Growing up Mixed Race in the UK

In school I was always this bridge between ‘real Black people’ and white people

Ngaio Anyia is a musician, writer, inclusion consultant and force of nature. One of the people behind the Black Lives Matters march in Bristol, she has spent her life campaigning for inclusion.

‘As a mixed race person I didn’t know where I stood’

Ngaio’s dual heritage is something which she feels as though was often a battle for her growing up – never knowing where she belonged.

“In school I was always this bridge between ‘real Black people’ and white people because I was the safe option.

“White people would come and ask me questions about race.

“I was like ‘What do I do with this?’ I didn’t fit in anywhere.

“As a mixed race person I didn’t know where I stood in the conversation of race.

“I knew my privilege as a lighter skinned person, but then I realised it was my conversation to have as much as anyone else because I can use my privilege to have that conversation in other places where they may not usually take place.

Read on…

Growing up mixed race in the UK – Bristol Live (bristolpost.co.uk)