Racial Differences

As a young child my mixed-race heritage hindered my development. It has also paved a way for me to put an end to the imbedded notion that differences between races should be a dividing factor. My mother is white and my father is black, making me half white and half black. Two year after I was born they ended up getting a divorce due to the fact that the love they had was lost. This withering connection mostly had to do with the racial tensions present between families. Other people in my family did not approve of the whole relationship and even the thought of me being conceived. Now of course I did not comprehend all of this as a young child. However, having to travel back and forth from these two culturally contrasting families surrounded
me with an internal dilemma. For me, I always felt I needed to pick a side. Every time I would visit one side of the family, they would unintentionally push down their ideals and culture on me. This caused quite the stressful conflict for me because when I spent time with my other family, they would do the exact same. Even without me fully realizing, I found myself trying to conform to each family so I could fit in. Since I lived with my mother, I was surrounded by all white family members on a regular basis. Being the only tan and curly haired girl of the bunch made me feel like an outsider. Even though this hindered my development culturally, I came to this conclusion to appreciate who I am and value my individuality.