The open and honest blog about race, equality, diversity and inclusion.
This week’s post is a straight forward book review of a novel that was anything but. “Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid was a fun read. It was more than that too. It posed some important questions and held the mirror up to some common truths about the world we live in.
To celebrate the first female, mixed heritage, Asian, African Caribbean vice President of the United States being officially in post (three cheers for Kamala Harris!), today’s blog has to be about representation.
Knowing that my daughter will watch the news and see a little of herself in the Vice President of the United States is hard to describe. It’s comforting, reassuring, empowering, exciting and more, because she is represented.
So why is representation so important?
Here are the top five reasons from my point of view…..
Continue reading “See It to Be It”I saw a thought provoking Instagram post this week asking “what have you done since you posted your black square?”
It was a powerful post, and one that halted my thumb from simply double tapping and scrolling past.
What are we doing, and continuing to do, to support anti-racism? And more importantly, how real are our efforts?
“Me and White Supremacy” has been without doubt the most important book and I’ve read this year. It’s helped me make sense of how we’ve got to where we are in the world. Importantly for me, it’s put a name to experiences and conditions that people of colour find themselves in every day. The simple act of reading about a particular, uncomfortable feeling and confirming that it’s actually “a thing” is empowering. It’s opened up real conversations.
I’ve wanted to write a review of this book from the moment I finished it, but it’s a daunting task, because it’s so important, and so fundamental to my person growth. I would hate to do it a disservice.
So I’m breaking it down into sections to share my own views on certain elements. Starting with “White Saviourism”.
Continue reading “Save me! Save me! (Said no one, ever.)”
Hi. I’m Claire Bale. Welcome to my blog.
A space for openness, honesty, discussion and learning. A space where no subject is taboo and no question’s a stupid question. Where I, as a British, mixed race woman in her 40s, explore some of the subjects whizzing around my head, at a time when I’ve never known so much discourse and discovery about race.
Continue reading “Me, Myself and My Blog”
Families.
Mixed race families. The best thing in the world. Diverse, vibrant, never dull.
But what happens when you can’t talk about the “B” word (Black) or the “R” word (Racism) because it’s just so damn awkward to be white, middle class, British and discussing such unsavoury things?
Continue reading “The F Word”