4 Reasons Your Mixed Roots are an Asset
Growing up as a mixed culture person was a very complex experience. It was almost as if when it came to interacting with the world outside of my home in my mixed culture body it was a compartmentalized experience. The issue only popped up every so often and then I would find myself back into the routine of life until it would happen again.
When I was four I was harassed by my entire class that I wasn’t American because I said I was Jamaican and Indian.
When I was in elementary school it wasn’t an issue until a boy I liked told me to go back to China. I wondered about his intelligence after that.
In middle school where I got in trouble for writing “HUMAN” across the top of my test scantron when I broke down crying because I didn’t know what boxes to check.
As I got older there were issues mostly around racism and colorism that were wrapped inside of microaggressions…and a few outright racist encounters.
I never really had the opportunity to experience my mixed culture in a positive way outside of my own family. I didn’t know how to see it as an asset rather than something to survive as my encounters with people asking me “what are you?”, colorism, being the token black woman (not feeling black American enough) in a room full of white people or trying to navigate racism at work.
My cultural identity - while I loved it with all my heart wasn’t able to be fully integrated into my identity until becoming older and learned to love myself more fully. I learned that integrating my identity wasn’t something I could wait on someone else to do. I had to take the initiative to face my questions and heal from the pain so I could get on the journey to fully embrace my identity and walk in my purpose as a storyteller. I did this through therapy and working with other immigrants and second generation immigrants. I worked on educating myself on my own cultural histories and educating myself on the systemic racism that is baked into American.
I found my voice through my art. I gained the confidence to stand up for myself to identify then respond to micro-aggressions out of choice rather than trauma. As I began to see my mixed culture as an asset in my life goals I began to feel empowered and free. I realized that being a mixed cultured woman is not just a burden but a gift. When you know your power you can live in more freedom and make a difference in the world.
Today, mixed-race marriages are at a high, and the number of multiracial Americans is growing three times as fast as the population as a whole, according to the Pew Research Center. Although multiracial people account for only an estimated 7 percent of Americans today, their numbers are expected to soar to 20 percent by 2050. There are more and more mixed cultured young people who are going to face these same issues. I want people to know that being mixed doesn’t have to be something to survive but something you can thrive in.
Here are four ways your mixed culture can be an asset in your life.
Mental Flexibility and Creativity
From a young age mixed culture and multi-ethnic children must be able to switch smoothly from one identity group to another. Sarah Gaither, a social psychologist at Duke University found in her 2015 study that “multiracial people demonstrated greater creative problem-solving skills than monoracials—but only after they'd been primed to think about their multiple identities beforehand.” Perhaps what gives multi-ethnic people a creative edge to discover new and original ideas, connections, and solutions to problems could be the practice of moving between identities.
Draw on your ability to move between groups and identities. This mental muscle is the same one that can help you make connections, come up with creative solutions and express yourself in unique ways!
Comfortable in the “in - between”
Unfortunately in our culture people are more comfortable with things that seem easy to categorize and solutions that seem black and white. As you know, life and people are not that simple. When people come up against something that isn’t “either or” but rather “this and that” it makes them uncomfortable and sometimes unable to process situations. Being the embodiment of the uncategorical and having to move through life in this state allows one to see life and people with a different perspective than most.
It is a gift to see people and experiences with an open mind. Wonderful ideas and solutions can be discovered when space is given rather than immediate judgement or rejection.
Social Skills and Bridge Building
Navigating between cultures, identities and even family from a young age builds social and emotional intelligence. At a young age where one’s identity is developing it can be very exhausting and frustrating to constantly be shifting. My own daughter has expressed how difficult this can be to the point of not knowing who you are. But through this pressure a strong sense of identity can emerge.
According to the Pew Research Center in an article about race and social connections multi-ethnic adults living at the intersection of race and social connections is complicated. We straddle worlds in terms of friendships, relationships, neighborhoods and other interactions.
As the world becomes more interconnected and our culture becomes more diverse bridge building skills are going to be more highly valued by all sectors of life.
As mixed culture individuals we have a unique and powerful skill to bring people of all backgrounds together. We can play a part in creating the world we want to see. A world that is inclusive and welcoming of all people.
Strong Sense of Self that inspires others
According to the pioneer of the identity construct Erik Erikson, personal identity is highly influenced by interrelationships of family. Although identity is a lifelong journey the bulk of it happens during adolescence. Because the most salient indicator of identity in our culture is race, as mixed culture individuals, early in life we experience a lot of confusion and pain. As we grow older we begin to explore other parts of our identity such as our goals, talents, skills, social groups, academics, work, etc.
It can feel that those of mono-ethnic groups have more space to explore parts of themselves other than race because there is no question around it. Searching for our identities as a multi-culture and multi-ethnic individual is a very hard task. But with hard things come great rewards. The level of self-reflection and self-awareness that comes with this journey can result in a great sense of self later in life which can translate into a person who is grounded, confident, authentic, and centered.
These are traits and characteristics that many people look up to and strive for. The journey to a strong sense of self is different for each person and few go on the journey. Mixed culture people have almost no choice but to face these questions. We get shoved onto the path of self-identity at a young age. However, it is a gift to come to a place of understanding yourself and being grounded in your true identity. It is a gift not just for us but to inspire others to not be afraid to take their own journey to look inward and do the work. The more people that do the inner work of facing themselves - their pains, their joys and imperfections the more accepting and peaceful our world will become.
Although our journey can seem hard and hard to process please allow the growth to take place and trust that what you are experiencing will become an asset in the purpose God has laid out for you.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. -James 1:2–4(ESV)
I hope this article encourages you! There are so many more wonderful assets to being mixed culture. I’ve put them into a free audio for you to download called The Mixed Culture Manifesto.