There are many Mixed Roots Stories to share on the topic of immigration. The headline of this story particularly caught my eye: In May 2013, France’s National Assembly successfully voted on a bill to remove the words ‘race’ and ‘racial’ from the country’s penal code. It introduces a special series on ‘Black France’ that delves into the question of whether politics will have a lasting effect on those who face the daily disparities caused by the belief that ‘race’ somehow makes us different from one another. Click the link for more: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2013/08/201382894144265709.html
biracial
Blood Type: Ragu
from bloodtyperagu.com
This looks like a great solo show on the Mixed immigrant experience – it won the 2012 and 2013 United Solo Festival Awards for Best Comedic Performance and Best Comedic Script.
Award winning writer/performer Frank Ingrasciotta gives a tour-de-force performance in this humorous and heart-warming one-man play. Blood Type: RAGU is a coming-of-age story exploring the first-generation American’s delicate dance between culture and identity.
Click the link for more info: http://www.bloodtyperagu.com/about/
Blog to Follow: The Fluidity
We love discovering blogs that address the Mixed experience! So many perspectives to ponder and such a wealth of stories told. Here’s a litte more about the author: …I am the daughter of a Black African father and White American mother. But I have found that my experience is similar to many different blends of Mixed-Race individuals, Transracial adoptees, second-generation Americans, and people involved in interracial families and relationships. The common experience is being neither and both, which may leave us wounded.
Here’s a link to the blog: http://neitherboth.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/the-fluidity/
Anomaly: A Documentary Film About Multiracial Identity
We screened this wonderful film at the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival, and the film went on the screen at several other festival and garner awards. If you are interested in, or planning to, make a documentary film about the Mixed experience, we highly recommend you watch this one so you’re aware of what has already been done.
Here’s the link to the website where you can purchase the film: http://www.twn.org/catalog/pages/cpage.aspx?rec=1363&card=price
Win $500 For Your Short Film!
One of our favorite media blogs, Shadow and Act, is running this short film contest. If the story you tell includes the African Diaspora experience – submit your work – and let us know how it goes!
Here’s the link to the contest: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/enter-the-s-a-fantastical-short-films-web-series-contest-win-a-cash-prize?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews
‘Becoming Mexipino’ – A Story Worth Telling
Rudy P. Guevarra, Jr., discusses the mixed history and identity of two minority groups (Mexicans and Filipinos) in his book Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and Communities in San Diego.
He weaves together the stories of Mexipinos in San Diego by exploring their families immigration to the United States, their fight for civil rights, participation and creation of labor unions, and socialization through cultural functions that brought couples of the two groups together.
“Thus, by examining the intimate, complex relationship between Mexicans and Filipinos in San Diego and exploring how they and their multiethnic children carved a place for themselves in the United States, we can begin to appreciate how identities and communities are formed, nurtured, and sustained over generations. Indeed, the multiple generations of Mexipinos are testimony to this unique history of multiethnic communities in the United States. It is a story worth telling.” (p. 12)
We agree! It is a STORY worth telling.
Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and … – Amazon.com
‘Biracial’ Teacher Reprimanded for Making ‘White’ Students Uncomfortable
This brief article doesn’t go into detail about what this teacher might have done to make students feel uncomfortable – but we found the racial labeling of those involved interesting (did they self-identify as ‘white’ and ‘biracial,’ or did the journalist make assumptions?). Our goal is to change the narratives we all have around ‘race’ – even when it causes discomfort; perhaps ultimately the students at MCTC will have a new perspective for new and different conversations at the very least. Here’s a link to the article (which includes a video quote from the teacher): http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/11/20/controversy-at-mctc-following-lesson-on-structural-racism/
Sharing stories through Cooking!
Food! It has a way of gathering people….families….friends…communities. Many favorite recipes are accompanied by a story that has been passed down through the generations. A recent blog post, Cooking Genes: Our Culinary Legacy on the Narrative Network, talks about the mixing of recipes that are brought from two different cultures in an a multiracial family. The author’s mother “loved to say that our food was delicious because we were a “mixed-up” family!”
http://yonarrative.com/cooking-genes-culinary-legacy/
This year Gloria Govan and Marlena Attinasi published A Mixed Girls Favorite Recipes.
“This cookbook is a collection of recipes that Gloria Govan and Marlena Attinasi have developed over the years of entertaining and raising their children. The Book is a sampling of our favorite recipes that are from the flavors of the cultures of our childhood, African American, Mexican and Italian. Some of the recipes we have named after our family members to honor them, as they have been an influence in our cooking styles and why we love food and entertaining. We are passionate about family and food being the center of every gathering. ” Find out more about the authors and order their book on their website http://www.mixedgirlsfavorites.com/
Tumblr Roll Call: Afro-Latin@ Documentary
This is a documentary series by Dash Harris (twitter handle: @InADash) on racial identity and the African Diaspora in Latin America and the Caribbean. Click here to learn more about the series: http://negrodocumentary.com/
Here are some quotes about the series from the tumblr blog:
“I was soooo inspired !!! Your project on educating the world about Afro-Latinos through your documentary Negro, is so amazing.” -Jisela Rodriguez
“Though the issue is very sad, it’s beautiful how so many conscious people are in this documentary speaking their stories. I’m a Black-American and I do have relatives from Mexico and I hardly know much about them because I felt we were too different to even get to know each other. This documentary has changed my mind,”
“Viva los afrodescendientes! viva latinos! I love this. I have shared this as much as possible! Keep up the good work”
“Loving this docu-series! I cannot wait to see what’s coming next. Very proud of how this project is portraying *us*! -Lidia Anain
“You have no idea how much your first piece has amazed me in every level. I related to every single second if it. I relate to this documentary so much I cannot even begin to write down all the things that are in my mind…it’s insane to see a series just about me. That is literally me. It has touched me beyond words….I can’t even wrap my head around it. Please keep up the good work. i support you.” -Jasmine Oufkir Cruz
Who Wants to Go To Sundance!?
A great opportunity for screenwriters without representation – as long as you HAVEN’T made more than $5,000 on a previous script. Get your Mixed Roots Stories for the big screen ready, and apply for this chance to attend the Sundance Film Festival and receive a professional mentorship. DEADLINE: December 1, 2013
Here’s the link for more info: http://tinyurl.com/lavqfaj