Liminal Space

According to the U. S. Census Reports, interracial marriages have more than tripled between 1980 and today. There are currently 1.6 million interracial marriages in the United States, and that figure is continuing to grow (Duru, 2012). Statistics show that over 70% of American society has no problem with mixed race relationships, and 40% of Americans have already dated someone of another ethnicity. For the most part relationships between people of different races are no different from the interactions between people of the same race (Duru, 2012).

Even though, one parent is black and one parent is white. They still have to learn how to face discrimination as among black children. They are just less likely to be more criticized. They usually view themselves as neither black nor white. Because the mixed families must conform to a racially divided system. As Butler Sweet-, Colleen said, “The transcendent identity, or refusing to have any racial identity is particularly interesting because it questions the need for a positive black identity all together.”(Butler Sweet-, Colleen 2011)

The population of the United States of America has been one of mixed race since its very beginning. Boatload upon boatload of enslaved Africans provided a labor force which would fuel the American South’s economy for many years, until national abolition and the subsequent civil rights movement created a primarily biracial population of blacks and whites. The US has come a long way since those days, and today every child

James McBride can tell you firsthand about man verse racial identity. Journalizing his experience in his New York Times Bestseller novel the Color of Water simply outlined his struggles of finding who he was. His upbringing included a black father and a Jewish white mother. His background made it hard for him to understand why his home was different than others on the street. Although McBride experience shows an older outtake of racial identity, some may say this still is a problem today. Offspring feels the need to pick a race in society to succeed in the generation and it may be the step to understands them more. Notice in the subtitle of the book "A black Men tribute to his white mother" he label himself as just black as if there was a barrier between his mother and himself because the so different. Today we need to not let racial identity become a big part of our lives.

The impact of biracial/multiracial on our society. Historically, people of mixed racial heritage (e.g., Black and White, Latino and White, Asian and White) were assigned monoracial identities, typically those of the minority or lower-status group (e.g., Black, Latino, Asian; Daniel, 1996). Now, however, mixed-race individuals are asserting a variety of racial identities: biracial, multiracial, monoracial, or

Meet Rachel, a sophomore studying at Howard University who is also mixed with both black and white. Rachel transferred to the Historically Black University from a Predominantly White Institution because she felt as though she was not “white enough” and Howard would better suit her. Unfortunately upon her arrival, Rachel could not help but feel as though she was not “black enough” to attend Howard University. Rachel’s feeling of not belonging are not isolated, they are shared by millions of biracial Americans who, at one time or another, felt as though they did not belong to either culture. These feelings have been brought on, over time, by the way, America, although believed to be a “melting pot” of cultures, often wants people to categorize themselves as one ethnicity and the pressure placed on Americans to solely identify with one race divides the country more than anything else. The only way to rectify this problem is for Americans to stop separating themselves into racial categories and come together to be classified as simply American.

Race and ethnicity is a main factor in the way we identify others and ourselves. The real question here is does race/ethnicity still matter in the U.S.? For some groups race is not a factor that affects them greatly and for others it is a constant occurrence in their mind. But how do people of mix race reacts to this concept, do they feel greatly affected by their race? This is the question we will answer throughout the paper. I will first examine the battle of interracial relationship throughout history and explain how the history greatly explains the importance of being multiracial today. This includes the backlash and cruelty towards interracial couple and their multiracial children. Being part of a multiracial group still contains its

As a school counselor, we have the opportunity to work with all kinds of students from all different walks of life and different backgrounds. However, in the terms of biracial individuals, this has become a complex topic for counselors. With racial identity and their inability to easily fit into a specific racial category, most counselors are unsure about how to work with biracial children to bring about healthy identity development. According to the text,(Johnson, 2009) the issue began with the fact that minorities were underserved in mental health services. Despite the initiation of Community Mental Health Center Act of 1963, “many ethnic minority groups were still being underserved” (Johnson, 2009). Researchers also suggested that underserved populations did not feel that counselors were competent or well aware of

In his essay, “As Black as We Wish to be,” author Thomas Chatterton Williams tries to paint a picture of a world where the sight of interracial families was still considered an oddity and shows how, over the decades, society has slowly became more acceptable towards the idea. He begins the essay briefly discussing the ignorance of people during the late 1980’s while also elaborating what hardships African Americans have dealt with over the past century. He explains that even with the progression of interracial families and equality of African Americans, a new problem has now risen for interracial children of the future. While either being multiracial, African American, or White, what do they decide to identify themselves as? This is the major question that arises throughout Williams’s argument. While Williams’s supports his argument with unreliable environmental evidence, as well with other statistical evidence. His argument is weakened by an abundance of facts, disorganization, and an excessive use of diluted information.

Everyone in the world has their own identity but some are still searching for it. Many base their identity on race, religion, culture and language because it’s easier to belong to a certain group. However, there are some people who struggle with finding where they belong. For instance, James McBride in The Color of Water wonders who he is through most his childhood and some of his adult life. Mcbride tries to find himself by learning about his mother's background. After evaluating his mom’s past,culture and race his own issues with himself were made clearer because now he finally knows where he came from.

The trends in publicly celebrating and affirming the racial identities of multiracial individual’s shows hope for the “loosening of racial boundaries” (91). But what does that mean for children of mixed-race unions who have their own children? As Lee and Bean stated in this article, the continued shifting of the color line throughout history, with who is considered white and who is not, it is likely that “boundaries may continue to stretch to include newer groups” (88). For children of mixed-race unions who have their own children, especially Asians and Latinos, that means that they could be considered white instead of nonwhite. I believe that with our growing diversity as a nation, due to increasing intermarriage between different groups, that there will be an expansion the definition of who is considered “white” but that it will also create a more rigid boundary for those who are black. This would definitely be the case with the

The saying “home is where your heart is “doesn’t seem to fit the hearts of many biracial kids around the world. The hurtful and harmful things that biracial kids hear and go through with their families is something that needs to be put in the same category with other issues that are presented in the forefront. A biracial acquaintance of mine, Evea has had her mother actually tell her to not be with a black man because if they had a baby it will get sickle cell anemia and die. This stereotype is commonly attached to the African-Americans and portrays a bad image. Also, whenever she would do something bad her mother would say “it’s because you have the nigger in you.” Statements like this would affect the parent-child subsystem and have a negative effect on how the child views the parent.

At an early age, children are actively thinking about race. Although their thoughts about race are not as advance compared to those of adults, their juvenile observations and opinions establish a foundation of future stereotypes and biases. When children become attentive to racial differences, the results can either be rewarding or damaging. The origin of racial attitudes among the younger demographic remains unspecified. A correlation between parenting styles and children’s racial attitudes has been considered the primary source, however, multiple research disproves the common belief. While parenting style has a strong impact on children’s racial

Although discrimination and racism is common in today’s society, it is not rare to find a child with many mixed heritages.

In my autobiography, I went into detail about being biracial, open-minded, and depressed. I did mention other traits, for instance being Buddhist, low-middle class, and being nineteen years of age. I just focused more on the first three because I think they all went hand in hand. Being biracial means I am combination of two different races. I used to hate being mixed and sometimes I still do, but having this physical trait has helped me be more compassionate towards others who are different. I always feel out of place when I’m with certain groups of people. Sometimes they’ll make sure to mention that I’m different than the rest of them. I think being biracial has helped me become open-minded but is also a cause of my depression.