Me: I don't?

People: You would look so good with your afro.

Me: I don't have an afro.

People: But your black!

Me: Not all black people have an afro or curls.

People: Your sister has an afro, though!

"I'm half-White, a quarter Black, and a quarter Japanese."

No, you're not. I don't see it. How can you be all of those things? Are you really? You're not Japanese. You're not Black. Now that you say it, I can kind of see it in your eyes. Oh, that explains it. I thought you were Mexican. You're not Mexican? Are you sure you're not Mexican? Are you Spanish? Are you Brazilian? Are you Argentinian? Are you (insert any ambiguously brown race here)? But you don't act Japanese. But you don't act Black.

#KhadijhaRedThunder is a #mixed American model-turned-actress making her acting debut in 2019 with the #Wattpad film After, & in the 2020 sequel, After We Collided.

Born & raised in Spokane, Washington, Khadijha boasts a diverse heritage, including #NativeAmerican (#Chippewa #Cree) #Black & #Spanish ancestry. As a teen, she moved to Seattle where she started modeling. Many might assume that Thunder is a stage name, but its actually her real last name.

Shes known for her curls, but she didnt always have them. Her hair was straight growing up & only became curly after she cut it shorter at 13. Since then, her hair has grown curlier each year. “I try everything, but I would never permanently change my curls. They are my life. I love them.” And would you, if you finally had something you been dreaming of since childhood?

"I grew up around #NativeAmericans. My mom was the only one who was Black, she was the only one with curls. Seeing my mom with her curls played such a big part in how I perceive hair. Just how a parent, in general, affects everything. She never complained about her hair being curly; she was always embracing it. She was just so beautiful & carried herself so elegantly. I dont know—seeing a woman so strong, beautiful & natural, to me, shes just an amazing entity, this phenomenon. Straightening her hair was a rarity. She taught me from a young age that it was damaging to apply heat to your hair. I wasnt allowed to use heating tools. She just really showed me the best route was to be your natural curly self."

"Compared to my other friends who are mixed who grew up with two different cultures & only saw beautiful women on tv with straight hair, it totally affects & hinders their outlook on having curly hair. It would be seen as “wild” or “sexy”—they sexualize curly hair. It wasnt elegant. But seeing my mom being so elegant & ladylike with curly hair, feeling like she was embracing her true self, Ive always liked that. Shes always taught me that."

Her first modeling gig was with Nordstrom & she has since collaborated with DKNY, Marc Jacobs & Puma. 🏴🇺🇸🇪🇸🪶

Say “I’m half filipino” and nobody bats an eye

Say “I’m half Japanese”

AND SOCIETY GOES WILDDDD

#ArianaDeBose is a #mixed #American dancer, singer and actress known for her work on Broadway, film and television.

Ariana was born in North Carolina on January 25th (she and I have the same birthday!) Her father is #AfroLatino (#PuertoRican) and her mother is #Italian. She identifies as #queer and came out to her grandparents in 2015.

She made her tv debut competing on #SoYouThinkYouCanDance. She then made her Broadway debut in the musical Bring It On: The Musical in 2011 and appeared in other Broadway roles in Motown: The Musical in 2013 and Pippin in 2014. She also appeared in the original cast of Hamilton from 2015 to 2016 and as Jane in A Bronx Tale in 2016 to 2017. In 2018 she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

I hate being mixed.

I hate it when I tell people my birth country & they respond "Really? You don't sound [redacted] at all! You sound like an American!"

I hate getting embarrassed every time someone asks for my last name or middle name, because they're both in my country's language which most people cannot speak it well, especially white people.

I hate not resembling like either of my full siblings, even when we were children it wasn't super obvious that we were related & that disparity has grown even more now.

I hate not looking like my mother at all, people getting surprised when I show a photo of her, surprised she was the one to have birthed me when she is very obviously [redacted].

I hate that I'm already forgetting the little I know of my language, stuffing up the pronunciation when I used to be so good at it, I was the only one who could help my old teacher pronounce it properly, in a school basically full of only white people.