Growing up, Heikkinen struggled with hating the white part of herself. Although her physical appearance doesn’t fit the expectation of “black” in America, she says she identifies with both races equally. Heikkinen, whose mother is black and father is white, looks white: She has blonde hair, green eyes, freckles, and pale skin. (Image credit: Courtesy of Sarah Heikkinen) In the Pew study, 47 percent of multiracial people who do not identify as such say it’s because they look and are perceived as a one race. ![]() There are a variety of factors-skin tone, hair color, eye color, where and how a person was raised-that may influence how a person of dual heritage classifies herself. Nearly two-thirds of people with a mixed-race background do not identify as multi- or biracial, according to a Pew Research Center study of Americans with at least two races in their background. It’s hazy how a mixed person is supposed to define themselves people are always defining it for them.” “I don’t know if I identify with being black or white, one more than the other. “I don’t know if I have a concrete way to describe my ethnicity,” says Sarah Heikkinen, 23, a journalist from Cortland, NY. It’s like asking, what half of yourself do you like better?” “People like math because if you solve a problem, you have an answer, and that’s just the answer. “People like a for-sure answer,” says Ferguson. ![]() It was the first time she realized that people are different colors-and receive different treatment because of that.īiracial women who struggle with their own identity may feel an overwhelming outside pressure for racial clarity.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |