British/Irish | Colombian
I identify as mixed-race, heterosexual & a Catholic. My mum is from Colombia and my dad is Irish/British. I do think there is still bias, however I think it’s more within the communities of each race. Being part of the Latino community is a blessing but also has some negative comments whereby I have felt I don’t belong or I am not accepted for being what I am. But this may stem from the fact that Colombia and similar countries still have so many issues that need to be addressed in regards to race in their own country and perhaps they do not have that understanding of a diverse community yet or interracial relationships to an extent, the same can be said with Ireland however I do believe Ireland has progressed in the last say 10 years. I think a lot of people don’t look beyond how you look and will decide whether your ‘this’ or ‘that’. I’ve had friends and family who will say ‘your White though, look at you’ and other people say ‘You’re not White at all’ and when these comments are said it’s in a tone that is not positive or welcoming, it’s a very deciding statement as if I’ve been labelled and that’s that. I think the worse I’ve had is someone calling me a mongrel as a joke, I think it hurt more that it was with such a ‘light hearted’ tone as if there was no intention of hurt and they are saying something true. A positive is that I can mix and blend with two races and sometimes confuse people, they might have judged me on something then I open my mouth and talk fluent Spanish, I like the shock value some people get, I think now I am older I’ve embraced my mixed-race identity and the negative stuff doesn’t really affect me as I am happy being a sort of geezer Colombian Leprechaun. Mixed-race people may be able to challenge racial injustice and help certain individuals understand and accept different cultures more, and with the increase in our population I believe it will help create relationships within different cultural communities to then create a better more loving society. Hopefully one day I can tick a box on the form which says ‘British, mixed other’.
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