I am a 29-year-old man from Elyria, OH. My Mother (white) and Father (black) raised my two beautiful sisters in a very warm and loving home and me. We spent most of our earlier education in the Elyria Public School System. However, we spent a few years in Catholic School and then some time in the Oberlin school district. I went on to graduate from Heidelberg University with a bachelor’s in Health Science. I am currently in a post-bac program at Cleveland State University and hope to attend medical school soon.

Both of my parents are flight attendants. As a result, while growing up, our family was able to take trips around the world. I visited more countries before age of 13 than many adults I know today. Those experiences helped show my sisters and me just how big our world is and how different life can look around it.

To be honest, writing this was quite a challenge. Mainly because I identify as three different things. The overarching identification would be mixed, but I nonetheless identify as black and white. I can think of two other times when someone asked me about my experience living as a mixed-race individual. It’s difficult balancing between the existential thought process I naturally want to delve into when talking about race versus the nuts and bolts of my life experience. I believe the concept of “race” is divisive by nature. I try to look at life through the lens of God/Love. However, the idea of race is alive and well and has real-world implications. This is how it has impacted my life.

I was blessed to have been born in a loving biracial home. I am fortunate to have never been the recipient of a hate crime based on my race. Arguably, I was a victim of police violence, which was racially motivated, but I’ve found it best not to dwell on that idea. I’ve been subjected to uncomfortable situations where racism or racist ideas were being expressed by both black and white parties. I’ve felt isolated when around either black or white parties because I was treated differently. Those occurrences could lead one to develop a lonely outlook on the world if one lets it.

I know those negative experiences are not unique and don’t define me. If you’re a human being, chances are you look different than someone else. Sometimes you may be the only different-looking person within a large group. In those instances, I try to stick with the principle of expressing love and positivity and attempt to create genuine connections with people regardless of the circumstances or ignorance.

Walking around trying to share positivity all the time can be difficult, though. Particularly when life presents you with people determined to share the opposite. In those instances, it’s important not to take things personally. It can be very difficult to do so when your actions come from the heart, arguably the most personal thing someone could share. Regardless, I’ve found it to be the most meaningful approach to life. We’re all fortunate in that there’s a limitless amount of love; you have to make the conscious decision to share it, even when it’s difficult. That is how growing up as a mixed-race individual has affected me.