On June 12, it will be 44 years since the laws criminalizing interracial marriage were removed, allowing people of different races to marry. It seems like a long enough time for people to move forward and recognise the 6.1 million Americans who have more than one race. My own brown kids are labeled as black, though they have more in common with their white side, having spent most of their lives in Maine. I don't understand why people feel that they have to pick a race.
When my daughter was born, they listed her race as 'white' on her birth certificate. It was explained to me that they list the same race as the mother. I realized that I don't think of her as any race at all, or my son, either. They like to call themselves brown, which is a good word, much more appealing to me than mulatto or something like that. They have the benefits of both sides of the fence - being part of two races. I read celebrity interviews where the brown person talks about struggling to be two races. Who says that they have to choose? My kids had a few problems, but no big struggles. It has taught them a lot about judging other people by outside appearances and having compassion for anyone who is different.
Biracial is beautiful.
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