutter an eyelash for anyone and It will be accepted and understood that even if not biological a family can be integrated without cause for speculation.

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM... A MIXED RACE FAMILY IN 2015'S FANTASTIC FOUR via Swirl Nation Blog

 

 

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WE SO HAPA MULTICULTURAL CABARET


WE SO HAPA MULTICULTURAL CABARET via Swirl Nation Blog

We So Hapa was originally conceived by Alex Chester, who is the creator of MeSoHapa.com a multicultural blog. Her passion behind bringing awareness to multicultural artists attracted Rebecca Lee Lerman and Kalen Sakima to jump on board in November of 2015. Sakima Productions was then brought in to support We So Hapa's misson and to provide guidance to make this concept a reality.

What is Hapa you may ask? Hapa comes from the Hawaiian Language meaning 'half'. A Hapa is anyone that identifies with two or more ethnic cultures. 

We So Hapa was created to showcase multi-ethnic talent. With a mission to bring awareness to others that one side of our diverse makeup or the other should not stereotype us as people or performers. We So Hapa is giving Hapa's a voice by challenging the perspective of what makes a person "white", "black", "Asian", "Middle Eastern", "Latino", etc. because deep down we are the same. We are human.

On Monday, September 12, 2016, the Triad NYC will host the first We So Hapa –  A multicultural Cabaret, at 8:30pm. This event will feature professional musical theater artists of mixed backgrounds. The show will take you on a journey of their experiences of what it is like to live the hapa life in the  entertainment industry. Performers will finally get a chance to perform material that showcases them best, regardless of enthic background. 

 

Creating this cabaret takes a team of writers, a director, a musical director, band, and performers - to name a few - and New York City prices do not come cheap! Sakima Productions believes that every artist should be compensated for their time and work. Artists too often work for free. We are striving to not make this another pro-bono project. We want to do everything in our power to produce this show at the highest quality level possible! Here is how you can support us and take part in changing the status quo: 

1. Donate to this Hatch Fund Campaign (tax deductible)

2. Share the fundraising campaign website

3. Create conversations about the We So Hapa event and mission

We have already gained the support of our colleagues and have some amazing perks for you! We know that with your help we can make We So Hapa possible. If we happen to go above and beyond our goal, funds will be allocated to support the next We So Hapa show.

Thank you for your time. We are so excited about We So Hapa and we can't wait to see you help us make a difference in the entertainment industry. Together our vision of inclusion will be heard and seen! 


 

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THUG OR DOUCHEBAG?!


Richard Sherman is often labeled a "thug", while Johnny Manziel is labeled a "douchebag".

Richard Sherman is often labeled a "thug", while Johnny Manziel is labeled a "douchebag".

1. thug

[THəɡ]

 

NOUN

1.     a violent person, especially a criminal.

synonyms: ruffian · hooligan · vandal · hoodlum · gangster · villain ·

[more]

criminal · tough · bruiser · hardman · goon · heavy · enforcer · hired gun · hood

2.     historical

a member of a religious organization of robbers and assassins in India. Devotees of the goddess Kali, the Thugs waylaid and strangled their victims, usually travelers, in a ritually prescribed manner. They were suppressed by the British in the 1830s.


I started this post with the Merriam Webster’s Dictionary definition because I want you to gain some context to the story I’m about to tell.

My good friend, a very educated and intelligent friend, told me her new neighbors are always “thugging it out” in the pool area.  She said they are always loud and filming with their cell phones.  She also said they probably think she is racist.  Her new neighbors are black; my good friend is white.

This really bothered me.

I asked her if they were doing anything illegal.  She said no, they were just being “annoying”. I also asked her what they were doing that was so “thuggish”.  She said they were loud and shooting rap videos with their cell phones.  Naturally, I thought, “OK, they were not doing anything violent or criminal (the definition of “thug” above). Why is she using the term “thug” to describe these people?”

WHY didn’t she just say they were being “DOUCHE BAGS”?


1. douche·bag

[ˈdo͞oSHbaɡ]

NOUN

1.     a small syringe for douching the vagina, especially as a contraceptive measure.

2.     N. AMER.

informal

an obnoxious or contemptible person, typically a man.


I mean, it sounded like they fit definition #2 of douche bag.  So why did she not use “douche bag”? Why did she use “thug”?

It brought me back to Richard Sherman and the 2014 Super Bowl.  An aggressive athlete, acts aggressively (does job) in aggressive sport, and makes aggressive comments.  He is black.  He is acting like a thug.  The word “thug” was mentioned 625 times on television following the Seattle Seahawks win ( http://cbsprt.co/1n4vvE ), but then I read the recent headlines about Johnny Manziel’s situation and the word “thug” isn’t mentioned anywhere – not even in the comments section.  Serena Williams argues with a linesman at a tennis match and she is labeled “trashy”, “classless”, and a “ghetto thug”; however, John McEnroe can regularly yell at refs his whole career and he is up to his “bad-boy antics” again.

I touched on this with my “Ghetto” post on Justin Bieber, but the words we use are so powerful.  The more we associate words that connote violence and crime with a race of people, the more we associate these behaviors with a group of people subconsciously.  The worst that can happen with a douche bag is he might offend your nostrils with bad cologne and hit on you.  Thugs can hurt you.  Why did my friend choose the more vilifying word to describe the behavior of the group of black men, when I know she would have never used the same word if they were white?  Pay attention to the media – left, right, middle.  Think about the words they choose.  Then ask yourself why?  There is a reason why we choose certain words over others – the English language is vast – and always remember, these words are chosen.

“Trashy”, “Classless”, “Ghetto Thug”

“Trashy”, “Classless”, “Ghetto Thug”

“Bad-Boy Antics”

“Bad-Boy Antics”


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NATIONAL MULTIRACIAL HERITAGE WEEK IS JUNE 7 TO 14


NATIONAL MULTIRACIAL HERITAGE WEEK via Swirl Nation Blog

We’re not asking for a month or a day—but just a moment during this week. June 7 to 14 is National Multiracial Heritage Week. I know, I know, you’re getting tired of all these groups with all their months, weeks, and days. Does every group need a special time-slot? Probably not, but if they do, we want one too.

This special week now has the official sanction of the Governors and legislators of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Texas, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, and the Mayor of the District of Columbia. The multiracial population is the fastest growing racial group in the country. We’ll only get bigger. 

Project RACE (Reclassify All Children Equally) is in its 25th year of “introducing” the multiracial community to the rest of the world.

The word “multiracial” has had a stormy ride. In the 1990s, when we were trying to convince the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that people needed to be able to check more than one box, they advised us to give them a definitive word to use. We had the choice of multiracial, biracial, mixed-race, and others. We asked the community and the consensus was the term “multiracial.” It is more inclusive than biracial. It doesn’t grate as much as “mixed,” which lends itself too easily to “mixed nuts” or “mixed up,” not to mention the problem that “mixed” is the opposite of “pure,” and that’s not a place we want to go. 

Yes, the nomenclature is a problem. I wish we could be as successful in changing terminology as the gay community. Remember when people used the term “homosexual”? Not anymore. I wish we could be as savvy as the community once known as colored, then Negro, then Black, and now African-American. But for reasons beyond our control, we remain more mixed than multiracial, more “other” than biracial, and more forgotten than other populations. But are we invisible? Didn’t you see that light tan baby being pushed down the street in the stroller yesterday? The dark woman pushing it was not the nanny—she was the mother. What about the family with the children who look part Asian? Yes, they take after their Asian mother and their white father.

When we were trying to reason with OMB, we also ran into the U.S. Census Bureau. But they still call us “MOOMs”—people who Mark One or More races, or the “combination” population.  It’s hard to get bureaucrats to change once two or more of them make up their minds.

Then there is the United States Department of Education. They might allow schools to let students check more than one race, but then they redistribute us to other racial categories with some strange algorithms. If a student checks Hispanic as one of their ethnic parts, then they become 100 percent Hispanic.

Then we have the United States Department of Justice, and all of their concerns about discrimination. They depend on the data to ensure that minorities are not discriminated against in any way. How could a multiracial person prove discrimination based on the fact that they are multiracial if no such multiracial numbers exist? It’s a real quandary.

Choosing to be multiracial is just that: a choice. If you want to be monoracial based on your personal history or just because that’s how you feel today, that’s great.  However, if you wish to celebrate your entire heritage, the choice should be yours and yours alone.

So, if you can, think about how you can contribute to Multiracial Heritage Week from June 7th to 14th. Give us a moment. Perhaps you can simply acknowledge a grandchild, teach about famous multiracial people, think about what you are going to call that multiracial person you know, or contribute to our cause. Join us. Google us. Befriend us. Follow us. Help us get the message out that this is the start of something big—something multiracial.

Susan Graham is the president of Project RACE, Inc.

Volunteer Sign Up HERE


 

 

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WHEN YOU'RE THE MINORITY AMONGST MINORITIES

Being the only multiracial graduate student amongst my classmates


WHEN YOU'RE THE MINORITY AMONGST THE MINORITIES via Swirl Nation Blog

Making a big life decision like pursuing my graduate degree in Chicago, IL where I had no family or friends available to me was one of the biggest gambles I’ve taken in my life. I never thought in uprooting my life and placing myself in a big city like Chicago I would end up feeling so culturally stifled within the four walls of my classroom. Surprise, not only was I one of three minorities out of our eleven person co-hort, but I was the only bi-racial member, and the only Hispanic. This was a realization that wasn’t only glaring obvious in the classroom, but also was a conflicted interpersonal issue I was trying to combat. I was alone in Chicago and there was nobody like me at the institution I’d committed myself to learning from for the next level of my education.

Moving outside the bubble that was my hometown of Killeen, Texas I learned with every city I explored and conquered that we were extremely unique in our diversity, racial acceptance, and cultural representation that a created beautifully mixed population. In San Antonio, I was bombarded with my Hispanic culture from each and every angle which I relished in because I wanted to perfect my Spanish and understanding of the traditional Hispanic upbringing that I was not raised with.

Luckily for me I had my best friend who is half Puerto Rican and Korean so I was not alone in feeling the realization that the multiracial bubble was smaller coming out of Killeen. I was very active as an undergraduate and involved in on campus groups as well as Greek life but being mixed was a constant reminder that I was not only aware of, but reminded of daily. Whether it was in conversation with people asking “What am I?” or having to explain the origins of myself from a physical attribute like my hair, it was a lingering concept that never disappeared.

When I made the decision to step outside of the world of Texas as I had come to know it and throw myself into Chicago I anticipated the joys of learning, growing, and immersing myself into all things graduate school could offer me. I wanted diversity and to explore the other parts of my ethnicities in an academic environment that I wasn’t necessarily afforded as an undergraduate. Much to my dismay the opposite of San Antonio happened in Chicago. The lack of racial diversity in my writing program was disheartening looking at my current co-hort and the previous/incoming classes surrounding us. I had three black classmates (2 women and 1 man) and I was the lone biracial member. While we all as students, individuals, and writers have combatted the need for authentic cultural representation in our classrooms, stories, and environment I felt an even heavier pressure.

WHEN YOU'RE THE MINORITY AMONGST THE MINORITIES via Swirl Nation Blog

There were personal aspects of my writing I wanted to explore such as bi-lingual characters, but I was dismayed to learn we had no Hispanic graduate staff to help guide or mentor me with my Spanish. I often found myself feeling conflicted about incorporating Spanish into my writing knowing I was going to have to explain translations and context to my classmates- a challenge I never had in San Antonio. It was hard explaining the world of my interracial relationships and multiracial characters to fellow classmates that had been void of biracial people in their upbringing and found the complexities of identity a hard concept to grasp. I never shied away from the challenge or apologized for it because the lack of education and representation of biracial characters in literature that aren’t the “mulatto,” figure is one of the driving reasons I chose to pursue my career as writer. Being the lone biracial student amongst a small sea of minorities at an art school that pales to the predominant white population can feel overwhelming at times. I don’t have the comforts of my best friend with me in this journey of my life who can sympathize with feeling out of place at times.

Being the only biracial member in my writing community can be disheartening at times, but I feel blessed and privilege to have the opportunity to share my story with others. Even though I can’t make the waves I want to in the lives of my classmates because let’s face it I can only speak for myself and my experience. Not only are there thousands of other multiracial blends in the world, but also their experiences are vastly different than my own. However; while I am here I remind myself of my purpose and what it is I want my writing to represent and the audience it speaks to. I will not feel guilty for placing extra work on my classmates for analyzing my Spanish and I will not step down from the challenge of showing the layers to biracial characters and the endeavors they face within their own cultures.

WHEN YOU'RE THE MINORITY AMONGST THE MINORITIES via Swirl Nation Blog

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THANK YOU OLD NAVY, F YOU RACISTS


You know what pisses me off? Ignorant people who think families are made up of a single ethnic background and feel that somehow a family made up of two or more cultures is wrong and less than themselves. 


You would think that in this day and age this kind of backwards thinking would be rare and pretty much non-existent. Sadly, nope not the case. 


Recently Old Navy showed a mixed race family. Wow, mind blown. Apparently this did not sit well with many people, who tweeted very mean and what I consider racist tweets.

 

THANK YOU OLD NAVY, F YOU RACISTS via Swirl Nation Blog

I'm sorry, what the F is wrong with you people?!? I honestly don't understand how you can look at yourself in the mirror every day and think you are a good person. Who gave you the right to judge someone? 


I know I'm very fortunate living in NYC, where this city is filled with multiculturalism and people can love who they want to. I forget that outside my home there is middle America filled with hateful people who are the "trumps" of our nation. Sadly, this always shocks me that people can be so cruel and so backwards in their thinking. 


Here is what I have to say to you racist SOB's... In 100 years you will be the minority. In 100 years hardly anyone in the U.S. will look like you because the world is changing and mixed people, like me (a product of a Jewish woman and Japanese man) will be in the majority. I know I won't be around to witness this, but I know the world is gonna be one beautiful melting pot place and there isn't gonna be room for people like you who don't believe people can love who they want to love. You will be the minority with your very mean thoughts, and maybe, just maybe you will finally understand what it is like to be judged and gawked at. I can't wait for the day when someone says "Oh look, a white person". 


Thank you Old Navy. I may not like your clothing but I sure do love your ad campaigns. Keep up the good work! Keep showing the world we live in! Change the status quo. 


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A LETTER TO OLD NAVY


Dear Old Navy,

A LETTER TO OLD NAVY via Swirl Nation Blog

You had a tough weekend. Like many of us tend to be victim to at times, you posted a photo via social media that you’d hope to receive a good response to. Perhaps even ring up the price of clothing on the sale you advertised. I understand, we all have expectations and hopes when we post a picture that potentially could work out in our favor, and I’m sorry in your case it was the latter.

I’m sorry that for the next week you will be a trending topic on blogs, social media, and even the news, but won’t create the conversation the picture so deserves.

I’m sorry that the representation of family your ad projected beautifully was met with discrimination, bigotry and racism that many are unaccustomed to, but I am.

I’m sorry that because ads like yours are so underrepresented on a commercial and global scale in the media, arts, entertainment, and public platforms that people are so disturbed by an image that distorts their views of culture and race. That the imagined bi-product of this man and woman’s love is such an eye-sore to some of your consumers they would be willing to “protest,” and “boycott,” your company. Most of all though Old Navy, the people I’m sorriest for are the internet trolls who are so ignorant to the beauty of diversity that they cannot stand the image of it in all its radiance and glory when we come together and blend to become multiracial.

 

Being a product of an interracial family it warms my heart to see a portrait of a household I could relate to growing up. For many of us who are “mixed,” or “biracial,” this ad reflects our complicated history with race and culture. Those of us who are accustomed to the “What are you?” “Which parent is what race?” and “What side do you identify more with?” questions understand and sympathize with potential life this fictional child could have growing up. People who have been in an interracial relationship or marriage can understand the head turns when you walk down the street hand in hand, the discomfort from family members and friends unaccustomed to stepping outside cultural boundaries, and the infinite amount of defenses made in regards to your potential choice in a partner.

We get it. We understand what this picture means for us, and though it may be complicated and ugly to some, it makes us proud. Proud of the representation of love that knows no boundaries and a small step forward in the giant machine that is working against the whitewashed norms of advertising to showcase all love, beauty in different sizes, and gender friendly campaigns for its consumers. We thank you for reflecting our reality even if it makes people uncomfortable. Mixed love is beautiful love whether it’s black, white, brown, red, or yellow, it is extraordinary and powerful. The only suggestion I could make if any, is to go past the standard “Mulatto,” black/white dynamic that most people attribute with being bi-racial and push further, harder, and more diverse in the future for your campaigns.

Sincerely,

A Multiracial Consumer


In case you didn't see the hate on social media, here is a sample: 

A LETTER TO OLD NAVY via Swirl Nation Blog
A LETTER TO OLD NAVY via Swirl Nation Blog
A LETTER TO OLD NAVY via Swirl Nation Blog
A LETTER TO OLD NAVY via Swirl Nation Blog

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MIXED REMIX FESTIVAL JUNE 10-11 IN LOS ANGELES


MIXED REMIX FESTIVAL JUNE 10-11 IN LOS ANGELES via Swirl Nation Blog

LOS ANGELES, CA-April 8, 2016 – The Mixed Remixed Festival, the nation’s largest gathering of mixed-race and multiracial families and people, will take place at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles (100 N. Central Avenue), June 10-11, 2016.

Now in its third year, the Festival celebrates stories of multiracial Americans and families, the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. A free public event, the Festival brings together film and book lovers, innovative and emerging artists, and multiracial and multicultural families and individuals for workshops, readings, performances, and film screenings.

The Mixed Remixed Festival attracted close to 700 people from across the country last year and featured dozens of writers, scholars and performers including Comedy Central’s Al Madrigal and New York Times best-selling author Jamie Ford.

The Festival, a non-profit arts organization, is produced by The New York Times best-selling writer, Heidi Durrow, and a talented team of volunteers.

“It’s exciting to finally see mixed people and families in mainstream media and to connect with each other on-line,” says Durrow who calls herself an Afro-Viking because she is African-American and Danish. “But the Festival is the only nationwide cultural arts event where we get to meet each other and network.”

Registration is now open for the third annual Mixed Remixed Festival, a free event that is open to the public. The complete Festival schedule can be found online at www.mixedremixed.org.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

  • The Festival hosts the largest West Coast Loving Day Celebration, Saturday, June 11, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. with the annual Storyteller’s Prize presentation and live show. The Festival will present the Storyteller’s Prize to film and TV star Taye Diggs and his collaborator, Shane Evans, for their ground-breaking children’s book Mixed Me as part of a dynamic live show featuring comedians, musicians, and spoken-word poets.
  • Families can enjoy interactive craft activities as well storytelling events as part of the JANM Free Family Day.
  • The Festival will present several notable short films including the award-winning Fall Seven Times Get Up Eight: Japanese War Brides (dirs. Kraft, Kasmauski, Tolbert), a documentary about three Japanese women who immigrated to the US to raise their Hapa kids. Chill (dir. Jennifer Frappier), a press-darling documentary about egg-freezing makes its debut at Mixed Remixed. Immediately following each screening, there will be a Q & A session with the filmmakers.
  • The Festival includes author readings by New York Times bestselling author Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and SweetSongs of Willow Frost); Sunil Yapa, the author of the breakout national bestseller, The Heart Is A Muscle the Size of Your Fist; Natashia Deon, author of the acclaimed debut novel, Grace; the celebrated writer and activist Willy Wilkinson; and many others. The Festival is also pleased to present Skylight Books as the Festival’s official bookseller.
  • More than a dozen esteemed panelists will speak on diverse topics related to the mixed-race and multicultural experience, including: award-winning writer Faith Adiele and two-time Peabody Award winner Dmae Roberts who has released her important new memoir.

Festival sponsors include: Silver Sponsor Mixed Chicks, Emerging Sponsor Home Advisor, Japanese American National Museum, Zevia, Zapier, Algonquin Books, My Family Builder.


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SHADEISM


In my last post, I briefly mentioned Shadeism.

Shadeism, or Colorism, is different than racism, as it often occurs within an ethnic group, or race.  It is when a group values a certain shade of skin, typically a lighter shade, over another.  Shadeism is prejudice based on social conclusions attached to skin color.  It is not dependent on ancestry, so we cannot call it racism.  Shadeism is solely based on color.  Warning, this post only scratches the surface of this subject and I am not an expert.  Hopefully, this post will get you interested in researching the topic further, or at the least, start a conversation.

Shadeism exists all over the world.  It even existed amongst Europeans at one time.  Tanned skin signaled you worked outside, in the fields and were of a lower class.  Fairer skin, along with soft hands, signaled you were of the aristocracy, or higher class.  When the Europeans colonized the world, they brought the notion, sometimes inadvertently, that lighter is better.

Sometimes, this notion already existed in cultures, before the introduction of Europeans to a society.  Although certainly exacerbated after being colonized by the British, Indians already had a caste system and Shadeism was sometimes a byproduct of it.  In Japan, both men and women used rice powder to lighten their skin and hide imperfections.  In both cultures, lighter skin implied wealth and membership to a higher, non-working class.

The introduction of slavery to the Americas brought race, and racism, into the mix.  Because slavery in America was based on race, a superiority of the white race because of ancestry and a right to own slaves because of this so-called superiority, Shadeism took on a whole new meaning in the black community.  Many of the white masters raped their slaves and this produced many bi-racial children.  The lighter slaves were given favor and allowed to work in the house, while the darker slaves worked in the fields.  The mixing was so prevalent that some of the “slaves” were unrecognizable as being black, and this challenged the “right” to own slaves based on color or superiority.  It also frightened white Northerners who could be accused of being black, and without sufficient evidence to prove otherwise, could be shipped to the south and work on a plantation.  This, along with other reasons, helped the Abolitionist movement to end slavery.

A “white” slave:

Shadeism after reconstruction fractured the black community.  Newly freed slaves developed their own societies.  Because the dominant white society placed extra value on blacks mixed with white ancestry, light-skinned blacks began to intermarry and create special societies and social clubs.  Entrance into these social clubs involved ridiculous tests: brown paper bags, combs, flashlights, amongst other things.  These clubs were purely meant to exclude, not include. Having lighter skin made it easier to get an education, own land, and start a business. 

 

2 clips from Spike Lee’s School Daze:

The beautiful and fair Aishwarya Rai

The beautiful and fair Aishwarya Rai

This strive for “whiteness” still occurs in present day.  Bleaching creams in India, Asia, and Africa are big-business.  Preference is still placed on lighter-skinned Bollywood actors.  In Asia, fair-skinned Asians are valued; and although the diversity of black people used in ads is getting better, the preference for light-skinned, long-haired black girls still persists in rap videos.

The good news is more and more people are rejecting these ideals of beauty and Shadeism.  The peachy color named “skin” in a box of crayons sold in India has been challenged.  Lupita Nyong’o has been named one of the world’s most beautiful people.  We’ve crowned an Indian woman Miss America.  Idris Elba is universally one of the sexiest men alive.  White people are tanning…

 

 

Lupita Nyong’o, People’s Most Beautiful Woman in 2014:

SHADEISM via Swirl Nation Blog

So, if this notion of lighter is better still persists in your culture, please know and embrace ALL shades, from the fairest to the darkest and everything in between, are beautiful, especially if it is yours.

Shadeism Part 1:

Shadeism Part 2:


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SAYREAL FREEDOM SONG


SAYREAL FREEDOM SONG via Swirl Nation Blog
SAYREAL FREEDOM SONG via Swirl Nation Blog

First off, I want to thank friend of the blog, Chanel Bosh, for bringing this story to our attention! SayReal is a band from Los Angeles who released a new video for their new song "Frederick's Song (Freedom)", which is inspired by the work of Frederick Douglass. Unfortunately the video was met with some negative attention when their video launched on the AfroPunk Facebook page.

People, as they often do, responded with assumptions. The first being that the lead singer and other members of SayReal didn't have the right to sing a song based on the Abolitionist's work because of their race, and more specifically because they are not black. What many of these individuals didn't realize until it was explained, was that the lead singer and drummer are in fact biracial, born to a Jewish mother and African-American father. Some of AfroPunk's Facebook fans called the lead singer "Rachel Dolezal", suggesting the band was just "acting black". 

Unfortunately this is not new to many multiracial individuals. Multiracial and biracial people have often said they grow up not feeling "white enough", "black enough", "asian enough", or whatever the case may be. On Swirl Nation Blog these are the types of notions we are aiming to change. We are working to do that through sharing stories of multiracial individuals from across the globe who are proud of their mixed heritage and can choose to express themselves however they feel best. 

Take a look at just a small sample of the ugliness that was expressed in the comments section: 

SAYREAL FREEDOM SONG via Swirl Nation Blog
SAYREAL FREEDOM SONG via Swirl Nation Blog

Others stated their concern was that the band was described as "reggae" when they are more pop. Although the description in the bio says "reggae-folk fusion" who make "soulful rock music for the revolutionary soul" which to me sounds like a perfect description and is another great example of culture mixing, and creating new sounds, new hybrids, and new ways for people to express themselves. 

From AfroPunk

SayReal is a reggae-folk fusion band, fronted by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Naia Kete, that's based in L.A. where they make soulful rock music for the revolutionary soul. Today, we’re premiering the video for their single "Frederick's Song (Freedom)", a visionary’s anthem co-written by academic Richard Fink and based on the life, message, and teachings of Abolitionist Frederick Douglass. "It reflects the social, political and economic freedoms we all must remember to relentlessly fight for. With the beat of a revolutionary hymn and an infectious chorus, this is an anthem that inspires us all to never idly stand by while there is injustice," the band tells AFROPUNK.

As the mother of a multiracial daughter I know how I feel. I am raising my daughter to be proud of her cultures, all of them. As she grows up and expresses herself in different ways she should have as much license to express her black side as she does her white. That is her truth. 

I love this song and if nothing else I am glad this controversy allowed me to discover the music of SayReal and I for one am happy to see musicians writing about a topic as important as the work of Frederick Douglass. Please enjoy the video and I would urge everyone in our multiracial community and beyond to share it. xo


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Mixtape present The Best Thing Since… hip hop event series at Angel City Brewery.


Created by and for up-and-coming Hip-Hop artists, enthusiasts, and new timers from all five elements, The Best Thing Since... Series is fostering community at the open mic, inspiring conversation by thought-provoking artists, and working up a sweat on the dance floor.

Using hip hop, they explore the complexities of navigating multiple identities. Beyond the socially-constructed confines of race, what constructs identity? How do we code-switch across the multiple worlds we exist in? Through the five elements of hip hop, they have a multi-dimensional interactive conversation that will foster self-reflection, expression, and community.

More than a show, The Best Thing Since... Series aims to reinforce the fifth element of Hip-Hop: knowledge . How do they do this? By utilizing the other four: Graffiti art, Breaking, Emceeing and DJing.

Angel City Brewery in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles is hosting the first installment, entitled, The Best Thing Since White Bread and Guacamole: Navigating Multiple Identities, on Sunday, April 10, 2016 at 7PM. The night kicks off with an open mic followed by featured performers Omar Offendum, Medusa, Maya Jupiter, and Dyalekt and ending with a killer dance party by DJ Ervin Arana.

Suggested donation of $14, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Can’t make it to the event but want to support what we’re about? Purchase “There In Spirit” tickets at tbts.brownpapertickets.com

The Best Thing Since... Series is collaborative partnership between #CultureFix , Mixed-Race Mixtape and Dyalekt.


If you are interested in collaborating with this event in another way you can contact them at thebestthingsince1@gmail.com

Mixtape present The Best Thing Since… hip hop event series at Angel City Brewery via Swirl Nation Blog

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HOW TO IDENTIFY WITH YOUR PEOPLE WHEN YOUR PEOPLE WON'T LET YOU


This is very hard for me to write because I don’t know how to begin.

 

How do you identify with your people when people won’t let you? 

 

HOW TO IDENTIFY WITH YOUR PEOPLE WHEN YOUR PEOPLE WON'T LET YOU via Swirl Nation Blog

I’ve written about being racially ambiguous.  Growing up in a predominantly white environment without real examples of people who are mixed-raced in the media made me “other”, but definitely not white, or at least not 100% white.  I’ve written about my parents both being mixed-race, but because of the one-drop-rule, they were black and never were allowed, or even compelled to identify as anything other than black.  My dad definitely “looks” like he has African blood flowing through his veins – full lips, coarse, kinky hair, and a slightly broader nose.  My mother, on the other hand, has been identified as Latina, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Jewish.  She has naturally soft hair, an angular nose, fairer skin, not pale.  However, my mother grew up with 6 black sisters in a white rural town in California.  Everyone knew her family and she was reminded she was black every day.

HOW TO IDENTIFY WITH YOUR PEOPLE WHEN YOUR PEOPLE WON'T LET YOU via Swirl Nation Blog

So you can only imagine, when it came to raising me and my sisters, we were told about our white relatives.  We were told about our family members we will probably never meet because they decided to “pass” during a time when being white was truly a privilege.  BUT we never identified with being white or bi-racial.  It was always people around me that pointed out my differences, the “other”.  It was society that pointed out that I didn’t necessarily fit in one category based on my physical appearance.

HOW TO IDENTIFY WITH YOUR PEOPLE WHEN YOUR PEOPLE WON'T LET YOU via Swirl Nation Blog

 

As a child, I would have black friends who called me “white girl” because I was very “high yellow” with hair that grew down my back and I spoke very proper English (I never felt comfortable using slang or “putting on” what is perceived as talking like a black person – writing that sounds so racist, but just go with it).  As a child, I had white friends dismiss things I say with comments like, “that must be a black thing,” or “your skin is only a little dark, so you don’t have that much bad blood in you” (ßa sweet Mormon friend told me this because of something she learned from The Book of Mormon – it really wasn’t her fault, but the fault of here teaching).  Older people, usually schoolmates’ parents, were always interested in my heritage and were always met with disappointment when I didn’t say something like “Thai”.  They didn’t want to believe that I am plain-old American with family that has been here probably longer than theirs, or their ancestors probably owned my ancestors at one point in time.

 

My dilemma is easy.  I’m black.  That is how I identify.  I mostly grew up in white culture, but I was always non-white, or different, so I never held on to it.  And because my parents, brought me up to be black and proud of my black heritage, I never wanted to be anything different.  In high school, I tanned in the tanning bed and wore braids and bantu knots on occasion to look more black.  I wanted nothing more than to fit in one category, not stand out because of my physical appearance.  I wanted people to stop asking me what I was and where my family was from and recognize me for being black.

 
HOW TO IDENTIFY WITH YOUR PEOPLE WHEN YOUR PEOPLE WON'T LET YOU via Swirl Nation Blog
 

It changed a little when I went to college in a small town in Colorado. 

 

My freshman year, I joined the Black Student Union.  I was never taken seriously.  My neutral perspective was not appreciated.  I had one, very good black female friend who grew up in the same town as me.  She went to a different high school, but she grew up in a middle to upper-middle class, white neighborhood just like me.  She got my perspective, but the difference was that she was dark-skinned.  The group took her opinions seriously.  This is when I learned about Shadeism, light-skinned vs. dark-skinned, which is an entirely different post.  On top of being a light-skinned girl who grew up in an affluent neighborhood, everyone thought I had at least one white parent.  Not that having one white parent is bad, or should make a difference, but the Black Student Union did not identify with me and they made it very clear.  My experiences could never be like theirs and I was not representative of their community.  I didn’t attend any meetings after my first semester.  I transferred to a larger university my junior year with students from all over the world and my world changed again.

 

Boulder, Colorado is a small town with a huge university.  The town is filled with open-minded academics that embrace “the other”.  There is a lot of cultural appropriation going on in that town, but it is never malicious – it is truly out of love for a certain aesthetic or curiosity.  I was asked about my heritage every day; however, it was never asked in a condescending way.  The people, young and old, would ask with a sense of wonder and awe.  I felt like a unicorn, but in a boost-my-ego way.  Boulder wasn’t very diverse when I lived there.  It was very white, but I will say, the most diverse group of white people ever.  Boulder taught me to look at my “uniqueness” in a positive way.  When people ask me questions, I have two choices: take the questions in a negative way or positive way.  I chose the latter.  Boulder also taught me to stop trying to fit in to a category.

 

So here I am.  I’m still black and I’m proud, but I will acknowledge the white blood that is running through my veins if pressed more about my heritage.  I also love to see the shock on peoples’ faces when I tell them that my ancestors were raped by slave masters and my “mulatto” and “quadroon” ancestors kept mixing with other mulattoes, quadroons, and octoroons.  It depends on the audience how deep I want to go.

 

 Where am I going with this post?

 

I’ve written about raising my daughter to be “Color Brave” and not “Color Blind.”  How will she identify as a teenager, young adult, adult?  Will society determine that by treating her in a certain way based on her physical appearance.  Although I fought being identified as anything other than being black as a child and teenager, my experiences in college and society pointing out my physical characteristics, made me realize I don’t have to be boxed in to one category.  I can choose to identify as bi-racial or mixed.  I can be Black with White blood mixed in my ancestry.  What will happen to my daughter?  She is only a quarter black.  She can pass for white or White-Latina.  Will society let her identify as black, as she does now, when her black features are negligible?  For me, that question was easy to answer because of the way I was raised and I at least look part black.  Will my daughter receive backlash from the minority community if she identifies as white?  Will she receive backlash if she identifies as White, with Black blood mixed in her ancestry? 

 The good thing, and part of the aim of this blog, is to make people aware and help families embrace the many colors that make up a family and individual.  It is also important to not make people choose categories. 


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WHITEWASHING IN TV AND MOVIES


It’s no secret that our TV, movies, and magazines are seriously lacking in diversity. Tensions over this important subject have come to a tipping point recently as we saw with this year’s Oscar protests. The increase in backlash has certainly raised my awareness of this problem and of another long-standing race issue in Hollywood.

For decades, movies have used white people to portray people of color on the big screen. Whitewashing in the media is also no big secret. In the beginning, white actors and actresses would don blackface or use makeup to make their skin darker. They would over exaggerate their features either in an effort to be funny or to make the character seem more “realistic”. Over time, the use of blackface and other means to portray people of other races has been  (thankfully) deemed offensive and inappropriate. However, it is a practice that is, shockingly, still widespread in movies and TV today.

There are some notable examples that we may not even realize. For example, in the movie  21, Jim Sturgess plays Ben Campbell, a mathematical genius who who uses his skills to count cards in blackjack. As it turns out, the movie is based on the true story of an Asian-American-American student. Now, I had no idea that this story was even based on real events. I also had no idea that the main character was supposed to be Asian. This is one of the many reasons that whitewashing is so problematic. We live in a diverse world, where people of all races do incredible things. Why is it so important that their stories be told using a person who doesn't share their same ethnic heritage?

Another example is the recently released film, God’s of Egypt. It stars Gerard Butler who is Scottish and plays Egyptian God, Set.

His co-star, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, is Danish and also plays an Egyptian God. The producers and director apologized for the film’s lack of diversity before it even hit theaters, but you have to wonder, why is it still common practice to use white people in the portrayals of people of color? Furthermore, why does Hollywood seem to not even try to find actors who are of the same race as the original person or character? There are any number of reasons why they do this and any Google search of whitewashing in movies will give you a good idea.

Regardless of the reasons producers and directors give for using white people over people of color in their movies, the bottom line is that as this continues it only serves to subconsciously perpetuate the idea that white is best. I would venture to guess that very few people would come out and say, “I think white people are the best actors.” But, if we continually see white people in all our movies and TV and if they are continually being used to portray people of color, we will continue to undermine the advancements we are trying to make towards a truly equal opportunity society. One could argue that these people were perhaps the best actor or actress for the part. In making that argument though, you are assuming two things; that a person from each race had the opportunity to try out for the role and that each person had an equal chance. Even with all the progress we have made toward equality, we know that those assumptions aren’t accurate.

In the end, I think that this will continue to happen until enough people decide that they won’t stand for it. I’m not confident that will happen any time soon, but in the meantime we can continue to be conscious of whitewashing in the shows and movies we watch. We can continue to make our voices heard with the help of the Internet and, hopefully, we will reach the right people. The people that made their voices heard about God’s of Egypt garnered a formal apology. This is a big step toward showing Hollywood that we want to see people of color portraying characters and people of color in our movies.


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BLAXICANS

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BLAXICANS


"Duality: Blaxicans of L.A." is a photo exhibit that explores multiracial identity among the city's two largest minority groups.  Stanford graduate student, Walter Thompson-Hernandez, created the exhibit after starting an Instagram account exploring the issue.  Thompson-Hernandez, whose mother is Mexican and father is Black, started the Instagram account while doing research on the topic for his Latin American Studies graduate thesis.

"Most multiracial scholarship has been on the black and white binary. I felt it didn't cover the range of ways that multiracial people identify," he said.

Growing up, Thompson-Hernandez had to navigate both worlds, Black and Mexican.  Because most people identified him as Mexican based on his physical appearance, he identified as Mexican for a very long time.  He was forced by society to choose a side.  This pressure to choose led Thompson-Hernandez to do research on why people are forced to choose.

"There's tremendous nuance in how blacks and Mexicans identify, and I want to understand the motivations that guide lives of Blaxicans and how they construct identity," he said.

The exhibit opened the beginning of February, one of many projects and events in the Los Angeles area commemorating Black History Month.  Its opening night at Avenue 50 Studio, drew more than 500 people.

"I think this project reminds us of the complexities of identity and diversity, whether ethnically and or culturally, each of embodies," Sanchez said. "The popularity of this exhibition is only a testament for the need to continue this cross-cultural and intergenerational conversation."

Click here to read Rivas's story in full at Fusion, and click here to follow Thompson-Hernández's stunning "@BlaxicansOfLA" page. 


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