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Mixed (Parent Edition): The Rao Family Talks Racial Identity

By Kaia Findlay,
Anita Rao
Published July 28, 2023 at 5:30 AM EDT
An illustration of host Anita Rao's family from a time when Anita was 6. From left to right, her older sister Priyanka in a blue shirt with matching headband; her dad Satish, an Indian man with a mustache, aviator-style glasses, a button-down and tie; her mother Sheila, a white woman with chin-length brown hair held back with a headband, wearing a dark blue blouse and necklace; her younger brother, Nikilesh, is a baby with short brown hair in her mother's lap; and Anita, in a blue shirt and headband that matches Priyanka's and shoulder-length brown hair. Text that says "Anita" point to her on the far right. The text "Mixed (Parent Edition)" sits over the portrait against a purple border.
Charnel Hunter
An illustrated portrait of Anita's family from when Anita was around 6 years old. From left to right: her older sister, Priyanka; her dad, Satish, her mom, Sheila, holding her brother, Nikilesh; Anita.

Anita invites her parents back to Embodied for a special bonus episode. She hears their take on our recent episode "Mixed," about growing up biracial. Then she turns the tables and puts herself in the guest seat as her parents ask her a few questions.

Meet the guests:

  • Sheila Rao, Anita's mom, shares some of the context surrounding her marriage to Satish and how that influenced the way they raised their children — and asks Anita how she's thinking about these issues as she's building her own mixed race family
  • Satish Rao, Anita's dad, talks about the influence of where Anita grew up on their family and asks Anita about the strengths and weaknesses of being biracial

Read the transcript| Review the podcast

Tags
Embodied PodcastRaceMultiracialRace Identity
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Kaia Findlay
Kaia Findlay is the lead producer of Embodied, WUNC's weekly podcast and radio show about sex, relationships and health. Kaia first joined the WUNC team in 2020 as a producer for The State of Things.
See stories by Kaia Findlay
Anita Rao
Anita Rao is an award-winning journalist, host, creator, and executive editor of "Embodied," a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships & health.
See stories by Anita Rao