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ACT I
I was born and raised ‘Black’, then ‘African-American’
in Chicago, IL and Valparaiso, IN.
To say I’m a ‘Gumbo Kid’ qualifies as an ‘understatement’;
being born and raised on Jazz & Blues w/sprinklings of
Floyd, Hendrix, Zappa & Zeppelin..
Later translating to Hip-Hop & House..
Each year my parents would attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans,
bringing back Beads, T-shirts, Jambalaya and Gumbo.;
and, to this day, my Dad cooks a HUGE pot each holiday..
However, I never KNEW the VAST significance
of my Créole upbringing until I was nearly 30…
ACT II
Having recently represented biracial artists
in my consulting business was the beginning
of my ‘Métis Awakening’:
One day, not long after those consultations,
I awakened with the most awkward of feelings;
for before that day I’d never felt anything other
than BLACK.
Emotions of bewilderment, transfused with Anger,
began to creep through boiling blood.
Bubbling, burning sensations began to overwhelm me..
I did not smile nor feel happiness
for over three months;
As I began the long, arduous
journey toward self-discovery:
1st I’m ‘Puerto Rican’,
then ‘Scots-Irish’,
then German,
etc..
The linkages would then
only intensify..
ACT III
Traversing genealogies of North America
NOW became my ALL-CONSUMING PASSION;
Transcending ‘The Borders’ (mentally and physically),
Dusting off long-forgotten mental fixtures,
and “riding” with the various Clans of our day..
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