The following poem was written in 1991 by now OU honorary graduate Jackie Kay. Jackie was born in Glasgow in 1961. Her mother was a white Scottish woman and her father was a black Nigerian student. She has written extensively about the subject of identity in the context of her own experience – for example, of being an adopted child, brought up in Glasgow.
So you think I'm a mule?
‘Where do you come from?’
‘I'm from Glasgow.’
‘Glasgow?’
‘Uh huh. Glasgow.’
The white face hesitates
the eyebrows raise
the mouth opens
then snaps shut
incredulous
yet too polite to say outright
liar
she tries another manoeuvre
‘And you parents?’
‘Glasgow and Fife.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yes. Oh?’
Snookered she wonders where she should go
from here –
‘Ah, but you're not pure’
‘Pure? Pure what.
‘Pure white? Ugh. What a plight
Pure? Sure I'm pure
I'm rare …’
‘Well, that's not exactly what I mean,
I mean … you're a mulatto, just look at ...'
‘Listen. My original father was Nigerian
to help with your confusion
But hold on right there
If you Dare mutter mulatto
hover around hybrid
hobble on half-caste
and intellectualise on the
'mixed race problem’
I have to tell you:
take your beady eyes offa my skin;
don't concern yourself with
the ‘dialectics of mixtures';
don't pull that strange blood crap
on me Great White Mother.
Say, I'm no mating of a
she-ass and a stallion
no half of this and half of that
to put it plainly purely
I am Black
My blood flows evenly, powerfully
and when they shout ‘Nigger’
and you shout ‘Shame’
ain't nobody debating my blackness.
You see that fine African nose of mine,
my lips, my hair, You see lady
I'm not mixed up about it.
So take your questions, your interest,
your patronage. Run along.
Just leave me.
I'm going to my Black sisters
to women who nourish each other
on belonging
There's a lot of us
Black women struggling to define
just who we are
where we belong
and if we know no home
we know one thing:
we are Black
we're at home with that.’
‘Well, that's all very well, but …’
‘I know it's very well.
No But. Good bye.’
What does the poem mean?
Jackie Kay at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, 2016
The poem indicates some of the ways in which we link identity to place and the criteria which are used for making those connections. In everyday interactions we interpret the clues which are given and given off and classify people accordingly. For many of us it is no longer possible to ‘read off’ identity from the same signals we might have used in the past. This poem represents a contemporary question about identity. In attempting to classify people according to where they come from we may be thrown, when there are contradictory messages given off.
In this situation it is suggested that the white woman is confused by Jackie's claims to be ‘from Glasgow’ because she apparently feels that black people cannot be ‘really’ Scottish (or British). The poem describes how the white woman here ignores the replies (and Jackie's Glaswegian accent presumably) and insists that to be black is to be an outsider.
The poem also highlights the way in which identity is marked by difference. People mark their identities by some symbols of difference – scarves, badges, clothes, ways of speaking. This time the difference suggests that the white woman defines Jackie as an outsider, in an unequal relationship of ‘us and them’. ‘Us’ includes people who are the same as us, using the criteria which we think mark us out as the same, for example being white; ‘them’ are marked out as different because ‘they’ are not the same as ‘us’. This suggests that ‘we British’ could be a superior category to ‘those foreigners’. The key point about difference in the example of the poem is that being black or white is not only a way of marking difference but is used as a means of asserting superiority. Such assertions of superiority and the attempt to exclude people on grounds of ‘race’ and ethnicity can be described as racist.
This poem is also about a search for certainty and disquiet about uncertainty. When ‘snookered’ by her earlier questions the white woman resorts to questions about ‘purity’. She is seeking to locate identity in a category which we can mark off as fixed and certain. Jackie's response to the misconceptions of the white woman is to deny any uncertainty on her own part. She gives voice to a collective identity which has meaning for her as an individual. She may be unclear about where she ‘comes from’ but is quite certain about who she is, who she wants to be and with whom she belongs. In her response Jackie is offering one possible solution to the uncertainties posed by the question ‘where do you come from?’ in a multicultural and multi-ethnic society.
More insights on race and inclusivity
-
Black History Month
Read now to access more details of Black History MonthIn recognition of Black History Month we have pulled together some content about some inspirational individuals and events for you to explore.
Level: 1 Introductory
-
The Unsung Women Who Shaped the Blues
Read now to access more details of The Unsung Women Who Shaped the BluesBlues is a musical genre often associated with male pioneers. However, women were also a huge part of this development. This article shines a light on three women who helped shape the blues: Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith.
Level: 1 Introductory
-
The life of Mama Elouise Edwards
Watch now to access more details of The life of Mama Elouise EdwardsFrom her birth in Georgetown, British Guiana, to her MBE for services to the Manchester community, this article explores the extraordinary life of Mama Elouise Edwards...
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Betty Luckham: celebrating the activism of a pioneering Windrush woman
Watch now to access more details of Betty Luckham: celebrating the activism of a pioneering Windrush womanWhat brought a bright young woman, working in the civil service in 1950s British Guiana, to settle in Manchester? And who could have predicted the impact she would have as she worked with the African Caribbean communities there?
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Wangari Maathai: standing up for women and the environment
Read now to access more details of Wangari Maathai: standing up for women and the environmentProfessor Wangari Maathai was an environmentalist and the first female African Nobel Peace Prize winner. Yoseph Araya explores her contribution to the environment and what that meant to be a woman in this field of work.
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Helen Cammock and the art of storytelling
Watch now to access more details of Helen Cammock and the art of storytellingThe artist Helen Cammock discusses how her art has transformed from using herself as a conduit for conversations about race to ‘the collective’ in this film. In the article below Philip Seargeant explores how art can operate as a form of storytelling, different to political or media storytelling.
Level: 1 Introductory
-
World-Changing Women: Madam CJ Walker
Read now to access more details of World-Changing Women: Madam CJ WalkerAs a single woman in the early 20th century making ends meet was no easy feat, so it's remarkable that Madam CJ Walker became the first female self-made millionaire in America. Read her story here...
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Tubman: The Moses of Her People
Read now to access more details of Tubman: The Moses of Her PeopleHarriet Tubman led 300 slaves northwards to freedom in 19 trips along the "underground railroad". Dr Will Hardy introduces her story.
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Katherine Johnson: NASA mathematician and much-needed role model
Read now to access more details of Katherine Johnson: NASA mathematician and much-needed role modelKatherine Johnson, who in February 2020 died at the age of 101, was an amazing woman. But up until a few years ago, hardly anyone had heard of her or her achievements. Professor Monica Grady explores her amazing legacy.
Level: 1 Introductory
-
World-Changing Women: Charlotte Maxeke
Read now to access more details of World-Changing Women: Charlotte MaxekeA rights activist against the exploitation that was prevalent in South Africa, Charlotte Maxeke was South Africa's first black female graduate and one of the first female freedom fighters. Find out more about her extraordinary story...
Level: 1 Introductory
-
The Extraordinary Rosa Parks
Read now to access more details of The Extraordinary Rosa ParksIn 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus and history was changed forever.
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Why Michelle Obama's farewell is a masterclass in speech making
Watch now to access more details of Why Michelle Obama's farewell is a masterclass in speech makingIn her last speaking engagement as First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama showed how to give a speech that resonates.
Level: 1 Introductory
-
The case of Simone Biles and perceptions of athlete mental health
Read now to access more details of The case of Simone Biles and perceptions of athlete mental healthWhen Simone Biles withdrew from several events at Tokyo 2020 due to mental health struggles, the gymnast came under fire from both the global media and the general public. The social media response revealed a polarising narrative, with many supporting Biles and engaging in a broader discussion concerning athlete mental health, while others ...
Level: 1 Introductory
Rate and Review
Rate this article
Review this article
Log into OpenLearn to leave reviews and join in the conversation.
Article reviews