We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson "I Was Minimising My Blackness" | We're Talking Black History Month
Oct 23, 2025
Singer-songwriter Estelle, hailing from Hammersmith, shares her rich Senegalese heritage and highlights the profound influence her grandmother had on her identity. She opens up about the importance of family and community, emphasizing the pride instilled in her through her family's values. Estelle reflects on navigating life in the UK, the power of resilience in immigrant support networks, and her journey of embracing her Blackness. Her heartfelt anecdotes remind us that the exploration of identity is a continuous and beautiful process.
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Assimilating To Fit In
- Jordan Stevens describes minimising his Blackness in Brighton by changing style and blending into subcultures to fit in.
- He later realised this erased parts of his identity and caused discomfort in both Black and white spaces.
Labels Depend On Cultural Context
- Paul C Brunson explains the US 'one-drop' legacy versus UK mixed-race identification and how it shapes identity labels.
- He realised cultural context changes whether someone is called 'black' or 'mixed race' and chose to listen and learn.
Choosing 'Mixed Race' For Lived Experience
- Jordan Stevens says he identifies as mixed race because the lived experience differs from being fully white or dark-skinned Black.
- He recounts feeling othered in predominantly white Brighton and complex in Black spaces when re-assimilating to London.