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Being Biracial in Black and White

May 8, 2013 · Filed under Perceptions and Perspective · Tagged African-American, American Demographics, Biracial, British, Diversity, Inter-racial, Mixed, Mixed Kids

I’ve decided to declare May “Biracial Awareness Month”. May is as good a month as any. From what I’ve gathered, no such month exists and I think it’s high time one did! It needs to be a month, not a week or a day. Being biracial is an experience! In fact, it’s one I highly recommend you include on your Bucket List or among the top 100 things to try before you die. Everyone should have the experience of being biracial in America. It most definitely has its moments, is insightful, can be wildly entertaining, and touts a very interesting vantage point and perspective. Sounds like a sales pitch, but it’s not. Knowing that most of you will never personally know the experience of being biracial, coupled with my expertise on the subject, compels me to devote the month of May to “Being Biracial” and increasing awareness about that experience in America. But why should you care?

The current rate of growth of the biracial American statistic, which shows no signs of slowing down, appears to be on track for becoming one of the fastest growing racial demographics in the United States. Pretty powerful potential from a plethora of perspectives! Which means that your chances of coming in contact with “one of them” is increasing even as I type! If you don’t see it coming, it’s simply because you don’t want to. If you don’t want to see it, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong country or will need to relocate to some remote area of uninhabited humans or perhaps less drastic, find the nearest beach and bury your head in the sand. Aside from that, brace yourself, we’re coming… to a community near you! After all, our President is biracial. So you are aware, but you may not have been up close and personal like you would be with someone in your community, whom you interact with or see on a regular basis.

Personally, I love being biracial although it wasn’t always that way. Being biracial in America can be complicated, challenging, and confusing. The number of biracial babies born in the U.S. has sky-rocketed during the past decade. The number of Americans identifying as two or more races in the 2010 census, increased from 6.8 million to 9 million since the 2000 census. Americans identifying themselves as black-and-white increased 134% to 1.8 million and there are now more black/white Americans than any other multi-racial category. The number of white-Asian Americans grew second-most by 87 percent.¹

At the time of my parents’ marriage, the majority of states considered the union between my African-American father and white mother, illegal. Talk about illegitimate kids! I always had a huge problem with that label, and that was when I thought “illegitimate” referred to children born out-of-wedlock. But I guess if my parents’ marriage was considered illegal then their children must have been considered illegitimate. Wow, Illegal, Illegitimate and “Mixed”. You know there’s a story that comes from securing that status. Now, let’s throw into the “mixed”, being bi-cultural as a result of having a British mother and you’ve got the makings for muses, memories, mishaps, and misunderstandings!

In the year 2000, Alabama became the last state to officially legalize inter-racial marriage². And no, 2000 is NOT a typo. Interracial marriage remains controversial in the Deep South, where a 2011 poll found that a plurality of Mississippi Republicans still support anti-miscegenation (race-mixing) laws³. Oh, bother.What’s it like being biracial? In the upcoming weeks, I will address some of the commonly asked questions for biracial Americans. And I welcome any questions that you might have as well. We’ll also go international by journeying “across the pond” to discover my “other half” or the Brit in me and their response to my mixed family.

Join me this month as we journey into the world of the biracial American. I’ll tackle topics such as how to respond to the most frequently asked biracial questions: “What are you anyway?”, “Mixed or Mixed-Up?”, and “Is Being Biracial Really the Best of Both Worlds?” I’ll also explore “Why Fresh Air Kids Love the Outdoors”, “Growing a Spotted Rose”, and “A Teenager’s Dying Devotion to Being Biracial”. Finally, I’m going to divulge “The One Question I Would Ask Oprah”. You may think it’s a crazy question, but it has plagued my mind for years!

So, arm yourself with whatever questions, comments, and experiences you might have because this time we’re going deep and I would absolutely love to hear what you think!

See You Next Wednesday! OXOXOXO