Essays in Sepia Teaser

Proximity does not equal belonging. What does proximity mean? Proximity means closeness; it means adjacent, but it is never the thing… When people speak about proximity to whiteness in relation to mixed-race people. It often assumes this is where the person desires to reside... But proximity, by nature, has distance built into the experience. There is proximity to whiteness. There is proximity to blackness, but there never is a state of absoluteness. On top of that level of proximity to black or white, it is always context-specific. So is us being denounced or accepted as either. And it is never as simple as anyone might expect it to be. This lies at the heart of why I started my podcast "Essays in Sepia". (https://open.spotify.com/show/1hryv9Dpwj4aABVwi4w2F3) For decades, people of mixed heritage have been portrayed as being in the privileged position of being in proximity to whiteness. And while I do not refute this real outer-worldly perception at all. The inner-world experience for us personally often remains unseen. And I feel I need to reiterate that proximity to a thing does not make you the thing. This goes for proximity to blackness as well as whiteness. Proximity gives you some privileges both ways, yes. But to learn to understand where the boundaries lie that each group do not want you to overstep is a difficult path to navigate on either axis. If you are interested in listening and educating yourself on the line we walk as people of mixed race heritage, then I kindly invite you to listen to my podcast series: Essays in Sepia. (Sepia was the first use of colour in photography after black and white. I revealed that there was always more in the frame.)