More and more people are questioning their identity and looking to discover their heritage. We're asking, "Who am I?" and we chase that question with, "Where do I belong and to whom?"

With the increase of platforms like Ancestry.com, answers no longer die with the dead.

Tonight, we live in a space that questions existing truths about definitions of identity and creates new ones.

 

In this episode we sit down with award-winning actor, producer, podcast host and educator, Fanshen Cox. 

 

This week:

• Enjoy a White Negroni and share the drink's history and the proper way to mix one. 
• Yvonne shares her experience on the set of Lucky, Harry Dean Stanton’s last film. 
• Discover the history of Lagralane. 
• Jason and Yvonne discuss how they identify and the complexities of holding multiple identities.
• Jason and Yvonne dive into what prompted them to start their separate journeys to learn more about their individual cultural identity and the ways they presusuded their history.   
• Yvonne reflects on the American perception of ethnicity and the limitations of the structure. 
• Fanshen answers the question, “If we are all an equation, how do we solve for identity?” 
• Fanshen talks about the idea of race and how that plays out in the world. 
• Jason reflects on his experience of representing the enslaved and the slave owners as a biracial male. 
• Fanshen shares her experience with other people wanting her to “pass” as white.
• Fanshen talks about racial pride and how that internal struggle plays out when you identify as more than one. 
• Fanshen, Yvonne, and Jason discuss the important concept of white people digging into their own history to be true allies. 
• Fanshen explains that black is a culture and how it encompasses so many things besides race. 

 

Cocktail: White Negroni

Recipe

• 1.5oz Gin
• 1 ounce Dolin Blanc Vermouth
• 3/4 oz Suze or Cocchi Americano
• Served on the rocks

 

History & Meaning

The Negroni was invented by an Italian, Count Negroni, but in 2001 it got a little British put on it, by bartender Wayne Collins, while in France. Collins created the White Negroni. It’s half Italian, half Brit! Thus it is multiethnic, like Jason and Yvonne. 

 

About Fanshen Cox

Fanshen Cox is the creator of the award-winning one-woman show One Drop of Love, exploring the intersections of race, class, gender, history and identity. Fanshen also facilitates workshops and delivers keynotes on using narrative in empathy-building, exploring historical context, and how the construction of race affects our closest relationships.