Donate Now

mixed roots stories

Ethnic Man!

Entertaining Diversity’s flagship one-man show – a fast paced, humorous and dramatic autobiographical multimedia performance. Arboleda’s story has been a particularly influential and entertaining choice of colleges and theaters around the country. Arboleda is African-American/Native-American/Filipino-Chinese & German-Danish, and he grew up in Japan. Funny, intelligent, serious, thought-provoking. Countless standing ovations, unforgettable powerful messages about race, culture, ethnicity, class, gender and religion. 900 performance around the US, in 48 states.

Find out more about Teja Arboleda’s Ethnic Man! availability for keynote speaking events, conventions, colleges…

http://www.entertainingdiversity.com/shows.html

Ungrateful Daughter in Los Angeles!

“Ungrateful Daughter: One Black Girl’s Story of Being Adopted into a White Family…that aren’t Celebrities” in the Los Angeles Women’s Theater Festival March 29th at 3pm.

ABOUT THE SHOW
“Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Madonna have adopted black children. How could it not be good? Should you go pick one up? Especially after you see their faces on TV looking so sad? “Ungrateful Daughter”, Lisa Marie’s riveting solo show, examines being a black girl adopted into a white family and how all that relates to these celebrity crazes, the Haitian and Ethiopian ‘orphans’ and the myth of colorblind love.

In the early 1970’s Lisa Marie is adopted by a couple seeking an “Asian-mix” baby and end up with a little black girl whose racial identity is hidden by the adoption agency. Funny and sharp, it is a story that thrusts us into the complicated racial knots of being a transracial adoptee that are so hard to untangle. Especially when your family doesn’t see you as black.

In a rush of electrifying story-telling, spoken word poetry and hilarious, unexpected characterizations, Lisa Marie reveals a sometimes disturbing story that makes clear what it’s like to attend an almost exclusively white, private elementary school; expresses her fierce love for her conservative, Republican, Christian, organic farmer parents and her clashes with the new group of liberal, well- meaning, white adoptive parents that strain her patience–over and over again. Infused with a gentle sense of humor as well as a seething rage, Lisa Marie wonders if she will ever heal from the secrets, stolen histories and unknowns she and so many other adoptees share.”
http://birthproject.wordpress.com/ungrateful-daughter/

The Other Project

The Other Project is a documentary photography project shared with Mixed Roots Stories by storyteller Rachel Crick.

“The Other Project is a documentary project focusing specifically on the development of self-identity of people across the country who identify as “bi-racial,” or “multi-ethnic,” or who use other similar adjectives to make sense of their racial make-up. One goal for this project is to encourage public discussion around racial identity — to be a catalyst for people to see themselves, despite their so-called differences, and find the commonalities amongst themselves. We are looking for participants of both racial and ethnic diversity for this project. If you are of a multiracial/multiethnic background, or you know of others who may be interested, please contact us.”

For more information about the project and how to participate visit her website www.rachelcrickphotography.com.

MXRS Visual Podcast Episode 1: Lawrence-Minh Bui Davis and the Mixed Race Initiative

We are excited to launch the visual version of Episode 1 of the MXRS Podcast — bringing you the story behind the stories. Our first several episodes are in partnership with the Asian American Literary Review and its Mixed Race Initiative. Editor-in-Chief Lawrence-Minh Búi Davis is our first guest. Join us as our conversation winds its way through language, how we identify ourselves, the origins of the Mixed Race Initiative and its components, making our work more accessible, and much more.

Grant Writing Specialist Needed – Intern/Volunteer Opportunity

Mixed Roots Stories is looking for a motivated person who is experienced, or wants to gain experience writing grant proposals. The Grant Specialist will work with the Mixed Roots Stories team to grow a database of grant opportunities as well as gather information, collect and organize data, and draft grant submissions. This could be either an intern or volunteer position. The intern/grant writer must be self motivated, organized, detail oriented, a team player and timely with due dates. This is an ideal position for someone looking for an internship or volunteer opportunity working with an up and coming, very active nonprofit.

 

Please send resumes/CVs (include references) and cover letters expressing your interest in Mixed Roots Stories and the Grant Specialist position to info@mixedrootsstories.org. Please put “Grant Writer” in the subject line.

Jumping the Fence

 

Thank you, author Maureen Gilmer, for sharing your story! “This book about my family is a true tale of civil rights from about 1800 to 1910 New Orleans.” Book to be released 2014!

 

jumping the fence

“In nineteenth-century New Orleans, Jean Benjamin Esnard and his family struggle to conceal their mixed-race ancestry and pass as white in the increasingly hostile racial environment of the post-Civil War South. Their secret begins to unravel, however, when their son, Adrien, is born darker than his siblings and labeled “C” for “colored” on his birth certificate. As desperation sets in, Jean Benjamin and his wife, Florentine must make the heartbreaking decision to separate the family in order to save it.

In Jumping the Fence, Maureen Gilmer shares the extraordinary true story of early civil rights activists—her ancestors—who stopped at nothing to protect each other and their assets in the struggle against slavery and segregation.” http://www.jumpingthefence.net/

Temp Words

Alison Hart submitted her story!

“My brother’s death rocked my paradigm and forced me to face the impermanence of our lives. Thoughts, feelings, experiences, people, faith, relationships, politics, identity, things (except maybe plastic bags) change; nothing is static.temp words is a journey through impermanence from my perspective as a mixed race woman of color living in America. This is my edge, this is how I navigate through life: one moment at a time.” https://www.createspace.com/4434561

You can follow Alison and her book at:

http://www.fac…com/tempwords

Looking for Guest Bloggers

We would like to reach out to the Mixed Roots community to invite people to participate as a Guest Blogger on MixedRootsStories.org. Our blog is dedicated to sharing stories of the mixed experience, and helping to spread the word about artists, writers and others whose work addresses this experience. Our Guest Bloggers will add 2-4 posts during their designated month. These posts might share personal stories, be a reflection on an aspect of society, or a discussion and/or analysis of racial identity, and more. Your posts should be submitted one week before the month your posts will begin. Once we’ve moderated it and ironed out logistics with you, we will then feature your posts on the MXRS website, Facebook page and Twitter.

If you would like to participate, please email us a bio, picture, topic ideas, and the number of times you wish to post (2, 3, or 4) to info@mixedrootsstories.org with Guest Blogger as the subject line. We will reply within a week to confirm when we can add you as a contributor on our site (please remember to add our email address to your safe list).


Looking forward to blogging with you!

Forgery of the Month Club

Forgery of the month club

 

Born to an absent father—an African-American lawyer in 1960’s Chicago—and a crooked, Jewish mother, Keith L.T. Alexander had no ordinary childhood. Known to the media as “Anita the Burglar,” Alexander’s mother was a criminal by nature. Brilliant and creative, she mastered everything from bicycle theft, to mail fraud, to art forgery. Between scams, she built a castle and designed a human powered flying machine. “Whether as a member of a subculture or as an individual, Mom made choices that most mothers would not have made, “Alexander admits. Determined to fill the empty bellies of her two children and her desire for thrill, Anita was involved in whatever intellectual and illegal practices she could find. While she was out, Alexander and his older sister, Lin, were cared for by Anita’s circle of thieving and compassionate homosexuals who were called aunts and uncles. This support system was where Alexander and Lin turned to fill the void of their absent father, who lived with his wife, not twenty miles away. A very unique story, Alexander holds nothing back in his debut memoir Forgery-of-the-Month Club. From adolescence to adulthood, Alexander continues to cope with the decisions of his parents. Now, he shares his story of love, family, and friendship set against a delightfully dangerous backdrop.

“As the writing took shape, my demons awoke and were buckled as my understanding of our choices and of our extended family deepened,” he says. Forgery-of-the-Month Club is a captivating, coming-of-age memoir that will have thieves and law-abiding citizens alike on the edge of their seats!

“In all my years of being a newspaper columnist, interviewing “Anita the Burglar” was one of the memorable highlights. A bright and vivid character, she could give a good name to art forgery, as well as other unusual ways of breaking the law.” —Margo Howard, aka Dear Prudence

“Anita’s life as a hustler and artist brought us hours of laughter that made our sides ache! Keith’s telling of them is a gem.” —Warren Casey, composer, lyricist, writer, Grease

 www.forgeryofthemonthclub.com

You can order Keith L T Alexander’s book here!