Bi Racial Stereotypes: Similarities And Differences
Abstract
When I was growing up I had a hard time understanding why I looked so different than the other girls did. I was always the one that did not fit in, my hair; eyes and skin were darker than the rest.
I did not have anyone that I could relate to and had a hard time making friends because I was so different. I used to wish that I was white my hair blonde and my eyes blue, I did not accept the fact that I could never be something I was not. I was the only minority in my school until fifth grade. The minorities stuck together as we were not easily accepted, and it was not until high school that we were allowed a multi cultural group in which we could address our similarities, and differences. I am a bi racial and have no real group that I feel I belong in, and like most bi racial children I struggled with my own identity. I was taller than all the Asians and had too dark of features to blend in with the Whites. The answers to the core questions are all No, because there are not too many people like me around. Most people who are bi racial are mixed with black, and I am mixed with Asian. When the media talks of race they are always talking of one solid race and we are left out of the topic. I think that my community can help by broadening the spectrum and allowing all people to be involved. This means letting children …show more content…
be aware of both their cultural sides and by making places where people feel welcome no matter what they look like. I am going to cover what it is like to grow up in a world where you are never accepted and always asked "what are you". There are many like me, but not enough to be recognized.
In my community
Over the last few years Minnesota has become more racially diverse, it is estimated that in 2030 16 % of the population in Minnesota will be people of color. That is an increase of half when you compare the 9% color proportion in 2000. (Toney, 2006) The people in my community are usually white and no racism is portrayed, but it does exist. It is stated to be harder for a person of color to obtain a high paying job. Minnesota is claimed to be one of the worst in the nation when it comes to this inequality. Districts with an enormous growth in racial communities have had legislators fail to address their needs. The laws are stricter for those who are of color; we are often made an example of. When a person of color breaks the law they get what is written in the law book, when a white person is arrested they get a second chance. The people are generally friendly, but they use discretion when interacting. My neighbor does not allow my child to enter her home when she plays with her child. I know this reason, but it is hard to explain to a five year old why she is not welcome in another persons home. Bi Racial Americans
To be Bi racial is means; you are biologically or culturally from two or more races, ethnicities, or cultures. It is estimated that there are 10 million bi racial Americans in the United States, of that there are 126 different racial combinations.(Jones, 2004) Maris Root is an activist for the bi racial community and she has made us our own bill of rights. These simple practices are made to help the growth of a multi cultural person's life. These are the rights are as follows:
• Multiracial individuals have the right to self-definition
• Multiracial individuals must resist the oppressiveness of choosing only one heritage group
• The right to be complex, ambiguous, and to change over time and situations
• The right to claim membership in multiple heritage groups
• The right to prioritize membership with one group
• The right not to justify cultural classification
Our Struggles
Experts suggest that most bi racial people have a struggle with their own identity, and often question their heritage and where they belong. There is high rate for depression and bi polar disease. We do not fit in to one category or one social group. When there is a disagreement among races we are often able to see both sides and challenge the notion that a person can not have multiple race affiliations. We are more likely to have family members that do not accept us. My grandmother rejected me as a child and disowned my mother for having relations with a white man. She told my mother that I would never fit in and how could she bring a "yellow baby in to this world, with no race to claim." Some times I feel that my grandmother was right. We feel pressure to relate to the group that we most look like, and like me I will never totally blend in. When we date it is hard to find a partner of the same make up, and often leads to another mix of races. My child is black, white, and Asian. I worry; she too will face the same feeling I did as a child, since she is the only one in our community that is mixed. We are part of both worlds yet we do not totally fit in with either group. There is always one member of our group that casts us to the other group. (Jones, 2004) The Positives of Being Bi Racial
We are the new breed of human; we can bring change and diversity to all. We can cross racial lines and make peace with people who are not tolerant. African Americans usually can feel my pain when I speak of how I have no place in my own community. Most have embraced me in to their communities and I experience less racism than a white person would. I also experience less racism than a black person does as well, yet it is an empty void. Moving forward I see great potential in our futures to create a more supportive community, that is accepting of all that breathe air. We can accomplish an understanding between the races, because we are a part of both races.
Famous Bi Racials
Unfortunately there are not many members in my community that are trying to promote bi racial issues.
We are in a day and age that you fall in one category or another, but there are many faces people recognize that are not one race or another. Barack Obama is the Presidential candidate that is considered black, but is mixed with white. The list continues with Tiger Woods, Naomi Campbell, Kimora Lee, Mario Van Peebles, Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, and the list goes on. As time progresses I hope there will continue to be a variety of cultures in the Media's eye. This will allow every one a chance, to have someone that looks like them to look up
to.
Do We Count?
In 2000 the census bureau finally allowed people to claim their entire heritage. It is estimated that in 1971 there were 321,000 inter racial couples. In California 15% of the new births are bi racial children. There is no fair explanation of why the government does not want to know exactly how many of us there are. It is very nice to know that in the next 30 years there will be more people like myself that can walk around and not feel odd. There is safety in numbers and the more we share with the government, and the more we ask for help, the better our chances are. Conclusion
If I could resolve the inequities in my community I would open a center for bi racial youth. This would be a place where skin color does not exist, but unity does. I think providing kids with a role model to look up to and identify with are important. I did not have anyone to look at and say wow that is me. Until I got much older, and the racial divides became more narrow. In my community there are Asian leaders, Black leaders, and White leaders. There are few bi racial leaders, and none fight for the identity of bi racial issues. I sometimes feel like I am a cast away, I have no one that is like me. Even finding another bi racial it is still not the same as having "your own kind". In my research I was pleased to learn in fact there are other people with the same racial make up as me. I am not alone in this world, but the numbers of my kinds are small and few. I have taken on the term human when asked what I am. This reminds me and the person I am speaking with that we have common ground. I try not to get offended easily by other people's ignorance, because it is human nature. I am different than a minority, but we are the true minorities. I am bi racial I am not one or another I am a blend of the best my parents could offer me. I have been cast away like other minorities, yet I am American and I speak English. I am one of the forgotten people when the politicians speak of change, and racial equality. You do not hear of us being mentions, as we are the black sheep of society. In the future we all will be mixed with one thing or another and my descendants will not have to worry as I did. This is my life, and I am proud to have lived it.
When I was growing up I had a hard time understanding why I looked so different than the other girls did. I was always the one that did not fit in, my hair; eyes and skin were darker than the rest.
I did not have anyone that I could relate to and had a hard time making friends because I was so different. I used to wish that I was white my hair blonde and my eyes blue, I did not accept the fact that I could never be something I was not. I was the only minority in my school until fifth grade. The minorities stuck together as we were not easily accepted, and it was not until high school that we were allowed a multi cultural group in which we could address our similarities, and differences. I am a bi racial and have no real group that I feel I belong in, and like most bi racial children I struggled with my own identity. I was taller than all the Asians and had too dark of features to blend in with the Whites. The answers to the core questions are all No, because there are not too many people like me around. Most people who are bi racial are mixed with black, and I am mixed with Asian. When the media talks of race they are always talking of one solid race and we are left out of the topic. I think that my community can help by broadening the spectrum and allowing all people to be involved. This means letting children …show more content…
be aware of both their cultural sides and by making places where people feel welcome no matter what they look like. I am going to cover what it is like to grow up in a world where you are never accepted and always asked "what are you". There are many like me, but not enough to be recognized.
In my community
Over the last few years Minnesota has become more racially diverse, it is estimated that in 2030 16 % of the population in Minnesota will be people of color. That is an increase of half when you compare the 9% color proportion in 2000. (Toney, 2006) The people in my community are usually white and no racism is portrayed, but it does exist. It is stated to be harder for a person of color to obtain a high paying job. Minnesota is claimed to be one of the worst in the nation when it comes to this inequality. Districts with an enormous growth in racial communities have had legislators fail to address their needs. The laws are stricter for those who are of color; we are often made an example of. When a person of color breaks the law they get what is written in the law book, when a white person is arrested they get a second chance. The people are generally friendly, but they use discretion when interacting. My neighbor does not allow my child to enter her home when she plays with her child. I know this reason, but it is hard to explain to a five year old why she is not welcome in another persons home. Bi Racial Americans
To be Bi racial is means; you are biologically or culturally from two or more races, ethnicities, or cultures. It is estimated that there are 10 million bi racial Americans in the United States, of that there are 126 different racial combinations.(Jones, 2004) Maris Root is an activist for the bi racial community and she has made us our own bill of rights. These simple practices are made to help the growth of a multi cultural person's life. These are the rights are as follows:
• Multiracial individuals have the right to self-definition
• Multiracial individuals must resist the oppressiveness of choosing only one heritage group
• The right to be complex, ambiguous, and to change over time and situations
• The right to claim membership in multiple heritage groups
• The right to prioritize membership with one group
• The right not to justify cultural classification
Our Struggles
Experts suggest that most bi racial people have a struggle with their own identity, and often question their heritage and where they belong. There is high rate for depression and bi polar disease. We do not fit in to one category or one social group. When there is a disagreement among races we are often able to see both sides and challenge the notion that a person can not have multiple race affiliations. We are more likely to have family members that do not accept us. My grandmother rejected me as a child and disowned my mother for having relations with a white man. She told my mother that I would never fit in and how could she bring a "yellow baby in to this world, with no race to claim." Some times I feel that my grandmother was right. We feel pressure to relate to the group that we most look like, and like me I will never totally blend in. When we date it is hard to find a partner of the same make up, and often leads to another mix of races. My child is black, white, and Asian. I worry; she too will face the same feeling I did as a child, since she is the only one in our community that is mixed. We are part of both worlds yet we do not totally fit in with either group. There is always one member of our group that casts us to the other group. (Jones, 2004) The Positives of Being Bi Racial
We are the new breed of human; we can bring change and diversity to all. We can cross racial lines and make peace with people who are not tolerant. African Americans usually can feel my pain when I speak of how I have no place in my own community. Most have embraced me in to their communities and I experience less racism than a white person would. I also experience less racism than a black person does as well, yet it is an empty void. Moving forward I see great potential in our futures to create a more supportive community, that is accepting of all that breathe air. We can accomplish an understanding between the races, because we are a part of both races.
Famous Bi Racials
Unfortunately there are not many members in my community that are trying to promote bi racial issues.
We are in a day and age that you fall in one category or another, but there are many faces people recognize that are not one race or another. Barack Obama is the Presidential candidate that is considered black, but is mixed with white. The list continues with Tiger Woods, Naomi Campbell, Kimora Lee, Mario Van Peebles, Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, and the list goes on. As time progresses I hope there will continue to be a variety of cultures in the Media's eye. This will allow every one a chance, to have someone that looks like them to look up
to.
Do We Count?
In 2000 the census bureau finally allowed people to claim their entire heritage. It is estimated that in 1971 there were 321,000 inter racial couples. In California 15% of the new births are bi racial children. There is no fair explanation of why the government does not want to know exactly how many of us there are. It is very nice to know that in the next 30 years there will be more people like myself that can walk around and not feel odd. There is safety in numbers and the more we share with the government, and the more we ask for help, the better our chances are. Conclusion
If I could resolve the inequities in my community I would open a center for bi racial youth. This would be a place where skin color does not exist, but unity does. I think providing kids with a role model to look up to and identify with are important. I did not have anyone to look at and say wow that is me. Until I got much older, and the racial divides became more narrow. In my community there are Asian leaders, Black leaders, and White leaders. There are few bi racial leaders, and none fight for the identity of bi racial issues. I sometimes feel like I am a cast away, I have no one that is like me. Even finding another bi racial it is still not the same as having "your own kind". In my research I was pleased to learn in fact there are other people with the same racial make up as me. I am not alone in this world, but the numbers of my kinds are small and few. I have taken on the term human when asked what I am. This reminds me and the person I am speaking with that we have common ground. I try not to get offended easily by other people's ignorance, because it is human nature. I am different than a minority, but we are the true minorities. I am bi racial I am not one or another I am a blend of the best my parents could offer me. I have been cast away like other minorities, yet I am American and I speak English. I am one of the forgotten people when the politicians speak of change, and racial equality. You do not hear of us being mentions, as we are the black sheep of society. In the future we all will be mixed with one thing or another and my descendants will not have to worry as I did. This is my life, and I am proud to have lived it.