Do people intentionally ignore Meghans biracial heritage?

[JamSandle]

I'm not disputing that many media swipes at Meghan had a racist tone but im really confused as to how many people keep talking about Meghan as being black. I'm assuming many people saying this are American? I dont know many biracial people, myself included, who refer to themselves as only one race. It seems a very American thing to me.

When people talk about Meghan, especially when negatively, why is it considered racist, completely disregarding that she is half white? And especially when she was first introduced, many people didn't know what ethnicity Meghan was. I think she actually has a look that could be quite global in terms of being from anywhere, but she has quite a Southern European/South American look to me.

Again...im not saying there is no racism towards Meghan. But I find it off that people ignore that Meghan is not black, she is biracial.

Yes, definitely.

I think its interesting seeing how Meghan is sort of pushed and pulled in different directions depending on someone's agenda.

So...she's the first black princess, she (or Doria) are 'straight outta Compton' but she also was used to show how 'tolerant' the Royal family are but also seems to have become a sort of token success story to Oprah. Its all very strange this celebrity and media world.

I can answer this. No, I do not think of myself as Irish American, Scottish American or English American. I am just American with lots of ancestors. Note, I am white, so I can not comment on the experiences of black people. this is just what I have learned through my research.

Growing up mixed race in the US usually means you experience racism from both the whites and people of darker skin. They definitely feel "othered". Meghan's podcast with Mariah Carey went into this topic and many mixed race black people in the US also report the same experience.

Here is a great article on it: www.vox.com/first-person/21734156/kamala-harris-mixed-race-biracial-multiracial

In the US, if you are mixed race black, you are black. Doesn't matter how light your skin is. Some other note worty black US people:

All mixed race. Would you call them black?

Kamala Harris
Barak Obama
Lenny Kravitz
Drake
James McBride

Yep I’m in London too and it’s been this way for ages. Both within my friendship group and mutual friends etc

Haha yep! You hit the nail on the head. It almost always depends on what the agenda of the person/media story is

I wonder if its more a London thing would you say? I know biracial people who do identify as black, interestingly none as just white even if they don't really look very like there black side, but most will say they're biracial or mixed race.

Here is good information on the one drop rule. It is part of our very racist past in the US. Yep, a very good example of how racism has built our society and still affects us today.

www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jefferson/mixed/onedrop.html

Then there's the case of celebrities who have black heritage but don't really look it and whether they're able to have a place at the table. For example Rashida Jones.

I have a bi racial friend who like Meghan some people see as white and others as black. She has talked about how moving different places she is seen as clearly black in some countries, and white in others.
Meghan talked about this as well.
I think this may lead to changing the words you use to describe your ethnic identity over time. Because in a sense it is not fixed, it is changing as others views change of you.

I hear some people moving away from black to say 'brown', as in people are white, black or brown.

Absolutely @JamSandle

Rashida Jones, Halle Barry (H had her picture hanging in his dorm at Eaton BTW), Alicia Keys, Bob Marley

They all identify as black.

Reading this thread Maybe I'm the anomaly! That doesn't feel great

Brown is being used more in the US by Southeast Asians and South Americans.

The US is literally a mixing bowl. All those who immigrated here desperately held on to their heritage. If you ever get the change, visit Ellis Island. It is very humbling to see.

I’m not sure tbh! I can only speak on London as that’s what I’m familiar with. However I will say that a lot of mixed race people automatically get treated as if they’re black in social setting. So for example, say I’m out with a group of friends and one friend brings along her mixed race friend. We’d all automatically start speaking to her as if she was ‘one of us’ in terms of slang and certain conversations etc. If it was a white friend that would have come along, that comfortability and sense of familiarisation wouldn’t be there.

So I guess I can see why a lot of mixed race people relate more to their black side or say that they’re black. I do have one friend who is like the poster’s daughter above who is half white and half Pakistani and she never refers to herself as white or Pakistani/Asain. She always says that she’s mixed race. Maybe it’s because of the divide between black and white that some feel they have to choose.

I also get the comment above where the posters sister says ‘if you’re not white, you’re black.’ As it does make sense in terms of a society point of view. It’s a tricky one but I don’t think it’s as black and white as it seems (excuse the pun haha)

@JamSandle I got attacked as racist on MN for saying brown. Black, brown and white is what those working in equality and diversity posts in Britain now say. Asian is out and brown is in. I understand totally why Asian is out, it is a meaningless term that no-one really identifies with. Brown is accurate as what people are talking about is colour.

I think it may also be because what is seen as white can be quite 'gatekept' whereas black is not. Like posters have said, one drop of black blood makes a person black in the eyes of many people.

What does this mean for example in representation and casting when a biracial woman can play a role intended for a black actress?

Do identity politics help or hurt here? Its such an interesting and provoking conversation.

What does this mean for example in representation and casting when a biracial woman can play a role intended for a black actress?

Interesting question because when this does happen, there tends to be backlash and comments such as, ‘well X (the black actress) is better suited to the role’ ‘why did X (the biracial actress) play this role? It’s so obviously colourism’ etc.

I just think everyone should mind their fucking business, do what they want and we’d all be happy!

I was thinking along the same lines of @Coucous if mixed race people are being treated in the same racist way that black people are then they sort of have (not the right word) to identify as black. As the certainly aren’t being treated as white. Presumably there’s no racist middle ground for mixed race people.

Yes! Colourism is the next big debate and one I reckon will grow larger as the world becomes more diverse and there are more mixed people. It seems people only generate more and more labels.

This is an interesting one because I live in a place with a ton of intermarriage between southeast Asian people and white people. I have several close friends who are half Chinese and half white, and not a single one would identify primarily as Chinese or Asian, or call themselves that. They see themselves as mixed race. I wonder if this is different in the Black community.

This.

Also tedious thread.

Yes I think it is and I think posters have shared interesting insights into why this may be.

What does this mean for example in representation and casting when a biracial woman can play a role intended for a black actress?

I am sorry, I don't understand your question. A biracial black person can play roles for black people, they are black. I would think it would all depend on what the casting directors vision is as to how light or dark an actors skin would be.

Lot of boycotting and striking happening in Hollywood the last decade or so regarding to black casting.

I am not sure about Identity Politics either. I am not an IP person. I see it all around me, but I try not to allow IP to descend into me. I vote based on what their response to issues are and not because of a R or L or M or F or B or W. I feel like I am with rather an enigma in the US.

Sorry, we cross posted. I saw another answer up post. Said it much better than I did.

To explain a bit better, when a biracial actress is cast in a role intended for a black actress (for example...a black family but one of the children is a biracial actress not a black actress) there is a lot of retaliation usually online that the biracial person has 'taken' that role from a black actress. A sense that Hollywood prefers to cast biracial over black which basically stands in for black representation.

There's a lot of solidarity amongst black and mixed race people but this is one area where things can really kick off!