Reply to Racial issues in DCPS for mixed race kids

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "Racial issues in DCPS for mixed race kids"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Wow.  I just read this whole thread.  I am biracial, grew up in DC, went to DCPS.  I fully believe that everyone should get to choose how they identify,and not have it dictated by society or their parents.  I often think how slow progress in this area is.  I'll share my experience because it's more on the positive side than some of the other pp's.  Not that I want to negate their experiences though - but as one pp said it's not all the tragic mulatto.  I've always self-identified as black, because I look more black than anything else and it was just simpler than constantly having to defend the biracial identification.  My mother, who is white, was always quick to reassure me that I should identify however was most comfortable to me and that she did not feel like I was slighting my heritage by not claiming a biracial status.  For the OP, I think the problem she describes is one that all parents of black and Latino children face - especially if they are attending school among children from a lower SES.  I didn't have the miserable school experience of some of the other biracial posters, but to the extent that I had difficulties, it was because I was smart and articulate and was from a higher SES.  Those were the reasons I "acted white" - along with a few other fully black students.  Everyone knew I was biracial, but that didn't seem to be an issue.  I went to school with many other biracial students - seems everyone had their own way of identifying and trying to fit in.  The ones that looked less black and tended to identify more as biracial also tended to hang out more with the white kids, so the black kids more or less left them alone.  These are just my observations from more than 20 years ago - I'd like to think things are better now, and it's easier for biracial kids to navigate socially, but sounds like maybe not.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics