The Issues Surrounding Mixed-Race Children - Essay Example

Mixed Race Children: What does their tomorrow do for us? Introduction The issue of race has been one of the primordial debates in the world. It is an issue which has been and perhaps always will be controversial. With the recent election of a mixed race president, the question is yet again brought to the table; especially on what mixed race children would now bring to our future and what they would now mean to the rest of society. This paper shall discuss the issues surrounding mixed race children. It shall also discuss what mixed race children would mean and bring to our future. Discussion The historic election of Barack Obama as President is probably the most emphatic acknowledgement that can be given to the mixed race children. Throughout the years, these mixed race children have been treated with ambiguity – not quite discriminated against like their minority counterparts and not quite accepted among the majority population. Their behavior also straddles these two extremes; consequently, their peer acceptance is not quite improved on either side of the fence. And now with the election of a mixed race President, it is a possible opening into more acceptable standards of recognition of these children. There are various implications that can now be drawn for and about the future of mixed race children. These implications shall be drawn from various discussions of experts and socio-cultural theorists and analysts. Future implications would mostly focus on sociological aspects and discussions. In an article by Khan (2007) he mentions that the present acceptance and prevalence of mixed race relations and children are the most visible signs of racial harmony. In a way, this is a truce between and among the different races of the world. There is now a greater acceptance of mixed race children and in the possibility of improved relations among the different races that exist around the globe. It is important to note, however, that this acceptance was started in the 2001 census which featured boxes for mixed race children. Where before, the boxes broadly covered general categories, now, more specific descriptions and classifications are available for these mixed race children (Khan, 2007). This implies that mixed children are now slowly but surely being identified as they are – not as whites, or as blacks, or even as Asians, but as mixed race children. In a big way, these children would now have the chance to be themselves and to be accorded the same rights and privileges and even responsibilities that their pure-breed counterparts enjoy. Because of this acceptance, the world is now learning to adapt to this accepted trend. Khan (2007) points out that “my color is no longer political dynamite, my militant attitude no longer a grenade thrown in the face of my well-wishing, pure white or sheer brown relatives”. And in the years to come, this situation will eventually improve and open up to a wider mixed-race acceptance. Asthana and Smith (2009) point out important trends which are seen in the United Kingdom with the increase of mixed race families and children in the past decade or so. They cite that at present, about 1 in 10 families in the UK are now mixed-race. They also emphasize that this phenomenon may just be the best way of ushering in a less or even non-racist Britain (Asthana and Smith, 2009). In the course of this increase in mixed race relationships, certain ethnic groupings are actually expected to disappear or fade away altogether. The younger generations are also more likely to intermarry with other races as their exposure to and acceptance of diversity is slowly being improved. Many young people have gotten used to interacting with other races and most of them have relinquished their racial consciousness. Consequently, the prospect or the opportunity of establishing – friendships or even romantic – relations with other people of different races is now a greater possibility. In fact, “half of all men in Britain who have Caribbean heritage and are in a relationship already have partners of a different race” (Ashana and Smith, 2009). This is also seen among some African men, Indian men and women, and some Chinese women. Many experts believe that these ‘relationships’ and improved relations between and among the different races is a way of finally conquering the ethnic and racial divide. The future of the world can now be imagined not only in shades of black and white, but in shades brown (Khan, 2007). In an article by Prasad (2009) she makes mention of the fact that mixed marriages in Britain are increasing. The stigma behind these marriages is not as controversial as it used to be and that most people are now welcoming this phenomenon. She mentions that as we welcome these mixed marriages and children of mixed genealogies, it is now more possible to expect a genetically diverse future for the children. In the case of decreased diversity in the genes seen in inbred children, the possibility of more diseases and deformities among children is thereby increased. From this analysis, diversity in genes helps nature adapt “to changing environmental conditions and helps at fighting off and surviving infections” (Prasad, 2009). Researchers have also established that mixed race children are more symmetrical than other pure race children. They are more attractive, less prone to illnesses and infection, and are even less stressed. In this regard, from a biological point of view, increase in mixed race children implies an improved ability to fight off diseases. The genetic markers distinct in each race, passed on from generations, and developed because of specific conditions which existed in original habitats, are then inherited by generations that follow. For example, in the genetic sense, Africans carry a vulnerability to sickle cell anemia and most West Africans are actually lactose intolerant as are the Japanese; however, the East Africans are not (Adelman, 2003). The point in this discussion is that, with increased mixed-race children, it is possible to later on create more disease-resistance children as imperfections and vulnerabilities slowly become diluted down the line. The increasing number of mixed race children now creates a new generation of individuals who are more aware and who are more adjusted to diversity. The increased and improved acceptance of diversity among mixed race children is an improved trend in racial tolerance. And there is no other platform within which diversity can be explored well than in the leadership template led by mixed race children (Ajegbo, 2007). The changing of attitudes in society about racial and cultural diversities can be started among the mixed race children. There is already an inherent factor that transcends race and the attitudes of society and “as those attitudes change and soften and people move easily about the world there will inevitably be more and more mixed race children (Ajegbo, 2007). These attitudes also imply that it is time for most people to discard their old notions of racial divides and accept that this trend shall continue to increase; the majority now will not remain so in the future. The issue involving mixed race children has not been touched or discussed as much as the issues on racial discrimination itself. As these race mixed children have presented ambiguous positions in society, the issues surrounding their place in society have also not been given sufficient attention. Now, with the changes being introduced in the society in general, their position does not seem vague at all. Our future and that of the mixed raced children now call for the categories and labels we have known and used throughout the years to be discarded. “In the years leading up to the US Census’ decision to allow individuals to check “all that apply” in 2000 – reflecting an acknowledgment of demographic transformations – and ever since, debates have flourished over the “color-blind era”” (Brunsma, 2005). And for these mixed race children, the debates are no longer just about the African Americans being discriminated against, but it is now also about them – about their group of ignored, forgotten, and discredited people. They are saying that their future and their voice are important and crucial to the bigger picture. The current prevalence of mixed race children in our society also implies that it is time for the mixed race families and for the rest of society to prepare their children to exist and to co-relate with each other, regardless of race. The parents of biracial children must make a larger effort to “instill the values and cultures of both races so our biracial children feel accepted in any environment and comfortable in their own skin” (Cadena, 2007). As these children start to recognize that they do not belong to the usual clear-cut categories, it is important for them to be taught that there is no need for them to choose sides or races – they can be their own race. “And with Obama to identify with, most people believe that mixed-race individuals can be themselves and not have to fit in one racial group or the other; [consequently], mixed-race individuals [can] feel that they can go through that struggle and still emerge as respectable persons within the society” (Rodriguez, 2009). By instilling this sense of self to these children, their sense of self is also improved. On the other hand, for parents of non-mixed race children, it is also important for them to raise their children as more accepting of diversity. The growth and acceptance of change is an inevitable process because the numbers of mixed race children will continue to rise. The discussion above emphasizes the important trends in society and in mixed race children. The implications of the increase seen in the number of mixed race children revolve around the growing acceptance of racial diversity. These mixed race children help usher in a world where they can stand up and be recognized as they are, and not as part of one or the other side of their physiological make-up. Their existence also implies that the world is slowly but surely getting to past the impasse where racial diversity will no longer be about pure racial classifications, but about a blending of these categories. Works Cited Adelman, L. (2003) Race and Gene Studies: What Difference Makes a Difference. Newsreel. Retrieved 07 November 2009 from http://newsreel.org/guides/race/whatdiff.htm Ajegbo, K. (18 August 2007) On Being Mixed race. Mixedness. Retrieved 07 November 2009 from http://mixedness.millipedia.net/Default.aspx.LocID-0hgnew0y6.RefLocID-0hg01l0hg01l001.Lang-EN.htm Asthana, A. and Smith, D. (18 January 2009) Revealed: the rise of mixed-race Britain. Some ethnic groups will disappear. Guardian.uk. Retrieved 07 November 2009 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/18/race-identity-britain-study Brunsma, D. (December 2005) Interracial Families and the Racial Identification of Mixed- Race Children: Evidence from the Early Childhood. University of Missouri. Retrieved 07 November 2009 from http://sociology.missouri.edu/New%20Website%20WWW/Faculty%20and%20Staff/Assets/David%20Brunsma/Interracial%20Families%20and%20Racial%20Ident.pdf Cadena, C. (23 April 2007) The Biracial Child: Embracing Ethnic Identity. Associated Content. Retrieved 07 November 2009 from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/204136/the_biracial_child_embracing_ethnic_pg2_pg2.html?cat=25 Khan, A. (17 February 2007) ‘Mixed-race people are the most visible sign of racial harmony’. Herald Scotland. Retrieved 07 November 2009 from http://www.heraldscotland.com/mixed-race-people-are-the-most-visible-sign-of-racial-harmony-1.836257 Prasad, A. (1 November 2009) Its a wonderful, mixed-up world. Telegraph.uk. Retrieved 07 November 2009 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/6475543/Its-a-wonderful-mixed-up-world.html Rodriguez, R. (7 May 2009) Obama: The face of black and white dating. Articles Base. Retrieved 08 November 2009 from http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/obama-the-face-of-black-and-white-dating-904967.html Read More