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New York Times
25-07-2025
- General
- New York Times
The Generations of Pain I Felt in One Racist Moment
This article is also a weekly newsletter. Sign up for Race/Related here. My skin is light, but my curls reveal my Blackness. It only takes one drop. Being half Black and half white means I cannot easily check off one box or another. And I'm not alone — the number of people identifying as multiracial in the United States has surged in recent years. I am too Black to be white and too white to be Black. I rarely feel as though I belong in places like the one my friends and I were at on July 5: An overcrowded New Jersey bar decorated in red, white and blue, where I could count the number of Black people on one hand. That night, though, I felt indignant. If you're unfamiliar with the term 'mulatto,' as many of my friends were before the holiday weekend, it is an offensive, archaic term to describe a person with white and Black parents. Derived from the Spanish word for mule, or 'mulo,' it was used during slavery to liken biracial people to the hybrid animal and to justify their legal and social oppression. A white guy came up to me in the bar and tapped my shoulder. He didn't greet me before asking, 'Are you half white, half Black?' I rolled my eyes without responding. Then: 'I love mulattos,' he said, before doubling down and going even further, saying in vulgar sexual terms what he'd love to do to 'a mulatto.' Excuse me? What era are we in? I felt like I was being mocked, sexualized and dehumanized. 'For somebody to use it today, it really is an especially derogatory use, because it's really going back to the era of slavery in the U.S.,' said Ann J. Morning, a sociology professor at New York University whose research focuses on racial classification and multiracial identity. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
ABC News
27-06-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Walker, Amartey, Quaynor, Idun — the rise of Ghanaian-Australian players in the AFL
When Collingwood's Isaac Quaynor went to his father's hometown in Ghana for the first time as a 10-year-old, he was welcomed with love and warmth by his extended family, instantly connecting to his cultural roots. He was also greeted with something he wasn't expecting, being called 'obrouni'. Obrouni is a term in Ghanaian language Twi that directly translates to those who come from over the horizon. But colloquially, it refers to a white person. It isn't intended as a derogatory remark, simply a way to signify difference. But for a Melbourne-born kid who considered himself Ghanaian-Australian, it was a jarring experience. "Growing up I didn't really know that I was different, but I kind of did at the same time. It was an awkward one," he told ABC Sport. "I was like, maybe this will be the place I feel like I really fit in ... I was so naive to what was going on. "When I was over there all the village kids were coming past and standing at the gates (looking at me) like I was a zoo animal." While his trip overall was a great experience, it's representative of a lifelong journey Quaynor has dealt with. The 25-year-old grew up with a Ghanaian born dad, and white mum, in a household surrounded by Ghanaian culture. He went to church on Sundays like many kids growing up in Ghana would. His family was a regular to Ghanaian community events. His story is familiar to many people who grow up biracial, not knowing exactly where they fit. In Australia — seen as not 'Australian enough', in Ghana perceived as an outsider. But Quaynor has embraced the positives in his story, helping him form connections throughout his life. "I can relate with lots of different types of people as a result," he said. It was a life changing experience for Quaynor to spend time with his grandma before she died, gaining perspective that he has grown to appreciate the older he has gotten. In recent years, Quaynor has found a place where he feels he fits perfectly, the AFL. It's the same for Joel Amartey of the Sydney Swans, Connor Idun of GWS and Brandon Walker of Fremantle. Four players with different stories but with shared heritage rooted in Ghana. Walker spent the early part of his life in Ghana raised by a white-Australian dad and a Ghanaian mum. Quaynor, Amartey and Idun all grew up in Victoria with Ghanaian fathers, and white mothers. For Idun, discovering his cultural heritage has been an ongoing process, but one that has progressed more in recent years. His dad Zac was born in the UK, to Ghanaian parents who had immigrated to the country before his birth. The 24-year-old was also born in the UK and moved to Australia with his mum at a young age, growing up in Geelong, a city with a very small African population. "At times it was embarrassing, I didn't know my heritage and I wasn't able to be proud of where I come from, but that's what makes this journey so special," Idun told ABC Sport. "I have a Ghanaian middle name Kwamena which I never really said, I just said Connor Joshua Idun. But (now) I'm very proud to be Connor Joshua Kwamena Idun." The rekindling of his relationship to his culture came when he saw his UK-based dad and brother for the first time in 10 years, when they came to watch him play last year. The weight of the moment was clear to see with both men describing the emotional toll heading into the game. The reconnection with his dad has opened Idun's eyes to another "realm of family" he never knew before. "I'm in a WhatsApp with the Iduns, there's 30 or 40 in a group chat that does not stop," he said. "(It means a lot) knowing I'm playing for something bigger than myself, and it's going to be Ghanaians in West Sydney that are watching me. "Giving them someone to look up to and be proud of and hopefully I can help them discover their passions early and be proud of their heritage earlier than I was. "Meeting other Ghanaians, they're all pretty similar to me. I always wondered why I'm so bubbly and loud." For Fremantle's Brandon Walker, his early childhood memories are filled with the noise of the busy streets of Kumasi, Ghana, after spending the first five years of his life in the country's Ashanti region. Walker and his twin brother Chris would make their way to school in the early morning enjoying a Ghanaian doughnut called a puff puff. The family eventually relocated to Perth, where Walker was surrounded by a wide range of different cultures. "When you go to school you lean to different cultures, you've got your mates that are from the same place ... I've had a lot of mates (who are) mixed-race people as well." With a mum that is "very protective, very strict, with very good morals", Walker credits her for ensuring that he was raised to be a good person. Even though his mum didn't know much about Aussie Rules when arriving in Perth, she's now a vocal supporter on game day. "She tries to stay home to watch most of the games because she's very extroverted. She'll be yelling at the screen and stuff like that, she's funny, she enjoys it," he said. In Ghana, soccer is a way of life and is a great connection between dads and sons, something which Sydney's Joel Amartey relates to. Amartey and his dad Clemente shared in the 'traumatic experience' watching Ghana lose to Uruguay in the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals. Amartey's dad may have wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become the next Asamoah Gyan, but those dreams were dashed when Amartey traded one football game for another. "I don't think he talked to me for about two months when I outgrew soccer," Amartey joked. "He played for the professional league in Ghana growing up, so he was very adamant I played soccer." Amartey also absorbed valuable insights from his dad by osmosis. "I don't speak the language but hearing my dad on the phone growing up shouting from the other room. I don't know how a man can call so many people during the day," he laughed. The youngest of three siblings, his sisters helped teach him what it is to be Ghanaian. "I've only really started to learn these little things (about the culture) the last few years. It's tough to learn but that's the beauty in it." Although the Ghanaian community is small in the AFL, the support and guidance of other African players like Port Adelaide's Aliir Aliir, who has South Sudanese heritage, have been influential in Amartey's journey. "He's so expressive in himself about where he's from and I think I looked up to that and tried to take a few things he did and move on forward with it," Amartey said. "What all the Indigenous boys do with their culture and their heritage and the way they grow up and how they've come together there is so many of them, I think as African players we look to those guys and see what they have done for their people and I think we can do the same for us." A game so easily identified with Australian culture found its way into the home of first-generation Australians finding a love and skill for the game. That eventually extended to their parents, who found new ways to bond with their sons. "(Dad's) the biggest fan ever, loves watching football ... comes to all the games,' Quaynor said. "Someone was telling me he had his phone out recording for like half the game the other week and I was like what are you doing? "He's so proud, definitely come a long way." They're not just passing the game onto their parents, with these players' representation also ensuring the game's growth in other communities. "My extended family now start watching," Amartey said. "They still don't really know what's going on, but they know what a goal is and the team wins and that's how it starts." In recent years, the AFL has put a greater emphasis on promoting the game in multicultural communities. Amartey, Quaynor and Walker have been a testament to this, coming through the AFL Next Generation Academy – an initiative between the AFL and clubs to create more opportunities for boys in multicultural and Indigenous communities. "When we do camps with NGA kids seeing how happy they are to be there and the opportunity they get to be involved it's a great opportunity for them and they grab it with two hands," Walker said. The work has extended to clubs working to foster more inclusive environments that celebrate the individual cultures of their players. "The Swans here are awesome. They're very open minded and help put things in place that help you discover your heritage, or don't try and squash it down or put it to the side," Amartey said. "Toby Greene's always wearing the Ghanaian soccer jersey from the World Cup. I got some Ghanaian budgies made-up and things like that for the boys." GWS vice-captain Stephen Coniglio has also played a role in Idun's journey, the club leader who has proud Italian heritage encouraged his teammate to learn more about his culture and be proud of where he comes from. He may have been first in the competition, but that is not where Quaynor wants his legacy to end. "I have this dream ... to organise something through the AFL (with other African players)," he said. "I'd love to be able to take some footies over to some African countries and Ghana being one of them." The return to Ghana could signify an opportunity for Quaynor to introduce a sport that has changed his life, to a community his shared heritage connects him to, potentially changing the life of another.
Geek Vibes Nation
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
‘Bird In Hand' Review - An Honest Look At Family And The Struggle To Embrace Your Identity
Identity feels like something that should be simple. It is just who you are, right? Well, yes and no. It is that, but definitions are difficult and involve complex levels of context provided by life experience, racial history, familial history, and a certain amount of unknowable information that we only sometimes have awareness of at different points in our lives. The gaps in our identities are likely the most interesting; otherwise, what is the living of our moment-to-moment experience even for? The living, no matter how messy, will help inform where we go next and how we deal with it. Bird in Hand, from first-time director Melody C. Roscher, explores this, and much more, under the guise of a familial dramedy. Bird (Alisha Wainwright), a biracial woman, has returned to her family's home in the country, ostensibly because she is engaged to be married to her boyfriend, Frank. This leads her to her mother, Carlotta (Christine Lahti), with whom she has a strained relationship, and her stepfather, Dale (Jeffrey Nordling). As their relationship is explored, they also make connections with their neighbors Dennis (James Le Gros) and Leigh (Annabelle Dexter-Jones), a white married couple who have purchased a plantation home, but don't worry, they are 'updating the narrative.' Wainwright has easily the most difficult task in the film. Roscher, also the screenwriter, is much more consumed with making Bird a real person rather than focusing on pure likability. This is not to say that she is unlikable per se, simply that she is an actual human being with flaws, some of her own making and some due to family history. Even through her issues, Bird's ache for care, consideration, and answers to the questions that she is afraid to ask all comes through clearly and in a manner that makes us root for her. Her search for a possible meeting with her birth father, Bower (K. Todd Freeman), with the excuse of hiring him as musical entertainment for her wedding, offers her the challenge of acting with nothing but her talent and a screen featuring an advertisement for his band. The fact that Wainwright manages a gamut of emotions, including longing, worry, desperation, and frustration, all in the space of a few moments, is a testament to both her obvious talent and Roscher's well-placed trust in her abilities. From the beginning, which features a fight between Bird and Frank in which she is dressed as a bleeding bride for a Halloween party, Roscher handles difficult themes with aplomb. Bird's reaction when being pseudo-proposed to (shock, confusion) may seem odd at this moment, but the script allows this moment to come full circle without ever holding your hand. When Carlotta is dismissive about her upcoming nuptials, we quickly find out that marriage, along with most expected life events, are frowned upon, both due to her 'woo-woo' ideals and her difficult history with Bower leaving her after she became pregnant with Bird. Although there is a massive amount of drama involved, the dark comedy that comes to the forefront almost immediately makes Bird in Hand a mostly easy watch. Yes, families are difficult and emotions are complex. But when you have Christine Lahti almost stealing a horse and white people asking a biracial young woman to pose for pictures in front of a plantation, there are plenty of opportunities for moments of levity that are taken advantage of by Roscher. Some moments feel a bit too much on the side of comedy, but these are brief before we return to Alisha Wainwright's astounding performance of a complex woman. But, like everything in life, nothing is truly simple. Is Bower cruel? Is Carlotta willfully misleading her daughter? Is Bird selfish? Are Carlotta and Dale a loving couple? Are Dennis and Leigh well-meaning white folks? These are all questions that have answers. The problem is that this all depends, not only on who you ask, but when you ask, as the answers, like identity, are constantly in a state of flux. We are all simply doing our best and reacting to the latest information we have. As we age, it becomes important to see our parents as real human beings, but there is maybe nothing harder to achieve. As sons and daughters, we want to be taken care of one moment, and we want a strong reaction the next. When Bird screams at her mother to 'stop being comfortable,' it rocks you to your core. If we are going through emotional trauma, what could be more difficult than a calm person who we know is imperfect and roiling with emotions under the surface? That is, until those emotions come and we have to deal with them. Roscher bravely denies us any easy answers and lays a real, difficult, fractured relationship at our feet, daring us to pick up the pieces. Bird In Hand held its World Premiere as a part of the U.S. Narrative Competition section of the 2025 Tribeca Festival. Director: Melody C. Roscher Screenwriter: Melody C. Roscher Rated: NR Runtime: 87m
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Beware Meghan Markle's kiss of death! Political insiders' intriguing warning to Kamala Harris as she prepares for comeback
When former President Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his running mate in August 2020, congratulations winged their way from Montecito. 'I'm so excited to see that kind of representation,' the Duchess of Sussex said in an interview from her Southern California garden. 'You know, for me, being biracial, growing up, whether it was a doll or a person in office, you need to see someone who looks like you in some capacity.'
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Hypocrite' Ryan Clark reveals biracial daughter after ripping Robert Griffin III's marriage to a white woman
Ryan Clark is being blasted as a 'hypocrite' for questioning Robert Griffin III's racially mixed marriage after the ESPN host and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety stunned followers by revealing his own biracial daughter on social media. 'I didn't know this was news, but since other people want to talk about her… This is my first born Jaden,' Clark wrote on X alongside photos from across his college-age daughter's life. 'My God she's beautiful. All of her!' By itself, Clark's post wouldn't have caused an uproar. But after facing accusations of racism for attacking Griffin's credibility over his marriage to a white woman, Clark is now being hammered for his perceived hypocrisy as well. 'I got called out for being a racist jerk, which I absolutely am, so here are some pictures of my biracial daughter,' one critic wrote on X, offering a summary of Clark's position. Another critic asked Clark a question about his daughter: 'Is she allowed to have opinions about blackness or do we have to wait and see whom she marries first?' 'I hope she never finds out how much you hate half of her,' one X user added. Both African-American former NFL stars, Clark and Griffin actually played together in Washington briefly before becoming coworkers at ESPN, where Griffin was fired and replaced by Jason Kelce in 2024. Despite their shared history, Clark ignited a feud with Griffin earlier this week by dismissing his criticism of African-American Chicago Sky star Angel Reese because of the ex-quarterback's mixed marriage. Reese and white WNBA rival Caitlin Clark clashed during the season-opener, with Griffin III accusing the Sky power forward of 'hate'. That sparked a controversial response from Clark, who claimed Griffin 'is not having conversations at his home about what black women have to endure in this country.' 'You haven't been able to do that because in both of your marriages you've been married to white women,' Clark said on his podcast Monday. Clark's attacks continued against Griffin, who is married to Estonian heptathlete Grete Griffin. 'When I worked with RGIII, he would make all of these sort of corny jokes about milk and how much he loved it and how important it was and he always points out on social media the color of his wife's skin, as if the color of her skin is what makes her special, as if the color of her skin is what makes her a good wife,' Clark said on his podcast Monday. 'I've met the lady,' Clark added. 'I've had a conversation with her. I think she's more than that, but it also leads to what black women deal with a lot from black men, who have chosen to date or marry outside of their race.' The 35-year-old responded to Clark with an angry post on Monday night. He called out Clark for 'personally attacking me and my family' in a lengthy statement on X. 'There's a line you don't cross in life and Ryan Clark sprinted past it. 'Ryan Clark didn't like my take on Angel Reese hating Caitlin Clark. That's fine. Disagreement is part of the game. But instead of debating my point, he personally attacked me and my family. That shows how low of person he is. It did not end there, however, with Clark replying: 'Bruh you know what it is with me and you! I saved you the entire season on MNF. I urged people to let you be you. No matter how corny, how bad a teammate you were I had your back. 'What did you do? Invite someone on your show you know I don't fool with to ask questions about me, and then hit me weeks later to tell me you're gonna challenge one of my takes! 'You're a phony bro. One of the worst teammates I ever had both on the field and in TV. You gotta do what you gotta do. I didn't attack your wife. I spoke on what you do on social media and TV. Like I said. I met your wife and she seemed like a lovely lady that was worth more than the color of her skin! You be good bruh.' Clark's tirade didn't stop the accusations of racism, and on Wednesday, he shared pictures of Jaden from infancy to more recent photos. 'Maybe, the news in light of this week is that she's biracial,' Clark wrote Wednesday on X. 'So? She is a perfect part of my God given experience, & the sum of those experiences make me who I am!' To many, though, Clark is either a hypocrite, racist or both. 'You cannot have a child without a mother,' one commenter wrote. 'Don't skip how great and crucial her white mother has been in both your lives. Don't dismiss that part when celebrating your daughter. Then you might see the humanity in RG3 wife and family also.' Jaden's own Instagram account includes pictures of her 2023 graduation from the University of San Francisco, where both her white and black relatives appeared to be on hand, as well as some more risqué shots. In response to one shot of Jaden in a short dress, Clark wrote: 'Where your clothes bruh?' While Clark identified his daughter as biracial, Jaden did tag her graduation shots with: '#blackgirlmagic.'
