This is one of the most beautiful personal essays I've read in a long time. It really moved me. Not just because it's so beautifully and thoughtfully written. But because the issues you've raised resonate with me personally.

Looking at your family photos, I feel I know your grandparents. They look like members of my own family. And so do you. Thanks to our New Orleans roots and its tangled ethnic past, we have been multiracial for a few generations. But now we have a few biracial members, too.

I'm going to share this with my family before our Zoom call this weekend. What you've said here echoes conversations we've already had over the years. But I especially appreciate the way you've woven the story of your personal struggle into a narrative that acknowledges not only the past but the manner in which the larger struggle has evolved.

I know your words will have meaning for those in my family who are not phenotypically Black. And also for those of us who love them. Thanks for writing it, Stephanie. It's lovely.