JaquioI really don't know if I fit in here after reading many of these stories, but I can to an extentIdentify. I am not Bi racial but I am the product of a bi racial father and multi racial mother, both of whom Identify Black. My father's father is Afro Brazilian, Very Black and un mixed. A true african except for the fact that he is from Brazil and not Africa. My father's mother is from Dublin Ireland. They met while attending University in England. My Mother is Black, Native American, Mongolian and I am quite sure white, but which ethnicity we are unsure of as that mix would have occured during slavery. After saying all of that, they Both look Black. Sure they do not look African because they are not, but they look black int he sense that MOST African Americans look black even though the Majority are mixed, in fact even MORE so than Bi racials.They are in fact a Multi Racial people. Now getting to me, I did not come out like my parents, who happen to be Brown with dark eyes and dark hair, My mom's kinky and my dad's not. I am very fair with green eyes and long sandy blond hair and often mistaken for white or other depending on who's looking. Blacks can usually tell, while other people seem to be clueless. I was raised in an white upper Middle class environment, but my parent's always surrounded us with Beautiful and Successful Black people. They did this by never were in doubt about who our people were.
That is why I find alot of these stories Ironic. My Grand
Mother(Irish) raised her 8! kids to be proud of their backgrounds,
which on both sides is filled with highly Educated people. They
lived in upper class Black neighborhoods, Beacause they could
NOT live in white ones. So their support was clearly black
unless they were in Ireland with my grand ma's family. They
were NEVER rejected for being half white in the black
neighborhood, because at that time it was a good thing in black
Society to have their traits. Many blacks BRAGGED about their
own mixed blood. The problems came from white Society. My
father was VERy involved in the Civil Rights Movement in High
School as was my white grand Mother. One time in School there
was a protest and my dad was the ring leader. He climbed a flag
pole on school grounds and Captured the flag, needless to say
suspension was in order. Well the(white) principal made a
comment about him being a "black radical" and how his parents
must be bad examples of the "Negro" race. Haha! They said that
he turned red when he saw my grand mother walk through his
office door and say that my dad was her son! Not only that but
SHE had encouraged! him to do what he did! He could'nt speak
as she layed into him.
I have many more stories but I will save them for another forum.
This just my intro. I just think that alot of the confusion that most
of these people are feeling really comes from their parents and
their own views on race. Which may be confused in themselves. I
don't think teasing by 1 group or the other is enough, because
ALL kids are teased for one reason or another. I was called
white girl TOO many times to count, along with high yellow
heffer, Light bright, ect..... I've also been called Nigger, Coon,
Mutt, ect... By whites. But I never let it define me, because I was
taught not to. I looked as good if not Better than most girls around
me (black and white). I had better grades than most. My parents
were as educated if not more than most and went to better
schools than most. My home was better than most as was my
grooming and clothing. You could have painted us green and it
would not have changed anything. That's how I feel about it. I
think people that are not accepted usually do not WANT to be
and people can sense that so they prey on it. Get some back bone!
Nothing that has ever happened to me has ever been bad enough
to make me reject myself or become prejudice. I have friends
from around the globe, have dated black, white, Arab, Hispanic
and even married an Asian man, with whom I have a
BEAUTIFUL 12 yr. old girl with. My Daughter looks 100%
Asian. No, people do not believe that she is mines, but WE know
it. I tell her that when and if someone teases her about what she is
(Usually they think all Asian) for her to say "But I look Good and
I'm smart though". Superficial? yes, but with ground to stand on.