Multiracial Asian Families: [VIDEO] Raising Mixed Race @ Kinokuniya Seattle

[Me and Angel "Moonyeka" Langley / Photo by Bo Kim]

by Sharon H. Chang

On Saturday afternoon, March 5, 2016 we held the first unbelievable Raising Mixed Race book signing at Kinokuniya Bookstore in Seattle's International District. I say "we" because I was very intentional in organizing the event. I wanted it to be not just about me - but about community and centering, uplifting all mixed race, people and women of color voices; a transformative goal that actually lies at the center of Raising Mixed Race itself. And I'm pretty sure we accomplished that goal. Which is why I say "unbelievable" because for me and I think for many there - at the risk of sounding cheesy (but who cares?) - this was nothing short of a transcendent experience. It was a special moment, a rare moment, that very few of us mixed identifying people get to have. A moment where our voices could be not only heard, but fly free and liberated. I'll never forget it.

So pleased to be able to share an incredibly well done video of the event by Angela Flores-Marcus below. Take a look. View time is over an hour and I know it's hard to find an hour to do anything these days. So. I've included a view menu. Definitely jump around or watch it in bits and pieces if you need to. But please do watch it. Promise you won't be sorry...

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VIEW MENU

     0:18 Ahren Scholtz
     8:10 Cody Choi
   12:42 Angel "Moonyeka" Langley dancing to "Exodus" by M.I.A. & The Weeknd
   15:48 Luzviminda "Uzuri" Carpenter performing her poem "To Pass Or Not to Pass"
   19:31 Kalayaan Domingo
   32:00 Me! (trailer for Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides at 45:19)
1:01:37 Q&A

(for full bios of speakers and performers please go here)

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GALLERY

[Ahren Scholtz / Photo by Bo Kim]

Singer songwriter Ahren Scholtz (Indonesian/Dutch/Caucasian) opened with a stellar short acoustic set on guitar. He played us two songs - with his wife proudly recording front row - including the title track off his album Suckerfish.

[Angel "Moonyeka" Langley / Photo by Bo Kim]

Angel "Moonyeka" Langley (mixed Filipina) followed with a crowd-draw dance performance to "Exodus" by M.I.A. & the Weeknd. Folks walking by couldn't help but stop to watch. Moonyeka is one of the only female poppers in Seattle; a subject she's also conducting an ethnographic study upon as a dance major at the University of Washington.

[Cody Choi / Photo by Bo Kim]

Brilliant youth voice Cody Choi (Korean/white) gave testimonial next with a sharp essay about her experiences growing up and navigating the complex waters of being mixed. Cody is a writer and activist, and senior at the Ida B. Wells School for Social Justice.

[Luzviminda "Lulu" Uzuri Carpenter / Photo by Bo Kim]

Luzviminda "Lulu" Uzuri Carpenter (Queer, Black/Filipina) read her powerful poem "To Pass Or Not to Pass." Lulu does more things than I could count on a million hands. She is widely known and respected; a force in the Seattle justice community. You need to know her, her incredibly important work, and her multi-multi-multi-faceted activism.

[Kalayaan Domingo / Photo by Bo Kim]

Mother and activist Kalayaan Domingo spoke deep from her heart about her experiences as a multiracial woman and now as parent to two multiracial boys. She talked about intersections; mixed race as resistant, political, historical; and the vital necessity of expanding mixed conversations beyond biracial-mixed-with-white.