Woman born in 1959
Attorney
Self-Identification: Korean, African American, Native American, European
American
Father's Racial Identity: African American, Native American, European
American
Mother's Racial Identity: Asian (Korean)
Today I feel most of the time I'm proud of who I am. I feel good about who
I am...All my life I've had different and diverse groups of friends and not had
just one perspective on things. So I think...it's an asset, because I'm open to
these differences. And it's interesting, people who are mixed--we seem to bump
into each other and cross paths and we seem to gravitate towards each other. So
I think of [my multiracial heritage] as an asset. Although sometimes I feel
that people who are just one race and one culture--I don't know if it's easier,
but sometimes I feel...[I'd like] not to switch back and forth, because I'm
just moving in a lot of different circles. I don't think that it's bad but
sometimes maybe it would be easier...
When I was younger, I used to wish more that I was just one [race], because
then you could say that's what you are. And I think that I used to feel that if
I just said that I was Black, then I was denying the Korean side. And then if I
said that I was Korean, I was denying the other side. I remember being in Korea
and Korean people saying "What are you--Korean or American?" And then as I grew
more aware of the fact that a lot of Black people have different heritages, I
just felt why not embrace everything.
