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Raya Yarbrough

@rayaswritings.bsky.social

This is the home for my writing, though I will talk about music too, as the words and the notes tend to intertwine.

https://linktr.ee/RayasWritings?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=461af875-122c-4d61-9324-f5ce1aca9612

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Raya Yarbrough

@rayaswritings.bsky.social

This is the beginning of a personal essay, part of my multiracial origin story, if you will. It’s one of many stories in a fascinating book called, “what are you mixed with? “ by Dr.Wendy Ashley.
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-are-y...

“When I was little, I thought Billy Crystal was Black.
My father used to watch his stand-up and laugh about him all the time. I noticed that Billy Crystal had dark curly hair, like me, and his eyes squinted like my father’s did when he smiled. Most of my dad’s friends were Black, and they made my dad laugh too, so in my baby mind, Billy fit into this group.
All this is to say that for me, being Black had more to do with being warm and familiar than being a particular color. The equation was simple: Black = warm + familiar. Skin color was a detail. This was the way of people, and my flexible view of race would not be challenged until one day in 1989…”

This is part of a personal story, which is part of a fascinating compilation called. “what are you mixed with? “ by Dr. Wendy Ashley

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-are-you-mixed-with-navigating-anti-blackness-white-supremacy-and-light-skinned-privilege-wendy-ashley/1147832001

July 22, 2025 at 4:37 PM

Raya Yarbrough

@rayaswritings.bsky.social

What do my boobs have to do with #Outlander? More than you think. I was pregnant when I sang the theme for the show, so by the time my daughter was born,I was well into the joys & indignities of early motherhood. Including breastfeeding drama.story is available here www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZTTLX9...