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.

They increasingly don't as its declined from 40 million in 1980 to 30 million today. And will only decline further.

For most of them, it's really about a connection to an old grandparent rather than anywhere on the island of Ireland itself as most have never been there.

Oh absolutely. There’s quite a lot of black people in the UK who have always loved the royal family, especially Diana, Charles and Harry. I’m not doubting that there’s black people that were happy about their being another wedding in the RF. However you said ‘isn’t it bizzare how those that hated the RF for their racism, etc suddenly rejoiced that ‘one of their own’ has achieved status in the RF?’

I would bet money on these people not previously hating the RF, but always been a royal fan. You’ve also just stated that you don’t know anyone personally but have seen some clips of black people expressing their joy. So you’ve just made the assumption that they must have hated the RF due to their racism simply because they’re black. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for many black RF lovers.

I don’t speak for everyone and if you read my post again, I said ‘that every single black person I know.’ I haven’t said that you said all black people nor am I claiming to speak for everyone. I’m simply speaking on the behalf of black people that I’ve spoken too on the matter. It’s as simple as that really

Remember Joe Biden making a big point of saying he was Irish. When he's about 1/8 Irish?
It's the curse of Identity Politics, everything has to be seen through the Identity you choose for yourself. Like trans - I think I'm a woman, therefore I am a woman, and don't you dare treat me otherwise. Even though I'm patently a man.
So any disagreement with you can be labelled as transphobia, racism, sexism, ageism etc. It's a very useful tool, if you're that way minded.

I think it's an American thing to self identify as something. I've known Americans tell me they're Dutch / French / German. I've asked where in that country they're from - no idea and they've never been. I've tried to be sympathetic and asked if maybe they speak the language. No. Turns out their great great grandma was from that country. So not very Dutch / French / German then.

I guess at least MM has one black parent so she's closer to being black than these other Americans were to being European!

So she can't even be black now?

A bunch of British women on an overwhelmingly white, middle class talk site feel entitled to decide an American woman of mixed racial heritage didn't even get her racial identity right?

This thread, with Meghan Markle's racial identity and specific percentages of her racial ancestry picked over, is one of the most appalling threads I have ever seen here on Mumsnet.

The conversation here is as crass and as utterly distasteful as the speculation on how black baby Archie would look.

I'm dumbfounded that anyone thinks this topic of conversation is acceptable.

It’s not necessarily about MM not getting her own identity right. It’s really about how others (the media, society, friends & family etc) view mixed race people. Some people believe if you’re not white, then you’re black. Others believe that you’re not fully black as you’re also half white.

I believe that mixed race people are not black. And they’re not white. But they’re both and that’s absolutely fine. They may identify with their black side (or white side of the family) more, but you can’t just drop one and claim the other. That’s my opinion anyway but if a mixed race person views themselves as black, who am I to tell them who to identify as?!

I’m a working class black woman btw, HTH

It’s attitudes like this along with mandatory attempts to shame, which make it near impossible for people to have a productive discussion around racial issues - they’re too afraid of getting it “wrong”. No one is “picking over” Meghan’s race. The discussion is general. Meghan herself has repeatedly cited her race so that was the starting point. Many mixed race people are relating their own thoughts and experiences. We will never get out of the divisive and toxic mire that any kind of discussion that mentions race has become if we cannot allow the discussion to progress in a respectful way. I’ve no doubt you’ve reported this thread and MN will delete it in their usual knee jerk fashion when it comes to discussing these matters. It should he noted thought that you, in your hectoring, shaming manner have brought this thread down. Everyone else has managed to discuss respectfully and find some common ground.

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The only time I read an article about Meghan with quotes (about 5 years ago when she first appeared as PH girlfriend), she seemed very much to think of herself as bi-racial - she described not knowing whether to tick the black or white box in some school survey and her Dad telling her to make her own box.

I think bi-racial is a common term in the US, however when I have heard it used it seems to be used about people like Meghan who are fair skinned. Mixed race people who are darker skinned do seem to get called black. I am not suggesting this is universal but it’s what I’ve noticed.

this. The discussion is about how others perceive her.

im not white either btw

I think like many British people, when I first saw a pic of her I had no idea she was black.

I know plenty of white people as dark skinned as she is.

Meghan is at least seven eighths white, probably much more, both her mother and grand mother are mixed race and her father and grand father white. She uses heavy fake tan. She has white skin, with pink tones when not fake tanned. Her children are also white skinned and with red hair,

she Was also raised predominantly by her father, with no black culture.

she identified as Caucasian until suits.

she is biracial or mixed race, but she is predominantly a white woman.

This nasty smear post by Thefriendlyone contains a lot of unsubstantiated claims and unless the poster can provide evidence for her claims, the post should be deleted.

How someone identifies is how someone identifies and no one can take that away from them, whether we think their self-perception is reasonable or not. I say that as a staunchly gender-critical person. There is also such a thing as objective reality and other people’s perceptions, which are very relevant to how people experience the world.

I’m not debating Meghan’s self-identity. I actually don’t know how she ‘publicly’ identifies. Privately, I’m sure like most people with a mixed ethnic heritage, she is well aware that she has a white dad and a black mum. She loves them both and they are both part of her, ethnically and culturally. I am making the point that how other people perceive you, which may be different from how you perceive yourself, also has important consequences.

I am making the point that how other people perceive you, which may be different from how you perceive yourself, also has important consequences.

Some people with mixed ethnic heritage also report that other people’s perceptions have a strong influence on their self-identity.

I've always found it odd and racist that if you're even a tiny bit black (like 12.5% black, meaning you had a black great grandparent) you're still seen as being black by many - even though in that case you're 87.5% white! It's like people seeing the small percentage of "blackness" as overriding all whiteness. "Oh you have SOME blackness so to us you're a black person". It's very odd. Don't know if it's only an American thing or if people in the UK are the same here. I don't like it

Have Meghan's views on her identity changed from biracial to black due to her huge falling out with her father I wonder? Just a guess as I could see that sort of thing affecting how someone feels about their ancestry.

I'm really not a fan of MM but I was just reading up on her mother as I realised I'd never really seen anything about her in the press and she seems like a very lovely lady.

My daughter would say mixed race white/ Pakistani. As in her cultural background there is a clear divide between Pakistani, Bengali and Indian. Her dad has always felt the need to reinforce that he is Pakistani and not another Asian heritage.
Do people of black heritage feel the same divide between for example west African or Trinidad?

Is it not the fact that most people don't really care what race she is, in that it's irrelevant. Bit part actor with success in a US soap, marries prince.

Or was irrelevant until said actor raised the issue. Now said actor is irrelevant having (supposedly) dipped out of a public life.

You don't like how how some black people identify themselves. That's a very colonial mindset. That's mindset is something that is worthy of not being liked. You don't get to police how people of colour identify themselves.

Brown is accurate as what people are talking about is colour.

It’s rarely about colour actually. If you think racism is a reaction to the colour of people’s skin, you are utterly clueless. It is about the unfounded beliefs people have about the ethnicity and culture underlying the skin colour.

I definitely didn’t think she was black when it was first announced she was dating Harry. I assumed she had some sort of mixed heritage (like most Americans) and was possibly of Italian/Latino descent but wasn’t that interested in it to be honest. I just thought, oh wow she is stunning.

I don’t think the majority of the public were that bothered about her race. Everyone I spoke to was more interested in the fact that she was American and an actress and that she would be a “breath of fresh air”. It was only when certain elements of the media began commenting on it that I realised she was bi-racial, and even then that was more of a “oh right yeah, I can see that. Anyway…”.

I would always refer to her as bi-racial/mixed race because that is what she calls herself. Wasn’t that the whole point of the school census story. She didn’t want to tick that she was ‘black’ or ‘white’ because to do so would be embracing or betraying one of her parent’s heritage at the expense of the other’s. She is proud of both side’s heritage, and so her dad told her to make her own box.

I must admit, whilst Thomas Markle has turned into a bit of a plonker in recent years, I really admire him for allowing Meghan to fully embrace her identity. The whole ‘make your own box’ and buying to sets of dolls (one black and one white) to create a completely new mixed race family is such a great thing to do for her to help her feel a sense of belonging and pride in who she is.

It ceased to be about the media as soon as people started discussing why it is wrong to identify as black if you are 'half white/half black '(The more you learn the more you understand why this terms is problematic) A few posters have made rational statements the rest have swung from prejudiced to the usual centring of Meghan beauty and/or acceptability on whiteness. With a few exceptions I have sighed all the way through this thread.

Ugh, honestly I can't keep trying to dissect and explain my words to you over a comment I made or spell out my whole experience just to make you feel better about it. You don't know anyone who hated the RF and was then happy Meghan joined, great.

I do but not personally. I've seen black people who did just that, including the woman at Sainsburys. I'm also on other forums and saw comments on other articles as well as Youtube videos where some people expressed exactly that sentiment

You asked me if I know or if I assumed and I told you.

just that = the point I made.
exactly that sentiment = the point I made.

Please stop claiming what I assumed while continuously assuming and misinterpreting my words because you think you know what I know or mean. I'm not here to spell things out for you or answer to you.

Again, you cannot claim that there aren't people who are like that because you claim to have not seen them. Your experience doesn't = everyone else's. (Yes I know you did not say this but your insistence on wanting to know who said what and where and saying no one you know felt that way and "no one rejoiced", as if it's proof that no one thinks that way or that I assumed, as you keep trying to make stick, shows what you think).

It's as simple as that, really.