I am biracial, my father is black and my mother is white. Which race am I considered to be, white or black? I have and always will consider myself to be black because that is how society has basically treated me. I have always heard there are laws stating what race you may be but I have always doubted such laws. I have also heard that when you're biracial that you can choose which race you would like to be grouped with like a person who is born on February 29th can choose between the 28th of February or March 1st as their birthday. I don't really know how true that one is either. I don't like choosing other because I am not an other, I am something. So is there any set way, in law or any other means, in which a person like me has their race set?
I'm biracial as well, my mother is Japanese and my father is white. I consider myself "none of the above" or "choose not to answer" on surveys. Race doesn't matter at all.
Not to derail my thread but yes the official birthday will be Feb. 29 but you can choose to celebrate it every year in stead of every 4 years. I don't think some one born on Feb. 29, 1980 is really going to be 5 years old in 2003.
this guy who lived on my street was egyptian so when he went to college he applied for all these scholarships and he put african-american. i thought it was great. he got lots of money too. doesn't really help you i just thought it was a great way with how he manipulated the system
My wife is half-black and half-Chinese, plus a number of other things thrown in. It is actually pretty convenient because you can switch your race as convenient. You want to get into a competitive white-bread school? Check off African-American. You want to apply for a scholarship to help Chinese students? Check off Asian. Who's going to tell you you're wrong? People have told her she should call herself black because that's what everyone sees her as. But, she won't go for that. And, she's so white-bred, I don't think many people who know her think of her as black either. To answer your original question, I don't think there is any law that governs how you are allowed to describe yourself. Not that you can lie with impunity, but given your mixed heritage, I'm sure no one can make any legal objection to your claiming one or the other (Native American is a bit different though).
I've heard that rather often but it seems a bit antiquated. Even in the 19th century South people made distinctions based on how much white there was in a person (terms like "high yellow" were used a lot at that time). What does seem more true is that anything mixed with mixed is mixed. My children will be mixed regardless of what race JV is. The practical application of this is that it is important to have a healthy attitude and understanding of how race, and being mixed, affects our lives because that attitude will greatly influence our children's self-image.
My neice is half hispanic and half white. She asked her parents which she race to say she was. They told her whatever race she wanted. It was up to her.
I was wondering why that question was asked anyway. I didn't know what to put either (when I got my Texas driver's license). What purpose does this question serve? We don't have that question in Germany.
They ask what race you are so they can use it in statistics. The reason why I asked the race question is this, if I am arrested what race will they put down or if a file or something like is done on me that I don't participate in what would they put down. What would the government consider me?
Lil Pun, I'd imagine it'd depend a lot on what you look like. If my wife were arrested and they were to fill-in her race without asking her what it was, it's as likely they'd put down hispanic or Pacific Islander as it is they'd put down African American. I'm pretty certain they wouldn't put white though, nor Chinese despite her ancestry.
Again, why even have the question...shouldn't the law be color-blind...and race-blind? If everyone has the same rights and duties and the same laws apply to everyone, what purpose does the race question serve? I was baffled when I saw it on the form for the driver's license. Not sure what the statistics would be good for. To prove that people of one race commit more crimes than those of another one?
As was previously explained, the government collects a lot of race data for statistical purposes -- so they can watch and make sure that there isn't a racial bias affecting their services. For the driver's license, it's probably also used for identification since the DL is the primary method of ID in the States.
Agreed. This country will never be color-blind until we put less emphasis on forcing people into groups like this. This re-inforces people's identifications with these groups, and causes things like preferential treatment for member of your group and animosity towards other groups.
It's true race is used for statistics. The only thing I think race should be used in is in a police description of a criminal, fugitive, etc. to help in the aid of capture.
Lil Pun. Me and you are the same. My father is black and my mother is white. There's only one word to describe us: HALFricans. J/k....well sorta. Cod
