2008-10-02
Biracial, Multiracial, or Just Black?
Now how many white people would be eager to determine how much African in them? I find it funny the white woman they used in the second video, was actually a daughter of a man, Anatole Broyard who was a NY Times book critic who actually passed as a white man his entire life, and took his black ancestry to his grave. In the times his was living, because he was part black, he was born being considered black.
I am about to say something very controversial, so I am so sorry if I offend. I think that as a black woman married to a white man, I will have black kids, they won't be biracial. To me biracial is a concept created in the late 1960s and 1970s, before that, you were just black. Octaroons, Quadroons, and the like during slavery where overwhelmingly white, but that black blood in them made them black per the miscegenation laws of the time, and if we were to look at many blacks DNA and do background, I would say the overwhelming majority of black people with slave roots have European ancestry, and much more than many whites or blacks care to admit.
The concept of this is a shock to many white people. It is shocking to many that the concept of race mixing between blacks, whites, and native americans has gone on since the inception of this country and in my opinion, it wasn't all that rare of an occurrence. I believe on my topic on the TV show the Jeffersons, I made a comment on how I thought it was funny that the girl they used to play Jenny, the biracial daughter of Tom and Helen Willis was a black woman, and the amount of people who said it was because they couldn't find biracial actors or actresses back in that time (the late 1970s and 1980s) was a bit shocking. They tend to either be in disbelief or would like to dismiss it because in some of those instances, the miscegenation was not consensual, but rather rape, and the concept of a white person being related to a black person is a shock to the system, it is beyond their comprehension with the racial hierarchy put in place today that a possible relative would have either been a rapist, or even worse yet, someone who actually wanted and enjoyed the presence of black people enough to reproduce, miscegenation laws be damned. To top that off the definition of biracial will be extremely blurred if people actually find out their actual racial make up. What if the Barack Obamas of the world who are literally half black and half white would now have to identify with black people, who even though they have two black parents, DNA wise are literally 50% black and 50% white. How do we define being biracial at that point? Do we start calling those who are 75% white and 25% black biracial, and do we consider them white? If you are 50% black and 50% white do you start calling yourself what you look like or what you actually are? Some people blindly assume I am Indian, does that make me Indian?
I think I find these videos interesting because of the fact in my spare nerd time, I try to trace my ancestry, I think I am jealous of white people in the respect it is much easier to trace their ancestry, whereas with me I gotta work. I do have a bit of a leg up, as my family (mother's side) still lives on the land in which they were slaves (it was willed to them upon the death of their owner), and where they live is considered a historical marker, as the slaves were owned by someone of political significance, a Texas Legislator.
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68 comments:
Now how many white people would be eager to determine how much African in them?
Lol! That would indeed be interesting, wonder if there's any in my family?
I concur, and I'm glad you said this. I'm getting sick of hearing, "O' they are biracial." Tell that to society.
Thank you Siddity. The biracial concept was created for white mothers of biracial Black children in the 60s when the Supreme Court struck down antimiscegenation laws. Also, they feel that by labelling their kids Black, they felt marginalized. So they took their cause to various state and federal legislatures to create multiracial category. In that way they don't feel marginalized. They are still NOT WHITE BUT THEY ARE NOT BLACK EITHER, according to white mothers of multiracial children.
BLACK MOTHERS OF BIRACIAL CHILDREN DIDN'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF NAMING THEIR CHILDREN BECAUSE SLAVERY, SEGREGATION, ANTIMISCEGENATION LAWS, AND THE IMPOSITION OF THE ONE-DROP RULE MEANS THAT MULTIRACIAL BLACKS ARE BLACK AND THAT THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO CLAIM WHITE FATHER'S WEALTH, PRIVILEGE, AND INHERITANCE.
That rule was enforced for over 350years until 1960s when white women started to have biracial kids by Black men. Now all of a sudden they want the rule change. Carte blanche white privilege.
Steph
I'm sorry, but I find your opinion to be absolute b.s. A person who is biracial is exactly that. BIRACIAL. I don't give a hoot what society thinks and neither should anyone else. Society has always proven to be full of sh*t, why should I follow along like a scared puppy?
Slavery has ended over 140 years ago. Moveon.org, folks.
A biracial/multiracial person has the right to embrace and identify ALL parts of them. To deny that part would be denying part of themselves, their history and/or one of their parents. Is that what you want, Siditty? For your children to deny their father's half?
That's one of the many problems of America. They can't accept the reality of mixed race identity. You're either this or that. One or the other. Funny how this is not the case when you travel abroad. Nations outside the U.S embrace the reality of multiracial/biracial identity. Wonder why? England, Canada, Malaysia France,Germany,the list goes on. You and the rest of the outdated, "one-drop rule" thinking imbeciles should take notes from foreigners. So Siditty, you may have control over your children while they're young, but once they hit that adult age you're not going to have any say over their identity and how they choose to live their lives anymore. Got it? A mixed person is mixed, not one race. End of story.
Lol! That would indeed be interesting, wonder if there's any in my family?
It would prove that you were part black, and would explain your in depth knowledge of old school music :)
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I concur, and I'm glad you said this. I'm getting sick of hearing, "O' they are biracial." Tell that to society.
My children will be biracial, but dammit the world is more than likely going to treat them like black folks. Get em prepared early.
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That rule was enforced for over 350years until 1960s when white women started to have biracial kids by Black men. Now all of a sudden they want the rule change. Carte blanche white privilege.
I feel the same exact way.
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A person who is biracial is exactly that. BIRACIAL
A person who is 35% white and 65% black is what? A person who is 75% white and 25% black is what?
Our race is mixed, we as black people, are overwhelming mixed, some more than others, why do we just stay "black"?
Slavery has ended over 140 years ago. Moveon.org, folks.
No one is talking about slavery and miscegenation didn't end during slavery, it ended about ten years before I was born, in 1967.
A biracial/multiracial person has the right to embrace and identify ALL parts of them.
They do, but most black people don't get to embrace all their sides because they just get treated as if they are black, nothing more, nothing less, and to recognize our mixture was an issue and seems to anger many biracials and those who support the need to categorize themselves as something other.
Is that what you want, Siditty? For your children to deny their father's half?
No one asked anyone to deny their parents, what I did say is that the concept of trying to again categorize themselves as different when historically many black people were not all black, and in some instances overwhelmingly white, it makes no sense to me.
You and the rest of the outdated, "one-drop rule" thinking imbeciles should take notes from foreigners.
I live in America and in America, unlike all the other countries you named have a very complex racial history that didn't end 140 years ago with slavery, like you seem to think, which gives us a unique approach to race that would be drastically different from the rest of the world.
It would prove that you were part black, and would explain your in depth knowledge of old school music :)
And I'd wonder where all that melanin went in my pale ass family!
Here's another complicated discussion! Of course people can identify as they like but the overwelming number of people see mixed race black people as black, that goes for the white and black community. Allot of white people in IR relationships might be bothered by that but your children will most likely be viewed as black and people might very well be surprised that you are their parent, that might be wrong but that's pretty much the way it is.
I like the term biracial. I'm not really one to "one drop" someone. Despite Barack Obama or Halle Berry calling themselves black I still refer to them as biracial. After all that's what they are.
I can understand why they identify as black though.
There simply isn't a biracial category. You're either black or white. Since most biracial's don't look white and there is no biracial category or race people like Barack Obama and Halle Berry simply choose to identify as black.
I've visited a number of "Mulatto" boards (some biracials who like to refer to themselves as Mulatto) they are fighting hard to have their own separate race category. They do not want to be labeled just black or just white. They want to acknowledge both heritages.
Only in the racist USA could anyone be labeled or seen as black, even if they're not. It's obvious though that the U.S doesn't acknowledge mixed race people.
And I'd wonder where all that melanin went in my pale ass family!
Those European genes are strong, but the black is in there somewhere LOL
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Here's another complicated discussion! Of course people can identify as they like but the overwelming number of people see mixed race black people as black, that goes for the white and black community.
That is exactly it. I don't want my children to ever deny their father, but I am being honest. Race relations are a mess, and no matter how multi-racial they might be, they won't have white privilege and will be treated differently based upon race, and if they do manage to be able to "pass" they will be put in the situation of either having to pretend they are white and ignore or deny their black side, or having to explain to people their "blackness" when someone makes a comment deemed as racist. Racism isn't dead, and again it didn't end with slavery, I hope Anon realizes slavery didn't end racism in America, and it is still going on.
I've visited a number of "Mulatto" boards (some biracials who like to refer to themselves as Mulatto) they are fighting hard to have their own separate race category. They do not want to be labeled just black or just white. They want to acknowledge both heritages.
They should realize black political leaders are going to do everything in their power to block that. If people could really be able to choose another category such as "biracial" it would hurt the black political community in numbers and representation, something they will fight tooth and nail.
We actually did a lineage trace on my Mother's side which is Native American and Jamaican. According to my Aunt on my Dad's side, it's Irish, Seminole and African. I think that if you live in the US, there is a good chance that you are mixed with something. Even the Whitest of White people may have some African lineage in them. I considered ordering that test because I'm interested to see if the stories are true. I think the Jamaican part might be because I get asked if I'm from Jamaica all of the time. My children have been called everything from Hispanic to half-Asian for my youngest son because of his slanted eyes. To me, they look half Black, but it a perfect world, it really shouldn't matter.
Most likely your children will "look black" and the One Drop Rule in American society will apply and so on, despite what Anon chooses to believe. But sometimes you can turn out to be too white to be black and too black to be white. Particularly if you are your near-white and grew up with whites. Then you get stuck in the middle.
I'm going to be the naive one here but why can't we be just plain ol' American. "Race" does not exist, black people and white people in America have basically the SAME culture, more or less. Mixed, biracial, black or white are absurd terms because we're all Americans first. Do Puerto Ricans divide each other by what color they are, no, there are Puerto Ricans first. The same goes to the rest of Latin America. Their Culture supercedes the white/black dichotomy.
But Alas, this is America and people are very good at dividing each other.
Can someone explain to me how a "mixed" person in America celebrates both white and black heritages when both white and black people were born in America and grew up in essentially the SAME culture. Technically, we would be celebrating American heritage.
*gets off soapbox*
We cannot all be just Americans because enough Americans are racist.
If you are black then white Americans will not accept you as one of their own, as being "just American".
Well I call people what they want to be called. If a mixed person thinks of themselves as black then that's how i think of them; if a mixed person identifies as mixed then that's how i think of them; if a mixed person identifies as white then that's how i think of them. People have the right to identify the way they want regardless of how society feels. Siditty, you say that society would consider your children black, but what if your children come out looking white? If that happens then people will assume they are white until they find out otherwise; wouldn't that give your children white privlege, kinda?
Kat, yes you are being naive to say that black, white, hispanic, asian etc have the exact same culture. That is simply not true. african americans have a distinct culture that has developed paralell with mainstream american culture since we got here. puerto ricans, cubans, mexicans, domincans, and all the other latin ethnicities each have distinct cultures. Also, latinos do divide along color/race lines. many latinos are a mixture of spanish, african and native indian ancestry and many are ashamed of their african and indian ancestry. in many latin american countries black people are discriminated against based on race; some countries try to say that they dont even have any black people.
The "One Drop Rule" in other words? Some people may not subscribe to that. My Sister-in-law is one of them. Her Mom is Jamaican and her dad is a Brit. She calls herself an "Ethnic White Woman" with her Mariah Carey type looks. She's married to my husband's brother and considers the kids to be White. But it doesn't matter as much in the UK. They aren't as, in her words, "race-obsessed" as we are here. They would be in for a rude awakening here, that's for sure....
I'm actually 1/8th black. My great-grandfather (mother's mother's father) was black. I don't know much about him except for a small black and white picture taken of him from the 20's. Well that and the fact that he was from or was a descendent of someone from Angola. I kind of wish my grandmother was around to ask her more, but thats all I really know.
The funny think is if I tell you this, you would look at me crazy and laugh, or probally say I'm just claiming this so "I can be black". But if you looked at my brother and he said this, you would just say "Oh... yea I can see that now". Its funny how genetics work.
I'm somewhat sadden by this discussion because the past still haunts us. Yes, I'm aware that racism is alive and well but I refuse to feed the beast.
As a mother of two biracial...(YES, I said biracial because that's what they are)...children this is disheartening but a true statement of how some BLACKS and WHITES still veiw interracial relationship and the fruits of those unions. I'm raising my children to be proud of being both black and white but to also be fully aware of archaic idealogy that still exist. Am I saying that my children can go around telling folks they are all white ? No, because I would never want them to ever deny me. I'm not delusional or blinded by an ideal but I teach my children to refer to themselves as who they are part of mom and part of dad. Other than that soceity can kiss my black arse. But I will not have society dictate how my child should identify themselves.
Honestly, I've always found it ironic/strange that a people who feel so strongly about the 'one drop' rule, in reference to being black, would choose to marry someone who is outside of his or her race. Love is strange.
Although I totally disagree with you, I think this is a great discussion and something for others to think about and reflect on. Many blessings.
They should realize black political leaders are going to do everything in their power to block that. If people could really be able to choose another category such as "biracial" it would hurt the black political community in numbers and representation, something they will fight tooth and nail.
Very true, even though the media likes to portray us as overpopulating the country, we actually are declining in population, which could decline our influence, the little that blacks had anyway.
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I'm going to be the naive one here but why can't we be just plain ol' American. "Race" does not exist, black people and white people in America have basically the SAME culture, more or less.
Because America had laws to tell us that blacks weren't just plain "ol' American", and even though we share a culture with whites, many white people think we are just as foreign, probably even more so than those who immigrate here from other countries.
We do share the same culture, and probably can relate to each other more than with other cultures, but most whites don't want to relate with blacks, not even in 2008.
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Siditty, you say that society would consider your children black, but what if your children come out looking white? If that happens then people will assume they are white until they find out otherwise; wouldn't that give your children white privlege, kinda?
Anon,
They might have limited white privilege, but if my kids were to choose white privilege, more than likely they would have to pass themselves off as 100% white, and pretend I didn't exist. I have a Bangladeshi friend who is a big fan of the TV show "Prison Break" with Wentworth Miller, she went on and on about how hot she thought Wentworth Miller looked. I joked with her that I didn't know she was into black guys, and she looked at me crazy, if you don't know Wentworth Miller is biracial, the only reason I knew was because I saw an interview he did for a movie, "The Human Stain". She then told me I was lying, and that he didn't like biracial, as all biracial people look black, and you can always tell. When she found out, she shut up talking about Wentworth Miller.
She also told me once there is no way me and my brother have the same father, I made the mistake of showing her a picture of my brother as a child with his fair skin, blonde hair, and hazel eyes. I obviously don't have any of those features.
It is kind of strange when I explain to people why my brother isn't the same shade as me, many white people have asked me about it, and they get uncomfortable when I always say "recessive genes".
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Also, latinos do divide along color/race lines. many latinos are a mixture of spanish, african and native indian ancestry and many are ashamed of their african and indian ancestry. in many latin american countries black people are discriminated against based on race; some countries try to say that they dont even have any black people.
Thank You!!! People always try to make all other countries so racially harmonious. Do people even notice that the majority of Cubans who made it to America consider themselves white, and the reason they hate Castro is that he basically stated that black Cubans were getting exploited by the white cubans, and ousted many white cubans from their businesses and wealth. Yes, they had segregation in Cuba, and in many South American countries, they continue to practice segregation. I am not sympathizing with Castro, his methods, or political views, but dang it, you have to wonder why there are so few "black cubans" who made it to America.
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Ethnic White Woman" with her Mariah Carey type looks. She's married to my husband's brother and considers the kids to be White. But it doesn't matter as much in the UK. They aren't as, in her words, "race-obsessed" as we are here.
If they weren't obsessed with race, why does she care to identify herself as a white woman, and refer to her kids as white, isn't she "equally both"?
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The funny think is if I tell you this, you would look at me crazy and laugh, or probally say I'm just claiming this so "I can be black". But if you looked at my brother and he said this, you would just say "Oh... yea I can see that now". Its funny how genetics work.
JDR, you know in another time, you would be black LOL See there are a bunch of undercover black people all in this country :) (j/k)
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Honestly, I've always found it ironic/strange that a people who feel so strongly about the 'one drop' rule, in reference to being black, would choose to marry someone who is outside of his or her race. Love is strange.
Why is it strange? I find it strange we will deny in this country, that most blacks here are of mixed race, but yet laugh at the absurd concept that these people are more than just black. The concept of blacks in general being "mixed" is dismissed by those of the biracial movement.
"I am not sympathizing with Castro, his methods, or political views, but dang it, you have to wonder why there are so few "black cubans" who made it to America"
Yeah because right now most of Cuba is black. Most of the white Cubans are gone. Lot of them are in Florida. And the ones in Florida do identify as white.
But the only black Cubans I've seen here in America are athletes. I watch sports so I would know. You hardly if at all, see any white Cuban athletes. Not sure why that is.
Hey y'all,
I pretty much agree with sid on this topic. My kids will probably be mixed and I will raise them as black children regardless. I think the majority of americans are pretty stupid not to know that most african americans are mixed. how else can you explain siblings who look like that come from different parents (i.e. me and my sister). People used to think my mother was her nanny. Anyway, I'm not denying my indian or white hertiage by calling myself AA. To say that one does that is completely ignorant. Race is a manufactured concept to keep white privilege alive and well so I rather terms like african american because it expresses so much. Saying Jamaican means, indian, african and asian.
Also, why would anyone want to call themselves Mulattos when it literally translates to "little mule" which is a hybred of a horse and a donkey. This is what happens when you don't know your history. You end up identifying yourself as an animal.
Sorry for the ramble but some of the people like Anon should really learn American history. BTW, I really dislike the term biracial. We are all polyracial and need to stop the madness.
I do agree with you Siditty.
I have a friend who's mum is mixed(b&w) and dad is black. She identifies as mixed....
Most non- African black people are mixed, some more than others, so black isn't just black, its actually a mixture of 'races'
Me, being of Jamaican descent, am of mixed black, white, Chinese, Indian(from India), native Carib(Arawak) ancestry, but identify as black, its that simple
Thank You!!! People always try to make all other countries so racially harmonious.
Hey! Didn't you know all "people of color" are all together and against evil whitey? Duh!
Me, being of Jamaican descent, am of mixed black, white, Chinese, Indian(from India), native Carib(Arawak) ancestry, but identify as black, its that simple
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Many Jamaicans are not of the mixture you listed. And I dare say most 'Black' Jamaicans are of majority African descent. Arawak genes, in particular, would be of a minisule percentage in the Jamaican/Caribbean gene pool since the Spaniards did a pretty thorough job of wiping these people off the face of the Earth. It's the very reason they (the Spaniards) started importing African slaves in the first place. They needed workers to fill the vast void left by the native Caribs they'd killed off. Many present-day Caribbean peoples claim Carib ancestry but genetic tests would doubtlessly negate those claims.
There's probably much less Native American blood in the AA gene pool than is commonly claimed, also. There just weren't that many "indians" to go around. Also, Native features/characteristics (and I'm not just speaking of the getting 'good' hair from an "indian" ancestor syndrome) are relatively uncommon among AA's. Sino-donty, NA body structures, Asian-like epicanthic eyefolds, NA skull structures and other NA features/characteristics are largely missing.
The average AA is a large percentage African and a small percentage European -- most of which historically came from dark-skinned Blacks seeking out much lighter-skinned "Black"/aka mixed partners with whom to procreate. In other words, most of the white genes in the "Black" race came via Black & 'Mulatto' couplings rather than Black & White couplings.
There's probably much less Native American blood in the AA gene pool than is commonly claimed, also.
Probably so, but some of us actually have documentation and pictures and known relatives of Native American ancestry. I know that might shock some of you. My grandmother was half native american, my great grandmother was 100% native, the Choctaw nation tried really hard to kick out a bunch of black descendants, dismissing them as slaves, and a large percentage of those blacks, my family included had to go back and prove our ancestry, but ironically the white members of the nation did not have to. I find it very funny. Incidentally they get pretty miffed when you can trace direct ancestry back to them. The rationale was black got stuff from the government already, why get extra? Of course black people don't get access to reduced or no tuition and free healthcare, and access to casino money.
The average AA is a large percentage African and a small percentage European -- most of which historically came from dark-skinned Blacks seeking out much lighter-skinned "Black"/aka mixed partners with whom to procreate. In other words, most of the white genes in the "Black" race came via Black & 'Mulatto' couplings rather than Black & White couplings.
That might be the case, but remember some of us come fom Creole stock, which includes, white, black, and native ad mixture, and also note many "blacks" back in the day, weren't necessarily black in the traditional terms, being 1/8th black made you black by law, but appearance wise, it was pretty easy to look European, which is why you had a lot of passing going on back in the day. Also note that intermarriage was very common in Louisiana, and many times mulattos had children with other mulattos, does their offspring become black or do they stay mulatto? The law back then stated ALL of them were black, so it didn't matter. I notice that the biracial movement is very eager to dismiss this mixture and assume it is a miniscule amount, when many blacks can at least prove 1/4 non black ancestry. I bet a lot of whites could too.
I'm going to throw out some food for thought but I just realized that the label "biracial, multiracial, or one race" term are always used when a person has a black parent. I've never seen any celebrity of other mixed parentage get asked are they biracial,multiracial, or one race. Keanu Reeves has a white parent and a asian parent, most people see him as white on first impression but there is no hoopla to what he identifies as.
Why does this constant questioning of self-identification always come up when there is a black parent involved?
Kat, I agree with your question of why the terms "biracial" or "multiracial" are only assigned to a person when one of their parents is Black or the person is of partial African descent. I also agree with Anon that it's time for Americans of mixed Black and any other race to assert their RIGHT to self define their identity REGARDLESS of how racists choose to view them. No matter your country of citizenship, a person's identity has NOTHING to do with discriminatory, irrational, outdated systems of racial classification designed to promote white privilege. If ALL people of mixed Black race decided to STOP going along with racist classifications that deny their true identity, they would eventually become obsolete/irrelevant.
Anon (10/2; 8:51): I lived in europe for nearly a year & while there may not be an official one drop rule, there is without doubt an active color/race hierarchy with whites enjoying the most privilege & acceptance. Either you've never been outside the U.S. or you're in deep denial.
Yvonne: The one drop rule was specifically written & enforced 'in reference to being black'. In other words, to keep humans who had some black blood from being able to make use of 'white' privilege.
Siditty seems to be just as aware as you are that any kids she & her husband have would most likely face discrimination due to the fact that they would be considered black. How is that different from they way you state you raise your kids--to be prepared for the anti-black bigotry they may encounter in life? I'd bet she would also invite those who are race obsessed to 'kiss her black arse'.
I'm saying think about what the Blog owner has written before responding with a knee jerk, angry or judgmental response.
patsgirl
"I'm saying think about what the Blog owner has written before responding with a knee jerk, angry or judgmental response."patsgirl
I really did think about her post before I responded and I it wasn't at all a 'knee jerk'. I find her view interesting but I just don't agree with it. No ill was meant by my post and I apologize for anyone who took it out of the context that I meant.
Many Jamaicans are not of the mixture you listed. And I dare say most 'Black' Jamaicans are of majority African descent. Arawak genes, in particular, would be of a minisule percentage in the Jamaican/Caribbean gene pool since the Spaniards did a pretty thorough job of wiping these people off the face of the Earth. It's the very reason they (the Spaniards) started importing African slaves in the first place. They needed workers to fill the vast void left by the native Caribs they'd killed off. Many present-day Caribbean peoples claim Carib ancestry but genetic tests would doubtlessly negate those claims.
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Anon, you don’t have any idea about the admixtures of Jamaicans. Using a Wiki reference hardly qualifies on what you think Jamaicans actually are.
My mother is Jamaican (and afro Cuban), and although most Jamaicans happily and without shame claim a strong African lineage, (after all Marcus Garvey a Jamaican was the first to start the back to Africa movement, as well as Rastafarianism which holds a strong return to Africa slant), the Jamaican emblem, “out of many—one people” http://users.pullman.com/mitchelm/enlembs2.htm#Arms, certainly acknowledges the mixes of many people and races that came to Jamaica—and of course mixed with each other. Many Jamaicans look like Sean Paul, Naomi Campbell, Bob Marley (whose parents were actually both black not white as the legend claims) and Obama, because there is a strong admixture of White, African, East Indian, and *gasp* Chinese. The difference is with the exception of white Jamaican, many people view themselves as simply Jamaican. In my own Family, I know for a fact that we are descended from Welsh and Irish immigrants. My great grandmother was white. I am also proudly descend from Maroons, fierce Africans who lived as free persons and continually fought off being enslaved by the English, and there is also East Indian and Chinese roots within the family. The arawaks mostly died off, but some did exist in very small pockets and lived among the Maroons, before being completely absorbed by the population by either disease or miscengation. You can see this in Dominica where they still exist in very small numbers. Thus it is not unreasonable that there is a small percentage of Arawak blood in some Jamaicans.
My father’s side also has Caribbean roots, which, surprise is a mix of African and Europe. What a lot of people forget about Slavery in the Caribbean and South America is that Whites were prone to mix far more frequently with blacks then in America—this does not include Louisiana which was owned by France and Spain, and they were more cavalier in race relations and mixing. There were many Blacks in the Caribbean and South America who were mixed who lived freely among whites, who were accepted into white families compared to the tortuous demarcation that was in the United States. This is not to say that Slavery wasn’t that bad, but they were less hypocritical of who they were sleeping around with and the idea of passing was already assumed since many often claimed nationality first over race, which is slightly different to American identity. Also genetic diversity is the reason why there are many different colors, features, etc within the “black” race in the Americas. I have seen in Jamaica and in America, parents who are obviously strongly West African, who end up having light skinned or mixed looking children. There was no cuckolding going on, just simple genetic mutations in successive generations.
Lastly I don’t see the big deal in claiming a child to be Black. Black encompasses an amalgam of racial identities and thus to me is an emblem of survival and diversity that should be worn with pride.
Anon who replied to me: I'm not an AA, your mistake
I am about to say something very controversial, so I am so sorry if I offend. I think that as a black woman married to a white man, I will have black kids, they won't be biracial.
I honestly don't think this is so controversial, it's certainly not offensive, you're right, this is how they will be seen. Do we think of Alicia Keys as biracial ? Do we think of Obama as biracial ? No, not in this day and age. And as you point out, racial "purity" is probably fairly rare. And "Black" is certainly how your kids would be percieved. This is not to say that they shouldn't care about their father's ancestry also. I know of course that's not what you're saying.
I agree with beautifully.conjured.up, (Pretty Pic there too btw) "Tell that to society"
Personally I am hesitant calling a biracial person black. What if they don't want to identify as black?
I met someone interesting recently and he is biracial. I haven't had the courage yet to ask him what he really is. He seems like the militant type light skinned AA black male. I can't even bring up the subject. He assumes I take him as black but at the back of my mind I am wondering what his other part is. I am walking on egg shells.
I am used to identifying people by nationality and tribe. I still can't get a grasp on what blackness really is.
As a West African Nigerian gal who prefers to date white guys, I know that that there is a large probablility that Ill end up marrying and having kids with a white guy. I dont buy into the 'one drop rule' theory. Yes, that's what I call it.... a theory. If/when I have kids with a white guy, the kids will be BIRACIAL... half black and half white. I'd want my kids to grow up identifying with my Nigerian heritage and whatever European heritage their father has. I think its best to raise little biracial kids with their full knowledge and acceptance of BOTH races and heritages, so that it becomes less likely for them to have identity problems when they are older kids. Biracial kids already exist in my family and they arent considered black or white. For example I have a Nigerian aunt who is married to an Irish-Briton and their boys have European features (one has green eyes and the other, red hair... just like their papa has). They are a manifestation of the mixture of two different races. I guess since a lot of Americans are already mixed, it gets complicated. I believe Obama is BIRACIAL because he's half Kenyan African and half white American, even if he identifies as black.
I met someone interesting recently and he is biracial. I haven't had the courage yet to ask him what he really is. He seems like the militant type light skinned AA black male. I can't even bring up the subject. He assumes I take him as black but at the back of my mind I am wondering what his other part is. I am walking on egg shells.
Did he say he was biracial, or did you just make the assumption based upon his features?
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For example I have a Nigerian aunt who is married to an Irish-Briton and their boys have European features (one has green eyes and the other, red hair... just like their papa has). They are a manifestation of the mixture of two different races. I guess since a lot of Americans are already mixed, it gets complicated. I believe Obama is BIRACIAL because he's half Kenyan African and half white American, even if he identifies as black.
That is the thing, my brother has fair skin, hazel eyes, he was born with blonde hair. My father had red hair as a child, and in the summer if I spend too much time out in the sun, my hair goes
"red" as well. Both my maternal great grandmothers identified as black, even if they were overwhelmingly white, they had blue eyes and very pale skin, and never once had they ever questioned if they were anything other than black. Many blacks here have "European" features.
I grew up in avery heavily Creole area, it is very common to see black people with wavy hair, light eyes, I have a cousin who people don't realize is even black, he doesn't look white, but rather middle eastern, he has dark skin, finer features, and almost completely straight hair. I have other relatives who are mistaken for hispanic, and from what we can tell, don't have an ounce of hispanic blood in them, it is their coloring. I have even been mistaken for eastern indian when my hair was straightened, and even now with natural hair, people get confused and ask me if I am mixed simply because my hair does not grow in an afro and it is longer (per some black people can't have long hair without aid of weave), and I am obviously black. There is no question that we are multi racial,but we per the racial constructs of society are black.
When I say my kids will be black, no where did I say that their father and his heritage will have no bearings on their upbringing. I am looking at the fact American society has not evolved beyond race. Race is a social construct, and within that construct, my kids will be black. I will not make them go tan, I won't make them put in dark brown color contacts if their eyes aren't brown. They will know their father, but in the eyes of America, they will be black. I refuse to raise children in a Pollyanna mentality of race, it does no good in the long run. I don't want my kids to be one of the biracial children ok with white kids telling n*gger jokes, because in their mind they aren't n*ggers, but something "different".
If you read Obama's book "Dreams From my Father" it's clear he identifies as black and takes an Afrocentric view. In fact it's interesting he takes his father's name of Obama and not his European mother's name despite the fact that his father abandoned him and her family raised him.
My experience in talking to allot of bi racial folks, especially men, is that far from identifying as biracial, they often seem to want to overcompensate for being biracial or they fear having their blackness questioned.
I am used to identifying people by nationality and tribe. I still can't get a grasp on what blackness really is.
In America nationality and tribe are replaced with race and ethnicity.
One of my uncles spent a significant amount of time researching the family tree. He eventually found out that one of my unstable great uncles was actually adopted and that certain members of the family had tried to cover it up. So that type of thing can be interesting.
Hey Sid,
I think it's hard for a lot of the readers to grasp this concept because they are not american born or were raised with immigrant parents. The black american community has always been accepting of "mixed" children because white society did not accept them. It was very common for white mothers to drop off their black babies and never look back--mostly because they would have been cut off financially from their white parents/relatives. Because of that fact, many "mixed" children identify soley with the black side. And use the one drop rule as a badge of honor not disgust the way it was originally intended. Now however, white women are marrying black men a rapid pace and many of those men have money and therefore they don't have to live in fear of being cut off financially. So they either raise their kids are being not one or the other or they raise them without understanding how they will be stereotyped in society. We all know Tiger Woods is only 1/4 black but he weren't Tiger, he wouldn't be able to get a cab in NYC. Most white mothers don't know how to prepare their "mixed" children to deal with a racist world because they didn't have to deal with it or turned a blind eye. You can't raise your kids in a colorblind society because then you will be blind to the effects of racism. It can't be based on how you look. I doubt Halle and Alicia deny their white mothers (the ones that raised them BTW) when they refer to themselves as black. I believe Halle's mother had a "come to jesus talk" with her about her skin color. Thank you Sid for the phrasing. They don't seem confused to me. They also don't go on national TV (Oprah) and cry about being "mixed" (ahem Mariah). She's the only one who seems confused to me.
Anyway, it seems that some people just don't get how you can call yourself black "african american (I feel that moniker is more descriptive) and still love every part of you. When white people say they are white, there aren't droves of Italians, Irish, Polish, British, German, and French people saying they are denying their heritage. Since when do people have to wear their lineage on their sleeve.
Intentionally bigoted statement coming--I don't need to see the tatoo on your arm or the flag around your neck to know that you are Puerto Rican--no one is going to take that away from you. You will still be Puerto Rican if someone mistakes you for a Cuban, Costa Rican, Mexican, or any other nationality.
Case in Point, I have been asked if I was Haitian, Trinidadian, East Indian, Creole, or a latina. I simply tell people that I am African American. And when they say where are my parents from, I say here, the United States. And when they say what island were you born on, I simply say Manhattan.
No one will ever take away who I am. No one can get into a long drawn out conversation about their lineage--when they do, the sound pretty silly.
Another example for the mentally challenged (LOL); a coworker said that he can trace his lineage back to the pilgrims. Technically, so can I. When you go that far back, you are literally related to millions of people. What does that mean you ask? It means absolutely nothing. You can no more claim that accomplishment (if you choose to call it that) than I can claim the accomplishments of MLK. We can all be proud (if there is something to be proud of) but ask yourself, what is the use of going into an exhaustive discussion about one's ancestoral or their racial makeup? One is just as assinine as the other.
Siddity, I have to give it to you - you always have interesting topics. I discovered you a few months ago, and you've got me hooked.
Keep up the good work!
As to your topic, people can call themselves anything they want. However, if society has reached concensus that certain physical characteristics make you Black or White or Asian, then that is how you will be classified.
I remember this dark-skinned man (of Caribbean descent), who tried to claim that he was of mixed Afro-Irish heritage. Sad to say, my co-workers and I had a good laugh at his expense. We were trying to figure out how far back in his past did we have to go to find his "Irishness". But, who knows, maybe his Momma was Irish and he just took after his Dad. Who knows?
I simply tell people that I am African American. And when they say where are my parents from, I say here, the United States. And when they say what island were you born on, I simply say Manhattan.
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I agree completely with what you said moviegirl, especially the above. I am born in America and I use Black and African American interchangeably. I never go into my cultural background--excluding the anonymity of the internet. I really am very proud of my heritage and being black to me encapsulates so many powerful things.
"Did he say he was biracial, or did you just make the assumption based upon his features?"
He is definitely biracial by his features. He has freakles too. He speaks, for luck of a better word, "white". He warmed up to me immediately since I am the only black person in the class. he acted like he knew me from before which made me think he identifies as black. Only black people (the friendly ones)will do that.
He is very attractive and there were all these white girls falling all over him but since he warmed up to me, they backed off. Its hillarious watching them. Normally I steer far from black males (AAs) because of the perceptions I have formed by observing them and their attitudes towards black women. But I think Biracial males in their identity struggle tend to have a different attitude towards darker skinned women. So we are buddies now.
"Hey! Didn't you know all "people of color" are all together and against evil whitey? Duh!"
That is the most untrue assumption. With the pecking order among people of color there can never be unity for a common cause. Just look at what the Hispanic leaders keep puking.
Their strategy is so stupid, instead of going after whitey, that wronged them, they are busy shitting on black folk, that are victims themselves. At this rate the complete evolution of the species will take place before they make any progress.
I was just joking Grata.
Ethnic White Woman" with her Mariah Carey type looks. She's married to my husband's brother and considers the kids to be White. But it doesn't matter as much in the UK. They aren't as, in her words, "race-obsessed" as we are here.
If they weren't obsessed with race, why does she care to identify herself as a white woman, and refer to her kids as white, isn't she "equally both"?
Well, she had issues with her Jamaican Mom, but she adored her White Father, so that may have something to do with it. Nevertheless, I consider my sons to be multiracial as well as multicultural. Being married to someone from a different country sort of makes me feel responsible to not leave that out. I've definitely had the "What are they?" question asked of me and some people who have mistaken me for their nanny. Society may see them as Black, I'm sure, but they know that they have a Polish Brit for a Father and a Jamaican/African/Irish/Native American mother otherwise known as Black. My husband doesn't really see the boys as Black, but he knows that other White people will.
@ moviegirl,
Cosign to your entire post. I believe very strongly in the power to self-identify, and I have many friends in the multiracial rights movement, so I try to be very respectful of their demands to determine for themselves how they wish to identify racially. However, for me, black has always been about a mixed heritage, and the embracing of a diversity of hues, hair textures, eye colors and skin tones. I am by no means denying the colorism within the community. But overall, it was the black community that embraced, raised and nurtured the multiracial people in American society since its inception.
My children will be multiracial, as am I. They may identify however they choose when the time comes. But I will not raise them with rose-colored glasses about the state of race relations today, in this or any other country. I find it laughable that people are always trying to laud European, Latin American and South American approaches to race over the US. Take a good look at Brazil, the Dominican Republic, the UK, or Germany, and tell me those countries don't have their own complicated racial legacies to untangle. More of us know and acknowledge our history here, and sorry, but subscribing to the "one-drop rule", or theory, or however you term it, wasn't a matter of choice. It is de facto now rather than de jure, but still powerful and entrenched in the way we approach race in the US.
Obama has described himself as an "African American of mixed race". Aside from the fact that this describes most of us who are descended from slaves and not immigrants, it also seems like a pretty emcompassing and inclusive way of identifying. If my children choose similar words, I'll be pretty pleased with them.
"I was just joking Grata."
Got it.
I think white power will be around as long as there are white people but so will the struggles against it.
LEave the computer for a couple days and you go and get carried away.... Man am I late to the party.
Sid, I encourage you before having children to think long and hard about this stuff, and most importantly talk with your husband about these specific issues.
Yes society will see your children one way, but they will not be primarily "society's" kids, they will be yours.
Parents have an obligation to prepare children for what they will encounter in society, but how that child really sees themselves will initially come from you. If society views your kids as black it is important for you to decide if you agree. If you do, then fine, go on about your black kids business. If you do not agree than you have the opportunity to help this little person understand who they are on BOTH sides.
My daughter identified color on her own as early as two years old. She has not yet placed a value on color (she is 4 1/2)and my wife and I are doing our best to give her an appreciation of both sides BEFORE society attempts to step in and impose those color values on her.
This is important enough to us that it becomes an unusually large part of our decision making process as in where we live, where she will go to school, what we teach at home. We want the kids to have real and valuable interraction with both races early and often. We want the kids to have real life context with which to evaluate what they see happen in the world.
There is a lot wrong with society when it comes to race and while I have a paramount responsibility to prepare the kids for that, I have an even bigger obligation not to contribute to it.
However, for me, black has always been about a mixed heritage, and the embracing of a diversity of hues, hair textures, eye colors and skin tones.
That is my point. We are already mixed, why further define blackness? We have been mixed since we got here, and starting mixing on the way over here on the ships.
More of us know and acknowledge our history here, and sorry, but subscribing to the "one-drop rule", or theory, or however you term it, wasn't a matter of choice. It is de facto now rather than de jure, but still powerful and entrenched in the way we approach race in the US.
Yay, I am not making this up in my head :) I am glad that people are not assuming I am trying to make my children part of the Children's Black Panther Party, but rather encompassing them into a society that views them in a certain way, and in a culture that has always been multiracial.
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Parents have an obligation to prepare children for what they will encounter in society, but how that child really sees themselves will initially come from you. If society views your kids as black it is important for you to decide if you agree. If you do, then fine, go on about your black kids business. If you do not agree than you have the opportunity to help this little person understand who they are on BOTH sides.
Proclaiming that society will deem a biracial child as black is not about denying sides. It is about questioning why there is a need to make the definition of biracial, when most blacks are multiracial and of mixed race already. Octoroon and Quadroon folks of the past who were biologically overwhelmingly white, were still considered part of black culture and we consider their accomplishments as our own, and I am sure at the time they didn't object to being called negro or colored, even though they knew, as well as the people applauding them knew they weren't 100% black.
Also note that within black culture there is a racial hierarchy, lighter usually meant more successful and wealthier and many times those same people would discriminate against the darker hued people. We did this in our HBCUs, or sororities and fraternities, and within our social circles. The Jack and Jills, the Links, the Blue Vein societies existed for years under the paper bag tests. That mentality within the community has caused animosity and great heartache. So to add insult to injury we now have people that for the majority of the history in America proclaim themselves to be no longer black, but rather a whole different race baffles me. It to me rings of the new "paper bag" test. The how mixed are you test. You are just "regular" black, but I am not black at all mentality. I refuse for my kids to contribute and embrace that mentality.
Hey Sid,
I think the people who are arguing with you really do not have a concept of race in this country how painful it has been for many american blacks. They have no idea what Jack and Jill is or the paper bag test (you couldn't get into a social club if you were darker than a paper bag). They don't understand how parents would pair children together who were light just so they could breed the "darkies" out of the family. Did anyone see the movie "The Wedding" with Halle Berry? I think that's what it's called. No one wants to go back there. Many mothers who have "mixed" children really don't understand that all this has happened before and it has ripped families apart.
If you have a family where one child is brown and the other is much lighter, do we put one child into the "mixed" category and label the other black like they did in South Africa with the "coloreds?" Is that the answer? Surely, you can't deny that these children have the same genes. Would that make most of your feel better? We need to redefine what it means to be an african american. It means that you will be mixed--maybe one day we'll all be just American but that won't happen when half the world still equate american with White. I say get rid of the word White. I honestly hate it. It means nothing. It's an invention of a bunch of Rich British windbags. I'd rather people be more specific--Black Irish would take on a whole different meaning, LOL.
I'm also tired of the mainstream media and elite painting poor white people as the ones who are the most bigoted ones. They aren't the ones who thought up and put segregation and slavery in practice. There have always been black and Irish communities, one of the most famous ones being Seneca Village. Oh the rich didn't like that, so they bulldozed the homes and made a park because the City needed a park. They built Central Park on top of a cementary. People lived there. Anyway, I digress.
To make a long story short, I can't argue that people should have the right to self identify --I totally agree with that, but let's not conjure up fantansies people. You don't want your children to end up like Rashida and Kidada Jones--hope I spelled it correctly. Their mother didn't teach them about how to face discrimination or how to deal with it. So Rashida, who has green eyes and blonde hair identified with her Jewish/white side and Kidada who has brown skin and eyes identified with her black side (Qunicy Jones). (BTW, they both looked black.) And the two of them resented the other for years. Neither had a good sense of self.
I don't want my children to resent each other or me. First comes the history lesson and what not to do. And to always be proud of who they are.
Ok, that was a little disjointed but hopefully conherent. Sorry that was more of a stream of consciousness rant.
I cringe when people make such a big deal over the complexion and hair texture of my sons. I don't want them to be objectified or think they are better than Black children who look Black. The 5-year-old is starting to recognize it and I tell him that he's just as beautiful as any other child and I tell him that he's smart as well. Unfortunately, it is other Black people who do this more than White people and it annoys me to no end.
Damn, you got some good comments on this post! I might be really fair skinned, but both of my parents are Black. I think that with the whole "biracial" crap that people are raising children who are not a full part of any race or ethnicity! And, I think if this crap keeps going with further generations, we just might wind up with a problem like Brazil: fifty-leven different racial categories on our census and no one knowing what their true heritage really means.
But hey, what do I know, Im just Black, lol
L
Just a quick thought but the essence of the One Drop Rule has nothing to do with what heritages you have. The One Drop Rule was done to 1) maintain the continuation of slave labor in America since people could no longer import African slaves. 2) Not being able to inherit the white father's wealth. 3) Promote the racist ideology of White purity. 4)Maintain the social and economic structure of white privilege. One Drop Rule has nothing to do with heritage but everything to do with power and resource allocation in this country.
Being called "Black" should bring up the question of What it means to be "White" in America. There is an idealistic thought out there that maybe a multiracial category or whatever category other than black that maybe white privilege will lessen or the ideology of white purity will be erased or bridge the divide but we see Latin America is much more mixed and yet the elite is still majority European descent & they still hold most of the economic power, in addition to extreme colorism (Watch any Latin Channel/Movie).
It's not the categories that is the problem, it's the association or stigma that comes with it. Starkitty said: "I cringe when people make such a big deal over the complexion and hair texture of my sons. I don't want them to be objectified or think they are better than Black children who look Black". Good point which brings up the question why no one seems to be questioning or at least challenging why a skin color/tone regardless of heritages evokes an association or stigma that may determine how someone's life plays out.
Watch Tim Wise on White Privilege
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Xe1kX7Wsc
wow, there's a lot of ignorance going on here. biracial people call themselves biracial, in the case of black and white, because they are BOTH. i am both. to say that i am just black would be to discount half of my family which is ridiculous. i don't give a damn what society thinks. my father is white so i'm biracial.
it's really funny to me to see a bunch of people who have two black parents try to decide what to call someone who doesn't.
ridiculous!
wow, there's a lot of ignorance going on here. biracial people call themselves biracial, in the case of black and white, because they are BOTH. i am both. to say that i am just black would be to discount half of my family which is ridiculous. i don't give a damn what society thinks. my father is white so i'm biracial.
it's really funny to me to see a bunch of people who have two black parents try to decide what to call someone who doesn't.
ridiculous!
Yes niki you figured it out, all the people here talking have two black parents, none of us are multiracial at all, miscegenation didn't occur until the year you were born.
We are all black, we are all ignorant, and we know nothing of race relations. I guess when my great grandmothers identified as black, when in fact they were only 1/8 black and overwhelmingly white, they did so out of ignorance.
oh siddity please...
which race someone chooses to identify with is their own business. it doesn't matter to me which race your great grandmothers decided to identify with. what i'm saying is that it's truly ignorant for anyone to debate on whether or not a person of mixed race should call themselves biracial. who are you to tell me what i am and what to call myself?
another thing that really trips me out about this entire debate that "society" says/believes a whole lotta shit about blacks and every other race and we are constantly fighting stereotypes, but when it comes to a mixed race child all of a sudden it's our own brothas and sistas telling us to bow down and accept what "society" calls us. are you serious?
but you know, this is something that you will probably never truly understand, but honey, once you have your own biracial children, they'll get it. i have to agree with anonymous poster: "So Siditty, you may have control over your children while they're young, but once they hit that adult age you're not going to have any say over their identity and how they choose to live their lives anymore. Got it? A mixed person is mixed, not one race. End of story."
which race someone chooses to identify with is their own business. it doesn't matter to me which race your great grandmothers decided to identify with.
That is the whole point Niki, they didn't get to choose their race, it was done for them by law, until the 1960s even if you weren't 25% black, you were still black by law. Do you think they got to sit in the front of the bus or the back. Those who did get to "choose" did so by passing, which meant giving up friends and family so they could be white. So if that is choice so be it.
another thing that really trips me out about this entire debate that "society" says/believes a whole lotta shit about blacks and every other race and we are constantly fighting stereotypes, but when it comes to a mixed race child all of a sudden it's our own brothas and sistas telling us to bow down and accept what "society" calls us. are you serious?
But you aren't black, why would we be your brothers and sisters. I never said you couldn't identify as you want, what I did say was that in America, it doesn't matter how white one parent is, if you are perceived as black, they will treat you as black, which unfortunately in American society is different than how white people are treated.
you know you just contradicted yourself, right? you said, "they didn't get to choose their race, it was done for them by law, until the 1960s even if you weren't 25% black, you were still black by law...Those who did get to "choose" did so by passing."
but anyway, i never once said i'm not black. i said i'm black and white.
Niki,
How did I contradict myself? By saying some folks passed? You are really ignorant on American history. For those who got caught passing, many times they were lynched, beaten, and arrested for doing so. If that to you was an acceptable option in terms of choosing race, I can't have a rational conversation with you.
but anyway, i never once said i'm not black. i said i'm black and white.
But you did say you weren't black. You were upset that people would have the audacity to call you black.
maybe you need the definition of biracial so you'll have a better understanding of your future children:
consisting of, representing, or combining members of two separate races.
i never said i was upset that someone had the audacity to call me black. what comment are you reading? i said nobody can tell me whether or not i can call myself biracial.
you even replied to a commenter and said, "My children will be biracial..."
and yes siditty, i'm so glad that you are here to enlighten me on our country's racial history. girl, please. it just amazes me that such an angry black woman would dare marry a white man. thank goodness for loving vs. virginia, huh? ;)
@Niki,
Unfortunately based on your posts, the only ignorant one right now is you for making asinine assumptions of other posters as well as trying to discount the original blogger's experiences, feelings, and opinions about a particular subject that will personally affect her.
maybe you need the definition of biracial so you'll have a better understanding of your future children: consisting of, representing, or combining members of two separate races.
Niki,
I am well aware of the definitions of biracial. What you fail to realize is that most people aren't 2 SEPARATE races. Most people are a mixture, in particular black people. We aren't 100% black in most cases if we have slave ancestry.
you even replied to a commenter and said, "My children will be biracial..." and yes siditty, i'm so glad that you are here to enlighten me on our country's racial history. girl, please. it just amazes me that such an angry black woman would dare marry a white man. thank goodness for loving vs. virginia, huh? ;)
Yes, it is obvious you missed the point of the post. I realize my children will be half black and half white, no one denies that, but with the current racial constructs of our country, they will be seen as black, no matter how pale their father is. They will be treated as non-white aka other in this society, and I don't plan to sugar coat that to them. Races in America are treated vastly different. I am not going to pretend otherwise. You can choose to pretend racism in America doesn't exist and that blacks are still lamenting over slavery (which is a typical racist sentiment), but I am not going to pretend the subsequent Jim Crow laws of systematic, legal racism did not exist, nor am I going to pretend that legacy of slavery and Jim Crow has not had a severe effect on race relations and the black community. So obviously you needed the history lesson as you are spouting off the same ignorant stuff a person in the KKK would talk about.
I dare marry a white man because, I can, I want to, and I did. I also hope to make children with him, and I hope those children aren't self hating and ashamed to be black.
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Unfortunately based on your posts, the only ignorant one right now is you for making asinine assumptions of other posters as well as trying to discount the original blogger's experiences, feelings, and opinions about a particular subject that will personally affect her.
Thank you Kat :)
Siditty, you did make some very valid points...but I also have to agree with what Niki said.
I also wonder why some people continue to talk about Jack and Jill, slavery, and lynching. I know that what I'm about to say will probably have everyone jumping down my throat but I'll say it anyway.
How are events of the past (despite their significance in a historical context) relevant to the way biracial/multiracial people identify themselves in TODAY'S world? I'm sick of hearing about the slave master, etc. Surely you realize that not all of us came about that way, don't you? In any case, that was then...this is 2008.
I'm aware that most people of African decent in colonized parts of the globe are also somewhat "mixed". But the fact is that for some of us biracial/multiracial people with RECENT and OBVIOUS admixture, there are differences in our experiences that you won't be able to relate to.
If you appear to be ethnically ambiguous, you will most often have a different experience in life than someone who appears to be nothing but black. And this experience will not necessarily be a positive one either.
This is what bothers me about racial discussions with some people...they seem to feel like they are the voice of authority when it comes to another individual's identity.
When will people realize that how I (and other people of mixed race) identify is NONE of their business? It is a personal concept shaped by an INDIVIDUAL and his/her environment, experiences, etc. That is what it comes down to.
No one has the right to tell somebody else who they are or what you *think* they are.
I notice that when biracial or multiracial people seem to show the slightest acknowledgment of anything besides blackness, there is a problem. Suddenly people feel the need to try to put you in your perceived "place". As if to say: "How dare you call yourself anything but black...you should be ashamed!"
I see that a lot of people on this blog seem to have that attitude. You're certainly entitled to your opinions, but that doesn't invalidate what many people of VISIBLE mixed heritage often deal with. No one can tell me that my life experiences have not been real. No one will ever be able to dismiss or diminish my multiracial heritage again because they feel uncomfortable with the thought that they can't stick me into some box.
Sorry if you're offended by that. *shrugs*
I am a bi racial----oh I mean multi-ethnic woman. We rarely discussed my Native American heritage except to say that I am the direct descendant of Pocahontas. As a child, I was born into the heat the heart and the hell of a world bent on inflicting pain on those who were not white - and on whites who chose to support them. At a very young age I witnessed and felt the pains of vile racial hatred. I lived in fear and I was often ridiculed and taunted for my strange appearance and African blood. During the 60's I became part of a new movement toward civil rights being a teen at that time I allowed my anger, shame and rage to become unleashed nearly destroying me. It was necessary to my later survival however. From the time of my birth I had felt the pain of being considered African American. Not only was my family harassed, I often found myself surrounded by angry whites because my mother would take me to places that were predominately white. Many of those Whites had never seen a person of color - not even on T.V. They often stared and glared at me. Later, when my family moved to a predominantly African American community I was glad to be part of a movement working toward change, but; I was also often taunted and left out. I became a renagade. I ran away from home and hung with people much older than myself - people who didn't consider me a half breed or look at me and always see the other hated color. I grew up much too fast. During the 90's most looked at me and saw an Arab or other Middle Easterner. Once again I felt the lash of racial hatred. Some thought I was Mexican and that I should just go home to Mexico. I felt alienated in my own country. Now, I'm often told that I have benefits as a light skinned African American woman. I'm told this and picked on constantly. I don't see the benefits. Even some of my own White relatives told me on several occasions that I should not aspire to much. After all.......I'll never have.....I dream too much. I watched African Americans and Whites with my education and training success. Whites- Well, because they're white. African Americans because as a group a select few are experiencing the fruits of their hard work - finally. I am told that I am Black and yes, I have experienced the pains of being African American in a country that would not accept - but rather despise me. I've also been told that African Americans should not have to accept me If Whites don't . They've said that it would be an insult to say that if I have 1/2 Black blood I'm Black. I would never be considered "Black Enough" to be a leader in the Black community. Whites often see me as strange exotic fruit...not part of their pedigree. It's odd, but I have experienced the hatred and racism of all....
"It is about questioning why there is a need to make the definition of biracial, when most blacks are multiracial and of mixed race already."
Ofcourse people can identify as they choose. The only thing I do not understand is how not calling yourself "biracial," or "black," or "white," somehow equates to the denial of one's parent. You can call yourself beige and still claim both parents as your own. A label does not change who your parent is or what your lineage is. A label is just that, a label. I may be called "Jones," and claim my father's name, but does that mean I'm not a Smith just because i don't call myself "Smith-Jones???" But, regardless, people should identify however they're comfortable.
I think it's weird that Bliss said she doesn't reserve the right to call herself black and then she said something along the lines of saying that to be black is not just to say it but to live it. What did she mean by that? What does it mean to "live black"?
I think it's weird that Bliss said she doesn't reserve the right to call herself black and then she said something along the lines of saying that to be black is not just to say it but to live it. What did she mean by that? What does it mean to "live black"?
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