Jackson Hookway

If we're talking birthplace, I'm from Melbourne, Australia. However, my ethnic background is half Jamaican, half Australian. Truth be told, the older I get the less connected I feel to Melbourne. Over the years as I have grown and learnt to embrace my cultural background and to take pride in my roots the less I relate to it.

I think other people of colour from Australia will agree with me when I say that I almost feel like a novelty sometimes. I think what all people of colour would love is to walk around knowing that they aren't being viewed as people of colour; like ‘rare Pokemon’. That's why I love places like New York—no one looks at you twice. I still feel the separation back home after a lifetime living there. Australia is so fuckin’ white.

In Australia people somehow manage to be politically correct and casually racist at the same time. I also feel like a lot of people push certain agendas for their own personal gain - because it’s 'the right thing to do'.

Being PC has actually a become a kind of trend nowadays - that scares me. Anyone can type up an Instagram caption about the latest political topic of discussion to camouflage their egos and vanity. I can only hope people are keeping it genuine when they push those agendas - especially on social media.  

In regards to how I feel when people ask me where I’m from, it largely depends on context. While traveling through America I’ve found that when people ask where I’m from they aren't necessarily asking about my ethnicity. It's more because of my accent; they want to know where I grew up.

When I get asked back home, it’s because I’m not white. Australia is still the only place I've been where people still ask to touch my hair. Even some of my friends still make ignorant comments, there's a huge cultural disconnect.

People in Australia need to embrace each other a lot more. Racially, yes, but also just in general. There's a lot of tall-poppy bullshit going on. Accepting each other from a racial perspective is going to be damn hard if we continue to failing to accept each other for our many other differences too. Spread the love. We are all from the same floating ball.