Person of Color
With the discovery of my genetic heritage, I've uncovered surprising data on my ethnic makeup. While I've always identified as Black, it turns out that there is a whole lot more to who I am than I realized. Those unexpected traits validate much about how this country's African American population came into existence. They also left me grappling with the fact that there's more to me than my African roots. "Person of Color" is a personal essay that recounts my efforts to "fit in," starting in childhood, while coming of age in a society that has favored racial compartmentalization from the get-go.