Kwajo Tweneboa: “Everybody’s entitled to an opinion, but I don’t have to listen to it”
The campaigner on the ‘white mum’ narrative, having thick skin and an accepting world
Hi, welcome back to Mixed Messages! This week I’m speaking to housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa, who is of mixed Ghanaian and Irish heritage. Kwajo is an incredible force for change, fighting for improvements in social housing. He creates tangible change by working with the government, charities and other organisations, and continued his work with the Channel 4 documentary, Untold: Help! My Home is Disgusting, and his forthcoming book, Our Country in Crisis: Britain's Housing Emergency and How We Rebuild, released in July 2024. Read Kwajo’s story below.
How do you define your racial identity?
I identify as either Black or mixed-race. Growing up I was immersed in Black culture, my dad was Black Ghanaian, first generation. People would refer to us as Black or mixed-race, but I’ve also been to places like Ghana and been called ‘white boy.’
Has your sense of self changed over time?
It’s always been consistent. I’ve never felt uncomfortable referring to myself as mixed-race or Black. Growing up, it was more so when people started pointing it out, telling me that I wasn’t Black, I was mixed-race, or that I was Black. It was more people pushing their own opinion on who I am. That came from both Black and white people.
You do see a lot of mixed-race people experiencing that, being told they’re one or the other or that they’re wrong. It’s invasive, an invasion of you as a person. That’s your opinion, and everybody’s entitled to an opinion, but that doesn’t mean I have to listen to it and take it on board. It’s a lot of projection.
Do these comments ever affect you? I know they impact me.
Sometimes it does, especially there and then. But I brush it off and don’t pay negative comments any mind. Especially online, people behind hidden accounts feel like they can say whatever they like and get away with it. There’s been a lot of that, especially in the last few years, but I’ve got very, very thick skin.
We live in a world where there’s many mixed people from different backgrounds, that’s the way the world and society has developed. I think we need to be more understanding that we’re going to meet more and more mixed people as opposed to individuals from two common backgrounds. It’s weird, I don’t think I’ve met anyone with a Ghanaian and Irish mix before outside of my family and that’s strange to me, but there’s so many other mixes out there and I think people need to realise that.
Have you seen any stereotypes around mixed people?
There’s this whole thing I’ve seen a lot online where a mixed-race person will make a controversial comment, and the assumption is that they’ve got a white mum, and they behave like that because they’ve got a mum. That suggests that for some reason having a white mum means they grew up unruly. It’s used as an insult I think.
Why do people not think that’s wrong? It’s offensive. I’ve got a white mum, and just because someone with the same parentage says something controversial online, doesn't mean that I share the same opinion. You’re suggesting that there’s something wrong with having a white mum, or that the dad isn’t necessarily in the picture or isn’t bringing about as much culture.
Have you always connected to both your Irish and Ghanaian heritage?
I’ve paid more interest as I’ve gotten older. Growing up, I didn’t know any of my mum’s family. In terms of my dad, I knew far more of his friends and family. We were immersed in his side a lot more. We never went to Ghana until recently, we couldn’t afford to as a family. I went for the first time last year and absolutely loved it.
You do such important work, and I can assume that the majority of people you’re fighting for are people of colour. Has your heritage ever influenced or impacted your work?
The majority of people in these situations are from ethnic minority backgrounds. That’s not to say this issue isn’t affecting white people, but I’m speaking the truth from what I’ve seen. Being mixed-race has given me a neutral ground to be able to speak out on that without offending anyone, whereas perhaps if I was darker, or if I was white, it could be seen as more offensive, or I might not be taken as seriously, or judged for having these views.
I think if I was white, I wouldn’t be able to accurately speak on the behalf of the families from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds and their suffering in social housing. There’s a lot of race issues within social housing. Perhaps, if I was dark-skinned, I may have been accused of being anti-white. The honest answer is that I don’t know.
What’s the best thing about being mixed for you?
The best thing about being mixed is that the world is becoming more embracing of mixed cultures. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with being any other race, but the fact we’re moving globally towards a place where we’re accepting of mixed cultures perhaps means that one day there’ll be a lot less discrimination, racism and poor attitudes towards those who are darker skinned.
That’s the only thing that can be hoped for, and it shouldn’t take there being a lot more mixed people to do that.
Can you sum up your mixed experience in a word?
Diverse. I’ve got so many friends from loads of different backgrounds, and I don’t know if being mixed has made me more willing to have friends from all over the place, different classes and backgrounds. I feel more diverse in terms of being able to do that and being accepting of that.
Next week I’ll be speaking to SILKE London founder Maria Sotiriou. Subscribe to get Mixed Messages in your inbox on Monday.
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Mixed Messages is a weekly exploration of the mixed-race experience, from me, Isabella Silvers. My mom is Punjabi (by way of East Africa) and my dad is white British, but finding my place between these two cultures hasn’t always been easy. That’s why I started Mixed Messages, where each week I’ll speak to a prominent mixed voice to delve into what it really feels like to be mixed.
The government bully the poor putting them in conditions were they will be unhappy :(