--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Though we came from our native Hawaiian…" description: "\"“Though we came from our native Hawaiian mother, Chad and I were perceived and therefore raised as black, which widely cast us as outsiders, nonlocals ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/janet-mock-2947_janet-mock_though-we-came-from-our-native-hawaiian_1429185.png" --- # Though we came from our native Hawaiian mother, Chad and I… ![“Though we came from our native Hawaiian mother, Chad and I were perceived and therefore raised as black, which widely cast us as outsiders, nonlocals - and being seen as local in Hawaii was currency. When we first returned to Oahu, we spoke with a Texas twang that also got us teased. Chad has…” quote by Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/janet-mock-2947_janet-mock_though-we-came-from-our-native-hawaiian_1429185.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/janet-mock-2947_janet-mock_though-we-came-from-our-native-hawaiian_1429185.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/janet-mock-2947_janet-mock_though-we-came-from-our-native-hawaiian_1429185.png) > ““Though we came from our native Hawaiian mother, Chad and I were perceived and therefore raised as black, which widely cast us as outsiders, nonlocals - and being seen as local in Hawaii was currency. When we first returned to Oahu, we spoke with a Texas twang that also got us teased. Chad has strong emotions surrounding those first few months; he was traumatized by his apparent blackness, which was a nonevent in Dallas and Oakland, where we were among many black kids. In Hawaii, we were some of the few mixed black kids around. And both our parents taught us that because the world would perceive us as black, we were black.”” [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Identity can be shaped by external perception, leading to internal conflict when cultural background and societal labels clash. **In simple terms:** How others see you can shape your self‑identity. Key Takeaway Recognize and reconcile external labels with personal truth. Themes identity race culture belonging Mood conflicted reflective hopeful Type narrative personal sociological When to use this quote - school integration - family discussions - community events - personal reflection Key Concepts social perception intersectionality racial identity cultural hybridity Questions to Reflect On - How do you navigate identities imposed by others? - What steps help integrate multiple cultural backgrounds? A Different Perspective External labels may oversimplify complex heritage, causing alienation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Strong emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-emotions/) ## Related quotes > [“Most racism is pushed through media houses. Check the heading, wording and pictures they use, even the cartoons. Infect, I am starting to think.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/de-philosopher-dj-kyos/most-racism-is-pushed-through-media-houses-check-the-heading-wording/) De philosopher DJ Kyos > [Hawaii has such a mixed culture, so you're around a lot of different people and a lot of different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-mock/hawaii-has-such-a-mixed-culture-so-you-re-around-a-lot-of-different/) [Evan Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-mock/) > [Hawaii - the Aloha state - is built on the strength of its multicultural society, from our indigenous Native Hawaiian people to the many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazie-hirono/hawaii-the-aloha-state-is-built-on-the-strength-of-its-multicultural/) [Mazie Hirono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazie-hirono/) > [As a child, I was raised by native Hawaiian elders - three old women who took care of me while my parents worked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kapu-uwailani-lindsey/as-a-child-i-was-raised-by-native-hawaiian-elders-three-old-women-who/) [Elizabeth Kapu'uwailani Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kapu-uwailani-lindsey/) > [I support the administrative rules promulgated by the Department of the Interior which permit a Native Hawaiian government to establish a relationship with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/i-support-the-administrative-rules-promulgated-by-the-department-of/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) ## More by Janet Mock > [Like many teens, I struggled with my body and looks, but my despair was amplified by the expectations of cisnormativity and the gender binary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/like-many-teens-i-struggled-with-my-body-and-looks-but-my-despair-was/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [Throughout the day, I like to spritz my face with a rose water for extra moisture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/throughout-the-day-i-like-to-spritz-my-face-with-a-rose-water-for/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [In the evening, I use a cleansing oil - coconut oil also works - to remove makeup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/in-the-evening-i-use-a-cleansing-oil-coconut-oil-also-works-to-remove/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [“she cleaned, scrubbing to the staticky rhythm of Hawaiian music playing from her silver clock radio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/she-cleaned-scrubbing-to-the-staticky-rhythm-of-hawaiian-music/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [Hawaii was so integral to my journey. I was just there at the right time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/hawaii-was-so-integral-to-my-journey-i-was-just-there-at-the-right/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [I was a mixed black girl existing in a westernized Hawaiian culture where petite Asian women were the ideal, in a white culture where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/i-was-a-mixed-black-girl-existing-in-a-westernized-hawaiian-culture/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [Trans folk, especially of color, should not be obligated to help cis folk play catch-up on our experiences. The effort can detract from our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/trans-folk-especially-of-color-should-not-be-obligated-to-help-cis/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [I grew up at a time in Hawaii where there were trans women around, so there were visible role models for me. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/i-grew-up-at-a-time-in-hawaii-where-there-were-trans-women-around-so/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [We have to take care of our people. That's our work now. And it's going to be a lot harder than it would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/we-have-to-take-care-of-our-people-that-s-our-work-now-and-it-s-going/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [“The misconception of equating ease of life with “passing” must be dismantled in our culture. The work begins by each of us recognizing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/the-misconception-of-equating-ease-of-life-with-passing-must-be/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [This pervasive idea that trans women deserve violence needs to be abolished. It’s a socially sanctioned practice of blaming the victim. We must begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/this-pervasive-idea-that-trans-women-deserve-violence-needs-to-be/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [“The crux of our conflict lay in the fact that we each couldn't be who we wanted the other to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/the-crux-of-our-conflict-lay-in-the-fact-that-we-each-couldn-t-be-who/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [We have to organize. We have to build up coalitions across all of these people who are considered "the other." If we all banded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/we-have-to-organize-we-have-to-build-up-coalitions-across-all-of/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [“Many people believe trans women choose to engage in the sex trade rather than get a real job. That belief is misguided because sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/many-people-believe-trans-women-choose-to-engage-in-the-sex-trade/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [I was obsessed with 'The Velvet Rope' for a year straight, letting Janet Jackson's confessional lyrics lull me to sleep and comfort me when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/i-was-obsessed-with-the-velvet-rope-for-a-year-straight-letting-janet/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) [Explore all 144 Janet Mock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) ## More Janet-mock quotes > [“The crux of our conflict lay in the fact that we each couldn't be who we wanted the other to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/the-crux-of-our-conflict-lay-in-the-fact-that-we-each-couldn-t-be-who/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [“Rationalizing him and the glass pipe, Dad smoked crack, but he was not a crackhead; it was just something he did. To do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/rationalizing-him-and-the-glass-pipe-dad-smoked-crack-but-he-was-not/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [“My grandmother and my two aunts were an exhibition in resilience and resourcefulness and black womanhood. They rarely talked about the unfairness of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/my-grandmother-and-my-two-aunts-were-an-exhibition-in-resilience-and/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [“In Hawaii, family showed itself in the way that my siblings never dared to call one another "half" anything. We were fully brothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/in-hawaii-family-showed-itself-in-the-way-that-my-siblings-never/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) Browse all 5 Janet-mock quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Though we came from our native Hawaiian mother, Chad and I were perceived and therefore raised as black, which widely cast us as outsiders, nonlocals - and being seen as local in Hawaii was currency. When we first returned to Oahu, we spoke with a Texas twang that also got us teased. Chad has strong emotions surrounding those first few months; he was traumatized by his apparent blackness, which was a nonevent in Dallas and Oakland, where we were among many black kids. In Hawaii, we were some of the few mixed black kids around. 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