Raising Mixed Race and the Danger of Racial Assumptions

by Sharon H. Chang

I'd like to clarify a few things about my book Raising Mixed Race: Multiracial Asian Children In a Post-Racial World. And full transparency here - this emerges from a recent email thread I was part of as well as a notable number of exchanges, side comments, critiques, messages, emails, etc. at this point where I've come to see folks make a lot of assumptions about my book based on its title, cover image, and the fact that it's about parents and children. Now it's important to say I have also gotten a lot of really amazing, positive feedback at this point too from tons of supportive, engaged and brilliant readers which you can read here and here. I think overall there have been far more folks who love and support Raising Mixed Race than those who pigeonhole and pin it down with their presumptions.

That said I think it's still worthwhile to look at the handful who have allowed their assumptions to take hold. They tend to look like this: Politicized readers who don't like "post-racial" in the title, think I'm espousing post-raciality, and refuse to read the book. Activists who see mixed-race identity politics as unimportant, ask how I will put aside ideas about "specialness" in service of greater racial causes, and probably won't read the book. Parents who have read the book but are frustrated because they expected a parenting guide and feel I "didn't tell them what to do." People in Preschool, K-12 learning and the general public who are confused because they thought the book would be about celebrating ethnic and national heritage, multiculturalism, and multiracial children as bridge-builders. And then everyone who cannot (or will not) believe that young children know anything about race and so will never read it ever. Oh - and I supposed I should tack on everyone who thinks mixed race is not really a thing (or if it is, then it's an anti-POC thing) and so will never read it ever.

Let me clarify . . .

"Passing" "Presenting" & the Troubled Language of Mixed Race

by Sharon H. Chang

I'm a light-skinned mixed race Asian/white woman. I don't deny it. On my lightest day, in the deep of winter, under cover of endless Seattle clouds, I could definitely hold my arm next to some white people and almost match (though the tinting never seems quite right). Because I'm non-Black and light-skinned I am not vulnerable to police brutality, housing discrimination, hate crimes, excessive surveillance, racial bullying and assault, and the many, many forms of violent oppression acted upon visibly Brown and Black peoples every day. This is undoubtedly a privilege, one that I actively acknowledge and try to hold in constant consciousness and conscientiousness as I write about race and am involved in social justice work. My main responsibility is often going to be de-centering myself to make room for the voices of others most impacted; to listen, not lead; support and even sometimes leave spaces entirely because my presence may interrupt safety and sacredness.

And yet, these are the things that have been said to me recently by whites and people of color (POC), men and women, young and old:

What are you? Because if you had said you were white - I would've believed you.

Man! How do you people do that international thing??

Excuse me, I'm sorry, but can I ask what your mix is?

There is no pure Asian anymore.

 You Asian? I need help with my gardening.

So what do you do? 

Are you a flight attendant, stewardess?

YOU'RE INVITED! Raising Mixed Race Signing 2, Portland OR

Please join me next Saturday for a talk + signing of Raising Mixed Race in Portland / Beaverton, Oregon! So thrilled to also be screening short documentary film, "What Are You?" by Sarah Nicole Donaldson and hear a reading by Gian-Luca Matsuda. Following I'll speak on the book, followed by Q&A and Meet and Greet. Looking forward to seeing everyone there...

Kinokuniya Bookstores
10500 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 641-6240

This event is free and open to the public.
 
Go to the --> Facebook Event Page: Raising Mixed Race - Portland, OR



Film / Sarah Nicole Donaldson ~ Sarah is an Asian-American scholar and independent filmmaker. Her short documentary film on the multiracial/ethnic identity, “What Are You?,” was aired on Oregon Public Broadcast in August 2015. Her research focuses on the preservation and modern representations of Indonesian folklore, and she is fluent in the Surabaya dialect of Javanese. Sarah’s other passions include conflict resolution, creative writing, fashion design, and binging on Netflix.


 
Reading / Gian-Luca Matsuda ~ Gian-Luca Matsuda is a Portland based queer techie who is the product of a Black Puerto Rican mother and a Japanese-Brazilian father. His work focuses on environmental justice, technology access, and the intersectionality of racial, environmental, and social justice. Gian-Luca is currently in school studying computer science and environmental science. You can find Gian-Luca knitting, inhaling caffeine, or doing other weird nerd things in his free time.
http://www.gianlucamatsuda.net/

Read Gian-Luca at BuzzFeed: "The Concept of Being Latino and Why I'm Not Here For It"



Reading / Rebeka Markillie ~ Rebeka Markillie is a student at the University of Portland studying communications and minoring in biology. She has a passion for books, science, and writing. She has worked with student media for three years as a writer, journalist and design editor. In January 2015, Rebekka redesigned student newspaper, The Beacon , which won First Place for General Excellence at the College Media Association and First Place for General Excellence and First Place for Best Website at the 2015 Oregon Newspaper Publishers Awards.

Read Rebekka at The Beacon: "Race Isn't Just Black Or White"

TO PASS or NOT to PASS

[Photo Credit: Mario D Lemafa]

by Luzviminda Uzuri "Lulu" Carpenter

(aka #LULUNATION)

I know what it is like to be passed…

from community to community

And passed by with no notice of being Queer

Of being Filipino

Of being Black

Of being Christian

Of being Radical

But still marked as "other"

As "outsider"

That not only my body,

But even my spirit is weary from these travels

I have been passed around so much

That I was late in understanding my identities…

As Mixie

As Revolutionary

As Drag Queen

As Gender Queer

As Dreamer

As a Believer

As Faith Healer

Even As Lover

I am draw upon as something unknown

As some Thing not to be.

I am marked as NOT the NORM

As NOT the STANDARD

So I marked my body with tattoos

And exposed the drawings of history

That traced my back

Back to my ancestors for protection

And forgotten memories

I have been read by others!

And their experiences

through their eyes,

they carve fears on my Black & Brown /Queer/ Body

Sometimes they use ropes

And I have grooves upon my wrists and neck from the strain

Stretched skin forms lashes of memories

Marking me dangerous and visible

New lynching ropes in modern times

These lashes are made with fake Asian accents to cross out my mouth

Marking me invisible once again

My story erased

So I have put substances into my veins

To blow them off my mind

My Body makes marks on communities!!!

As folks wonder where I fit

NO SAFETY as I have stood with hands and mouth

Pushed OUT!

With no excuses!!!

So I can just pass into sleep

To dream and believe.

Without my moves being watched and examined

so I can hum songs of my history to rock me to sleep

Upon waking my body vibrates with memory

So when shaken daily

light can shoot through my eyes

As I answer questions

Black Sister?

Maybe not, but definitely a Black Queen, a Queer one.

Filipina ka ba?  Are you  Filipina?

Opo! Yes, Filipino ako,

but not made for beauty pageants,

whitening creams,

or diets.

“Bakit?  Why?” I ask

“Kumusta ka na?”

“How are YOU doing today?”

Since you forgot to even greet me.

“Queer?”

“Yes,”

but crossed too many times

And marked with racism and poverty

As my body moves in spaces.

So I put folks on Notice…

“YOU are on NOTICE!”

Since you didn't notice that my body had a name

Luzviminda for the Filipina Babaylans murdered

Uzuri for the African slaves forgotten

I have stamped my name on my Body

To remind me

And stamped the places my Body has traveled

And passed throughout time

And I carry it on my back

A willing target in old age

And old rage…..at judgment.

So notice

And move past me

So I can focus and remember who I am

And who my ancestors are

Without the blockages of eyes and ears

On my road to communities

And transformation

And all my people's liberation.

-----

© Luzviminda Uzuri "Lulu" Carpenter

Printed here with permission. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.

See Lulu perform this piece --> at the first Raising Mixed Race signing

[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...

________________________________

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)

________________________________

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.

[My turn / Photo by Bo Kim]

[Photo by Bo Kim]

[Standing room only / Photo by Bo Kim]

[Signing / Photo by Bo Kim]

[Photo by Bo Kim]

[Me and Lulu / Photo by Bo Kim]

________________________________

Hope to see you at the next signing

Kinokuniya Portland, Oregon, Saturday April 16th!

_________________________

YOU'RE INVITED! Raising Mixed Race Signing 1, Seattle WA

Also go to the --> Facebook Event Page: Raising Mixed Race 1st Book Signing!

Music / AHREN SCHOLTZ ~ Ahren is a Dutch/Indonesian/Caucasian singer/songwriter from the Seattle to Everett corridor of the Pacific Northwest. He was raised with an awareness of diversity and it shows, mostly in his love of food. Writing songs has always been a passion for him but even more than that, it has been a way of expressing his inner most emotions and thoughts: www.scholtz.bandcamp.com



Youth Voice / CODY CHOI ~ Cody Choi is a soon to be 18 year old senior from one of the Middle College High Schools sites, the Ida B. Wells School for Social Justice. Empowered by the transformative nature of an engaged pedagogy, Cody utilizes her voice to expand important discussions around critical real world issues. Through her transcendence as a student and a woman of color, Cody uses her writing to reach out to others and with determined activism to help reconnect the global community.



Dance / ANGEL "MOONYEKA" LANGLEY ~ Moonyeka is a young Filipina-American street dancer and choreographer pursuing her dance degree at the University of Washington. Current projects include “WHAT’S POPPIN’ LADIEZ?!” , an ethnographic research project and community event series focused on the female popping experience. Moonyeka has collaborated and organized with Youth Speaks Seattle, Moksha, Arts Corps, Anak Bayan, and the Seattle dance scene. She has been a teaching artist teaching ballet/modern/hip hop at Rainier Dance Center, Remix Dance Team at My World Dance and Fitness Studio, Arts Corps as a resident artist, at Mt. View Elementary and other Seattle elementary schools, D&G Dance Studios, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, Massive Monkees Studio: The Beacon, and local community centers. 

[PHOTO CREDIT: Mario D Lemafa]

Afrofuturism: Amalgamation / LUZVIMINDA "LULU" UZURI CARPENTER ~ Lulu is an artist, educator, consultant, cultural and youth worker, producer, community organizer and strategist. She is the Seattle Girls School Performance Studies Teacher & Resident Artist; Roots Young Adult Shelter Anti-Oppression Change Team Consultant; Hollow Earth Radio Youth & Young Adult Program Coordinator & Anti-Oppression Consultant; Radio Host of #LuluNation + Crew; Co-Chair of the City of Seattle LGBT Commission; and an Ambassador for On the Boards (OtB). She shows her commitment and love towards Duwamish territory through projects with Uzuri* Consulting & Productions, and weaves intersections of community, nonprofits, business, and organizing through Green Bodies & WonderLab.


[PHOTO CREDIT: Tien Vo Tse]

Intro / KALAYAAN DOMINGO ~ Kalayaan is a multiracial woman of Filipina and mixed European descent, and is the mother of two multiracial boys, Réne and Raúl, who are proudly Filipino, Mixed European and Salvadoran. Raised in a multiethnic community in South Seattle Kalayaan is proud of her multiracial roots and strives to instill the same foundation in her sons. Kalayaan spends her time surrounded by a large extended family, supporting bi-lingual/bi-cultural Amistad School, building and participating with Families of Color Seattle, and working on health equity issues within King County to ensure our larger community is a safe and just place for all residents.

 

Photography / BO KIM ~ Bo is a Seattle-based freelance photographer who moved to the area from Maui, Hawaii a little over 6 years ago. She graduated from UW Seattle with a Film Studies Degree and worked in multiple different fields starting in Fashion photography and Experimental Digital Video later moving into Public Relations with GKPR (Seattle-based PR Company). Bo continues to do all different kinds of photography from blogging to restaurants/businesses to product photography and editorial work. See more at her website: www.bokimphoto.squarespace.com

 

Video / ANGELA FLORES-MARCUS ~ Angela is an audio engineer and in-house videographer at Earwig Studio. She is currently in school for electrical engineering and hopes to pursue a career in audio hardware design. Angela is actively engaged with her community, and is working with other young women who are pursuing careers in science and engineering through the Women in STEM club at South Seattle College. Angela has loved playing music since she was a kid. While she especially enjoys producing R&B and hip hop music, she loves working with artists of all genres.