Rosina #mixedmonday
I’m Rosina and I grew up in and spent most of my life in Hackney London but for the last 10 years I’ve adopted Bristol as my second home. I would say that my life has been dominated by two things; sport in its many forms and the pursuit of education and research.
I am a behavioural health psychologist by trade and work as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, I completed a Masters in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health at the University of Bristol before completing my PhD in Health at the University of Bath. My work focuses on better understanding the psychological processes of health behaviour change, and the evaluation of health interventions, with a view to improving intervention outcomes for underserved populations.
My other love is sport. It has been the one positive constant in my life that has bought a sense of happiness, achievement, peace and importantly belonging. I would happily spend my days, running, cycling, hiking or climbing and have always been grateful for the connection this has allowed me in relation to both the outdoors and the people I have come to count as family. I’m extremely lucky to belong to a Bristol-based climbing group for ethnic minorities called @colourupbristol. It isn’t simply a climbing group, it’s a family, a community of diverse people not just in terms of race or ethnicity but diverse backgrounds and diverse thought. It is truly something special.
How would you describe your ethnicity?
I would describe myself as mixed race Black. My dad is Black from Jamaica, a child of the Windrush generation and my mum is White British.
Has your mixed-ness influenced your career in any way?
Working in research and in academic institutions I am painfully aware of being a minority. Navigating a white world, your presence in white spaces, can rock the boat. It challenges peoples perceptions of blackness and this makes many uncomfortable. You are often seen as an infiltrator or treated with caution. More importantly ethnic minorities are historically and systematically underserved in my research field and health care in general. So I’ve tried wherever possible to shift the narrative in research and focus my work on how research can better serve and include ethnic minorities.
If you could describe your mixed identity in one word, what would it be?
Evolving
What is the best thing about being mixed heritage?
The best thing about being mixed race is having such an enriched cultural experience throughout my life. I have multiple histories. I’ve always been able to move through cultures and assimilate which is a huge benefit and privilege.
But on the flipside there can be this nagging sense of never entirely belonging anywhere, which can be a bit lonely and isolating. That is why affinity groups like Beyond the Mix and @colourupbristol where I climb are vital. Through feeling a sense of belonging in these groups I’ve got to experience a sense of connectedness that I have never truly experienced before.
