They Said This Would Be Fun is a memoir by Eternity Martis, demonstrating the hardships of being biracial. She attended Western University to pursue journalism, discovering hardships with white supremacists and her struggles as an outcast. Martis grew up with immigrant parents—a working-class single mother who conceived out of wedlock and middle-class grandparents. Western is in Boston, popular for being “the best partying and white school in all Ontario metropolises” (Martis 45), with predominantly middle-class students. This contrasts with her upbringing in Toronto, where there is vivid multiculturalism. She never underwent harsh anti-black racism and constant segregation as a target for sexual assault, predators, or discrimination. She felt like an outsider, being labeled with …show more content…
She lacked familial support from her grandmother's cooking and her mother's reassuring actions. She had to be aware of her surroundings and be taught to be ready to defend herself. At home, she was always stood up by her family; they ignored their racial differences and treated her with equal entitlement to their lighter skin, as her father was not a constant in her life. She commented on the inequality after attending a Halloween party with her friend Taz. They were constantly called “black wonder women” (Martis 102) and “brown snow white” (Martis 102), while other white girls were misinterpreting Halloween as a cultural freedom where they could act insensitively and stereotypically without negative backlash. However, since these parties were taking place outside of school property, the black-faced bobsledding contest was inconsequential and deemed an intent versus offense situation “justified as youthful ignorance and the lack of malicious intents.” (Martis 110) and has been a contest throughout many schools, such as Brock University. She found this ridiculous: “Who I am cannot be washed away by