Biracials that choose indentify as Black/African American

People always talk as if society forces many biracials to identify as black
I happen to think otherwise though,because ive met a few in the past who choose to identify as Black
Just like you have biracials who dont identify as Black

Take Barack Obama and Shemar Moore for example,both acknowledge that they have white mothers,but both consider themselves black men.

For the ww on this board,how would you feel if you had a son.and he considered himself a black man?

 

I would expect him to identify himself that way because, like it or not, the one drop rule is alive and well.

 

That is very true. And think about it. Many black people who are decendents of slaves have white blood in them. My great great grandmother was half white and she got treated like a black person because that was who she was. She was born in 1871. It would be ideal if the world could look past color but that is not reality.

I am black man who is also mixed with french but ha when I get pulled over by the police they are not going to view me as a person of african and French descent. They are going to view me as a black person.

Its not a matter of picking on or the other. Who ever you are, you just have to understand who you are and be happy with that. Its also of equal importance to understand how people view you so you will know how they will treat you.

The people that care about you for who you are will not care what color your are because they will know you for who you are. The vast majority of people however don't know you and may make a quick judgement that may not be true. Thats why you have to be aware of how the society will view you (be it right or wrong) and be ready to deal with that.

 

Choosing one side over the other isnt right or wrong.

It's fair.

 

My sister's boyfriend's mother is black and he's never met his father but knows he's not black. He will correct anyone who calls him black and comment on the fact that he is biracial.

it's really a matter of personal opinion

I don't think it would really bother me all that much if my child referred to his or herself as black, although my views may change by the time i actually have children. i do believe that one should be proud of where they come from so i guess i would like my children to be aware of their heritage and have pride in it.....idk, i think i'm contradicting myself haha
it's really just something i'll want to discuss with my children and my partner when the time comes :smt050

 

I would be quite offended and upset if my children referred to themselves as black. They are not black. They are biracial....If other people refer to them as black, I understand and there's no problem - I would be happy if people were corrected, however, and learnt the truth.

Being black implies numerous things. Being Biracial implies many others. I want my kids to acknowledge both sides of themselves.

 

You may view them however you choose but the sad truth is that society will view them as black. One only needs to look to our newly elected "first black president", who, in fact, is bi-racial to see what I'm talking about. The black community has claimed him as their own and whites are only too happy to call him black because, as I stated before, the one drop rule is real.

 

Juli I have to tell you that the one drop rule just isnt my reality. I come from mixed heritage and no one calls me black. I have first cousins who look 100% afrocentric and I have cousins who look completely Irish.

People never look past what they see on the surface. If you look afrocentric, they will probably assume you are black. And if you look eurocentric, they are gonna assume you are white. Most of society doesnt care about DNA or heritage (with the exceptions of extremists on both ends).

If I had kids and they wanted to identify as black, white, mixed, biracial, or whatever, I would just allow them to privilege to choose their own identity.

 

Biracial is a good word than half-caste.

 

The one drop rule may apply in some cases, but the only way we are going to get beyond that racist notion is to call people on it. I have to give props to the parents of biracial children and biracial people who tirelessly correct others when they mistakenly identify them as one race or the other.

If I have biracial children, I plan to identify them as such. At a young age, I was taught to appreciate my Irish heritage as a competitive Irish dancer and my German heritage through various celebrations. I want my future son or daughter to feel like they can celebrate all aspects of their heritage no matter what they look like.

 

Well as the Mother of a Biracial/Mixed Son and Daughter, i prefer them to be indentified as Mixed race, but of course thats my preference, if he or she should wish to consider themselves just black thats there decision, but with the upbringing i have in place for both im sure they will identify as Mixed.

As to other people and there views on there Ethnicity, its pretty obvious they are mixed, people here aren't that igonorant.

 

If we are talking about American society then yes, biracial people with a parent of African decent are usually forced to identify themselves as "black." Since I've already been in a protracted argument on this topic here, I'll state in no uncertain terms that I believe that this is unfair and that people should not be forced into a box, but "what is" and "what ought to be" are two different things. I wholeheartedly agree with what Juli wrote about the opprobrious "one drop rule" being alive and well.

Two of my grandmothers were biracial. My great grandmothers were the mistresses of white landowners in Barbados. When I was in high school, I remember having a discussion with some other kids who I was hanging out with about our ancestry. A couple were proudly claiming their Native American heritage because they had great great parents who were Indian. When I mentioned my white ancestry, I was laughed at by the entire group. I assured them that I obviously identified myself "black"; however, I did indeed have a great grand father who was Scotch-Irish and another who was Welsh. After being told that I was "full of shit" repeatedly and that I was "pretending to be white," I removed myself from the conversation.

To reiterate, I don't condone this phenomenon, but you're deluded if you think that there is not a lot of pressure in this country for people of African descent who look like they're of African descent, to touch on what Fly Girl wrote, to identify themselves as black. Race is a malleable concept and the societal mores governing the identification of biracial people are different in other countries, but I don't see the cultural landscape in the US with regards to this matter changing any time soon.

 

Actually,i do see alot of whites mentioning that hes biracial

if obama was your average joe,or a criminal,he'd sure as hell would be seen as black by everybody...

 

Its funny,cause the reason the term "mulatto" appeared on the american census,was due to irish female "slaves",or indentured servants,having babies with black male slaves in the south back in the day.

 

ALso,i think whether the father is black or white,and whether the mother is black or white,has alot to due with what the children will identify with.
Biracial male born to a black father/white mother will probably identify as a Black man.The reverse will more likely identify as biracial....

 

I think it's a normal process for children to go through claiming their identity..whatever that may be. Often times children will go through phases where they are wanting/needing to identify in one direction or another and that's something that they need to work through.

My 20 year old son is white. He has black very curly hair and people think he's "mixed" and/or all sorts of things. He's had moments where he didn't really like being called different things. But then he's also felt that people have at times been more accepting of him because they think that he may be "one of them" (whatever ethnic/racial group it may be)

I guess the bottom line for me is that I wouldn't have a problem with it. I raise my children to have a very strong sense of self. How they choose to identify themselves is up to them. I realize that it may change over time also - I've seen it happen many times. But if I had a "mixed" son and he chose to say he was black, I wouldn't feel that he was dismissing me or my heritage.

What I have found fascinating is how many people (more often than not black folks) think my daughter is "mixed" and she definitely does not look to be mixed at all.

 

KnCA touched on a good point that everyone seems to dismiss. Just because someone of mixed heritage 'identifies' themselves as black does NOT mean they're disregarding all of their heritage.

Most have no problem acknowledging/proclaiming their heritage, however, for various reasons choose to identify as black, particularly in America. That's a personal choice often influenced by American culture.

 

Well Int maybe I see it a bit different than many others too just because of my life experiences.

I mean I'm considered "white" but I'm just as much Italian as Thick Shawty is. My dad is very quick to tell anyone and everyone that he is Italian. He grew up in a time when it was NOT a good thing to be Italian in America.

I don't usually say anything and people will guess. It doesn't mean that I am embarrassed about my heritage. I know I'm Italian, just as I know all the other things I am. I'm proud of all the parts of me.

I simply know that it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or calls me.

 

That's very interesting!

 

Cosign.

And may I add: if my son start referring to himself as being only black (or white) I'd feel like I'd failed horribly in raising him. I want him to be proud of who he is, and embrace both his roots.