I never really thought about it until I heard a young woman whose parents were Hispanic and white talk about the tension in her family. Her mother’s relatives, the white folks, never accepted the young woman as part of their family. Her father’s relatives, the Hispanic folks, never accepted her either. She said it took a long time to figure out her heritage and identity.
Her admission opened the door to an onslaught of sharing similar experiences regardless of the parents’ race. A young East Indian boy told of being treated as an outcast by his East Indian father’s relatives. Even though he was born in the US, he went to great lengths to learn his father’s native language and culture trying to belong and gain both acceptance and approval from the family.
The headline, “This is who I am: Defining mixed-race identity” naturally caught my eye. According to the US Census, 2006, the metro area, Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma, Washington ranks amongst the 25 largest metro communities in the US. Of the 25, Seattle ranks number one with the largest mixed-race population, 3.76%. And, this doesn’t reflect Hispanic because the data doesn’t reflect them as a separate group. I wonder what the percentage of mixed-race population would be if Hispanic were included?
The article describes the experiences of several mixed-race citizens. A common denominator surfaced. Each person experienced the sting of racism, often from both sides of their heritage. Sometimes they find themselves overhearing derogatory remarks about one of the racial groups they belong to which can be quite uncomfortable. Mixed-race citizens also may experience uncertainty about which race box they should choose on the myriad forms our society requires completed to go to school, get a loan, or apply for health insurance.
The article also points out the need in the United States to categorize each citizen with a particular race. Other countries don’t care that much.
Why can’t we just let it go? What are we afraid will happen?
Turnbull, L. 2008. This is who I am: Defining mixed-race identity. Seattle Times. 29 September 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2008
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008210083_biracial280.html
