Mixed-race is the fastest-growing ethnic group in the UK.
Mixed Up is a weekly series that aims to elevate the under-heard voices of the mixed-race population in the UK.
‘Many mixed-race friends of mine who come from what some people view as a more niche sub-genre of dual heritage, are frequently questioned on it, scoffed at or just not believed – meaning that they constantly have to justify themselves.Being mixed-race means that you don’t fit neatly into a singular category. When it comes to black and white, Rob is neither and both at the same time. But rather than causing confusion, Rob sees hope and possibility in this fluidity.
‘Being mixed-race affords me the luxury of not being defined by one ethnic backgrounds in other people’s eyes.’Rob’s early life experience informed this overall positive view about being mixed-race. He was widely accepted and embraced by peers – he saw himself reflected in the community where he lived.‘Generally, I think society reacts pretty favourably to mixed-race people,’ explains Rob.
‘Secondary school had a large effect on this. I went from studying at a school that reflected the diverse cultural backgrounds of the local area in which I had always lived, to going to a grammar school in Redbridge, which did not. ‘As a teenager, there is a lot of pressure to conform to stereotypes, including racial stereotypes,’ says Rob.‘In a largely Asian school with a very small black population – let alone a mixed-race demographic – it was necessary to listen to hip-hop and grime, for example. Although I do now, at the time I wasn’t much into music and this meant that I was often on the outside looking in.‘I found myself a bit like Mahershala Ali’s character, Dr.
‘I don’t feel that I am weighed down by any of the baggage that is associated with one ethnic background and this paves the way for me to just be who I am. ‘Despite my Dad being of Jamaican heritage, he was born here and therefore he is culturally British. He embraces his roots, but he doesn’t let them define him in the eyes of anyone else.
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