Final Blog - Mixed Black Individuality
This photography essay details the aspects of mixed black individuality for Bryce Broussard. Mixed black pertains to a biracial person who has black race as one of their ethnicities. It is significant due to the discrimination that the U.S. has founded its societal system upon, suppressing black rights and culture since the days of slavery. This is combined with mixed blacks experiencing racial invalidation, such as being told they are not black “enough” because they are only half, or not being allowed to express their interests or concerns in black culture. Bryce is half-Black and half-Filipino. Growing up in Mission Viejo, a predominantly white neighborhood in the beginning of his childhood, he remembers very little experiences amongst other black people. Due to his lighter skin tone, some people also did not believe him when he said he was black, thinking he was adopted when being picked up by his parents from school, for example. It was not until towards the end of middle school, when he moved to North Hollywood, when he began having more diverse experiences of both Black and Filipino culture, more than just inside the home. These pictures capture the four main aspects of mixed black individuality unique to Bryce: family, friends, hair, and food. His parents provided hints of tradition, ones that he remembers and explores today, such as traditional Filipino foods and snacks. He remembers either helping his mom cook the meals, or buy the ingredients at Seafood City, a popular Filipino grocery store. Moving to Los Angeles allowed him to make Black friends that became more like brothers, building his confidence to indulge more in Black culture, with one of those things being to grow out his hair. In doing so, it provided him a more embracing sense of identity.
Picture 1: **found in “Aspect 3: Hair”, Bryce Broussard in his element.
Photos found on: https://mycsun.box.com/s/bjd0ul6n66b6xszvzvs6e7ajnmcf821u
