Being Mulatto in America

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Recommended: How race as a social construct affects a person’s life

Circle of Color

There are many different races in the United States of America, "mulatto" being just one of them. As a child mixed with both the black and white races, I have a "complete" view of the lives of both cultures; I feel as complete as a circle is in its unending symmetry. I am free from racism and have the power of relating to both races with a sense of belonging. I am aware that I cannot go somewhere and say I am white, but I can relate to whites just as easily as blacks. Color is a fiction, nothing more than a distraction to keep us from noticing how things look in the light.

Due to their immensely different pasts, the two races have a hard time relating to one another, which keeps us apart as people. I have had to deal with a lot of racism in my lifetime, more so from my family than anywhere else. I have been disliked and not "accepted" by my grandparents and great aunts and uncles, some of whom I have never met, due to the color of my skin. My first-hand experience with racism and dealing with it effectively has made me a better, more complete person. The point of my writing this essay is to hopefully open one’s eyes to realize EVERYONE is equal.

When I was a three-year-old little girl I was removed from the care of my natural mother and given to my stepmother, Dora. Dora was a young, caring woman who gave me the life that any child deserves, a stable life of discipline with a lot of love. The strong-minded, yet loving, personality I have is from being around Dora. She cares for people as a whole; I have never heard a racist remark come from her mouth. Although Dora is a black woman, her raising me could not have been any better. Dora is one of seven children, so "family" surrounded me at al...

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...t whole. I mean that if you are white, more than likely you were raised in a white family and the same with any other race. Such an individual would have the disadvantage of not knowing what the next race is truly like and therefore is lacking social "wholeness." In this world of ours, one needs to know how to deal with, talk to, and relate to all races of people. One cannot be intimidated by the next individual because of lack of knowledge of his background. Socially, I have an advantage, I know what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to. No one can be taught how to deal with "different" people. It is through experience and an open mind that one learns their most valuable lesson in life: everyone can encounter the same misfortunes, yet the dignity you display in dealing with them greatly effects the outcome and aids in completing the "circle of color."

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