As a white Australian I’ve always been more attracted to people from different cultures and backgrounds. I find diversity something that helps maintain my interest and foster tolerance in our society.
This attraction to diversity only grew stronger after I gave birth to my biracial son, Marcus, and his father decided not to stick around. I felt if I was to have a relationship in the future with a white man, my son may feel like he didn’t belong, or was different to his Mum and Dad – something I never wanted him to feel.
So I asked a Ghanaian friend of mine if he could set me up with someone and, to my surprise, he introduced me to his friend in the UK. After a brief period of long distance, and a face to face in Singapore, he ended up moving to Australia and we eventually married.
Marcus, left, and Emmanuel, right. Source: Supplied
He worked hard to build a relationship with Marcus, they spent a lot of time together, and he taught him African dances. Marcus was so excited to have someone in the family who had curly hair like him, I could tell he was very happy and felt less alone. My husband and I eventually had a son of our own, Emmanuel, who is now 20 months old. This helped Marcus feel less isolated, with more people that looked like him, providing that reassurance that he was not alone.
Raising a biracial family in Australia still has its challenges. While I think Australians are quite accepting of biracial marriages, and my experience with my husband has been positive, the same can’t be said for my children. Sadly there are still racial undertones that exist in this country.
I have been asked before where I adopted my children from and if I was their foster mother. These comments are usually made by older Australians who can be very assumptive.
Now that Marcus is of school age he's had to face his own challenges. Even though Australia is becoming more of a multicultural country, there have been times where my son has felt different. On one occasion he was told by another child ‘your skin is dirty and you need to go and wash off the dirt.' Even though this comment was made from a child who doesn't necessarily know better, it was obvious that they haven’t been taught from their parents about the importance of differences. These types of comments can be painful for my family to deal with.
Linda and her husband, Richard with their son Emmanuel. Source: Supplied
I just try to reinforce to my son that we are all different, that I have blonde hair and blue eyes and other people have red hair and that is what makes us special. He is always happy when I explain that he is very lucky that he comes from two countries, Australia and Africa.
I hope that as my children grow they are never judged because of their skin colour and I hope that in schools children are taught more about tolerance. This may reduce the amount of comments made to my son, but ultimately it also has to start in the family home.
I'd also like to see wider changes in society. If people see someone on the street that is culturally diverse, don't be afraid to give them a smile, say hello and get to know them.
My son feels very draw to Africans and I love how when he sees someone he gives them a big smile and proudly says "I’m an Australian/Ghanaian". That makes me happy that he is secure and confident in his skin. He hasn’t allowed some of the more negative experiences affect his positive outlook.
