Latest update February 4th, 2025 4:17 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

Be your true self

Dec 03, 2017 Features / Columnists, Food For Thought

My dad is Caucasian and my mom is African American which makes me half-black and half-white.
“What are you?” is a question I get asked almost everyday of my life…
I grew up in a neighbourhood in LA that wasn’t racially or ethnically diverse at all.
People asked my mom if she was my nanny, because she was dark-skinned and I wasn’t.
Once, someone called her THAT word, to her face, right in front of me, mom’s eyes filled with tears.
I was so angry that I could only whisper “It’s OK, Mommy.”
When I was 12, I had to complete a mandatory census at school. One of the first questions asked if I was white, black, Hispanic or Asian.
I had to check one box. I was confused. I had curly hair and a freckled face and I was both black AND white.
I stared at the question, not knowing what box to check. I had to choose one. But that meant choosing one parent over another, choosing one half of myself over the other. My teacher saw that I was confused, she walked over to me and said: “Check the box for Caucasian.” When I asked her why, she said: “Because that’s how you look.” I couldn’t do it. I put my pen down.
I pictured the sadness Mom would feel if she found out which box I checked, so I left the box blank. “I left my identity blank – a question mark, an absolute incomplete – much like how I felt.”
Dad never got angry, but that night, when I told him what happened at school, that I didn’t know which box to check, he was very, very quiet, like he was struggling inside.
And what he said next had guided my life. He said, “Draw your own box, and always be your true self.”
I’m now the first bi-racial person to be welcomed into the British Royal Family “Reflecting from where I came from helps me appreciate what I have now.” Be your true self – Meghan Markle

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 27th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

GSL 2025 to take place in July

GSL 2025 to take place in July

Feb 03, 2025

Kaieteur Sports- The ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) 2025 has been confirmed to run from 8 to 18 July 2025. All 11 matches of the tournament will take place at the iconic Guyana National...
Read More
Ken Harvey dominates GBA’s Pepsi/Michael Parris U-16 Tournament

Ken Harvey dominates GBA’s Pepsi/Michael...

Feb 03, 2025

Goal is Money survive scare on Opening Night of Annual Mashramani Street Football Championship

Goal is Money survive scare on Opening Night of...

Feb 03, 2025

GFF President congratulates Junior Lady Jags

GFF President congratulates Junior Lady Jags

Feb 03, 2025

Former Windies captains remember ‘brethren’ and ‘friend’, Colin Cumberbatch

Former Windies captains remember...

Feb 03, 2025

Olympic Kremlin crowned Horse-of-the-Year at One Guyana Thoroughbred Racing Awards

Olympic Kremlin crowned Horse-of-the-Year at One...

Feb 02, 2025

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]