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Navigating identity and belonging from "summary" of Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Growing up as the child of a Black mother and a White father in South Africa during apartheid meant that I didn't fit neatly into any racial category. I was a living, breathing contradiction of the laws that governed society at the time. This constant state of in-betweenness forced me to constantly navigate the complex terrain of identity and belonging. From a young age, I learned to code-switch, altering my speech and behavior depending on the racial context I found myself in. At home, I spoke English and Xhosa, blending the two seamlessly. But in the outside world, I had to be hyper-aware of the language I used and the way I carried myself. I had to be a chameleon, adapting to fit in wherever I went. This ability to blend in served me well in some situations, but it also left me feeling like I didn't truly belong anywhere. I wasn't fully accepted by the Black community because of my light skin and European features. And I wasn't fully accepted by the White community because of my Black heritage. I was constantly straddling the line between two worlds, never quite feeling at ...
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