Jazlyn #mixedmonday
How would you describe your ethnicity?
I now describe myself as a woman of colour, but the words I use to describe myself have changed a lot over the years.
My mother is White and was born in New Hampshire, and my father is Black and from South Carolina. He left the year I was born, and I've only met him once in my life. But I have the surname 'Pinckney', which is a hangover from the slave trade, of which my ancestors were bought and sold.
I have a complicated family history that I have started to reckon with in my adult life.
Growing up in suburban Swindon, we were not only the only American family; my sister and I were the only non-white children in our street.
I'm proud that this isn't the case anymore, and I see much more diversity and mixed heritage where I grew up.
Has your mixed-ness influenced your career in any way?
My mixed-ness has had a huge impact on my professional career. I've worked as an inclusion producer in the arts for nearly 10 years.
I've used my real-world experience of feeling on the outside of things to bang the drum about the power of making the arts more aware and inclusive. During the Black Lives Matter moment, there was a real focus on race and seeing more people of difference in institutions, but as a mixed-race child, I know that diversity isn't just about one thing. I'm really interested in intersectional experiences and how we can make changes for lots of different communities that have been historically marginalised.
If you could describe your mixed identity in one word, what would it be?
Uncharted
What is the best thing about being mixed heritage?
I find this really hard to answer. I'm hyper-aware about not being one thing or the other...not Black, not White.
Although that is mentally quite exhausting, I suppose it lends itself well to being an empathetic citizen. I'm always imagining how I'm being perceived, and that makes me hyper-aware if others' identities are being marginalised, generalised, or pushed to the side. Perhaps that is a blessing and a curse?
