#SwirlChat Transcript – “How Being Mixed Has Shaped Me”

Here is the transcript from our TweetChat on Friday, September 9, 2011: How Being Mixed Has Shaped Me. If you didn’t get to participate and want to weigh in on this topic now, please leave a comment below and share your thoughts!

swirlinc	Woot! Next #swirlchat starts in 5 minutes! Chime in and tell us how being #mixed helped shape you!	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:55:06 *
EvaZelle	hello! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:02:16
KathrinOutLoud	Hey everyone – chiming in via Atlanta! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:03:45
jenkchau	Hello Swirl world! Excited to hear how being mixed has shaped you. But first, let us know your name and where you are! #swirlchat #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:03:56
kadavids	Hi there. Kim from Brooklyn in Germany here 😉 #swirlchat  #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:04:38
jenkchau	Technical difficulties…sorry for delay! Hello Kathrin and Corina! Welcome! #swirlchat #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:04:50
jenkchau	Well, let’s get started and we will see who else joins us! How has being mixed shaped you? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:06:13
KathrinOutLoud	I am at a southern organizing summit so my chiming in may be in pieces but I am here #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:06:21
kadavids	@jenkchau Hey there. Can I help? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:06:21
jenkchau	Thanks Kim. TweetDeck isn’t working for me right now, so harder to toggle between handles. So it’s me today! 🙂 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:07:28
EvaZelle	currently have family over, so, my chat will be sporadic as well, but, definitely here #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:08:06
swirlinc	Hi guys! Welcome to this week’s #swirlchat. Thanks for joining Kathrin, Corina, Jen! Please introduce yourselves 🙂	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:08:10
kadavids	@jenkchau ok i’m on it lol 🙂 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:08:32
KathrinOutLoud	Being mixed has shaped my values, the way I see the world, walk the world and a particular politic. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:09:11
jenkchau	@kadavids Thanks! 🙂 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:09:13
RWG_sian	Hi all, I’m chiming in from DC for my first chat with yall #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:09:45
jenkchau	@KathrinOutLoud Can you say more about how it has shaped your values? Can you give us an example? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:09:47
jenkchau	@RWG_sian Welcome!  #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:10:12
swirlinc	@KathrinOutLoud Sounds cool! Thanks for taking the time to join #swirlchat #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:10:17
KathrinOutLoud	Fact that I’ve often felt isolated/excluded influences my organizing within other communities that are intentionally marginalized #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:10:28
swirlinc	@RWG_sian Welcome to #swirlchat! Chime in anytime 🙂 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:10:56
EvaZelle	@KathrinOutLoud i agree. politics and race are so intertwined. someone once informed me that the personal becomes public #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:11:02
KathrinOutLoud	@RWG_sian Hey there lady  – great that made it! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:11:06
swirlinc	@EvaZelle Cool, thanks for joining #swirlchat Eva!  #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:11:25
jenkchau	@KathrinOutLoud Right. I have had a similar inclination. Once you have felt exclusion, you are sensitive to others who feel it. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:11:32
swirlinc	Gr8 pt! RT @jenkchau: I have had a similar inclination. Once you have felt exclusion, you are sensitive to others who feel it. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:12:27
jenkchau	I do think there is truth to being able to interact with diverse groups since it’s something I had to learn to do as a kid. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:12:36
EvaZelle	@jenkchau @KathrinOutLoud yes, empathy and standoffishness come to mind.an odd dialectic becomes pronounced #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:12:44
KathrinOutLoud	@jenkchau sure – particularly doing anti-oppression work around #racialprofiling and gender based oppression. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:13:10
lawscribe	@swirlinc hi all, thanks for alert @EvaZelle #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:13:13
jenkchau	@KathrinOutLoud Absolutely. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:13:53
swirlinc	@lawscribe Welcome to #swirlchat! Glad you could make it 🙂 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:14:06
jenkchau	@EvaZelle Standoffishness? Can you explain? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:14:23
swirlinc	@jenkchau Did you grow up in a diverse environment?  #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:15:37
jenkchau	@swirlinc Um no. Not diverse at all. Very homogeneous. Very white. We noticed when a family of color moved into the neighborhood. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:16:58
jenkchau	I think that’s another factor. If you grow up and feel absolutely different, I think it makes you more sensitive to “difference.” #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:17:51
KathrinOutLoud	I think TweetDeck is not cooperating today! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:17:52
jenkchau	@KathrinOutLoud Mine is finally working again. 🙂 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:18:07
jenkchau	@lawscribe What about you? What has your experience been? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:18:28
KathrinOutLoud	@jenkchau Same here. We lived near US Military bases in Germany, but on the economy. I was always the only brown kid in my school #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:18:29
jenkchau	@KathrinOutLoud How did that impact you? What was school like? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:19:21
kadavids	When I was young, a classmate told me my parents didn’t belong together. It’s been a roller coaster ever since 😉 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:19:28
jenkchau	@kadavids Kids sure are honest and willing to share their beliefs! 🙂 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:20:30
KathrinOutLoud	@jenkchau very isolating. Didn’t have other mixed/brown friends until high school where I met turkish folks who were organizing. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:20:34
akendeall	I don’t think most do it on purpose. When was the last time u were in a room of mostly mixed-race ppl? Not often in Pittsburgh #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:21:20
KathrinOutLoud	@kadavids Wow that is harsh #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:21:28
jenkchau	@KathrinOutLoud Yup – didn’t really have friends of color until high school. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:21:33
jenkchau	@akendeall YES! Your outlook reminder worked! 😉 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:21:46
kadavids	@jenkchau @KathrinOutLoud yea kids say the darnest things :-  #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:21:57
swirlinc	@akendeall Welcome to #swirlchat! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:22:23
KathrinOutLoud	@akendeall In organizing, I am in rooms with brown, black, mixed-race folks almost all the time – now anyway! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:22:31
jenkchau	@akendeall Yea,I don’t think most people have exposure to mixed race folks. Or we don’t get to tell our stories often enough #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:22:58
swirlinc	RT @akendeall: I dont think most do it on purpose. When was the last time u were in a room of mostly mixed-race ppl? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:24:14
jenkchau	@KathrinOutLoud I think as adults, we can self-select into groups….though these days, with internet, I am sure it’s easier. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:24:34
jenkchau	I just dated myself “though these days with internet.” LOL. I sound like a dinosaur. But truth be told…. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:25:20
jenkchau	I didn’t have an email address until college. So no internet searching 4 other POCs with similar interests when I was a kid! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:26:16
swirlinc	@jenkchau brings up the point of generational differences. How has the web impacted your experience being #mixed? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:27:38
RWG_sian	@swirlinc Is it weird that most of my friends are mixed? It’s not uncommon for me to be in a room of mostly mixed ppl. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:27:55
swirlinc	+1 RT @RWG_sian: Is it weird that most of my friends are mixed? Its not uncommon for me to be in a room of mostly mixed ppl. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:28:45
jenkchau	@RWG_sian I don’t think it’s weird… is it that you bond over similar experiences? Is that what brings you together? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:28:53
KathrinOutLoud	@RWG_sian are most of your friends movement folk? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:29:33
EvaZelle	apologies for dropping off,i wanted to clarify standoffishness as being empathetic to minority causes while recognizing that you #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:29:35
EvaZelle	don’t necessarily have a set minority group to call your own in the same way that others are publicly/federally recognized #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:30:16
kadavids	@RWG_sian that’s awesome! wish i knew more mixed ppl in #Germany (cc: @KathrinOutLoud – come back ;-)) #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:30:23
KathrinOutLoud	@kadavids real funny! I will be back next summer for the afrogerman bundestreffen! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:30:56
RWG_sian	@jenkchau I guess initially it was similar views on race that we had in common. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:31:26
jenkchau	@EvaZelle I think I understand what you mean… #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:31:32
jenkchau	@RWG_sian Right. So, I think that makes sense. We tend to seek out others with similar values, views. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:31:58
RWG_sian	@KathrinOutLoud not mvmt per se, but into mulricultural stuff, diversity, POC issues, CJ, human rights, etc #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:32:12
jenkchau	I suppose it doesn’t hurt to have friends who are really different than us. I think that we find similar people by default. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:32:25
swirlinc	@EvaZelle welcome back! gotcha, one box doesn’t fit all #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:32:59
KathrinOutLoud	@RWG_sian really glad and blessed I’ve met you our shared #racialprofiling work! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:33:19
kadavids	@jenkchau its nice to have someone who understands though, like a big hapa sister 😉 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:33:36
kadavids	@jenkchau but i also appreciate the different perspectives & ideas my friends bring too. a true melting pot of sorts 😉 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:34:22
RWG_sian	@KathrinOutLoud backatcha 🙂 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:34:22
KathrinOutLoud	How has growing up mixed impacted your familial relationships? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:34:24
jenkchau	@kadavids You can say that again, little hapa sister! 🙂 My mixed friends have been very important to me in finding my own way… #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:35:01
EvaZelle	@jenkchau @EvaZelle i feel that not having had that history of a recognized group attributes to a heightened sense of alienation #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:35:41
swirlinc	RT @KathrinOutLoud: How has growing up mixed impacted your familial relationships? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:35:47
jenkchau	@EvaZelle Yes. That’s why I started Swirl! I knew that there was no reason why we should feel alienated. There are a lot of us…#swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:36:32
jenkchau	…we just needed to be able to find each other! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:36:43
EvaZelle	@KathrinOutLoud omg, yes. and i think it’s important to register how you felt when/if your rents discussed your race in terms of #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:37:06
swirlinc	RT @jenkchau: @EvaZelle Yes. That’s why I started Swirl! I knew that there was no reason why we should feel alienated. There are a lot of us…#swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:37:32
RWG_sian	@KathrinOutLoud not a huge impact on my fam, but people think i’m my dad’s wife a lot (he’s white), which creeps me out #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:37:51
EvaZelle	@kathrinoutloud politics and socio-cultural issues. it’s a little disturbing, case in point: affirmative action #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:37:59
jenkchau	@RWG_sian I have had similar experiences where people have thought I was my dad’s younger gf. Awkward. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:39:11
RWG_sian	@EvaZelle how did ur parents talk about affirmative action? my mom told me to be “black” on apps #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:39:40
jenkchau	@EvaZelle Good point. How did your families talk about race, if at all? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:39:41
KathrinOutLoud	@kadavids it’s an annual get together for afrogermans…August every year – long weekend of family, friends #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:39:49
RWG_sian	@jenkchau yeah there’s weird race/gender stuff there I think, cuz i think it happens most with white dads and brown daughters #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:40:35
KathrinOutLoud	@jenkchau @kadavids definitely my mixed friends are more like family especially when my family feel like strangers #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:40:48
swirlinc	RT @RWG_sian: @EvaZelle how did ur parents talk about affirmative action?  #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:40:56
jenkchau	@RWG_sian Absolutely… #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:41:12
jenkchau	@KathrinOutLoud I definitely went through a period of time where I couldn’t relate very well to my family. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:42:17
EvaZelle	@swirlinc @RWG_sian @jenkchau we were encouraged to put down ‘black’but told to do what we felt was right.which is tough #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:42:22
kadavids	@RWG_sian I usually pick Black, but my mom used to be offended I didn’t pick Asian (she’s Chinese). I like the shock factor. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:42:28
kadavids	@jenkchau @KathrinOutLoud Me too. I felt they didn’t understand what I was going thru, esp since they didn’t grow up in the US #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:43:06
KathrinOutLoud	@kadavids I strongly ID as AfroGerman and Cubana…the latter moreso in recent years. My mom has visceral reactions to that #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:43:09
EvaZelle	also,my mom saw the legitimacy behind it while my dad(white)didn’t&was offended if I declared myself black #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:43:25
KathrinOutLoud	@kadavids @jenkchau my mom often wishes that I would just say I have a tan #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:43:34
kadavids	@kathrinoutloud no way! how do you respond to that? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:44:49
jenkchau	I think it’s hard for parents. They will have a reaction or response to the ways in which their mixed children choose to identify.#swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:45:00
jenkchau	It’s hard to let go of ego in parenting (is my guess)…but it’s important. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:45:23
lawscribe	@jenkchau I grew up in very non-diverse setting with racism. Now in LA where there is so many multi-racials one hardly notices. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:45:50
KathrinOutLoud	@kadavids probably not in the best way – I tell her she had sex with a black man and this is what she got. We avoid this topic. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:45:55
kadavids	@jenkchau I used to say Black till I went to China for the first time. I finally felt connected & started to identify as mixed. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:46:04
jenkchau	@lawscribe Yes…multiracial people are becoming more commonplace (recognized?). #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:46:35
jenkchau	@KathrinOutLoud Yikes! Lol. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:46:46
EvaZelle	@jenkchau absolutely.parents don’t understand and react the way the world reacts:if you say one,you lose the other,when being  #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:46:48
kadavids	@jenkchau But of course even in China, someone called me a monkey :-  #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:46:56
EvaZelle	@jenkchau mixed means holding yourself in a dialectic of identities whose histories often contradict each other #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:47:30
kadavids	@kathrinoutloud lol oh no #ackwardfamilymoments #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:47:31
jenkchau	@kadavids No comment. 😦 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:47:31
swirlinc	RT @EvaZelle: @jenkchau mixed means holding yourself in a dialectic of identities whose histories often contradict each other #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:48:02
kadavids	RT @evazelle: @jenkchau mixed means holding yourself in a dialectic of identities whose histories often contradict each other #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:48:23
KathrinOutLoud	@kadavids @jenkchau told you I don’t respond well to that – it has just been such a place of contention #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:48:39
KathrinOutLoud	RT @kadavids: RT @evazelle: @jenkchau mixed means holding yourself in a dialectic of identities whose histories often contradict each other #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:48:58
jenkchau	I think we get exposed to a lot of racism that other folks (who are presumed to be one thing) don’t see. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:49:43
jenkchau	And the positive of that is that I feel I have been exposed to more truth about how people respond to race. Which helps me…. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:50:14
jenkchau	…in my anti-racism work. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:50:21
KathrinOutLoud	@jenkchau most definitely – i think the conversations become more real, reflective of how things really are on the ground #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:51:05
kadavids	@jenkchau Def. My fav is when ppl don’t realize I’m mixed and make an off comment about one of my cultures #ackwardmoments #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:52:20
jenkchau	@kadavids Yes. That’s what I call a “racial spy” moment. 😉 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:52:43
EvaZelle	@jenkchau @kadavids this comes in handy when you’re in company of friends you’re testing out.not telling them&hearing where their #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:53:54
KathrinOutLoud	Hate to do this folks….but I have to bail….LOVE this conversation today! My battery is not my friend today #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:54:00
EvaZelle	@kadavids @jenkchau true thoughts lie #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:54:08
EvaZelle	@KathrinOutLoud bye love! thanks for your insight! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:54:47
jenkchau	@KathrinOutLoud Thanks for coming Kathrin! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:55:06
swirlinc	@KathrinOutLoud Thanks for joining and talk to you in 2 weeks!  #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:55:26
jenkchau	@EvaZelle Sneaky! 🙂 I see what you mean.We are definitely exposed to the truth in many ways when people don’t know “what” we R. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:56:05
EvaZelle	@jenkchau precisely,but this is necessary and affords us that previous balance i mentioned:being inside&outside all at once #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:56:56
jenkchau	@EvaZelle Right. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:57:29
swirlinc	Wow, time sure flies! That’s almost the hour. Any last thoughts Swirlies? #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:58:16
EvaZelle	just want to say thank you @jenkchau for starting Fusion @Wellesley and continuing your efforts in the real world #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:59:16
jenkchau	@swirlinc That with challenges, also come great experiences. It’s all about balance. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:59:22
jenkchau	@EvaZelle Thanks Corina! Had to do something when I saw the need for it! Thank YOU for all you have done to get SwirlAtlanta up! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:00:08
kadavids	Thanks to @jenkchau for starting @swirlinc and being the best big hapa sister ever! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:00:19
EvaZelle	@jenkchau so that we CAN have that camaraderie we might have missed growing up in a predominately “other” environment #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:00:31
jenkchau	@kadavids Ok, now i’m feeling the love. 🙂 #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:00:36
jenkchau	@EvaZelle PRECISELY. #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:00:46
jenkchau	Thanks everyone who joined! (And thanks to our great moderator, Kim!) Looking forward to our next chat in a couple of weeks! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:01:32
swirlinc	OK guys, thanks so much for this week’s #swirlchat. We’ll post the transcript soon & look out for the next one (changes coming!) #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:02:04
jenkchau	@swirlinc Thanks! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:02:41
EvaZelle	@swirlinc thanks! till next time #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:03:12
RWG_sian	Thanks! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:03:40
jenkchau	@RWG_sian @EvaZelle Thanks for bringing your voice to the conversation! #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:04:26
swirlinc	@jenkchau @evazelle @kathrinoutloud @RWG_sian @akendeall @kadavids Thanks for sharing your experiences with us! Till next time #swirlchat	Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:06:53

*Note that this chat was held on Friday, from 3pm-4pm EDT. The times you see here are indicative of the fact that the person who captured this transcript is located in Germany. Thanks Kim!

We are trying to accommodate members in different parts of this country (and the world!) so we are going to begin to offer a weekday evening time. We will continue to have two live TweetChats per month. One on a Friday at 3pm EDT and the other (most likely, but still to be confirmed) on a Wednesday at 8pm EDT.

Please join our next live every-other-week Tweet chat on Wednesday, September 21st at 8pm EDT. Stay tuned for more info on the topic!