Additional information
by Leon Diop (Author)
A groundbreaking memoir about growing up mixed-race in Ireland, by the recent European Leader of the Obama Foundation: Irish Book Award-winning author and media personality Leon Diop.
Mixed-race experience has never been described so honestly. Diop, a charismatic public figure and strong positive male role-model for young people, tells his story from his first day as the only mixed race boy in school to his powerful recent experience reconnecting with his African roots in Senegal.
Growing up, Diop struggled with his identity, got into trouble, and lost his way, before turning his life around and finding his mission: helping Black and mixed-race people tell their own stories. He founded Black & Irish and developed it into an advocacy group, a podcast with RTÉ, and an award-winning book.
Now it is Diop's turn to tell his own story, his journey from mixed-up kid to embracing his own identity, one that will inspire young people and help counter dangerous political narratives in society today.
Author Biography
Leon Diop is from Tallaght, Ireland. Born to a White Irish mother and Senegalese father, he grew up in a mixed ethnic and religious household. He is the founder of the Black & Irish advocacy group, host of the Black & Irish podcast, activist, educator, public speaker, and was an Obama Foundation European Leader from 2024 to 2025.
