What It's Like Growing Up When No One Looks Like You

Get the free identity rebuild workbook: https://cultursmag.ac-page.com/free-journal-kimberly Kimberly Ming is Chinese and Puerto Rican, born and raised in Fort Collins, Colo., U.S.A. where almost no one looked like her or her sister. The microaggressions weren't always big, but they piled up: A teacher asking who in the room believed racism existed and only her hand going up. A stepbrother's voicemail using a slur she didn't yet know the meaning of. The constant "what are you," asked more out of confusion than curiosity. In this conversation with host Elleyne Aldine, Kimberly talks about moving to Puerto Rico to reconnect with the half of her family she barely got to know, raising her 11-year-old son across cultures, and turning years of feeling invisible into a spoken-word audiobook called “The Untold Stories of a Chinese Puerto Rican Woman.” She also shares the piece she wrote about being the China-Rican Borinqua-Wannis, and what it means to stop apologizing for being mixed. Topics discussed:  00:00 - Growing up Chinese and Puerto Rican in Fort Collins 06:30 - Feeling isolated with no representation around her 07:30 - When small microaggressions become a bigger trauma 09:00 - The classroom moment that made her question herself 13:30 - Moving to Puerto Rico to reconnect with that side of her family 20:30 - What her ancestry chart revealed about her global lineage 23:30 - Raising a mixed 11-year-old son across cultures 27:30 - Giving her son a voice in the family's moves 30:30 - Why she wrote “The Untold Stories of a Chinese Puerto Rican Woman” 34:30 - Her spoken word piece on being the China-Rican Borinqua-Wannis 🔗 CONNECT WITH KIMBERLY MING: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyming/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberly.ming Threads: https://www.threads.com/@kimberly.ming Website: https://www.multiculturalmami.com/ ABOUT CULTURS: Reaching millions annually, CULTURS champions unique cultural identity, transforming culturally fluid populations (multiethnic and/or geographically mobile people like Third Culture Kids) from being invisible outliers to originals. This includes people of culture in the rapidly growing DNA testing-fueled Not Parent Expected (NPE) community. Our world-class, veteran team of researchers and professionals spans five continents. Get social with us: https://www.youtube.com/@CultursIntlMediaGrouphttps://www.instagram.com/Cultursmag/https://www.facebook.com/cultursmaghttps://www.pinterest.com/cultursmag/ Join the CULTURS community: https://shop.cultursmag.com/products/culturs-membership Original Music by Tommy McMillion, McMillion Entertainment Hair by Tanya Mason   This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://www.podcastboutique.com