Mixed Race Studies

Colorblindness is not Progressive: a Review of “The Color of Water”

The Tempest
2016-06-11

Maya Williams

We should make it clear that the concept of colorblindness isn’t just a white perspective to have or to talk about.

The Color of Water: a Black Man’s Tribute to his White Mother (1995) tells the story of a mixed race man named James McBride and his Jewish mother coming of age in a time when mixed race visibility was relatively taboo. This nonfiction novel’s format is such a unique one because while you read it, you can see how fluid time is and how history is capable of repeating itself for generations.

This is such a good book, you guys. After re-reading it, I was struck once more by the intricacies of McBride’s storytelling, the parallels between McBride and his mother, and their human strength. Hands down, one of the most interesting people to read about in this book is Ruth McBride Jordan, the author’s mom…

Read the entire review here.

I’m mixed race. That doesn’t mean you can ask me, “What are you?”

The Tempest
2016-05-21

Maya Williams

I’m not your exotic half-breed toy, so don’t treat me, or anyone else, like one.

“Which parent is white?” many have asked me.

That question tends to bother me as much as the “What are you?” question, if not more on some days. Especially when people attempt to soften the blow with the statement “You’re so good looking” right before it.

My mother has a father of white descent and a mother of black/Cherokee descent. My father has a father of black descent and a mother of black, white, and Chickahominy descent. My mother identifies as biracial in most situations, and my father identifies as black in most situations. All three of my siblings and I identify as multiracial in most situations. Therefore, I find it unsettling that multiracial identity is “cool” when whiteness is in the mix, and especially when there are those so desensitized from mixed race people to the point of immediately asking, “Which parent is white?” They don’t understand that multiraciality is a thing – that there doesn’t have to be a sole white parent to look the way I do.

As exciting as it is to meet other mixed race people, I always get the most excited when I meet second generation mixed race people, especially if we have similar heritage breakdowns. When I was in middle school, I met this one girl who made me laugh when she said, “Yay, we’re mixed-ded-ded!”

However, my story and my experiences as a mixed race person are not important unless my identity is placed in a binary. My interactions with black, white, biracial, and multiracial people in my family are not as newsworthy or intriguing. Second generation mixed people are an afterthought…

Read the entire article here.