On Coming out as biracial
This excellent essay on Coming Out As Biracial was forwarded to me by my sister (who is also biracial, not all of my siblings are!) and really hit a chord with me. The combination of the awkwardness and necessity to explain your race to people is something I constantly feel. When I’m first meeting people, if I think we’re going to end up being friends, there’s a part of my mind which is always just looking for the opening to explain my heritage to people. Being Black is an important part of how I think of myself. So, I think that on some level I find it disjointed to be “passing” as White, and I’m acutely aware that I’m passing by default unless I say something. On the other hand, I really don’t think it should matter that much, and I also really don’t like having the conversation — along with it’s corollary doubts and my having to prove what to me is obvious. I make jokes to get through it (my dad is of Scandinavian descent, so it’s easy to poke fun at his alabasteriness). But the whole thing is just uncomfortable, and even more so because necessary. I very much appreciate Ms. Georgopolus coming out more publicly and sharing her thoughts with all of us.