38
SPOTLIGHTS
$500 and
Story by: Xoe Miller
5 years later I
never knew that I was different.
Zoey but with an “X”, and I legally
time, and my grandma would make us
To me, all families looked the way
changed my full name a year ago. I
delicious meals and all the desserts
mine did. I was five years old. How
grew up with two younger brothers,
you can think of. She’d spend a week
was I supposed to know that being
now 20 and 17, and a single mother
preparing for us and would plan our
a biracial child in an all white family
who served 20 years in the United
entire holiday there. For Christmas
wasn’t normal? How could I know
States Navy. My family has always
she’d have a stack of newspapers and
that people would see me as a threat?
played a big role in my life. When we
magazines that she had been saving for
Then again, I’d like to think why would
were kids, my mom used to wake us up
the last few weeks. One by one she’d
anyone think of such things in the
at 3 a.m. and we would drive 12 hours
call my brothers and I into the dining
first place? Nonetheless, I grew up in
to visit my grandparents in Florida for
room and would have us pick out our
a loving and accepting family, even
the holidays. She said it was the easiest
gifts for each other. Then one by one
though as I grew older I soon found out
way for her to travel, because we’d
she’d take us to the store to get the
that the world wasn’t so thrilled.
sleep most of the time. We’d always
toys we picked and would help us to
My name is Xoe, pronounced like
make it to my grandparents by dinner
wrap them. Pop-Pop would take us out
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