On Being Mixed Race: I am Not a Percentage or a Fraction |
On Being Mixed Race: I am Not a Percentage or a Fraction
The Radical Notion
2016-01-12
Nicola Codner
Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
I’ve noticed frequently when I’m having a conversation with someone about my racial identity, I start to feel frustrated by some of the language that comes up. To clarify my father is black Jamaican, Nigerian and white British, and my mother is white British.
My earliest memories are of being described racially as ‘half-caste’. This was an acceptable term back in the 80’s, in the UK, to describe someone whose parents are of different races. People don’t tend to use this word anymore unless they are from older generations and unaware that it is not politically correct. The word ‘caste’ originates from the Spanish/Portuguese word ‘casta’ which means ‘pure’. Describing someone as half-caste is to imply they are only half pure which has obvious racist implications. This term was my first introduction to the idea that I had an identity that could be broken down into numerical fractions…
Read the entire article here.
Tags: Nicola Codner, The Radical Notion