DCentric

Racialicious

The Intersection of Race and Pop Culture

What am I reading, right now? A post on Racialicious, “The Tragic Mulatto Myth Debunked: Holding Tight to All of Our Roots“:

Throughout my twenty one years, as various people have approached me with questions —“Why are your eyes so chinky?” or “Why does your father look White? Are you adopted?” or the all-time favorite “What are you?”— I have been forced to contemplate my multi-racial heritage and, from that, build my ethnic and racial identity. I, Aisha, identify as a Black-Mixed woman. In that order. If people want to know more I will tell them that I am of Black, Japanese, and White descent.

Again, a self-identifying statement from a multi-racial person with Black heritage—which includes his or her various racial and ethnic heritages—is not automatically evidence of his or her desire to remove Blackness. It is completely acceptable for me to make the true statement that I love my Blackness. It is less acceptable to claim the same for my White or Japanese ancestries, which not only helped to shape the curl of my hair and the slant of my eyes, but also were essential in my cultural upbringing.

Why must an individual choose one identity from two parents whom they love? The math simply does not add up. Is this thinking partially a residual effect of the Untied States’ historic one-drop rule? Furthermore, is that rule an aspect of a greater ideology that we, as people of color, wish to support in its persistence?

About the author

DCentric was created to examine the ways race and class interact in Washington, D.C., a city with a vibrant mix of cultures and neighborhoods. Your guides to the changing district are reporters Anna John and Elahe Izadi. View all posts by Anna →