Breaking News: I am not actually mixed-race. I am a middle-class white girl with almost no perspective on race relations, and I know I'm not the only one. With racial tensions as a predominant problem in our society, I think it's time to stop with the ignorance.
One of the things I believe we as a society don't pay enough attention to is the growing amount of biracial and mixed race people in America. I asked my wonderful best friend, Terrellyn, if she would answer some questions for me, and she happily obliged.
Disclaimer: These answers are based on Terrellyn's experience being biracial, and she is in no way a spokesperson for Mixed-Race people.
Q: What are you Mixed with?
A: I'm half-Black and half-White, or half African American and half Caucasian, for those of you who are PC.
Q: How often do people ask "what" you are?
A: Almost every day. One day in high school, I spent a day counting and got up to five people.
Q: How do you feel when they ask this?
A: It depends on how they go about asking, but I'm usually okay with it. If a random person on the street comes up to you and asks "What are you?" it's a little off-putting, but if a friend is just curious then I don't mind. If I see someone else who is mixed, I'm usually curious too.
Q: What was your biggest struggle growing up mixed-race?
A: Regardless of what people say, there is always going to be a camaraderie between racial groups. It's something that's unspoken, but it still exists. Growing up, I spent time in both a predominantly black school system as well as a predominantly white school system, and I was never really sure where I stood with those racial groups. In both of those communities, I was always very cautious about how I dressed, how my hair looked, what music I listened to, etc. I was even cautious around family members on both sides, even though they were nothing but loving to me my entire life, and I still felt concerned with how they perceived me.
Q: What is your experience with racism?
A: I have never had to deal with racist remarks head-on, but being racially ambiguous means that people feel comfortable making racist statements around me. For example, once I was talking to a guy who openly told me that he would "rather get into a hole with dirty n****** than get in an Uber," which I thought was quite extreme.
Q: How have you had to cope/respond to this?
A: When people do say racist things or racial slurs, I'm usually upfront with them and will tell them I'm biracial, but other times I just have to deal with it. It's dependent on the situation. In the long-run, it's taught me to be thicker-skinned and more confident with who I am.
Q: What do you love about being mixed?
A: I really love having polar opposite sides of the family (shout out to the family that reads this), but it also gives me a much different perspective from most people.
Q: What do you want to tell people about being mixed race?
A: Don't stare at them, and don't touch their hair (at least for me). But in all seriousness, being mixed race is cool and different, but we're all people. Also, there's more "mixtures" than just black and white, and we shouldn't forget that.
Q: What is your biggest struggle now as a college student in regards to being mixed?
A: In the past few years, I have become more confident in who I am and don't worry about small things, like how I dress. However, the small insecurities have been swapped for bigger ones. In college, people are very opinionated, and I feel like Millennials especially feel like they need to speak out about everything. I've been put in an extremely uncomfortable position lately with the police brutality and Black Lives Matter movement. I feel like I can't voice my opinion because I would be "choosing sides" in the eyes of other people.
Q: What would you say to anyone mixed race reading this?
A: Live your life without caring what people think. Be proud of who you are and your background. If you already do this, then go you, you're doing better than I am. Keep on keeping on.
Once again, these are Terrellyn's experiences and opinions and do not speak for all mixed-race people everywhere. For those of you like me who feel like you don't have much perspective on this topic, I want to encourage you to go out and learn, because it will definitely be worth it.
