Otis and Sharron

Otis - Mother from Trinidad, father Spanish and French Creole - Student

Sharron - Mother from the UK, father from Barbados - Intermix founder

Otis - Being Caribbean gives you a predominantly Black view on oneself but after realising that I didn’t fit in, I started a journey of self-discovery. This journey has led me to my Spanish, Black and Portuguese roots, thus allowing me to grow and appreciate how beautiful being a mixed race individual is. In London’s multicultural society, Mixed Race individuals should be proud to stand up and say 'We are One. One people, one root, one love, one tree, one true love for each other.' We are all of the races that make us the talented individuals that we are.

Sharron - I have spent most of my life feeling ashamed, guilty and unloved because I looked and felt different from the people around me. I was always told that one person could never make a difference, that I could never stand up for what I believed to be right, that that was someone else’s job. Now I know that not to be true. I am happy to be mixed race and love all that my dual heritage has to offer me but I will never be truly happy until all human beings are treated equally. For me, the hardest thing to deal with as a Mixed Race person is the hatred that exists between the races. I have learned one very valuable lesson in my life and that is that you cannot judge a person by the colour of their skin or their racial heritage. You have to get to know somebody before you can begin to make such drastic decisions about their character. We are all humans, we all make mistakes. What is most important is that we learn from them and adjust our behaviour accordingly. If you are a good person, have time for others and are prepared to share what you have, your life will always have meaning and value.