Girl, I'm mixed race. My dad was Black, my mom was white. I was adopted at 3 weeks old by my uncle and aunt, both black. I have porcelain skin and blue eyes. My auburn thick frizzy curls are the only giveaway.

I remember my adopted mother talking about my being "coloured." I rejected it. Life taught me she was right. I was as white as people decided I was and if shit went down..well...

I picked sides. I tried on "Black." I tried on "white."

I suspect I'm older than you, but maybe not, I just feel like maybe I am. I'm 53. And where I am now, and it took like 45 years...I'm both and I'm neither. I'm the daughter of the slave and the master. I claim both and I claim none. You are not a mongrel, half-caste or an intruder. You are a beautiful, mixed-race woman with the best of at least 2 continents.