Being Ambiguously Brown In Africa
Lynnette identifies herself as a Black woman.
South Africa: While in South Africa, Lynnette was ignored a lot of the time. Lynnette had to rely on other woman to help her speak and be a voice for her. Lynnette did not fit the version of Blackness that they wanted her too. Even though Lynnette identifies as a Black woman, the other individuals in South Africa said that her skin was far too light and didn't treat her as an individual for this reason.
Egypt: While in Egypt, Lynnette experienced very different relationships. Lynnette was seen and was not ignored. Individuals asked her about her identity, who she was, where she was from, and Lynnette explained. The individuals from Egypt were shocked and figured her to be Egyptian. When she explained that she is not Egyptian, they almost laughed and critiqued her, asking about her parents, assuming that someone in her family lineage had to be Egyptian.
Kenya: While in Kenya, Lynnette was classified as being mzungu, which means that she isn't from the area. They used this word to classify White people. Again, Lynnette identifies as a Black woman, so she felt uncomfortable when the individuals of Kenya referred to her as White. Even the individuals and students that she was assisting referred to her by this name because this is what everyone called her.
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Throughout Lynnette's chapter we were able to see how she reflected on her own experiences. Lynnette recalls that while in South Africa students would discuss their issues and difficulties with their own ideities. Lynnette was able to connect to these students.
In my future classroom, I want students to feel comfortable to share their identities and their cultural norms. I also want to create a classroom that praises that and accepts individuals for who they are and how they identify, no matter what our society has established as "normal."
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Autoethnography of Biracial Indentity in Three Acts