Monthly Archives: September 2003

Blogging and Identity, Part 3

[Part 1] [Part 2] [The P6 Collection]

Here ya go, Lauren.

What It Means To Be White

We all know by now that I’m biracial. Half black, half white. I thought about trying to answer these questions as they are. As if I’m white. And it’s not possible. Because I never think of myself as white. I think of myself as half white, too, ya know. Sometimes. If the questions were about being black, it might be easier, but only a little. Mostly I just think of myself as being mixed (or swirl). Because, as I believe Halle Berry said her mom told her, you look black and the world’s gonna treat you that way. I see brown skin in the mirror. Most times, people can’t even tell by looking that I’m mixed. I don’t think. It’s not like people ask. So my answers come more from the standpoint of what it’s like to be biracial. Neither black nor white.

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Blogging and Identity, Part 2

I mentioned before that the subject of black bloggers is going around. It’s morphed into more of a “blogging and identity” discussion. As an offshoot of that ms lauren at feministe has written an essay entitled Whiteness, As I Know It. The idea here is that if black people can explain what it is to be black, can white people do the same? It’s long, but it’s good. Really good. That is one smart woman.

UPDATE: I’m moving this back up top because I feel really strongly that these should be read. I’m adding aldahlia’s essay. It’s every bit as interesting as ms lauren’s.

Interestingly, the more I read, the more people seem to say that their economic status had a bigger impact on their identity. I’ve heard it proposed that using socioeconomic status is a better way to ensure “diversity” on college campuses than using race.