The Case of the Coconut

The Case of the Coconut By: Virginia Thior

“What are you?” “You look so exotic?”

“Can I touch your hair?”

These are just a few of the endless amount of questions that a girl of mixed race comes across. Growing up, I felt that I was too dark for my white friends and too light for my black friends. I was often told that I was a coconut—black on the outside but white on the inside, merely because of the way I sounded. People would say: I sounded white but looked black, I had white interests, I was an intellectual, or when I sang I preferred to sing more classical tunes. In college, I’ve realized that these ideas were reiterations of toxic racial norms. In the past, the real world often pushed and pulled me between my Greek and Senegalese ethnicities. However, at home, I was immersed in both of these very different cultures while still connected with a fully American background. College helped me realize that embracing all sides of yourself is important, but being true to who you are with cultures aside is the key. I used to be the only biracial girl in the room; now as I’m surrounded by so many walks of life and meeting more mixed-race girls, my eyes have been opened. Gaining new perspectives made me see that my experience is a common one, whether you’re half Greek, half Senegalese; or half Pakistani, half Columbian; or half Italian, half Cambodian. You are not your mix of ethnicities, and, although they make you unique and add a rightful flare to your life, your personality is what should hold priority in what sets you apart.