Ambiguous ethnic origin depending on place
Melissa Bowie, MD It wasn’t until I moved to the DMV (the Washington DC metro area, for the uninitiated), that I began to chafe under...
You’re lucky you look ambiguously minority.
Cristina Gonzales, Denver, CO. All throughout my life I’ve worked hard to succeed only to wonder if any success, any award, any accomplishment was truly...
Racially Ambiguous and Tired Of Explaining
Melanie Cowart, Fair Oaks Ranch, TX. My parents were married in 1934 when miscegenation was illegal in most states. Until I was older, I didn’t...
Doctor asked, “What is your race?”
Leslie Lannan, Cincinnati, OH. It’s amazing how desperate we are in America to racially categorize our citizens based on how they look. My six words...
Too ambiguous to fit in anywhere.
Tasha L., Largo, MD. I am adopted, raised by a half French/half Black mother and full-blooded Sicilian father. I am half Black, quarter Indian (India)...
Half Indian, Half German, totally American
Marika Oakland, CA People often ask me “What are you?” or “Where are you from?” which is par for the course for people like me...
You’re not asian,You’re White.
Kristine Ratanaphruks Durham, NC I look ethnically ambiguous and, at times, I pass for white. I grew up watching white men call my father “boy”...
Can’t fit me in a box!
Myriah, Arlington, VA. All my life I’ve gotten the “what are you?” question. It seems to be human nature to try and categorize people in...
Ambiguously different from everyone else. Stereotypes.
Jessica Winfrey Portland, OR I am biracial and bicultural and was educated for the first 6 years in a very diverse school on an air...
Ambiguous Brown Girl with Big Hair
Caty Salas Oakland, CA Being a guessing game gets old. PC-ness has cut down on questions like “What are you?”, “What color are you?”, and...
Something other: ambiguous race, ambiguous identity.
Rachel Crooks Tallahassee, FL As a woman with a Mexican mother (“Mexican” to signify “mixed race,” although my mother has been identified by some as...
So ambiguous, a different race everyday.
Mintii Ann Arbor, MI You ask me my race just to comfort your mind because it’s hard for me to fit in a box. I...
“Ethnically Ambiguous” shouldn’t prompt guessing games.
Ana Byers Ashland, OR It is tiresome, rude and de-humanizing to be stopped by strangers so they can guess “where I am from.” It is...
You mean to say Native American
Swapnil Deopurkar Seattle, WA I moved from India to Ann Arbor, Michigan; age 26, male, long hair, parted down the middle and with a pony...
You don’t look like you’re Chinese.
Jess Washington DC My mom is Chinese. My dad is white. I am half-Chinese, but my appearance is ambiguous. I feel like I have to...
My background? Why do you ask?
Em Canada This is a constant and terrible icebreaker. It’s not that I’m ashamed or shy about my mixed background or ambiguous looks, but I’m...
