Alyssa Swearingen,
Norfolk, VA.

I come from parents who are different races. I have a mother who is white, and a father who is black. All my life, I get told “You don’t look black,” or I get asked if “I’m sure I am HALF black.” I’ve been told numerous times that I look like I’m only white. As a young girl, this discouraged me. I started off fighting it. I would argue with everyone and try my best to prove my race. However, as time went on, I began to fight less. I began to just hold my tongue. It was so much easier to let people think what they wanted, and say what they wanted. Now as a woman, I am starting to get my fight back. I refuse to hide a part of who I am.