So America, What Is Wrong With Identifying As Biracial?
In the photo above do you see a white man, a black woman and black children? Well, by most United States’ standards the answer to the question is yes but from this seat I see an interracial couple with biracial children. The young boy may be of the same complexion as the mother but the fact that his father is white should classify him as biracial. Biracial, defined as “concerning or containing members of two racial groups” is a term that is not really acknowledged by a lot of Americans. As I am a biracial son to a black mother and white father I am about to personally explore the issues of being biracial, identifying as such yet being perceived as black as I take a deep breath.
Let me give you some background on myself. As I mentioned in the first post I was born, raised and lived in The Bahamas up until the age of twenty-five. Things are just so different back there when it comes to race. I remember as a little child always being questioned, “Is that your father?” My father is much older so that paired with race created confusion for people. I was teased and called “white boy” for the way I acted, spoke and because I was not of a dark or brown skin complexion. My parents never once sat me down for a discussion about race but by both parents being in my life I acknowledge them both and identify with both.
I attended a small elementary and middle school owned by a nice white lady from South Carolina where the majority of students were of expatriates(predominantly white). Now that I look back I can say I understand inclusion, I understand mixing. Of course I would move on from that school and environment to a private high school that was predominantly black. Even though the environment was completely different not much was mentioned about my race so here too I felt included.
Now I am here in the United States, New York City to be exact. So let us explore biracial in this great ol’ nation.
The One-Drop Rule
The one-drop rule which was an extension of the Jim Crow laws of racial segregation stated that if you as a person have an ancestor that is black you are considered to be African American. Also, in the United States, one is racially labeled by one’s appearance rather than what the person’s parents are. Fast forward to present time and this mentality still exists:
“We black Americans have this chip on our shoulder (placed there by white America) that makes us think that biracial people who identify as biracial are somehow ashamed of their blackness. We’re hyper-sensitive about the issue because we think they’re denying their blackness or are trying to pass.”
Preach that gospel Ms. Eromosele because for me it has nothing to do with wanting to be white, I have no desire to be classified as white nor I am I trying to deny being black. I just find it so interesting that African Americans who have been oppressed by White America continue to perpetuate this social construct. Also, I experienced a situation where a person asked me my background and I explained to him that I was biracial. He replied, “You’re black, it doesn’t matter, you’re black.” I wanted to tell him about his ass but not because of him telling me I am black; that was not an insult, a non-issue. The annoyance developed after me telling him how I identified he completely disregards what I said and labels me how he sees fit. Unfortunately, this is the way of the world.
Self Awareness
Now, I can sit here and type away about how I want to be viewed but I am also a very realistic and an aware individual. I know I am perceived as a “light-skinned” black person, “high yella” if you will. I know in the wrong place at the wrong time I could be shot while unarmed. An old acquaintance of mine would say every time he moved into a new neighborhood he would introduce himself to the police officers. That way if he was ever shot they would at least know his name. As shocking a statement as that is I share those sentiments. You see there are some people who want peace if they were to be killed, not me, burn down the entire city.
Why Not Black, Why Biracial?
“As a biracial person of color, I’d like to state that for the record, identifying as Biracial is about as anti-Black as claiming that Black Lives Matter is anti-white.”
That quote alone packs all the punch of a single article. It was taken from a Huffington Post article (Being Biracial: Our Identity Should Not Be on Trial). Identifying as biracial has everything to do with my relationship with my parents.
My father, a white American man was my world before he passed and to this day is still my superhero. My mother, who I love dearly is a black Bahamian woman and as much as we clash we share many of the same world views. To be honest, I identify more with my black side because it is just the effect on me of growing up in an environment where racially and culturally, the majority is black. At times when I speak so strongly about being biracial people wonder why I just do not identify with black. Yes, if I was raised by only my mother it would be easy to do that but I have a connection with both of my parents; both are apart of me and to disregard one is disrespectful, in my opinion.
At the same time I want to be respectful to those who may have white somewhere in their genealogy and appear more white yet identify as black. Also, the same amount of respect is extended to those who are in an interracial relationship and is raising their child to identify as one race; specifically, the talented actress Tracee Ellis Ross comes to mind; she is biracial but identifies as black. I know the country we live in so I more than understand a parent wanting his or her child to adapt to the environment.
Portrayal Of Biracial In America’s Media
For the most part there is no such thing as biracial in American media, you are either one or the other and anyone who tries to identify as biracial is given the side eye. In the classic movie Imitation Of Life, released in 1959, Susan Kohner plays a biracial character who struggles with her African American background; here is a full white lady being passed off as biracial. Then in a similar situation, the biracial and insanely gorgeous Ashley Stevens of Greek and The Carmichael Show is passed off as a black girl in the show. In mainstream advertisements in fashion, beauty and whatever else there are usually two white guys or girls and then this one biracial person being passed off as black. For goodness sake where are the beautiful black people of darker complexion? Give me a Naomi Campbell, a Lupita Nyong’o or a Shameik Moore. This is not to take away from fair-skinned black people, my issue is using biracial people and telling the public that is the norm for one race.
President Barack Obama
Yes, I am about to go there. When the great President Barack Obama was campaigning for the Democrat nomination it was made clear that he was biracial (a white mother and a black father). As he garnered the attention of the American public all of a sudden he was marketed and labeled as black by mainstream media. Yes, upon initial glance President Obama’s features are black(brown skin, bigger nose and lips) and his demeanor is “black” but as I mentioned before I see race based on what your parents are. Listen, I absolutely understand that the United States of America needed this, for history and the black people. I am definitely not saying it is wrong and the light that he has put in the eyes of many young black men is amazing. I just found it very interesting because while I do see Obama as the first President of color I would not necessarily refer to him as JUST black.
Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan-Zuckerberg and Maxima Zuckerberg
Not Just Black and White
This goes both literally and figuratively as in the United States race always seems to be just about White and African American when race is such a grey topic. Pictured above is Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg, his lovely Asian wife and beautiful biracial daughter. Yes, biracial is more than this endless debate of who is black or white in America. The funny thing about race in the United States and the rest of the world is race, in the US, is by the color of your skin where as internationally there are Latinos, Asians, South Asians, Middle Eastern and Native American. These ethnic groups are classified more by their geographical location because if I were to translate these ethnic groups into skin color it would range between brown, red and yellow. Sometimes we just need to step back to refresh our perspective.
Race Not Nationality
Since moving to New York City I have heard mixed, black but of all that I was addressed with the most, it is Dominican. I just mentioned how outside of the United States, people identify more with the geographical location than the color of their skin. Oh the Latinos, one thing you do not do is call them black, especially Dominicans and Puerto Ricans. I have watched from a distance a few times and see a Dominican nearly explode for being called black. I am not too sure what the offence is but my best guess is there is a stigma attached to the African American community. I want to sit here and say Dominican is the nationality and black is your race but then again race in the United States is not race in the world.
Okay, I am exhausted, I am all raced out. I have never addressed or had to put race in such context until I moved here. One again, like I always state, race in the United States is a sensitive topic and it will always be a topic to tread respectfully around/on. I will finish this up by saying, I have dreams and goals to do well in life, as most of you do. Why is it that I will not be able to just be a person who does well and wants to claim both his white and black side? What am I taking away from any of the free American public who is able to achieve just as much as I can, with all social situations considered? Well I tell you one thing, I refuse to disregard the race of one of my parents just because of how John Q. Public perceives me.
Thank you to my fellow biracial people for allowing me to use their photos: (Photoed Left to Right: Leeza Glinton with Susan Glinton(mother), Jahan Sharif, Kelly Kincaid-Lemmers, Michelle Kincaid-Major, Linnea Chisholm, Basil Taikai Kawano-Vlack, Brittany Hepple and Cameron Hepple.)
