Multiracial Stereotypes

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Should people who are biracial, multiracial, or multiethnic identify themselves as multiethnic? People who are not biracial, multiethnic, or multiracial are prejudiced against people who are. They would ask questions such as, “Who are you? What do you have in you?” Multiracial and biracial people could only identify themselves as one ethnicity, however, in 2000, the census allowed them to self identify with multiple races. Being able to identify as numerous races shows proud self identity and shows who a person truly is genetically. There were sixteen states that reported to have people who had more than one race, but the top three states, Texas, New York, and California, had a population of half a million people of multiple race (Jones 7). …show more content…

I am an African American female, and my boyfriend, Stephen, is Caucasian. We have known each other since elementary school and been dating for two years and three months. When we first started dating in 2015, I was afraid to tell my parents because he was not the same ethnicity as I am, and I did not know what their perception would be because no one in my family has ever dated someone out of their race. While dating, we have dealt with many challenges. For example, when we went on a date to Olive Garden, people would look and stare at us because we are an interracial couple and we would feel uncomfortable because we did not enjoy our meal. One of the major challenges I faced was being frightened that my parents would not tolerate the fact that I like a “white boy,” and his parents would be stereotypical towards me because he likes a “black girl”. Growing up in Snow Hill, NC, most African Americans families say that teens have to date within their race, but I wanted to discover new ideas, food, and values. Going outside of my own ethnicity and heritage to recognize the true meaning of race identity helped my parents see how much he truly meant to me. For example, I discovered that he does not eat soul food every Sunday like I do. My boyfriend and I realized that we have similarities and differences in our culture and our families both supported us no matter the …show more content…

However, the government and people who are narrow-minded do not let them self identify with more than one race. For example, Professor Kerry Ann Rockquemore of Boston College, who teaches Sociology, has dealt with her own self identity. She believes that people who are biracial do not identify themselves as biracial because of the consequences they would receive. ( Rockquemore Par. 9). Some penalties would be being judged because of their phenotype, the texture of their hair., the ,and shape of their nose. Dr. Rockequmore made me realized that it do not matter what anyone thinks about his or her ethnic origin, culture, or phenotype you should be proud of what you are and embrace it. As someone who one day may have mixed race children, I want them to share their heritage and not be ashamed of who they

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