a family member was filling out these forms and her live-in boyfriend did not know what to choose, so they asked their daughter. she replied black!
over her short six-years, her father has always presented her with white dolls and tossed away the black dolls her grandmother had given her. he cringed at her recent birthday party when a classmate's parents who are white gave her the princess and the frog doll.
believe me, her family members on her mom's side know better. but what do you do when the parents dont talk about race issues, and you feel that the parents are in the relationship because of their own hangups.
mom has issues dating back to adolescent years. father has never dated outside his race.
Apr 21, 2010 Rating
biracial kids now acknowledged on school enrollment forms by: Great Day!!
Hi everyone, my husband is black and I am white, we have a daughter and recently our school district have added black/white and black/hispanic as race options on enrollment forms. While filling out her paperwork, I smiled to myself!
Mar 12, 2010 Rating
Think about it by: Anonymous
Just as irritated or concerned you may be about labeling your child one way or another, singling out or ignoring a race, by throwing them into an "other" stockpile, you create another problem.
I have always chosen "black" for my biracial children for very specific reasons although they have light skin. I have a close relative who is also biracial and at 28, he still has issues with having to be thrown into the faceless, unidentifiable category such as "other."
If I must classify them with one race, I do select "black," however when there's no mandate for single answers, I select "black" and "white." When it comes down to it, it's about being more insightful of children's sense of identity and not just the parent's personal views. While those "views" have credence, you don't have to personally deal with them when they're in social settings.
Sep 22, 2009 Rating
I feel your pain by: Anonymous
I understand your frustration. I have refused to "classify" and my children were subjected to a visual inspection by school staff and their race was chosen based on how they looked. I found out the next school year when they were listed as Hispanic on the forms that I was asked to review for changes.
Hispanic? I feel by having to choose one or the other, I'm denying half of my child's heritage. Which parent gets obliterated?
I'm up all night when they're sick. I drive them to school. I spend more time with them. My husband is always at work, but why? To support them financially. They look just like him, but much lighter. I have yet to experience any other racial issues other than those pesky forms.
Aug 18, 2009 Rating
Thanks by: Anonymous
Thanks for the advice, I have been doing a lot of research myself. I have discovered that by the 2010-2011 school year that it will be mandated that the new school registration forms in my state must have an option for multirace. I do feel much better that there will be that option next year.
Aug 17, 2009 Rating
Racial designation for Biracial Children by: Alice
My 15 year old son is mixed, and I have been fighting this battle for years. The racial designation is a part of the No Child Left Behind Act which insists on labeling children. I contacted my congressman who contacted the state superintendent of education in our state. Basically I was told that we could refuse to designate a race, but that the NCLB act was to be amended this year to allow for biracial or "other" designation. I urge you to contact your congressman.
