My White Half is Erasing My Iraqi Half.

Ollie,
New York, NY.

I’m mixed – white and Iraqi. It infuriates me that people, of all races, can’t see past my light skin. My Iraqi side is also Jewish and the racism within, and anti-semitism outside, has made claiming a poc identity an uphill battle. I feel like half of me is being systematically erased. I often wish I was darker skinned so that wasn’t possible, so I can celebrate my family and community in the open. Correcting people all the time is exhausting, and when I don’t, I feel like a coward – like half of me is betrayed and the other half is seeking power. It’s horrible.