Being called an “Oreo” as a young girl and throughout adulthood was a dagger thrown at me for existing in a Black body while cranking my head to Nirvana; knowing all the lyrics to R.E.M.’s Green album; shopping at Lululemon; dying my hair purple; dating white folx; making vegan mac and cheese; being addicted to Buffy, the Vampire Slayer; swirling like a hippy at drum circles in the UCSC forest; busing to Whole Foods in Redondo Beach from Inglewood at age 15 so I could eat organic; and so on and so on. I never saw these activities as “white” but that label was used by those whose perception of black people was simplistic and narrow-minded. In all-white spaces, I felt perpetually misunderstood and undervalued. In all-black spaces, I was goofy, aloof or just plain weird. I have come to understand myself as complex, broad-minded and thirsty to try new things; thanks in part to my mother’s acceptance of my
Like so many of your past posts, this one read so quickly. I find myself reading and simultaneously want to read your next though immediately! Then reread just in case.
Thank you for sharing some of your past, present and future. It all gives me a richer appreciation for what I otherwise wouldn’t have.
High School in East LA? My mom and siblings went to Roosevelt.
I love you my sweet girl and I am constantly in awe of you. Always be yourself. an "AMAZING BLACK QUEEN".
QianyaVision!
Like so many of your past posts, this one read so quickly. I find myself reading and simultaneously want to read your next though immediately! Then reread just in case.
Thank you for sharing some of your past, present and future. It all gives me a richer appreciation for what I otherwise wouldn’t have.
High School in East LA? My mom and siblings went to Roosevelt.