Butter and Shoyu
Mixed Asian Media - February 26, 2023
By Margaret Speck Ogawa
For the love of God, somebody please
explain why OTHER is the only option available to biracial me on the form asking for my
race.
Did the out-of-touch bureaucrats run out of space?
OTHER implies outside the norm. Like I’m marginalized. Like I don’t belong.
A meaningless option. The very last choice.
So, please understand why I raise my voice.
How complicated, how difficult could it be
to create an appropriate box for me?
“Biracial” works and “multiracial” does too.
Or “check all that apply” gives the respect that is due.
What certainly must be deleted is this,
“Select the race you most closely identify with.”
I CANNOT SPLIT. I CANNOT PICK.
How disloyal that would be—to me.
In Japan, I’m a hafu; in Hawai’i, I’m hapa. I’m a poi dog, mixed plate, mixed race, Eurasian.
I’m a hybrid or a half breed or a mongrel or a mutt.
Being more than one race is a joy not a cut.
I embrace who I am. I don’t have to think twice,
I like butter and shoyu on my rice.
Raised in Honolulu, Margaret Speck Ogawa is a biracial writer (American/Japanese/Irish/German/French), with past careers in marketing, product management and fashion. She enjoys all forms of creative writing but focuses mostly on fiction incorporating diverse characters and cultures into her writing. She resides in the Seattle area, is currently working on her master's degree in creative writing and literature from Harvard University, and is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. In her wildest dreams, she travels to all the world capitals and stays long enough to absorb the variety of cultures and to write a story within each.