Hana Peoples,
Seattle, WA
Being of Japanese and African American ethnicity has brought many interesting comments from people. Because I have an “ambiguous look,” I get many guesses from people about what I am. I have gotten Mexican, Filipino, Nepali, Chinese, but rarely can people guess that I am both African American and Japanese. When I do finally come out and say what I am people that have played my GUESS MY RACE game wrong, are shocked and amazed. They act like I am some exotic creature, inhumanely mixed to even be a person. They say things like, “Wow! That’s a cool mix” or “You are gonna have really cute babies.” Comments like these make it feel like to the outside world I am just an exotic creature, not a person who bi-racial. I identify with both, and proudly call myself Blackanese. I don’t choose sides, and I don’t have to.
