Every now and then, I get this look from people. They tilt their head to the side and ask, “What are you?” By “what” they mean, what's my race or ethnicity. I get this question a lot because of the way I look. When people see me, they don't know what to think. I always ask them to guess, or ask, “ What do you think?”

I'm actually multi-racial. I'm British, Jamaican, Puerto Rican, and Inca Indian, which actually descends from Peru. So I guess I'm Peruvian. Some people think I look more black, some think I look more Hispanic, some think white, etc.

The fact is, sometimes I get a little tired of people asking. Now sometimes I do like telling people what I am. It makes good conversation. But what I don't understand is why it's so important to people to know one's race. I think we all know we live in a prejudice and very judgmental world. People instantly judge you due to your social status, your name, financial status, and your race. I guess people feel they can come to instant conclusions about you if they know your race; regardless that all of our DNA is 99.99% the same. Please don't get confused relating nationalities and races with personalities! Black doesn't mean ghetto or “hood.” White doesn't mean bimbo, rich kid or emo. Asian doesn't mean smart. Etc. These are stereotypes. One's race does not define a person. Especially their personality. Don't be quick to judge. Maybe next time, when people ask me what I am, I'll just say, “ I'm a human. A person. Just like you.”

I don't want to be defined by my race or races. I'm not rejecting my ethnic backgrounds, I just don't want to judged by them. Rather, take the time to get to know the real me. My personality. Jamaican, Puerto Rican, British, and Peruvian are NOT personalities! All too often they are confused for personalities or stereotypes.

Cut the racial profiling! If you're only asking people what they are, just to stereotype them, your missing the inner person. If you can't judge a book by its cover, then you definitely cant judge a person by its color!