How are black– white mixed-race people viewed by black people and white people? Are they universally stereotyped as well? Perhaps the title gives us a clue.

aving a sense of belonging, or not belonging, to a particular group can affect a person’s well-being. That sense can only come from inside a person, and only if they “feel” they belong.  Unfortunately, as with most things, just feeling it does not make it true. Outside influence generally plays a big hand in shaping that feeling. Not always for the negative, but more often than not.

An employer or survey giver might categorize a mixed-race person a certain way to match quotas in diversity that benefit their requirements. Perhaps the person does not identify themselves that way and therefore feel misrepresented, stereotyped, or even used.

Question: Have you been pigeonholed to meet a racial quota? How did it make you feel? Join the discussion here in our forums.

Prior research in America focused almost exclusively on how white people view mixed-race (black and white) people which bought out a tendency for white people to categorize those of mixed race as being black. In new research with two colleagues, Nour Kteily wanted to know whether black people tended to do the same thing.

Their research finds that overall, both races view black-white biracial people as slightly “more black than white” says Kteily.

But white and black people appear to differ in why they might classify mixed people this way. In short, white people who categorize mixed people as being black view racial equality less favourably than black people who classify mixed people as being blacker are more supportive of racial equality.

 

 

Question: Do you feel black people hold a different racial view of you than white people do? Join the discussion here in our forums.

Having said that, more recent research (USA only) suggests that mixed (black & white) people are universally stereotyped as physically attractive but struggle to belong in society. They further suggest that although there is a rapidly increasing number of mixed-race people in America, which should lead to a less judgemental and prejudiced society, they are in fact being labelled with new stereotypes and judgements, being completely different to the stereotypes afforded to their parents. This being the case the researchers suggest that people may, in reality, think of mixed people as part of their own racial group, rather than just a combination of the races of their parents?

              ”…in the absence of a

               stereotype that fits,

              people will happily come

              up with new ones…,,

 

 

 

What is interesting to note is that this applies solely to black/white mixed-race people. Those of other racial mixes such as Asian/white share a lot of the stereotypes of their single raced parents.

It is apparent, at least in the case of the USA, that in the absence of a stereotype that fits, people will happily come up with new ones to ensure the pigeon hole system that everyone, regardless of genetic composition, absolutely must fit into, is maintained, and we can all sleep peacefully in the knowledge that this is so.

Question: Have you ever felt pigeonholed based on either a mixed-race stereotype or that of your monoracial parents? Join the discussion here in our forums.

 

Please feel free to post your thoughts and experiences on the matter in the forums here, or should you have a larger submission, send it to reachout@1mixedfamily.com for possible inclusion in our reader articles. All participation is welcome.