As an adult I’ve been asked how I identify racially, and after years of thought I’ve settled on replying off white, which usually gets a chuckle. It is funny. And it also feels like the truest answer. I’m grateful to have found it. Off white contains the reality that my mother was white and my father wasn’t; my mother had white privilege and my father did not.
I’m still not sure what all the implications are for my mixed heritage, but I believe it gave me a worldview that seems to be shared by other people who live between cultures in some way or another. I’m grateful for the ways it forced me, starting from a young age, to see things from different viewpoints. Perspective taking continues to be welcome challenge and joy in my life.