On Being a Black and Asian Mixed Race Woman

My mother is a British Black Caribbean woman, and my absent father is a British Asian Pakistani or Iraqi man. When questioned about my ethnicity — a question I frequently received throughout my life — I would respond with, “I’m mixed with Black and Asian,” and reactions would differ from person to person. Some would not believe me whilst others would say, “Oh, you look more Black, you know, have more Black features. So, you’re mainly Black then?” Dealing with the constant erasure of my identity coupled with never meeting my father bred thoughts of inadequacy from an early age and…