How many Nationalities?

Care to explain? why do you think growing up in this country, in particular, is a challenge for mixed race people? in particular.

Genuine question.

I think being mixed race is difficult anyway.

I grew up in Ghana and I was constantly looked at as the light girl and I was generally considered to be white.

And now I'm living England I'm considered to be black.

You can't win being mixed race, you always have the feeling that your an outsider.

Funny thing is when I went to India every one thought I was Indian, although I didn't like this because I'm not Indian and I had a horrible nick name at school that rhymed with my name which is Sakky (I'm sure you can figure that one out).
But I did find being called Indian very endearing coming from an Indian person.

I grew up in Ghana

Amazing country. Where did you live Pickle?

Care to explain? why do you think growing up in this country, in particular, is a challenge for mixed race people? in particular.

Genuine question.

Its actually more difficult culturally if the person's mother is white. Then the child grows up with a mother (lets ignore the father for the moment), and they learn the mother's ways of doing things. Children identify more with mothers at an early age, as the mothers are the primary care givers. The child would feel no different to the mother, except for complexion.

If the child's mother is black, then they feel black, but of just a lighter tone. A mixed race child growing up with a white mother, feels certainly not actually black per se.....but that is how they later realise that society sees them. A conundrum for a child.

At school, and in their neighbourhood, they learn a very different set of ways of approaching the same situations from black kids. Then there is acceptance. A mixed-race child (previously) made a decision which group to choose to fit into. Its not nice, but kids do form social groupings. The white kids, if they accept a mixed-race kid into their group, would expect the mixed-race kid to do as they do, and be understanding when being teased at times about their colour. Or be accepting when that group picked out a minority for teasing. At the same time the mixed-race kid is considered persona non grata in the black kids group. Not in these modern times, but certainly in the 70's, for example.

Yet as they grow older, no matter which group they felt more a part of, they do become very aware that a mixed-race person is actually considered black. Black society accepts mixed-race people as just one of them (generally), but not so in white society. But with more and more mixing of races, especially in metropolitan cities like London, then now, mixed race kids can grow up feeling a part of everything.

I've lived here since 1984, though I was born here, I grew up in Grenada because my mother died. I have many friends here that have told me about their lives, and I paid alot of attention to the differences I perceived in growing up here, as opposed to growing up in the Caribbean, or Florida. I lived in both places.

Amazing country. Where did you live Pickle?

I grew up in Accra, but my family is originally from Cape Coast.

That's weird Ashe.

As my mother is sort of mixed race, very olive skinned due to her dad being mixed race of black and white, and a white mother, but Mum sees herself as white.
Also have a friend same age as me, same race as my mum, and her parents are same races as my grandparents, yet she actually sees herself as mixed race.

If the child's mother is black, then they feel black, but of just a lighter tone. A mixed race child growing up with a white mother, feels certainly not actually black per se...

From what I experienced in London is actually opposite.
Mixed race kids from single white mothers are the "blackest" in attitude. They'd blame their mums for the lack of the father figure and in some cases adopt a racist stand. If they grow up on a council estate, they have loads to prove and they think they need to have an attitude to survive etc. I'm sure prof. Dyson explained it many times already when writing about positive Black role models and common (despite so wrong) association of street culture with Black identity. Anyway, it's not always the case and depend on upbringing and peer pressure.

By the way. I'm Polish (should call myself British, as I've been here for many many years now, but I still can't spell so be it). Born and bred in Poland from a Polish family of Jewish/Italian extraction. To make it more confusing, grandfathers born in Belgium and Germany. Most family lives in the States and Canada, but I was blessed with a communist passport. Mind you, as my wife is from St. Lucia, I have quite nice option of retirement :-)

A mixed-race child (previously) made a decision which group to choose to fit into.

A mixed race child HAS to pick which group they identify with.

As child I was very fortunate to go to an international school with lots of mixed race kids and kids from all over the world. And at my school all the mixed race children banded together. That is where we coined the phrase Ghanglish because all my closest friends where Ghana / English.

But when moved back to England, I found out of no conscious choice of my own I made a lot more white friends listened to more white music dressed more white. Where as my brother is notably more black into black music dresses more black and has more black friends. My sister is different again dresses like a sloane girl and listen to black music, keeps company with mainly mixed race people. How do you like them apples?

Originally Posted by GA2G
*
If the child's mother is black, then they feel black, but of just a lighter tone. A mixed race child growing up with a white mother, feels certainly not actually black per se...*

From what I experienced in London is actually opposite.
Mixed race kids from single white mothers are the "blackest" in attitude.

In the earlier years, they do not know how to identify themselves, and because they realise later that they are rejected from the white groups, they then feel they have something to prove.

Not gospel obviously, but what I gather from watching children grow up, speaking to them, and also from anecdotal evidence.

@Pickle

I am one of identical twins. Therefore my brother and I both grew up in Grenada and Florida. We shared many of the same friends, but when we parted at 18-19 years old, we went separate ways socially. His social grouping is nearly all white, as is his family in Canada. My social grouping is largely black. His children are with 2 white partners, and my children are with 2 black partners.

There can be no easy formula to discern social differences.

That's weird Ashe.

As my mother is sort of mixed race, very olive skinned due to her dad being mixed race of black and white, and a white mother, but Mum sees herself as white......

That was roughly what I had said Lil. If a mixed race child grows up with a white mother, they will be more inclined to think of themselves as white.

If they grow up with a black mother, they will only think of themselves as black or mixed-race, but never white.

But my mate had a white mother...

Wow Im mixed race carribean and russian grew up in central london went to a mixed school and university and have found that most people in my age (early 20's) group dont have any problem in stating that they are mixed race and proud, we could get a lot deeper but in the larger cities I think there may be a difference between age groups and the way they grew up.

I have also grown up on council estates and actually did my disseration on social housing policy, so have to say a lot of your assumptions or generalisations are very out of touch with a generation that sees themselves as more or less taking over (to be blunt) lol

Ive also noticed that we dont have to pick groups and that rather those who are either white or black tend to presume that we do.........

That's me on the right.

Bloody Oliver Cromwell..

I like the thought of that.

^whats ga2g is saying isn't gospel, as he said, there's room for exceptions!

ldngrrl, where is your dad from? I'm portuguese too

I like the thought of that.

+1

^whats ga2g is saying isn't gospel, as he said, there's room for exceptions!

ldngrrl, where is your dad from? I'm portuguese too

Dad: Coimbra
Mum's family, and where I'm often found when I DO visit: [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torres_Vedras"]Torres Vedras[/ame]

Ive also noticed that we dont have to pick groups and that rather those who are either white or black tend to presume that we do.........

This sounds interesting, more details please

1/2 Irish 1/2 Dutch. Born in The Netherlands.

Demorcratic Republic of Congo and Ireland.

There can be no formula to discern social differences.

Fixered.

One of my aunties reckons half my family is of German aristocratic origin, which pretty much make Oliver one of my subjects.

Dad: Coimbra
Mum's family, and where I'm often found when I DO visit: Torres Vedras

nice! my GF studied in coimbra and we're both from a little up north, Aveiro.

I think I may have been to Aveiro, though not sure, me and my parents drove to different places in Portugal sometimes each summer. The weather up north Portugal is colder I've found :P

I find it strange to go back to barbados, (though I haven't been back for ten years, but I did go regularly with my mum and sister every couple of years from like seven to twenty five) that I was just as "other" there as I was made to feel here growing up. I always thought I'm black, on an island of two hundred and fifty thousand or so other black people including my family that I would be accepted (or if not accepted) not thought of as "other" but I wasn't.
Quite odd being called english, and people staring as you walk from place to place, it felt very similar to going to unversity in newcastle, back in the early nineties just without the appreciative/supportive nod of recognition from other black people who were also in the same situation.
quite confusing. Wonder what its gonna be like the next time I'm back and whether I'll still feel as displaced.