Comments

1. Nina wrote:

   Oh those crafty mixed people! Always trying to distance themselves from their darker heritage, always trying to curry favor with The White Man, thinking that they’re better than their full-black or full-Asian or full-Latino or full-Native brethren!

   So, are you saying that this never happens? Because (flamethrowers aside) many mixed people do not consider themselves really black, they consider themselves biracial. There is a long history of mixed persons in this country — especially those “fair enough to pass” not wanting to be considered “black” and of being more acceptable to white people. Not all, but many biracial people do indeed distance themselves from their black heritage (just like some have done with their white heritage) — sometimes to the point of being militant.

   I think it is also unfair that black people in particular have the strongest reputation for being against mixed people. There have been many white women over the generations that were shunned from their families and who in turn raised their biracial children in black communities — let’s remember the full story in that respect.

   Jennifer Beals reputation for “running away” from the black side of her heritage goes back to her Flashdance days. She was going to Yale at the time and famously said ‘I’m not Black and I’m not White” — She also filled out her application “other.” Being the 80s teenager that I was, I remember an article in Jet reporting on her comments, complete with pictures of her father. She also never publicly dealt with the black community (cultivating her fans/events, etc.) — that is where the distance has always been perceived with her. She disappears for years after Flashdance and then suddenly turns up in “Devil in a Blue Dress” and that Anne Rice TV movie (I forget the name) that included Creoles from New Orleans. Jennifer Beals reputation with blacks has been more than 20 years in the making — long before “The L Word”.

   I don’t think there is anything wrong with considering yourself mixed and marking applications “other” — but let’s not pretend that all of these persons consider themselves “really” black.

   Posted 29 Mar 2006 at 2:06 am ¶

2. Unlisted wrote:

   This is exactly how far too many black people feel. They think that a biracial/multiracial person is denying their heritage by embracing it.

   That is why the entire color line thing is silly. Either we do away with the “races” and move toward the Latin system or have a Dave Chapelle style racial draft

   Posted 29 Mar 2006 at 7:58 am ¶

3. mr guy wrote:

   There are biracials that have a black parent, that try to “run away” from their blackness that’s true.How many do it?I don’t know but I’m willing to bet many don’t.However Far too often I have noticed if a half black person does not identify as 100% black only, that man or woman will be considered self hating no matter what.For many folks, running away from blackness=not identifying as black only.It’s not fair for the black community to have a strongest reputation for this, but I feel that even if the person in question was not beals AND respected his or her black heritage along with whatever heritage, you will still get this sort of view.Especially from the more political types.

   Posted 29 Mar 2006 at 11:45 am ¶

4. Shannon wrote:

   Ha ha…. although I’m hardly a Hollywood celebrity like Jennifer Beals, I tend to have people dump the same assumptions on me. Although I am mixed, I have lighter skin, straighter hair that grows long, and other more “Caucasian” looking traits as well, so it’s pretty hard for people to really figure out what my ethnicity is. I’ve gotten everything from Italian, to Egyptian, to Middle Eastern, to Greek, to Mexican.

   I personally choose to identify myself as “mixed” or “multi-racial” because that’s what I am!! It’s that simple. I’m not black any more than I’m white, so it seems silly to pretend that I am. I completely respect mixed people who choose to identify as black, but for me the choice is embracing all aspects of my heritage and always will be.

   Like Beals, I’ve always really fit in just fine with white people. Perhaps it’s because of the fact that I look more ambiguous, maybe not. It would be hard for me to say as I’ve never walked in anyone else’s shoes. I personally think that my attitude about ethnicity in general is the reason I have never had much trouble fitting in with pretty much any group I wanted, ethnic or otherwise, but that’s just my two cents. I’ve never tried to pass for white, nor would I really be able to or want to, but I still feel accepted in general by people of any color provided ethnicity isn’t a personal hang-up for them. I prefer to think of my mixed status as something that allows me to fit in everywhere, as opposed to nowhere.

   Posted 29 Mar 2006 at 2:11 pm ¶

5. Gwell wrote:

   this was posted on my-space:

   Minority within a minority?

   Pardon my ignorance but aren’t quite a bit of US citizens mix race? What happens when one marries one branch of the gene pool? does it negate all the others?

   For myself. I can trace Choctaw, Chickasaw, Black and White in my lineage, but I identify with my Black/Negro heritage, now this is probably true of 70 to 80% conservatively of black north americans (The Caribbean, South America and the rest of the dysporia to some degree as well)

   My question is how much of a Hapa/Mulatto are you when it comes to multiple generations, is it cultural or family that determines a choice? - for the more obvious mix race newbies you may have a idea of how to represent your self’s, but for us of a long line of race mixing over the generations what’s the overall racial identity - again is it cultural or family that determines this?

   Ideally it should be human but that would be to extreme, nature likes diversity, I like cultural differences to appreciate my own & others, I dislike cultural assimilation, like Mc Donald’s, Disneyland France etc… where everyone acts & dresses the same, when I travel I want to experience the difference (sorry went on a tangent)

   Basically the racial heritage here is mixed, but reincorporation of one or two lines is often replenished, by marrying someone who is familiarly pleasing to you and what ever other criteria you have for picking a mate or not, thus only emphasizing a racial line or two in seceding generations.

   What’s it gonna be eventually ?

   As a side note, historically speaking, those who could pass for white (mix race) did so, there is also a practice called brown bag test - no one darker than that was acceptable (southern practice - the good hair, high yellow etc…

   Malcolm X’s (Red) mother was half white, so is Halie Berry a mix race individual

   I’m fairly sure if there is animosity, it springs from these practices & cycles of I’m better off other than Black. James Browns song “I’m black & I’m pround” was quite provocative 40+ years ago (whare are the near Blue Black people from years ago - rare to be seen now)

   Posted 30 Mar 2006 at 8:33 pm ¶

6. Francis Jacquerye wrote:

   The nonsense of “racial” classifications is the syllogism that since individuals from various “races” are different, individuals from the same “race” should be similar as far as customs and culture is concerned.

   Jennifer Beal just happens to have closer ties with her mother’s culture, just like an Anglo-Italian might be closer to the British culture and not the Italian. So why make such a fuss about it?

   I guess that according to these critics, mixed individuals should choose to relate to only one of the “races inherited” from their parents or grandparents… and one should preferably pick the lowest/inferior “race” on the “arian/darwinian” scale to avoid being accused of being ashamed of it.

   Posted 03 Apr 2006 at 7:49 am ¶

7. Dave wrote:

   Way to go CVK. As you can see even by the responses in this thread, defending mixed-identified folks with white and black heritage against accusations that they are “running away from their blackness” is not an easy job. You will get a lot of negative energy in reply. But, by doing so, you are opening up space for a lot of us who prefer to define our identity on our own terms, rather than be bullied into an identity someone ELSE wants for us.

   I’ll repost your article to mulatto.org, to show folks how lucky we are that you are fighting the good fight for the right for white/black biracials to choose our identities ourselves.

   

   Posted 03 Apr 2006 at 3:03 pm ¶

8. Damie_Troy wrote:

   If people were just treated equally regardless of phenotype then this wouldn’t be an issue.

   So much information shows people who are less blackish have had less discrimination from non-blacks.

   So it’s easy not be suspicious or angry when your phenotype isn’t so racially apparent, and viewed as socially attractive/acceptable to negrophobes.

   Black people know this, and thats why they have these attitudes. This is why prioritizing racial difference over fellow Americanism will always keep us divided.

   Posted 05 Apr 2006 at 1:20 am ¶

9. Dave wrote:

   Damie_Troy,

   I disagree that people who are “less blackish” have less discrimination from non-blacks. I think arabs, latinos, multiracials, and Amerindians for example face discrimination that is at least equal to discrimination faced by black folks. In fact, there’s an element of subordination of brown & beige folks to describe our looks as either “blackish” or “whitish”. We can be described on our own terms, not relative either black or white.

   Posted 05 Apr 2006 at 6:28 am ¶

10. Damie_Troy wrote:

    On phenotype preference, I’m quoting research books on the subject of racial discrimination and colorism, written by some sociologist who are multiracial. I can give you references.

    I do agree with you that multiracials, Amerindians, Arabs lack power and influence on certain levels than the monoracial identifiers like Whites, Blacks or Latinos have.

    Posted 06 Apr 2006 at 5:33 am ¶

11. maestro wrote:

    I do believe its important(as jennifer beals quote suggest)to embrace all aspects of oneself. However, she doesn’t seem to practice what she says, especially when u consider she has few black friends, never dates people of color, and removes herself from cultural events that r negro oriented(that are not paying gigs of course). Her quote seems more socially influenced but her lifestyle seems to confirm a salient peace being around her whiter side. Plus, it feels soooo goood to fit in with a more popular group or race. I suspect if half the known world (the colored half) could change themselves to look white they would. Its obscene, but possibly true.

    Posted 15 May 2006 at 4:06 am ¶

12. Bealsfan wrote:

    Considering that Jennifer Beals’ father, who is responsible for the African American part of her make-up) passed away and she was thereafter brought up by her mother, who is Irish, it seems logical that there would be a heavier influence on her life from that particular part of her heritage. Jennifer Beals went to boarding schools, which are in their nature predominanty made up of people who are not African American. She attended Yale, again another place where the population of African American’s was very miniscule…as with most college that are not historically African American, especially private ones. I don’t her personally as I am sure probably none of you do, how can we say how she grew up, how she went through the world, and how she has lived her life and why things are for her the way they are.

    Perhaps Jennifer Beals has friends and boyfriends (now a husband) who are mostly Caucasian because those are the people who were in the environment she grew up in and exist in today. I am African American and before college I worked at hospital where there were hardly any other African Americans, my friends and colleagues were Caucasian and other groups. I attended a private university and my friends, classmates, and eventually sorority sisters were Caucasian, only 1 other African American besides myself. These people were my friends, sometimes by boyfriends, not because I am hiding from and denying my African American identity but because these were the people around me. I’m not going to deny their friendship or my attractions to them because they don’t look like me or fit some mold that others might expect for me. Perhaps Jennifer Beals lives by similar standards.

    Since her involvement in The L Word, I have read more comments about Jennifer Beals’ race and people trying to impose the “white” or “black” label on her as like a point for their team. I cannot understand why a biracial person cannot identify with whatever label they feel accurately describes them, especially “other” or “neither black or white” or “both black and white” if that is what they are without the world putting them under a microscope and dissecting their lives, who they are friends with, what they do, and however else they choose to live their lives.

    It’s sad really.

    Posted 25 May 2006 at 12:00 am ¶

13. Kari wrote:

    I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY TO EVERYONE, STOP WITH THIS ” BLACK NEGRO” “THING” ALL OF YOUR RESPONSES SHOW THAT YOU ARE ALL STILL BRAINWASHED MEANING YOU STILL BELIEVE (IF YOU HAVE ONE DROP OF BLACK YOUR BLACK)> THAT IS A BUNCH OF B.S. WHO EVER MADE THAT CROCK OF ISH UP! WHAT ABOUT ONE DROP OF FILIPINO OR IRISH, ARE YOU GOING TO BE FULL BLOOD IRISH OR FILIPINO, THAT WAS A STUPID RULE TO MAKE UP BECUASE IT CAN’T B BACKED. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT PHYSICAL TRAITS YOU GOT! IF YOUR 50% EUROPEAN AND 50%”BLACK THATS WHAT YOU ARE, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH YOU ARE MORE EUROPEAN, UNLESS ONE OF YOUR PARENTS IS PURE_BLOOD AFRICAN. BECAUSE BLACKS THEMSELVES ARE MULTI-RACIAL WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT POINT, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS RACE WHEN IT COMES TO BLACKS, BECAUSE WERE ALL MULTI-RACIAL! AND WERE NOT ALL MIXED WITH THE SAME THING SO HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY OURSELVES AS OUR OWN ETHNIC GROUP WE ARE NO GROUP. RACE> PEOPLE WHO SHARE COMMON PHYSICAL FEATURES AND LOOK ALIKE, LIKE ASIANS (YOU KNOW ONE WHEN YOU SEE THEM) YOU KNOW AN AFRICAN WHEN YOU SEE ONE. PEOPLE WHO ARE THERE OWN PURE-BREAD RACE LIKE ARABS AND CHALDEANS LOOK ALIKE, BLACKS DON’T SO STOP SAYING OTHER PEOPLE ARE IN DENIAL UNLESS YOU TOTALLY LOOK AFRICAN STOP CLAIMING WHAT YOUR NOT! AND IF YOU DO DON’T TRY TO MAKE OTHERS DO SOMETHING THEY DON’T WANT! AND BLACK IS NOT THE “SPECIAL” RACE SO STOP TRYING TO MAKE EVERYONE B BLACK ! PLEASE…

    Posted 15 Jun 2006 at 1:51 pm ¶

14. Tamika wrote:

    Black is not a special race?Well black is a special race as any other race God created a persons’ race with his own likeness,And a biracial is black and white,so how the hell could one claim not to be part black?Because if they aren’t half black they wouldn’t be considered a mulatto THEY’LL BE FULLY WHITE.Though I’m an African American I don’t believe in the one drop rule,But one myth I can’t stand is when they say all mulattoes are light skin?lol really that isn’t true at all if it was then I wouldn’t have dark skinned biracials as friends,and being a biracial is’nt based on a persons appearance but by their genes,And have you guys forgotten that “mulattoes” aren’t the mixed people in this world.Many blacks in general grow through half of the things mulattoes go through only thing they don’t have black and white parentage.

    Posted 16 Jun 2006 at 12:46 pm ¶

15. Tamika wrote:

    type error mulattoes aren’t the only mixed people in the world,And many blacks go through half the things mulattoes go through only thing blacks don’t have black and white parentage. I don’t mean to offend anyone with the m word.

    Posted 16 Jun 2006 at 12:51 pm ¶

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