WHAT WERE SOME OF THE PARALLELS YOU FOUND BETWEEN THOSE WHO are MULTI RACIAL AND those WHO ARE queer/NON-BINARY?

To start, I will say there are parallels but there are also stark differences between your racial background and your gender identity. I follow lots of Black Twitter and Melanin Shade Room on IG because its funny. But monthly, like clockwork, there is always the topic about multi-racial Black people being in these spaces. There are some people that believe if you are multi-racial, you need to say you’re multi-racial and not Black. If you’re Black and Mexican, some are like “pick one!” or specifically say you’re multi-racial. And its interesting because I have a friend who is Japanese and Samoan and we’re both multi-racial, but not the same race. Many then refer to “how Black do you look?” “How Mexican do you look?” “How Japanese do you look?” “How dark is your skin?” “How curly is your hair?” There is a difference in how people are treated because of their features, such as how dark or light their skin is. However, I don’t think those things should determine whether you’re more or less of that identity.

I think about people who are non-binary and not androgynous—that’s a big one for folks. People will say, “oh well you look like a girl or a boy” and because it challenges their idea of what non-binary or trans looks like… they don’t present in the way they expect non-binary and trans people to present…it causes people to question the validity. Those experiences of being consistently questioned because you don’t fit someone’s idea of what you should be and that makes them uncomfortable..and that experience of having to consistently be questioned and to advocate for yourself and your identity is exhausting. And it impacts someone’s mental health and well-being. And its challenging to find community with those people because of those shared experiences. Those conversations need to happen more; and I do think its happening around identity markers like gender (like trans and non-binary) and I also hope we can have similar conversations around race and being multi-racial —because we all look so different. And really, so does everyone—we’re all on a spectrum. No more boxes. Boxes are stupid and outdated.

When you hear critical race theory (CRT) what comes to mind and what should be discussed?

The first things that comes to mind when I hear CRT is that a lot of people don’t even know what it is. That is the first thing. It’s like a hot topic on Fox News. People like to make it this Big Bad—almost like, in the “The Children of the Corn.” The premise of “Children of the Corn”—there’s kids in this super small town in Nebraska that are struggling because their corn is dying and that’s how they make their money. Its also White Christian Extremism in Rural America…but there’s eventually this monster who gets the kids together into a cult and they slaughter the adults in the town to make sacrifices to “He Who Walks Behind The Rows.” Fast forward—this monster never actually existed… we never see him… but what’s terrifying is that these kids learn this extremism out of love and are able to create these monstrosities. In every single one of these kids’ brains, this monster is beyond comprehension; it is their own definition of something that is terrifying; and CRT especially through media sources like Fox News—its the same thing.

Everyone has this own idea of how horrific this thing is… and doesn’t actually know what it is. People think CRT is going to wreak havoc on society. CRT is taking something that supports critical thinking about systemic racism and actually tries to comprehend what it is with this foundational factor to better understand ourselves—and meanwhile, there’s others who are screaming “He who walks behind the rows.” That’s my immediate thought.

It’s completely blown out of proportion and villanized. But its also college level. I don’t know why people are talking about their elementary kids learning CRT. They aren’t learning CRT in 4th grade —though I think they should learn elements of it. That also speaks to how far removed some people are… and my point is whoever founded it—maybe there’s something that can be done to better communicate what it is. Though I think people who want to misunderstand it and weaponize it will continue to do so for their own agenda. I do think its important for folks to understand what it is, especially those not in academia, because not everyone wants to hate it. Some people want to know how it impacts or even benefits them.

How did you learn about your race and background?

The first thing that comes to mind, maybe even around pre-school—is Dora the Explorer. I LOVED her. I thought, she looked like me. She was Brown. I didn’t identify with folks who looked mono-racial because I looked different. When it came to Latinx folks, I saw similarities. People often thought I was Latin. I saw Dora and thought she was like me. I told myself, “I also love those same foods, I can totally learn Spanish, I am definitely [Latinx].”

And my mom would tell me “no, you’re not [Latinx]. There isn’t [Latinx] in your blood.” But she never told me “you’re multi-racial” or “you’re Black and white.” I don’t think she knew how to address it. My brother has blonde hair, blue eyes, and light skin. My sister has darker courser hair, dark eyes, and pale skin—and I think my mom didn’t know how to communicate those differences.

And I remember wanting a culture to identify with for a long time. I remember settling with Jasmine from the Disney Princesses—but was dissatisfied. I remember being so disappointed. I also remember getting a lot of books around Rosa Parks, MLK and Ruby Bridges because my mom thought it would be important that I learned about these figures. And I agree….I’m glad she did—but there wasn’t any Fred Hampton or Huey Newton… but I do remember getting the “I got a dream” audio. I listened to that so frequently—maybe because he reminded me a lot of my dad. And I remember being really proud of having a dad that was Black.

But, there was no connection made that Black history also included people like me. I felt on the outskirts of everything for a long time. When I went to Catholic school, there was some conversations... I remember standardized testing in Idaho. They did not have the “check as many boxes as you want” option like they do today. And we were young kids, and so the teachers would tell us which box to check. And for me, it varied depending on the teacher and the school year. It was confusing. It wasn’t until 4th grade that my teacher told me I could check whatever box I wanted. And that was the first time I had gotten choice. And I decided to check Black because that’s what felt most comfortable to me. I also felt conflicted like “do I have to pick one?” “Why do I have to pick one?” But I also was willing to take choice wherever I could get it.