I Am Irish And African American Essay - 1546 Words

â€Å"So, what are you anyway?† the girl asked in a snarky tone, staring at me blankly from across the awkwardly conjoined, wooden desks. I took a minute to sit back in my chair and wonder what the reaction would be this time, the usual â€Å"You don’t even look white,† or something completely new that I could add to my list of quirky comments made about being biracial. I stared blankly back at her, adding to the not-so-dramatic moment of suspense. â€Å"I’m Irish and African American,† I replied in a somewhat rehearsed, monotone voice, as if I had already been through this situation 100 times (that might be an exaggeration†¦more like 99 times to be exact). Just as her lips began to part, I was preparing myself for the QA session I would be holding after class to learn about the wonders of my life. â€Å"Oh wow†¦you don’t even look white!† Well what a surprise†¦the story of my life. Growing up, I always felt like an outs ider. I yearned for a sense of belonging, but I would always have to bring myself to a constant realization about the implication of my existence—I was black and white, not one or the other, but both. The continual task of â€Å"checking one box† on surveys and papers didn’t really help the situation either. Being the product of an African-American father and an Irish-American mother made me appreciate and understand all the variations of race and culture in the spectrum, but it also left me in this murky-gray area with no sense of direction—a feeling that most multiracialShow MoreRelatedIrish Immigration Essay933 Words   |  4 PagesRunning head: IRISH IMMIGRATION IN 1850’S 1 Irish Immigration in 1850’s Dorothy Mathews Eth/125 March 7, 2010 Read MorePersonal Identity Research Paper :932 Words   |  4 PagesResearch Paper I interviewed my nephew, Jeremy, for this assignment. Jeremy and I are members of the same family; but, have different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. 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