“You talk so white, I would’ve never guessed you were actually black!” said everyone at my high school. “Is that your dad or just your mom’s boyfriend?” asked numerous of my classmates. Or my personal favorite: “what are you?” To answer this overly common and inherently rude question, I’m a first-generation biracial, meaning that I am a product of a direct interracial relationship. Yes, my dad is black - Haitian to be exact - and yes, he is my actual dad. Coming up in a predominately black neighborhood while simultaneously being raised mostly by my white mother makes for an enthralling experience. My racial ambiguity has brought me both joy and sorrow, which have come together to make me the unique individual I am today. As previously stated, I cannot say whether I feel closer to my white or black side because I was raised differently by both sides. My environment was essentially “black” whereas my parenting was mostly “white”. At a very young age, I was treated slightly …show more content…
I was already discluded from my white peers on multiple occasions for obvious reasons; however, I never expected to be neglected by this side. This sudden shift in acceptance brought much despair to my high school life because no matter how hard I tried to learn about my culture, someone somewhere would shut me down. For instance, it is a running gag especially in Caribbean culture to call somebody a “fake [insert whichever nation they identify with]”. However, I believe that statements such as those run deeper than they appear. For a long time, I truly believed I was a fake Haitian, leading me to believe that my entire racial identity was a lie. Just because I was half of something meant that I was counterfeit. At the end of the day, I could never be authentic to any culture because I was inherently