The BN Village - View Single Post - WHAT DO WE REALLY THINK OF MIXED RACE/BIRACIAL PEOPLE?

TheDogon · (#101 (**permalink**))

*CUTIE* wrote:

Quote:

I do not see mixed-race people as black or white, they are mixed! They don't belong to either 'side' for want of a better word. Some may choose to identify themselves as black or white, but that is their choice, not ours. Why are we so caught up in trying to classify mixed-race people? That's for them to work out and conclude for themselves, isn't there enough going on within the black race for us to contend with without us taking up the issues of others? We also forget mixed race doesn't neccessarily relate to products of black/white relationships. Mixed race defines the union of any two or more different races. If a mixedperson(black/white in this instance) wants to define themself as and embrace their black side, culture, heritage, good for them and the same for the other way round. We are so quick to judge, but we are all secure in our own race and identity, can we begin to comprehend what a struggle it may or not be to be stuck in the middle only belonging partially and never fully to any race? Incidentally white doesn't mean white, it's not as straight cut as that, no matter what they like to think. I'm sure you've all heard of throw backs - blond blue eyed woman has brown skinned child for instance? I also watched a programme recently called 100% british wherea number of supposedly 'pure white' british people were given intensive DNA tests and it transpired their DNA contained percentages of afican, asian, oriental, south american and southern european ancestry.......so the argument continues confused3

We talk about this because the mixed-race identity strikes at the heart of African-American Culture. Perhaps other Africans don't have to worry about this. But we do. We have to figure this one out.

What I am afraid will happen. . .and it probably will, is that African-Americans will stop identifying with any mixed-race person. Because some mixed-race people have stopped identifying with African-Americans.

You see, African-Americans by definition are mixed. We are the sons and daughters of "Black" female slaves. . .and "White" maleslave masters. That's our identity. We could not join with "Whites", so we formed our own identity, from what we could remember as Africans and what we could scrap together here.

That identity became our present culture. Now we have another group that wants to split off again and create another identity halfway between "White" and African-American (which is already mixed).

That's something to think about.

What is that saying?

What history do these people honor?

What culture?

What experience?

Here we are. . .trying to become more African and this other identity is pulling the other way.

Race is simply a statement by "Whites" that defines "White"and non-"White". It doesn't do a damn thing to define non-"Whites" no matter how mixed they are. I don't think "Mixed" people (those who id as "Mixed")really understand that.