I am mixed, like most of us. My dad is native Andean from Bolivia but always identified as mestizo and saw himself as “white” even tho he is very much brown, its different in Bolivia than in the US. My mother is white, Irish-American. I have white skin, dark brown, almost black thick hair, and blue eyes, but a lot of my features are Andean, my nose (and my poto 😅). Anyway, being mixed and very white, I never knew my identity because my Bolivian side was also very much in denial. It wasn’t until I did a DNA test and had both my parents do it, that I discovered I’m 40% native Andean from my dad’s side. I’ll never know if we were Quechua or Aymara, I suspect a mix of both given where my abuelos were born. But we also have a bit of Basque ancestry, which I also got from my dad. For a while, I really hated my whiteness and being white passing because people would make fun of me for trying to connect with my roots. Over time, I was able to heal the pain and grief of being from many worlds. I don’t let what other people think or say about me define me, they haven’t lived my life. Only I know who I am, and I am proud to honor all sides of my ancestry in an effort to heal generational wounds.
I am mixed, like most of us. My dad is native Andean from Bolivia but always identified as mestizo and saw himself as “white” even tho he is very much brown, its different in Bolivia than in the US. My mother is white, Irish-American. I have white skin, dark brown, almost black thick hair, and blue eyes, but a lot of my features are Andean, my nose (and my poto 😅). Anyway, being mixed and very white, I never knew my identity because my Bolivian side was also very much in denial. It wasn’t until I did a DNA test and had both my parents do it, that I discovered I’m 40% native Andean from my dad’s side. I’ll never know if we were Quechua or Aymara, I suspect a mix of both given where my abuelos were born. But we also have a bit of Basque ancestry, which I also got from my dad. For a while, I really hated my whiteness and being white passing because people would make fun of me for trying to connect with my roots. Over time, I was able to heal the pain and grief of being from many worlds. I don’t let what other people think or say about me define me, they haven’t lived my life. Only I know who I am, and I am proud to honor all sides of my ancestry in an effort to heal generational wounds.