From: clare@nynexst.com (Clare Chu)
Subject: Re: The Term "Biracial"
Organization: Nynex Science and Technology
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 18:56:05 GMT

In article <1993Jan27.000755.23608@news.acns.nwu.edu> dowdy@tochtli.biochem.nwu.edu (Dowdy Jackson) writes:
>In article <1993Jan23.235250.12603@cgrg.ohio-state.edu> demetri@cgrg.ohio-state.edu  writes:
>>To Mr. Jackson:
>>
>>Amazing!  I put time and effort into explaining our beliefs about our
>>child's identity and still got back the same line "Well, your child will be
>>seen as Black and therefore is Black".  You completely ignored everything I
>>said.  How interesting that you, as an African American, would tell me that
>>I should accept a less than accurate label for my child because "that's how
>>White America sees him".  If your ancestors thought that way, you would not
>>be at a major university having this discussion.  But since I now see that
>>you will not even afford me the minimal respect of *acknowledging* my
>>arguments, I will leave you to your opinions and turn my attention to
>>raising a proudly BIRACIAL child.  Ciao.
>>                              Renee
>Renee,
>     I don't care what you call your child ! The facts still remain that
>if your child looks like an African American then that's what your child
>will be labeled as. Right or wrong that's the way it is for now. 
>     Your anger at me is ridiculous since I could care less that you choose to
>call your child BIRACIAL. Like I stated before the large majority of 
>AfAms from slavery in America are biracial, triracial, etc. The fact still
>remains that we are identified not by our genetic makeup but our appearance.
>If I looked like an Asian person, I would be looked upon as Asian regardless
>of how my parents look. Just by calling your child biracial doesn't mean that
>he/she won't be looked upon as an AfAm if he/she looks like one. Ciao.
>
>

  I just wonder how many grown-up "biracial" people does Renee know.
  I know a whole bunch and as much as they dislike being classified
  as "black", they've all come to accept it because they can't wear
  their parentage on a T-shirt saying, "My mom is white, my dad is
  Black".  It's all in the appearance that society "thinks" classifies
  people into different races.  I'm not saying it is right, but people
  do it all the time, consciously or subconsciously.  They treat you
  based on what you look like.  I've been approached by Japanese tourists
  asking for directions in Japanese.  I'm Chinese-American, but they don't
  know that.  I have to explain politely that I don't understand Japanese.

  One of my biracial (tri- quad- )-racial friends looks Armenian.  So
  people ask her about Armenian restaurants.  Some biracial Asian/Whites
  look Asian and are treated as Asian.  Others look white, and unless
  they tell you they have an Asian parent you'd never know.  Other
  biracial Asian/White people look Hispanic, Native American, Jewish,
  Italian.  Then there are biracial Asian/Black people who look Hawaiian
  or Samoan.  Then there are people like my husband who is Puerto Rican
  who gets asked by {Iranians, Egyptians, Filipinos, Samoans, Italians,
  Mexicans, Salvadoreans, Indians, Pakistanis} whether he is one of
  them!  Then there's my son whom the Puerto Ricans call "Chinito", and
  the Chinese think he's Malaysian.  

  So all I can say is chill out, really.  You can't wear your ancestry
  on your sleeve and you just gotta deal with being yourself and not
  worrying where you're pigeonholed or classified by others.