Date: Monday, December 24, 2001 10:46 AM
From: blackmulatto
Subject: Letter to the Editor
My father is a white man (Polish)and yet I've never been called a Polock. My mother is an African American woman and by the way I've ben refered to as a nigger quite a few times. This statement will generate a lot of comments like, dont let racist people define you. I will never let any one person define and decide who I am, including myself. There is a long history being ignored in this message board. A history that developed who we are,what we are, and why we are.A structure political and social, where color defines who you are. Now people have made attempts to rebel against this structure.Persons of every tint and shade have been able to live sucessful lives'but the structure still remains. Honestly I do not see a lot of white people with diffrent backgrounds urging to call themselves multi-racial. The fact remains to be "black" still has alot of negative stigmas people rather not associate themselves with. So I'm not here to figure out everyones motives for calling themselves multi-racial. But my motive to not do it, is the need to be equal with those who are not equal. What I mean is there is still a need to boost the esteeem of people of color in order to rid of the white superior structure that is still present in our lives.French dramatist Henry Becque said "What makes equality such a difficult business is that we only want it with our superiors". So there is a need for me to be black and proud. Now the need is mostly political. If every asked if I am multi-racial in a conversation with close associates I would never deny it because that would be denying myself. But if all of a sudden I change from black to multi-racial as a label, I feel I must think there is something wrong with blackness. I cant comfortably be bi-racial until we say bye to racism.