A common myth about persons who chooses to identify as Multiracial or Biracial is that we are trying to "escape", and "downplay"our African American/Black heritage in an effort to identify as more Caucasian. We are not denying that may be the case for some, but for the majority of us, this is not true. The purpose of this blog is to promote education about the multiracial community, and dispel any myths that are blemishing mixed race identity. The following are some common tools used by those who want to discourage persons with African American/Black ancestry from identifying as Multiracial. Thanks to all who contributed to this blog!
Tactic #1 "Society sees you as "Black"
"Society", "Society", "Society". This is one of the most common tactics of discouragement. How often do folks bring this up when referencing to race? "Society" also sees Black people as the N word, lazy, ghetto, gang bangers, etc. Society says Latino people have multiple babies, cannot speak English, and are illegal immigrants that "swam" from Mexico. Society also constantly incorrectly refers to Latino as a race when in fact it is an ethnicity! Society also says anyone over 110 lbs is overweight, people over 40 are "over the hill". Does that mean its true because "society" says so? NO!
Who IS this "society" by the way? Aren't the 8 million people who identify themselves as multiracial/biracial in the U.S. part of "society"? Society tends to contradict themselves often. For example are Blondes dumb? Or do they have more fun? If "society" doesn't control, what we eat, wear, or live, then why should it control how we identify racially? Are you doing anything to help change society, or are you holding on to a racist rule because you believe it benefits your community?
And furthermore George Lopez (as it was revealed on his own show "Lopez Tonight" (December 2009) after taking a DNA test he is 4% Sub-Saharan African). In Latina Magazine, it was also revealed that Eva Longoria is 4% Sub Saharan African via DNA testing. So if the rule is if you have one drop of Black blood then you are Black, and George and Eva have more than a "drop". Is "society" going to see them as Black now? Heather Locklear, Carly Simon, Carol Channing, Mark Sailing, and Wentworth Miller etc have known black heritage but they are not necessarily seen as Black, even though there would be nothing wrong with it if that were the case.
Lastly, 61% of Hispanics and 55% of White Americans classify Obama as biracial when they are told that he has a white mother, while 66% of African Americans consider him black (BBS News)
Forum: How Whites View Biracial's
Tactic #2 A Black family will embrace a biracial/multiracial person more so than a White (or other race) family.
Do we know every family across globe? Nope. This depends on the family. Barack Obama was raised by his White mom/grandparents, who loved and embraced him.
Others include: Alicia Keys (raised by her White mother), Mariah Carey (raised by her White mother), Mya (raised by her White mother), Halle Berry (raised by her White mother). Try again.
Tactic #3 White people created the One Drop Rule, not Blacks.
True enough, however why are many African Americans referencing to and embracing a rule they did not create? Do we embrace slavery and segregation because Whites created it? Do we want to be slaves and not be able to eat in certain restaurants again? Just like slavery and segregation was abolished so was to One Drop Rule. Just like slavery and segregation were created to attack the Black race, so was the One Drop Rule. So why would anyone want to embrace something that was created by a racist person? Because it is easier to embrace the One Drop Rule, because it appears that it only affects those who want to identify as Multiracial even though its origins were to again to hurt Black Americans, especially in holding political positions, because if a Multiracial person with Black ancestry held a high office position then there was a likelihood that person would implement procedures that would be beneficial to Black Americans. Therefore implementing the one drop rule was an attempt to prevent that.
Tactic #4 White people will NEVER accept you as fully White
Who says we are seeking to be "fully White"? Multiracial does NOT mean only White. Identifying as Multiracial is not saying or wanting to be fully White. We are not waiting on the "seal of approval" to be accepted as biracial/multiracial. We are not seeking societal acceptance so to speak, but rather equal recognition. However, acceptance comes on a case-by-case basis, not as a whole. Also what about Black people saying public figures like Barack Obama, and Nicole Richie who have identified themselves as Black on multiple occasions for not being "Black enough" and even going so far as to refer to them as "white washed"? Furthermore are Black and Asian persons seeking to be "fully White", even though they may not have White ancestry? Multiracial and Biracial persons extend beyond just Black and White.
Tactic #5 Calling yourself Biracial or Multiracial is distancing yourself from being Black
Just one question: How are we distancing ourselves when we are CLEARLY stating we are BLACK and White, BLACK and LATINO, BLACK and ASIAN? We are still calling ourselves Black, BUT we are adding our other heritages along with it. Its not distancing ourselves, we are embracing everything, because fact of the matter is, most people are Multiracial, but they just don't identify with it.
Tactic #5 200 years ago you would have been a slave too.
Sure in the southern region of the United States, where slavery primarily existed but its not 200 years ago, nor do Multiracial people only exist in the U.S., so why be insistent on staying stuck in the past? While we do not want to forget what our ancestors had to endure, wants wrong with wanting to evolve? Isn't that what they would have wanted us to do? Furthermore Norris Wright Cuney the fourth child of wealthy White plantation owner/senator Colonel Philip Cuney, and Adeline Stuart, (one of his slaves) was born into slavery though he was never made to serve as such. While we should never, ever forget our ancestors and what they had to endure, we should not embrace the torture they encountered. If we choose to embrace the racist one drop rules, then we might as well embrace the aspect of slavery, segregation and other racist laws, and tactics that were used against Blacks. If we are going to embrace the one drop rule, then we might as well embrace separate water fountains. We cannot effectively denounce racism, if we are supporting characteristics of it, and that includes one drop.
Tactic #6 All Black people are mixed/Black people come in all colors
Well aren't Black people identifying themselves with the wrong race then? Shouldn't all African Americans identify as biracial, multiracial or Mixed, instead as African American or Black? Choosing to Identify as biracial or multiracial or even monorace is not solely based on genetics, but rather personal experiences that have shaped us. One multiracial person may feel more closely rooted to their Black side, and therefore they may identify as Black, no problem there. Another multiracial person may feel a connection with more than one racial background or perhaps their White/Asian/Latino/Native American side more and thus identifies themselves as biracial or multiracial. Regardless where is the "wrong" in any of it? And in regards to Black people coming in all colors, so do other racial groups.
Tactic #7 The Media calls people "Asian", "Latino" or "Black" not Biracial or Multiracial
WRONG! On Tuesday February 9, 2011 episode of "Inside Edition", reporters specifically called Halle Berry's daugther "Biracial".
On Wednesday episode of "Issues/Jane Velez-Mitchell", the host specifically stated why does Halle Berry's daugther have to choose whether she is Black or White when she is BOTH!
In an article published in thestar.com the site refers to Esperanza Spalding Best New Artist Grammy winner as "Biracial".
In the film "The Other Guys" Derek Jeter is referred to as "A Biracial Angel".
List is increasing...
Tactic# 8 "These so-called Multiracial people" will still be affected by racial profiling because if you look Black you will be treated as Black"
All racial groups experience racism in some form. There is no way for anyone to escape it. We are not identifying as Multiracial because we feel we are going to "dodge" racism. There is not one racial group on Earth that has not encountered racism. Unfortunately racism still exists, and Multiracial persons do not have the misconception that we are going to be "exempt" from it as long as we identify as such. In fact many of us have experienced increased racism due to being rejected from ALL sides. In addition a person identifying as Multiracial or Biracial is not always based on appearance it is based on personal experiences in relation to their genetic makeup. We are fully aware that Multiracial is not a get out of jail free card from racism.
Tactic #9 Identifying as Biracial or Multiracial is diminishing the number of Blacks/African Americans in society, ultimately decreasing affirmative action programs.
Persons who identify as Gay/Lesbian are not decreasing the number of heterosexual couples in society, so why would persons identifying as Biracial or Multiracial persons decrease the number of African Americans? When people "passed" for solely White during the Jim Crow era, did it decrease the number of Blacks, or diminish the Civil Rights Movement? No. Again it is not solely Multiracial persons with Black ancestry who define themselves as such. We have Asian/White, Hispanic/White, Hispanic/Asian etc Multiracial persons as well. Lastly persons who check more than race one box on the Census are counted as BOTH races, so this is NOT taking anything away from the Black community.
Tactic #10 Barack Obama is known as the first Black/African American President, not the first Biracial president.
Part of the reason this is true is because of the way President Obama identifies himself. He calls himself Black, and there is nothing wrong with that. However if he were more proactive about being called Biracial more than likely there would be a difference in the way the media would identify him.
Tactic #11 In the "real world" you're going to realize that you are not White, or Biracial either
Hmmm so we as Multiracial persons have never been in the "real world" a single day in our lives? We all of the sudden decided to define ourselves as Multiracial/Biracial because we feel its going to be easy and people are not going to look at us like we are just part of one race? Wrong again! We know how corrupt society can be at times. Therefore even if we define ourselves as Bi/Multiracial it does not mean someone is never going to refer to us as solely "Asian", "Latino", or "Black" again. However we do have the right to correct the person who inaccurately defines us. If they want to debate the issue and make the same tired references to how "society" sees us, then we will be prepared.
Tactic #12 Put a hoodie on Obama and see how Biracial he is
Again we are not identifying as Biracial expecting immediate change in how society views Multiracial persons. Obama ran a campaign based on "Change". Not just "change" in terms of politics, but change in our overall society. If one believes in "change" then you can't just support it when its beneficial to you, but to everyone. Many leaders have worked to change many injustices in our society including segregation, slavery, discrimination against woman and gays and those efforts have proven successful. Why can't we work to change the position of Multiracial persons in our society? No because many feel a sense of security with holding on to the one drop rule. It provides an unjust claim to persons who are really mixed race by trying to force them to be part of one race by using these discouraging and threatening tools.
Tactic #13 You are not white and won't be anytime soon. There are black people who are much lighter than you that call themselves Black.
Again so many people have this misconception that Multiracial means White and White only. So we are holding our breath waiting to be White? Again who is saying we are full White? Yes many of us are half, or 3/4 or 1/3 etc. And as for the "much lighter" individuals that refer to themselves as Black, everyone has the right to identify as they choose. Being Multiracial is not about being "light", its about experiences, and genetics. Just like everyone has the right to choose where they live, who they marry, where they work, what clothes they were, what they eat.
Tactic #14 What is on your birth certificate, and social security card, is what you will be for the rest of your life. You can select "other" or "2 or more races" but all they have to do is pull up your Social Security number and use what is listed as race.
States vary in how race is listed on birth certificates. In many states race is no longer listed, so for the new generation this typically will not be an issue. As for those who have race listed on their birth certificates it CAN be changed in many states with a notary and a living parent/sibling signing the change document. The person would have to contact the state health department or bureau of vital statistics. As for social security numbers, this is no longer a required question to answer on applications. It is voluntary. And one can select more than one race.
Tactic #15 When you go to jail, Multiracial people are listed as Black. The cops see Biracial people as Black.
So we are supposed to define our lives based on how someone else sees us? What about how we see ourselves? When Nicole Richie was arrested for the first time in 2003 she was listed as White, the second time she was listed as Black, because that is what Richie listed herself as. And generally in most cases (unless if wrongly accused) someone doesn't have to worry about going to jail, unless they are breaking a law.
Tactic #16 Alicia Keys and Barack Obama identify as Black, why can't you?
So we are supposed to follow what everyone else does and not have a mind of our own? Should we all pursue music careers or a career in politics because of Alicia Keys and Barack Obama? Have you ever thought, that everyone is not the same, and we all do not have the same ideals, goals, values, and experiences as another person? People identify differently racially for different reasons. While Keys and Obama both identify as Black, do we know their reasons? It could be very different.
Tactic #16 Alicia Keys and Barack Obama identify as Black, why can't you?
So we are supposed to follow what everyone else does and not have a mind of our own? Should we all pursue music careers or a career in politics because of Alicia Keys and Barack Obama? Have you ever thought, that everyone is not the same, and we all do not have the same ideals, goals, values, and experiences as another person? People identify differently racially for different reasons. While Keys and Obama both identify as Black, do we know their reasons? It could be very different.
Have any additional "Tactics" or "Myths" to add to this list, post them here
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