Our White Mum

Interesting conversation I copied off Excavating The Facebook group. Provoked by Akala's quote in the Guardian: ‘As I grew up, I became embarrassed by my mother’s whiteness.' I think there is miles to dig below our response. I'd love to know your thoughts. #theRenolive

Nora Gardener: Really interesting read.

Linda Brogan: Really interesting read. But I can't help it I don't always agree with him. In fact I rarely agree with him. And I can never quite put my finger on it. He is well intelligent. Always is. But he simply ain't black. He's mixed race. And this article clearly shows he doesn't accept that. My mum was my mum end of story. Both ways. My colour was irrelevant to her like hers was irrelevant to me.

Maxine Bellini: Obviously didn't think much of his mum

Linda Brogan: I don't think it's that exactly Maxine Bellini. I think if you look at his age, I think he is part of the beginnings of the alienating PC that made us black. Whereas we are more innocent and just like I say saw our mums as our mum, and our dad as our dad. Irrelevant. I think the beginnings of PC made people think they had to draw lines. And inside of that our true identity was lost. We are made up of both parts. And digging up the Reno was about that for me. I ain't black, I ain't white. And the one place my colour was a badge of honour to celebrate was in the Reno. We just allowed each other to be that. White mum black dad and all. I also think a really subtle thing began then too. Our mum's were ostracised by society in the 50s and her own family. But the late 80s when Akala was becoming aware of himself meant as he describes she became ostracised by her own kids because she weren't black. 

Maxine Bellini: Thats so sad Linda Brogan...so I'm many PC is creating barriers rather than removing them ?

Linda BroganMaxine Bellini Yeah PC definitely creates barriers. Its just a different wall. Do you think so too? x

Maxine Bellini: My grandad was excommunicated from the Catholic church because my nanna was a protestant. ..I know it's different to the treatment of your mum but will society ever be at one with itself...?

Linda Brogan: None of it is different. It's just all the same nonsense really. 

Nora Gardner: Linda Brogan I remember my Nan telling me about both her and my great aunt being ostracised from the other family for marrying black seamen . We never New that side of the family no loss really as we were brought up with love .

Maxine Bellini: I do if I'm honest...from my personal experience it seems society wants to categorise us all so we fit into some sort of box with a label .... and if we dont have a label then the system / society doesn't know how to deal with us because we don't tick any of the boxes. . Then we become outcasts because we don't fit into society's criteria of so called "normality"

Maxine Bellini: And that's it Linda...love is what it's all about....the love and support I've had from my family literally saved my life ..they didn't care that I was trans....family is family and blood is blood so it shouldn't matter what colour, sexuality, or gender indentity we are .... but unfortunately the real world doesn't see it that way. .

Linda Brogan: Nora Gardner, Maxine Bellini This is a marvellous conversation. Can I copy and paste and quote you there as my blog tonights on www.thereno.live? I'll answer you there and we can carry on the conversation there. Too interesting to be lost here. And I'd love to see if anyone outside our group joins in and what they'll say. 

Carol Ann Dumville: He's so disrespectful it was his Mother that carried him for 9 months and gave him life skin colour does not make any difference its so sad he treated his Mother this way as she would of gone through some grief and faced racism too for having mixed race Children as that's how it was back in the day shame on him.

Linda Brogan: Can I quote you in my blog tonight Carol Ann Dumville?

Carol Ann Dumville: Yeah of course you can Linda no problem as some people dont think about these points either 

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i-D reporter Kamila is still with us.

Kamila: 'What did you pick up in the Reno that you carried over to your later life?'

David: 'It's therapy.'

Stevie: 'A lot of us was messed up . . . our background.'

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