This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Cassie (she/her): Hi Emma Mei and Acacia, can you start by telling me a little bit about yourself? What year are you, what are your pronouns, what is your racial/ethnic identity, and how long have you been in Mixed Race Student Coalition (MRSC)?
Emma Mei (she/her): Hello, I'm Emma Mei Andreas. I use she/her pronouns and I'm a fourth year in the commerce school. My ethnic breakdown is I'm a fourth Cambodian, a fourth Chinese, and then I have miscellaneous White. I know I'm at least a quarter Eastern European, but the rest is kind of up in the air. I've been in Mixed Race Student Coalition since my first year fall, and I got elected to exec[utive board] December of my first year.
Acacia (she/her): My name is Acacia McCabe. I'm currently a fourth year, I use she/her pronouns, and I'm Thai and White. I've been involved with MRSC since my first year of college, so this is going to be my fourth year in the club. At first, I was a general body member, and then after my first full academic year in the club, I became co-social chair with one of my friends. The following year, I ran for president, and that's my current role for this semester.
Coming to UVA was kind of a culture shock because the diversity that I was really used to was suddenly lacking, and I felt a lot more aware of my identity and how I felt different from a lot of other people in that sense.
Growing up, what was your relationship with your racial/ethnic identity? How has that relationship evolved during your time at UVA? What role do you think UVA has played in that evolution?
Emma Mei: Growing up, I went to a very diverse school—my high school is the third most diverse high school in Virginia. There were people from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses, so I really was never aware of the way that my ethnic identity influenced me because everybody in my life was experiencing something similar since we came from a really big melting pot.
Coming to UVA was kind of a culture shock because the diversity that I was really used to was suddenly lacking, and I felt a lot more aware of my identity and how I felt different from a lot of other people in that sense. So when I came to UVA, I did a lot more events and different activities that would connect me to my culture. I’m at the point in my life where I'm now very comfortable and more at peace with my mixed-race identity because of some of the conversations I've had at Mixed Race Student Coalition.
I feel like I'm at a place now where I'm a lot more comfortable existing as I am and figuring things out as I go.
Acacia: For me personally, [coming to UVA] was a confrontation of figuring things out for myself on my own terms. I'd never really had conversations about being mixed before, so when we had general body meetings with guided discussions, it was a chance for me to look back at things I had never really thought about when I was younger—things like family dynamics or dynamics with friends or certain things that people might say to me about being mixed Asian and White.
My big ended up being the current president and founder of MRSC and he helped me feel a lot more comfortable with sharing at the discussions that we had, or coming out to the social events. Joining MRSC was a chance for me to open up those conversations and learn a little bit more about myself in a super welcoming space. I feel like I'm at a place now where I'm a lot more comfortable existing as I am and figuring things out as I go.
I felt like for a long time, I didn't have the language to talk about my experience or even just the vulnerability, and he was just so vulnerable with us, and I really appreciated it.
You mentioned general body meetings (GBMs) as a space where you had discussions that helped you explore different aspects of your mixed identity. Has there been a specific GBM discussion that revolutionized your self perception or transformed your relationship with being mixed?
Emma Mei: Oh my gosh, there are so many GBMs that have really changed my whole perspective on self. I think if you compare first-year me to me now, I was really doing some identity soul searching. I think there are a lot of different conversations that led to that, but recently we had Professor Michael Puri from the music department come talk about how being mixed influenced his professional life. He played professionally in the music department, he played professionally in Europe, and he talked about how being mixed race really influenced his experiences abroad and in his work life.
He came in so prepared to talk to us. I just was so impressed by his ability to articulate his experience, because I felt like for a long time, I didn't have the language to talk about my experience or even just the vulnerability. He was just so vulnerable with us, and I really appreciated it. That was very enlightening. I loved it. I have so many quotes that I wrote down that night of things that he said that just really sat with me for a long time. I would love to have him back, honestly, because I think about some of the stuff he says all the time, and I'm going to continue thinking about it as I enter the workforce next year.
Acacia: I don't remember exactly what it was called, because it was three years ago, but I do remember one discussion where I talked about the different dynamics in my family, and how it felt being with my White half of the family on my dad's side versus the Thai half of my family on my mom's side. I felt slightly alienated with both sides for different reasons, especially when I was around a big group. I always had my twin sister, since we’re obviously both half Thai and half white, but I could definitely tell in different situations that there was a slight disconnect for one reason or another. I remember talking about that, and that being kind of eye opening to me, because it was something where looking back, I could put a finger on how I was feeling for the first time.
Something that MRSC has helped me realize is that being mixed is enough. I don't really need to do anything beyond that because it's not my responsibility to educate other people about my life.
Have you always felt like you had the language you needed to describe yourself and your experiences or do you feel like you've had to create your own racial and cultural language?
Emma Mei: I've certainly created my own language. Growing up people always asked me “what are you” or “where are you from?” I didn't recognize how invasive that felt until coming to UVA. In high school it was normal for people to be curious about Chinese culture in an uplifting and empowering way, and then coming to UVA I have random strangers at grocery stores or literally in changing rooms asking me. It feels way more invasive because they're not people I know.
When I was in high school, I would just explain [my racial/ethnic background] to people and we would talk about our cultures and how being mixed or being from different places influenced us. Now I’ve stopped giving people the satisfaction of knowing that bit about myself because it's not their business. Now, I just define myself as mixed race, and I don't really tend to give clarifications unless it's someone I'm close to. Something that MRSC has helped me realize is that being mixed is enough. I don't really need to do anything beyond that because it's not my responsibility to educate other people about my life.
The club meets you where you are. No one's going to project onto your experience, or try to talk over your story.
Acacia: For me personally, I feel like I've always had the language I've needed. My journey has been more of a personal coming to terms with looking back and figuring things out for myself. I've now gotten to a place where I feel comfortable just existing. But, I will say for Mixed Race Student Coalition, I feel like one of the best things about it is that everyone is coming from a different place.
Obviously, no one has the same background or the same experiences, but there are also different narratives that people relate to, and the club meets you where you are. No one's going to project onto your experience, or try to talk over your story. There's room for people like me who feel content with where they are, and there's also room for people who are still trying to figure that out or get to that place, or who are still dealing with some of the questions that I had my first year.
No matter where you are, you don't have to be proving yourself constantly that you belong there. You're enough to be who you are without proving yourself.
It seems like the unofficial tagline of MRSC is “you are enough.” You see that phrase a lot on your social media and advertising. What does that tagline mean to you and how has finding community with other mixed race individuals influenced your perspective on what it means to belong?
Emma Mei: I feel like sometimes I’m not Asian enough to be in this group, or I'm not White enough to be with this other group. That was a very quintessential experience growing up. With my White family, I'm kind of seen as the exotic cousin, you know. All my cousins, one year, got the exact same gift of candies and stuffed animals and I got gifted chopsticks. It's things like that, where with my White family, I'm the Asian cousin. I think being enough is like, no matter where you are, you're enough to just exist in that space without having the fullness of being monoracial. No matter where you are, you don't have to be proving yourself constantly that you belong there. You're enough to be who you are without proving yourself.
Kindness towards people's unique experiences is what makes our club such an awesome community to be a part of.
Acacia: I think to me, “you are enough” is just saying that no matter where you are in figuring out your mixed, multiracial, or multiethnic identity that is okay. That is enough. We're here to accept your experiences, and we're here to welcome you into our community regardless. You don't have to justify anything. You are enough no matter what, and you have a place in our club, regardless of where you are in figuring out your identity.
I think in terms of community, sometimes we think of everyone being in the same place or having so many similarities, but in Mixed Race Student Coalition, there's such a diverse background. What I've shared today is just my experience and everyone in the club is going to have experiences that are different than mine. What connects us, ultimately, is that everyone I've met at MRSC is super open minded, and super duper kind. I've never had a bad interaction with anyone at the club, where I felt like I wasn't able to share my story, and I think that something I want to convey a lot this year is creating a safe space for people to open up. Kindness towards people's unique experiences is what makes our club such an awesome community to be a part of. I've met a lot of my best friends in the club though, so I am a little biased.
I get to experience so many different cultures and foods. Especially, my grandma makes these Swedish cookies that are freaking amazing, but then I can still go get dim sum. I'm involved in all of these in my daily life and it's just so great. I love it.
Besides meeting your best friends at MRSC, how has being mixed race brought joy into your life?
Emma Mei: I think [being mixed has brought joy] in a lot of different ways, but one of the big things is the diversity in experiences I've had. My family beyond my immediate family is very mixed. I have cousins from all over the world. I have cousins that are Greek, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and I also have cousins from Nebraska, Sweden, all over, and so when I go and visit my extended family, because we're just so mixed all around, I get to experience so many different cultures and foods. Especially, my grandma makes these Swedish cookies that are freaking amazing, but then I can still go get dim sum. I'm involved in all of these in my daily life and it's just so great. I love it.
Acacia: I have definitely liked being able to connect with different aspects of my identity as I've gotten older. When I was younger, connecting with my Thai identity, language, and family was always a little weird for me because I felt disconnected. It was just that general being a kid thing of wanting to do my own stuff and not worry about anything too serious. As I've grown older, it's been really cool getting to learn more about my Thai background, especially through stories from my mom and getting to go back to Thailand for the first time when I was in high school. I got to experience the culture and pick up different phrases from the language that I had never really learned when I was a kid. I think that's been really cool, and not everyone gets to have that experience, so I'm very thankful that I get to explore this different part of my background and hopefully learn a lot more as I continue to get older.
Literally everyone is welcome. You don't even have to be mixed to come. If you feel like you don't necessarily fit into just one box, you're welcome.
Are there any upcoming Mixed Race Student Coalition events that you want to promote?
Emma Mei: The first and third Tuesday of every month, we have general body meetings, and they're so much fun! We just chit-chat and learn so much about ourselves. Literally everyone is welcome. You don't even have to be mixed to come. If you feel like you don't necessarily fit into just one box, you're welcome. Anyone who feels like they need a space to be themselves and to express themselves and they feel like they don't have that anywhere else, they can come to our club and I'm sure they'll fit right in.
Acacia: We have our big young alumni reunion coming up in a few weeks. Last year was our first time holding a formal with some refreshments and snacks and lunch for YAR. Because [MRSC] is a super new club, most of the alumni are very young, only having graduated two or three years ago. It's a great way to reconnect with people because a lot of our alumni are still in the area and have a strong connection to the university, which I think is super cool. All of our first years will get to meet some of the people who founded the club or who have been presidents in the past and will get to have discussions with them. It will be a nice time and there will be free food and drinks, which never hurts either.
