Page 9 | Are mixed race people black??

franch · 2005-01-19T14:29:20+00:00

Great article in Feb Good Housekeeping celebrating 20 "black and Asian" women who are "changing the face of Britain". *However*, included in the list are at least 2 mixed-race women: Kelly Holmes and Zadie Smith. I'm not arguing with these women's achievements, but surely it would've been simple enough to call it a list of "black, Asian and mixed-race" women??? Would these 2 have been included in a list of white women, as they are both 50% white? As the white mother of a mixed-race woman (albeit only 1 year old!), it makes me feel irrelevant. And I also feel DD is missing out on having inspirational role-models identified for her. Help me write a letter to GH about this. What points should I cover? Also, for reference, here is the rest of the list - I may have missed some others who are also mixed race: Meera Syal Baroness Valerie Amos Kelly Holmes Parween Warsi Baroness Patricia Scotland Gurinder Chadha Yasin Alibhai-Brown Doreen Lawrence Zeinab Badawi Shami Chakrabarti Vanessa Mae Trisha Goddard Pinky Lilani Denise Lewis Serena Rees Tessa Sanderson Reeta Chakrabarti Zaiba Malik Zadie Smith Baroness Flather Ones to watch: Parminder Nagra Jamelia Ruzwana Bashir Mishal Husain Nina Wadia

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Set a reminder

righton · 19/01/2011 12:24

people need to get some backbone. As a black woman with a (technically) mixed race black mother of welsh(white) and Continental African extraction who got with my dark skinned black Jamaican father, I feel people are too much up in the genetics like some bargain bucket Dr. Mengele. I am now in my time of life (I am 40) having to deal with white women coming up in my face asking me, due to my "soft" hair (but "black" features) asking me "what are, you?". Anything not to say the word black!!! Sorry, but due to my disposition, I have a tendency to give it to 'em with both barrels. We all want to live in a Kumbyah kind of world. To deny that will ever happen does not make me extremist. Identity has to be more than what blood is running in one's veins. When my white grandmother got disowned by her family rot "going" with an African, white people did not claim her. When my African grandfather died, they didn't go back for her or her black daughter. So, pardon me if I just do not take this mixed thing REALLY seriously. I'm not bitter,. but all the LOVE I've got in my life has been from Black. My culture feels black. If it was good for my strong, white granny in the times when open bigotry in this country was prevalent it better be good enough for those tripping over themselves who claim to be of "how much" heritage. Does not perception, oppression, culture count for anything? If not can I bring my damn near blue black relatives up in this "mixed" thing too? Because I know and they know they have a "one drop" of white in them too, what with most of my family being of Jamaican extract (and only a fool does not know that the whole of the Americas was a slave depot). I can to a certain extent understand the white woman who feels "neglected" that her mixed race child refers to themselves as black. But, really unless you are going to visually evident in his/her life in every social situation he/she finds themselves in, somebody (usually) white person is going to ask them "what are you?" Are you going to hate on your child because they decide through perception and experience to self identify with a peer group in order to get through this beautifully yet badly made world with his/her sanity intact? Is that not racist in and of itself? Whosoever wants to call themselves "mixed" (especially those of predominantly african/european extract), kudos to you. But what I am sensing now is this need for those of a certain shade (lighter) and hair texture (softer) to claim every drop of non african blood running through them as if not doing so is going to crimp somebody's ego. I have no need to become a "tragic mulatto", thanks very much. And being black is more than a shade of skin and having a "non black" as an ancestor. So lets stop the naivete. And whilst we are at it, Asians do claim (some of them) to be politically black, but rarely pay any respect to the people who first claimed that term for themselves, the descendants of the transatlantic slave trade who were tired of being called everything else. I bet most of them knew they had white blood in them. I'm glad they were not as naive then as we are today or Lord knows where I would be today! And the one drop rule was not only in the U.S. Every dirty trick the U.S knows, she learned from England. At least the black and not so black knew and know what time it is over there. So for me, mixed, shmixed! It really does not put more love in my heart or more money in my pocket. As my Mother used to say, "words is wind"!

Browny10 · 20/01/2011 13:30

This is really interesting because anyone who is mixed with black I call them mixed race, whether it mixed with, white, asian etc. But some people find it shocking, when a mixed person calls themselves white.

It all comes down to what is mixed race and there is not one thing to describe it. Would an asian and white child be classed as mixed race. Same for a white and mexican.

Its all confusing really and thats why I believe statistics are wrong. Who knows who ticking the box marked black or white when really the person is mixed with both black and white. These days mixed race (not necessarily black & white) people are on the rise. The government will develop a new system to classify race and ethnicity.

arronsmum · 22/01/2011 08:42

whlo saw the phil lynott docu fri 21st jan?he was in thin lizzy+not once was he referred to as mix race,half caste.Just black when he clearly isnt.hes identified as one of the great black britons.What about being identified as mix race.The same thing happened on the one show when Charlie Williams was mentioned as black.No mention of a white parent was mentioned(his mum was a yorkshire lass)it was said he was bought up by his Barbados father.Thats why I cant understand why people got uppity about the word half caste.AT least white people knew it meant one black,1 white parent.Whereas mix race can mean a mix of races,not neccessarily black and white. Righton,if your father had been white you'd have been light skinned the same as my children.I knew i wanted light kids,as i cant bear the thought of people rejecting them etc because they are dark.of course i wish id hav e been born white but i wasnt. Just DONT call me black when i have a white mum,white kids and light brown features.

maypole1 · 23/01/2011 19:34

I think thats really sad you feel that way about yourself.

You say don't call you black and that your kids are White I am afraid the bnp will have a lot to call you but. It won't be light brown, one drop make you whole and no amour of trying to bread the black out of your family will change that.

My friend as 1 quarter Asian in her has blond hairmand blue eyes her lo with a white man has brown eyes and brown skin darker than me.

She has always tried to pass as white when her oh released at the birth of lo she wasn't white and had lied about her origins left her

I wonder what it you see in being black that is so painfull for you

Marabou · 25/01/2011 18:45

All I can say righton is right on !

Ok I could say more, but right now I'm just lazy and easily uplifted.

I'm white/black, grew up with whites only and know that despite my near white appearance I'll never count fully in that world, so there you go.

Whichever way anyone chooses to classify themselves is really their prerogative and frankly doesn't concern me. All I know is, for white people I'll always remain a question mark, while the blacks will ask me once and then forget about it, so there you go...

Original poster

franch · 14/02/2011 10:20

This is an interesting article on the recent Halle Berry controversy.

OP posts:

CleaningCrew · 23/03/2011 00:37

Race and genetics have nothing to do with each other. Genes form the human you are based on your ancestors contributions. Race is a social invention to divide people, conquer people, and subjugate people. You don't need a special name to describe a child of a man with honey brown skin and a woman with yellow pink skin. They are a son or a daughter.

You are not 1/4's 1/8ths and 1/2's you are a whole human, and one ancestor missing, makes it so you never exist at all. If you want to continue with the design of Willie Lynch, slave masters, Klansmen and racists, continue to support their doctrine of Race. Use terms like Mulatto/mixed/biracial/colored caste if you want a legacy of apartheid to gain ground in the modern day. Everyone comes from Africa originally and the outside of us changed so that we could survive our environments, the sun, the cold, the winter, the equator, the mountains, the rain forest etc etc. So called White people are Africans as well, so in the end, your child is just the newest part of the continuum of human migration that has been going on for 150,000 years. He is as mixed as everyone else. Your skin, and his father's skin do not put him in a special class of people.

The idea of Negro, Caucasoid, and Mongoloid, comes from the mind of a man named Mendel that saw people from Africa and Asia as being an inferior species, and those of Europe as being superior . The very premise of race comes from a mad man, and infected the minds of others. We are humans. We are expressions of the same light, the same people, and the EXACT same origin. Tell your child, that he/she is a world citizen and it is their job to empathize with all of those that are suffering and help to end discrimination, torture, evil and division while their brief life lasts. Race is as real as Santa Claus.

confuddledDOTcom · 23/03/2011 01:37

This must be the oldest thread I've seen that has been resurrected as many times as it has! I was going to read it but then realised that the people who posted originally probably don't care.

njud1 · 15/05/2011 17:45

I came across this thread when searching for 'which box should i tick if i'm 1/4 'black'?' through Google, and i have sat and read the whole thing! There are lots of valid points here.

I was brought up in a very small town in the north of England by my half black West Indian/half white mother and white father.

My mother was born in the late 1950's, and at that point it was very taboo to have a mixed race child. There were NO other 'black' families around the area she grow up in, and her father wasn't around for long after she was born. She endured a lot of racist abuse growing up, not only from strangers, but also from members of her own family.

Her skin was brown and she was noticeably different in terms of looks to the other kids around her. She was brought up being described as 'half caste' by her family, and it's a term that she's continued to use ever since. I personally don't like this term, and that, along with 'coloured' makes me cringe.

My mother didn't have any influence from her West Indian side of the family whilst growing up and although she is mixed, she was most definitely classed as 'black' by the 'white' people around her.
I know she has told me that it was hard for her growing up, as she felt she didn't fit in anywhere, she couldn't class herself as 'white' because she didn't look like the other kids, and she didn't have anyone to identify with to feel comfortable in classing herself as 'black'. She was raised by her white, 70 'odd' year old grandparents who had no idea how to deal with it (her grandfather being especially UnPc about it). I guess that gets back to the point of using the term 'black'. Is it just to describe the colour of someone's skin, or is it more than that..? My mum had never had any influence in her life from any 'black' people as a child..

Later my mother went on to marry my father and have two children, myself and my brother. My brother has very tight, curly, dark hair, light brown skin, brown eyes and full lips. I too have the same eyes and lips, but my skin is a lot fairer and my hair a lot straighter. Growning up it was our father that made the effort to give us incite into our background, and to teach us about where the other part of us came from. He took the time to learn about it and would read us books by Maya Angelou etc. Unfortunately he left when i when we were 8 and 10. I was very inspired by all of this, my brother not so much so.

When my mum used to take me out, people used to think that i was her friends child, as at that time i looked nothing like her. My brother on the other-hand suffered a lot at school with racist bullying, due to his looks. I was very proud of my background, but for him it was a lot harder to deal with. He didn't want to identify as 'black' because he knew that he wouldn't be accepted. For me, i remember times i'd sit and hear people around me, adults and children, make racist comments (obviously oblivious to my background). I would always speak up and say "I'm mixed race!", and their reply would always be "yeah, but you don't look it..". So in a way it wasn't acknowledged. That was difficult for me, especially when i spent time with my cousins and aunt (who were also mixed), when everyone looked one way, and me another..

I remember someone saying earlier that they had lots of mixed race cousins, all of whom looked completely different, and they were wondering how each of them experienced it.. Well ii think this might answer that question, each person can have a completely different experience.

When my brother, mother and i would be with my aunt and cousins, i didn't feel 'black' enough.. Even though we're all the same, i felt because my skin wasn't dark, then i didn't fit in.. (lol as i write this i realise how complex this really is!)

Nowadays my brother would actually prefer to class himself as 'black' or 'mixed race', rather than white. He's proud of who he is. He just wishes that he'd had a strong, positive 'mixed' or 'black' role model to look up to when he was younger (mainly as a teenager), and he hate's that he ever wanted to be like the people that used to taunt him!

I think that's what this whole debate comes down to - as long as you educate your children, teach them respect for themselves and who they are, it's up to them to decide how they refer to themselves. They'll find a comfortable place for themselves. My mum didn't have that, so i guess she wasn't really able to pass that onto us, and maybe why it took us, my brother, especially, longer to find that.

..sorry for the rant, and forgive me if i went away from the point at times, but this is something very close to my heart.

Blu · 15/05/2011 18:01

RightOn - as the mother of a mixed race (Asian Caucasion) child I was right with you on the black political definition, on the grounds that lists such as the ne in the OP exist ONLY because of thier relationship to opression and racism. If there were no race-based discrimination, no one would think to create such a list. There is no list (afaik) of successful people with straight hair / size 6 feet / green eyes or any other genetically determined characteristic!
So it isn't a matter of degree, or personal cultural identity, or white parents wanting to be 'included' - politically it is about people who have probably overcome a degree of discriination at some stage. So, politically, 'black' is an inclusive term.

However much DS relates to and identifies with me as much as dp, he is black and I am not. I don't find this any more of an issue in my relationship with him as his mother than the fact that he is a boy (even though he has half my chromosomes...why aren't they acknowledged, wah!) and I am not!

But then you go on to intoduce a hieracrhy of political black by denigrating Asian people as a group...

frumpyq · 18/09/2011 02:29

I'm English/white and so are 99.9% of my large family (Although if we went back far enough that statement could be challenged).

But 4 years ago my Daughter broke the chain and produced a child of 'Mixed race' who is loved dearly for who he is as opposed to what colour his skin is.He really has opened my eyes in respect of someones colour and i'm now officially colour blind.

The more people born in the UK with mixed race can only be a good thing, for me it's certainly broken down barriers and ignorance on my part.

His culture is predominantly English and I don't attach a colour to that too.

royaljelly · 26/09/2011 00:18

My mother is English White, my father black Nigerian. I think they both had differnet ideas on childrearing and neither was willing to admit the other was right so after their divorce I had to adapt to both. They both also thought the other was RACIST so I have heard every argument for Black & White going.

Surprisingly, due to their own prejudices and fears I have learn't that everyone of every colour has the ability to be evil or good and therfore tend to make friends across cultural boundries.

Some politeness is also an advantage, apologising for eating a bacon butty next to your muslim collegue as you haven't had time for breakfast and so on. It isn't the fact that you have apologised but that you recognise they may find it offensive. Such examples are: Not wishing JWitness collegues a merry xmas but hoping they enjoy on their time off and they may not want to do secret santa, (please god no........), around xmas. Also if a team leader, you can be celebrating the festival of light (my fave) or hannuka ( lots of fun), except for J witness, although they will sometimes join in if titled as something non-religious.

Rambling now but multicultural children tend to be the most tolerant and open of all creeds. Possibly from all the sh*t they get from their own dual heritage.

I must also point out that mixed race children also have a very high percentage of having pshycological identity issues and depression linked to this. If your child is mixed race you should not just socialise with parent race but with other (any) mixed race child of the same age.

royaljelly · 26/09/2011 00:29

I 'LOATHE' being catigorised into ethnic background on application forms and will always put, 'ME', or my name. I also put Aetheist as religion...
Must be why it has taken a year to get an interview / job.

ZhenXiang · 26/09/2011 01:07

Fantastic post righton

DH is mixed race caribbean, south american, middle eastern, but is very dark skinned with strong african features as was his mother who was also mixed race and his father who is also mixed race. They all experienced a large amount of racism and non-acceptance from white people so completely identify with their black culture that did accept them for who they are/were.

I am white, DD is also mixed race quite dark but with a mix of caucasian and african features. She has a good relationship with my family (all white) and DH's (a complete mix of black, mixed race and white). I have no doubt that she will identify more with the black community because the level of acceptance and inclusivity is so much higher. I personally have no problem with this as for me whatever makes her feel good about herself and more confident is in her best interest. I will not feel 'neglected' if she chooses to do this as I know she will still recognise that I am her mum regardless.

Original poster

franch · 14/10/2011 11:05

Re. depression, royaljelly: This study suggests the incorporation of both component races, rather than choosing one or denying both races as part of the identity, is associated with better psychosocial adjustment.

OP posts:

MUM2BLESS · 06/11/2011 12:17

Is this the longest running talk?

I read something yesterday that made me think.

The answer you get will depend on who your asking. For example if I am black, if I answer this I would say that mix race (black and white) are mixed race.

Came home yesterday and saw a newspaper artical within the daily telegraph

Racist attack on woods (Tiger Woods that is) Steve Williams stuns golf world with abuse against former boss) using the wrld black in the sentence.

Tiger woods has mix parentage.

Therefore it only confirms that some of society sees mix race people as BLACK.

SOME people in society dont really look at the shade of a persons colour they only see the black pigmnet within the person, so whether mix race or light skinned black some people don't know or think about that they only see the black pigment.

In this country there is racism, and a lot of it is hidden racism.

Its importnat that a person is taught to appreciate both side of their parentage.

At the end of the day its about being confident in who you are as a person.

Do not say you do not see my colour or you are colour blind. I see other peoples colour but it its not a problem to me.

MUM2BLESS · 06/11/2011 12:21

Sorry meant to say I am black, not if I am black .

MUM2BLESS · 07/11/2011 22:15

Been informed that this not the longest talk. It has generated lots of comments.

Its interesting to hear the different views on this topic.

APGifts · 26/11/2011 20:06

.
THE FACTS on Mixed-Race Linage:
.

It is often a surprise for people to learn that, in reality, there is actually No Such Thing As a ?Light Skinned Black? person. .
Very few people seem to be aware of the fact that the term ?Light Skinned Black? is really nothing more than a racist oxymoron created by Racial Supremacists in an effort to forcibly deny those Mixed-Race individuals, who are of a Multi-Generational Multiracially-Mixed (MGM-Mixed) lineage, the right to fully embrace and to also received public support in choosing to acknowledge the truth regarding their full ancestral heritage and lineage. .
The people who have been slapped with the false label and oxymoronic misnomer of ?Light Skinned Black? person are simply Mixed-Race individuals ? who are from those families which have been ?of a CONTINUALLY Mixed-Race Lineage THROUGHOUT all of their multiple generations? (starting with the very first generation of racial-admixing and leading to their present generation.). .
Seeing that every other Mixed-Race group is allowed the dignity of receiving support in having itself referred to by the term that it most prefers ? the question becomes ??Why should the situation be any different for those Mixed-Race individuals who are of an Multi-Generational Multiracially-Mixed MGM-Mixed) / Mixed-Race Lineage??. .
If an MGM-Mixed / Mixed-Race individual would like to be referred to by the term ?Mixed-Race? (which is what they actually are) rather than by that of ?Light-Skinned Black? (a term, which, once again, has the racist-origin of being nothing more than an oxymoronic-phrase that was both created and coined by Racial Supremacists in an effort to try to deny these Mixed-Race people their right to and support in publicly acknowledging and also embracing their FULL-Lineage) there is no reason that they (like every other group on the planet ? whether Mixed-Race or not) should not be allowed the right to choose the term that society uses in referring to them (and to have their full-lineage acknowledged within that term). .

.
RELATED LINKS: 
.

.
ALSO ?. here is a brief COMMENTARY on ? the constant 
misapplication of the racist ?One-Drop Rule?^^ (to the 
people who are of any part-Black / Mixed-Race Lineage): 
. 
[^^ PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FACT THAT : 
.
The racist ?one-drop? ?rule? was made ?illegal? in the U.S. in 
1967 by the U.S. Supreme Court the ?Loving vs. VA? case 
(i.e. The ?Loving? case) ? where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled ... 
.
--- 1) All ?Anti-Miscegenation? Laws found throughout the U.S.; 
.
 --- 2) The racist ?VA Racial Integrity Act? (upon which most 
of the anti-miscegenation ?laws? were founded); and 
.
--- 3) The ('black-lineage mocking' and exceedingly) racist 
?One-Drop Rule? (upon which the ?Act? was based.) 
.
? as being ?UN-Constitutional? (i.e. illegal, banned, etc.)
due to the fact that it was both 'racist' and 'unscientific'.] 
.

.
Listed below are links to data on the Historical MYTH
of a Color-Based / Slave-Role HIERARCHY ? as well
as the Urban LEGEND of Paper-Bag, Blue-Vein and
Other Allegations of Features-Based Entry ?TESTS?:
.
groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/4153
groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/4154
groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/2885
groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/2511
groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1400
.

.
If there are any questions regarding the information 
presented, I can be reached anytime at the email 
address and / or websites noted below.
.
Thank you and have a good day.
.
Sincerely,
.
? AllPeople (AP) G.i.f.t.s. 
<a class="break-all" href="//mailto:[email protected]" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mailto:[email protected]</a>
Founder and Moderator of the following 
online Lineage-Discussion Communities 
*<a class="break-all" href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed</a>* 
*<a class="break-all" href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MGM-Mixed" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">groups.yahoo.com/group/MGM-Mixed</a>* 
<a class="break-all" href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FGM-Mixed" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">groups.yahoo.com/group/FGM-Mixed</a> 
<a class="break-all" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/APGifts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.youtube.com/user/APGifts</a> 
<a class="break-all" href="http://www.facebook.com/allpeople.gifts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/allpeople.gifts</a> 
.

.
SOURCE:
.
www.facebook.com/notes/allpeople-gifts/the-facts-on-mixed-race/321878451159708
.

MUM2BLESS · 02/12/2011 19:43

Thanks APGifts. Never heard of what you mentioned before.

What is the sitiuation with black families with siblings of varying shades of black. I know black people who have black parents, yet they are very light skinned.

mummyofonegirl · 10/02/2012 10:32

This is interesting as the answer to this question has changed throughout my life time. being a child of the 80s, if you were mixed race you would automatically considered black. White society were less likely to acknowledge or identify MR people as being white, in fact they were "half-caste" - half outcast presumably the black half.

I had MANY MR friends growing up who denied their white side and did all they could to "Learn" how to be black- They adopted the "black-popular culture" of the day and embraced it more than I did or was allowed to - all in an attempt to prove their blackness. In retrosoect it seemed as though there was an inner conflict of identity. Society (inc their parents) was telling them they were black but they knew that one of their parents and one side of their family were not black. How do you expect them to understand that?

After Mel B of the spice girls publically refused to take a racial side (she was neither black nor white, but both) it was an announcement to the confused world that MR people did exisit. You did not have to choose. Since that time i have noticed a new found confidence in MR people and their parents. A sense of belonging and a blalance in their identity. This I believe is very healthy for the MR individual as it provides a sense of reason and logic to their being.

I can totally apprecialte this although fully black I am of both African AND Caribbean parentage. Throughout my life i have been asked which of the two I am. i have ALWAYS been taught that I am both and have been encouraged to embrace both cultures and it is truely a blessing. BUT even still I have been troubled as I am neither one or the other and sometimes as human beings I do believe that you want to have a sense of belonging. Whether that be with people of the same age, gender, race nationalilty or interests.

One thing that I feel should be said is that since the acceptance and acknowledgement of MR as a seperate race altogether, I feel that there is less positive representation of black people in the media, Particularly in advertising and the Music industry. MR people are more often used to represent black in the spectrum of race. for instance you would often have a Indo Asian person, a Caucasian White person and Oriental person (although admittedly less so) and a more often than not a MR person no Black (African) person.

It is good to see more MR people being represented particularly as they are the fastest growing race in the UK, but it gives the impression that being MR is the acceptable face of diversity. Black people do exisit and it important for the self esteem o black youth to see them represented in a positive, light and in positions of perceived beauty - in much the same way as MR people are.

mummyofonegirl · 10/02/2012 10:43

Following on from above, I have also noticed a sense of disdain from some MR people and their parents at the thought of being considered black. The tone is almost as if it is an offence to be deemed black.

E.G. to MR brothers: 1 who identified more with his black side (Bro A) and once that idenifies with his white side (Bro B)
Bro B asks Bro A why he idenifies with his black side more as it is less of an advantage. He argues that he cannot see the benefits of considering himself as being black. BUT Bro B is an actor and recently took on a role as the first black *** in the UK. (omitted as i do not want to reveal Bro B's true ID)

It is wrong to choose your black side when it suits you and denounce it when it is more convienient to be MR.
This is offensive. I do not have a choice in what race I am. I am black. Black when it is cool to be black and black when I am in a place where I "am not welocome".

This is another reason why I believe that MR people should be and say what they ... MR.

I know that it is sometimes not was easy as that (i was going to say not black and white but...) but that is my general line of thought.

duchesse · 10/02/2012 10:44

I've always felt extremely uncomfortable with the terms "mixed race" (implying that there are several races to begin with), and "black" (since it also draws on the concept of a difference or gulf. I just find these attempts to divide people up into groups rather bizarre, which imo is going to become harder and harder as time goes on and people from different origins get together and have babies. Can totally understand why people would want to identify their heritage/country of ancestry but don't see why they would feel they had anything more than superficial in common with another person with the same colour skin unless their Grandparents/parents came from the same place and they actually had a shared heritage.

As far as I can tell, we all have mixed heritage. Skin colour is a relatively irrelevant aspect of that imo.

Disclaimer: I am about as Northern-looking as you can get without having white-blonde hair. I have a middle Eastern blood group for example and my father looks Middle eastern, although I have very fair skin and blue eyes.

BelgianWaffle · 10/02/2012 15:46

This is a totally fascinating thread!

NB: The term half-caste is offensive. I still hear it and it still annoys me that this is in many places, perfectly innocently used as a term for MR people.

Dual Heritage is a new one that I have heard recently, yet this ignores that fact that a person might be from three or four different nationalities, or have two mixed parents of totally different races. I think it is a bit ridiculous.

Mixed Race is fine by me. I am MR and have never ever thought of myself as white. At first glance, people will always look at a person of colour and automatically make assuptions about them. I have walked into shops and been followed around by the security guard in expensive shops, been asked if I am in the right place when in expensive hotels. I have struggled to get service etc, etc. As a black person you always have to work twice as hard to disprove peoples' conscious and subconscious prejudice. It is all fine to have the attitude of colour-blindness, but unfortunately the world doesn't work like that. I wake up in my skin every day. I wish that a person's skin colour was the same as having blue eyes, or auburn hair, just a feature but sadly, it comes with many, many more associations.

Mummyofone I totally agree with you about MR representation in the media. Now that MR people are in adverts etc, black people have disappeared!
righton- I totally agree!
MUM2BLESS very clear argument re: Tiger Woods. He chose to re-define himself but at the end of the day, he was still called a bl&k Bast&%d. his re-labelling of himself as Cablinasian proved to be futile.

Whenever people have told me "I don't think of you as black" They do not realise that this is not a compliment. It is an insult, as they imply that being black is something awful and that I should be flattered to be thought of as an 'honorary white'. My mum is white and I am certainly proud to be identified with her, as she is a wonderful person, but I am equally proud to be and prefer to be thought of as black.

cerys74 · 10/02/2012 16:04

I have a question about other racial mixes: my mother is welsh (of french/welsh extraction) and my dad is syrian (there's also some chechen in there somewhere). I have red hair and white skin, so most people think I'm white British (even though I grew up in the Middle East).

My welsh family say I'm not really welsh, my syrian family don't consider me to be syrian. What do you call someone of Arab-European descent? What am I?!