Marion
Williams
I'm a 46 yr old female, single, and bi-racial. My mom is German, and my dad is Black American. My parents met shortly after WWII when he was with the army in Mannheim, Germany. The Army wouldn't allow mixed race marriages back then, but my parents stayed together, and they married shortly before my birth, after the laws finally changed. I have two brothers and two sisters.
One of the many unique and wonderful things about my dad was that before WWII, he was a musician in the Cotton Club's house band in Harlem, NY, and played with people like Ellington, Basie, Ella and many more jazz musicians who later made it big! (are you old enough to remember them? :->)
The fact that my parents stuck it out against so many odds (dad was also 18 years older than mom), was a real testimony to me growing up. My family is still close today, largely because of his influence. Sadly, he died 12 years ago, but to sit around with my family and remember him is still a great source of joy to me!
One thing lacking in my growing up years, was that I didn't form a real sense of "who I am". I have struggled, as many of you have, with the identity crisis that seems to come with the territory of being bi-racial; being alternately hated or adored because of my looks! I do identify myself as bi-racial, and have features that are constantly being mistaken for hispanic, (east) Indian, or middle eastern. And yes, that bothersome and odd question of "what ARE you?" is ever present!
I met the Lord when I was 33 (many moons ago!) and He's made a significant difference in my life, especially as I ponder who I am! This is precious to me, and helps to make the constant hurts surrounding being a person of color in America bearable, and ultimately unimportant.
Thanks for reading my story! I welcome any and all emails from my new-found friends in MyShoes!