Thursday, 22 November 2007 @ 7:18pm.
Well, it’s not quite Thanksgiving in the U.S. yet, but “Happy Thanksgiving” anyway! 
I hope everyone has something and someone to be thankful for in their lives. I certainly miss folks back home, especially since there is a notable absence of Thanksgiving holiday stuff here in the Land of Oz, but I take comfort in the fact that they are all in my thoughts and prayers and therefore with me in my heart.
So something I’ve been thankful for is my “mixedness” and others of mixed descent. Some great folks at my university sent the following suggestions via email one day. These resources may be of interest to mixed people and those interested about bi- and multi-racial people’s experiences:
Books:
* “Caucasia” by Danzy Senna
* “Mixed: My Life in Black and White” by Angela Nissel
* “Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self” by Rebecca Walker
* “Passing” and “Quicksand” by Nella Larsen
* “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man” by James Weldon Johnson
* “The Color of Water” by James McBride
* “Dreams of My Father” by Barack Obama
* “Life on the Color Line” by Gregory Howard Williams
* Books by Elizabeth Atkins Bowman
Websites:
* http://www.mixedfolks.com/books.htm
* http://www.anomalythefilm.com/resources.php?type=pubs
* http://mixedraceshirts.com/
* http://www.multiracialapparel.com/
* http://www.mixedchix.com (don’t spell it like “chicks,” otherwise you’ll be taken to porn sites)
It sure is a colorful world, isn’t it?
Thank you for your informative post. I am not mixed but I read Angela Nissel’s book and died of laughter through her pain. I could understand some of the issues because I get mistakened for East Indian a lot. It amazes me that people do not want to accept that I am black.
I had the pleasure of meeting James McBride about 9 years ago. Very sincere man and his book is an eye opener.
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson was my first introduction to the mixed world that was written in the early 20th century. However, I am anxious to read Nella Larsen’s Passing to learn of the female perspective at this time.
My grandfather was mixed for he was British and Jamaican and he lived in America. However, he identified himself as black. People were fooled by his accent. On his driver’s license back in the 1940s, the American DMV wanted to list him as white but he demanded to have the C for colored on his license. He is deceased now but he left many stories that my mother and I discuss a lot.
Just know there are others who understand the mixed life, but it is hard to express unless you live it.
Jenny’s Response: Thank you for your comments; much appreciated! Ahhh, the complexities of categories. The story of your grandfather is most interesting. I wonder what he would think of the option of “Other” that is common these days… BTW, I clicked on the link that was left when you made a comment on my blog and am glad I did. You have such a great site! Back to reading with interest… Take care!
Comment by Jennifer — November 23, 2007 @ 23:11 pm