VegNews: What does your identity mean to you? How has it affected you in life?
Clifton Roberts: My mother is Korean-American and my father is African-American and Native American, so I’ve enjoyed the benefit of a multicultural upbringing. However, my passion for history, poetry, music, and cultural art is a direct result of what my father exposed me to as a child. I am who I am because of my heritage—because of my history. Moreover, because of the racial tensions the patriarchs of my family endured in their lives, I was raised to think ahead, work hard, and harness the energy of ambition to never tire in pursuit of what I dream of accomplishing.
VN: Who in the black community inspires you?
CR: The first person that comes to mind is my grandfather, Albert Lewis Roberts. He was such a humble man, but his reputation as a giant within his community has been preserved by his children, and I am very proud to be a part of his lineage. Against some tremendous odds, my grandfather became the very first African-American bus driver for DC Metro in Washington DC, an amazing accomplishment considering the racial divides that existed in the early ‘60s.