English/Irish | Mauritian
I always look upon my Grandparents relationship very fondly. They were married during Apartheid in South Africa. My Grandfather was White and my Grandmother Black. My Mum told me some awful stories from that time and the idea of an interracial couple defying Apartheid has always been such a wonderful thing for me.
Outside of my own family I've never really felt like I truly fit in anywhere. I've always looked too White to really be considered a person of colour but also I don't really look White either. The first time it became apparent to me that I didn't look totally White was when I moved to a village school (almost entirely attended by White pupils). At no point did I experience any racial abuse but I was met with a degree of curiosity. My first day on the school bus I remember being asked ‘are you Indian’, ‘are you mixed-race, ‘where are you from?’. There was no malice intended and I certainly wasn’t upset about being the object of everyone’s curiosity, but I was surprised as it was the first time I had been singled out for my looks.
I've always identified as mixed/other on official documents. My Wife is White and my two sons have Blonde hair and fair skin. It's a strange one as I never know what to identify them as on school documents etc. They spend a lot of time with my Aunties (and did with my Mum before she passed away). Being Mauritian my Aunties are clearly of colour and sometimes will collect my boys from nursery. It seems strange to say my sons are White when they clearly have Black family?
I think it's a wonderful thing that inequality and prejudices are being brought to light and I hope we will move in a positive direction where one day we look back on history and be in utter disbelief that such a thing as racial inequality ever existed. I don't know where I fit during it all though. I can in no way say I've experienced everyday discrimination in my life. For the most part I look quite White but that being said I have certainly experienced the odd instance of racial prejudice. One instance when I was with my Mum and Auntie in particular will stay with me forever.
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