Biracial Identity: My Choice, Not Society’sPosted in Articles, Asian Diaspora, Autobiography, Media Archive on 2015-11-03 21:29Z by Steven |
Biracial Identity: My Choice, Not Society’s
The Huffington Post
2015-11-02
Natasha Sim, Law Student, Writer, Animal Lover
Being biracial or multiracial is becoming increasingly common in the world, but it is still an unfamiliar concept to many. Many people probably know at least one biracial or multiracial person, but the intricacies of biracialism and multiracialism are still far from understood. The global interest around biracialism ramped up when Barack Obama became president, but it is something, that as a biracial person, I have wondered about my entire life.
My identity is not clear-cut and that can make things confusing. Some days I think I am white, and other days, I identify as Asian. Some days I identify as every possible nationality that I am affiliated with —New Zealander, English, Scottish, Irish and Chinese. Some days I am simply a biracial Asian and white person. My changing identity is not unique among mixed race people – as the recent PEW survey of multiracial people found, it is common for biracial and multiracial people to switch between identifying as one race or two or more races. My identity is ever-changing, and as some biracial or multiracial people describe their experience, “schizophrenic.” But, regardless of how confusing my identity may be, as I’ve matured and grown, I have realized that my identity is my choice – not society’s…
Read the entire article here.