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The Mixed Beat

BBC World News' Nora Fakim takes a look at mixed identity and how it’s evolving over generations.

  • Fred Vigeant

The Mixed Beat from BBC Documentaries broadcasts Friday July 16 at 9am & 7pm in place of Smart Talk on WITF 89.5 & 93.3 and streaming through our website and your smart speaker by asking it to “Play WITF Radio.”

The voices of those from mixed race communities are more frequently heard today and are playing a more central role in shaping discussion around race, identity and what it means to straddle different cultures and experiences. The BBC’s Nora Fakim takes this opportunity to reflect on what is happening across the globe and to reflect on what the changes mean across the generations.

Nora Fakim investigates how experiences of being mixed race differ across the generations, starting with the birth of Harry and Meghan’s second child and focusing on what baby Lilibet Diana might expect as she grows. Meghan has spoken of her confusion as a child when asked to describe her race and the impact that has endured as she entered acting: not white enough for the white roles, and never black enough for the black ones.

As a mother, she is embracing the elements inherent in her mixed heritage and paving the way for others to do the same. Nora Fakim takes stock of this issue for herself and for her guests, who span the generations from childhood through to grandparents. As a broadcaster, she is constantly encountering that key question: “Where are you from?”

Nora’s mom is from Morocco and her dad was Mauritian-Indian and she was born and raised in a leafy suburb outside London but struggled to fit in. She thinks things today are changing, as immigration, globalisation and global protests following the death of George Floyd take effect. The voicelessness she and others felt is being replaced by open discussions and even a celebration of what it means to be mixed race.

Her investigation starts with mixed race parents who are creating ever more diversity as they start their own families. As they embark on parenting their own mixed race babies she asks what advice they would have given their younger selves. And speaking to children growing up in this fast changing world she finds a bravery, which she lacked, in the choices being made.

The Mixed Beat broadcasts Friday July 16 at 9am & 7pm.  You can also listen to this documentary on-demand through the BBC World Service website.

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