In week 2, the theme of the week was colorism and “situational identity,” a term Professor Valverdes used to describe a concept where mixed race people often identify with a race that most benefits their social situation. For example, in the readings for the week, “Part Asian, 100% Hapa: A Retrospective" by Kip Fulbeck, there are countless stories of ‘Hapas’ or mixed white-Asian people who share their stories of being mixed race. Originally started as half white and half Hawaiian, the term has evolved to include all Asian ethnicities. Fulbeck photographs participants around 10 years before he engages with them with their personal stories of living mixed race in a often-times mono-racial world.
One example in the book that particularly stuck out to me was a half Asian-half Black woman who shared her stories of her hair. She exclaims, “It’s black hair, it’s Asian hair. It has its good days and bad days. With each day, I am learning to love it more! And take care of it! Please don’t define me by my hair!” Many people in the book share their thoughts that being racially diverse is more of a social construct and should not define who they are as people. “What am I? Shouldn’t you ask my name first?” one woman says also in the reading.
Further pondering of this reading made me realize that oftentimes, we reduce people to their ethnic backgrounds instead of who they might be as a person; their personal interests, their hobbies, dislikes and likes. My question for the week would be: is race a social construct created for the sole purpose of keeping one race superior or more privileged than another? This is the kind of injustice I see in the world today. One race gaining more benefits and another receiving oppression due to the color of their skin, which is horribly wrong.
A visual representation I found online that relates to our week’s reading is a video from As/Is called “The Struggle of Being Mixed Race” which interviews various people about their experiences. The concept that most sticks out from this video is the idea of being rejected, not fitting in, and wishing to be recognized fully, instantly, from others like others have the privilege of being recognized correctly.
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