A lot of people online are saying that race is a phenotype, and not an ancestry. Well, this comment makes it seem like race *is* an ancestry. So, what is race? A phenotype? Or an ancestry? A lot of biracial people phenotypically look only black. Very few look only like their other race, and then there are those of us who look like both. There are also people whose parents are not of a different race from each other, but who look mixed, or even another race. So, what to make of that? Lastly, we know that race used to be decided legally in the United States, so how about that? Most black people (namely dark skin women who are upset, yeah I said it) are saying to get rid of the one-drop rule. Fine. Are you ready for that? Are you ready to give up every single person who isn't either phenotypically unambiguous, or whose ancestry is only African black??? That's a lot more people than you realize. And then what, basically, just the dark-skins are left?? And what are they gonna do. Finally sit around and say: we're all black, hooray! This is bullshit. Mixed people...ARE BLACK! Even if the experience isn't the same.
Weird how it never happens huh. They like to use phrases like "divisive" and 'your own people' when having conversations with black people on this topic, which is a subtle way to keep pushing themselves onto black people, a way of reinforcing this idea that they're somehow black when they're not. Basically trying to assert themselves as black without having the conversation
Won't happen they'll be quick to disregard them. In fact, some are even angry they're created. It's natural for folks racial or others to want offspring like they're culture and heritage. It's a sad but human experience.
It's not the same kind of battle because that's not what white means. European and white aren't the same. The social construct of the white race comes from a germanic, anglo-saxon context. The concept was made to separate anyone of color and or negro features from the concept of whiteness. There was even a time when italians weren't considered white because of some of their ethnic features and them being darker than other europeans on average
The issue is pretending that biracial people are black, it actually doesn’t give them the space to even speak because their multiethnicness is ignored. You can’t address something you don’t acknowledge
ikr! Biracials are NOT black and society is using them as buffers to not address what monoracials go through! Blacks need to gatekeep their race so you don't have a confusion with counting biracials as Black yet still don't feel represented! Notice how even White passing Biracials do NOT have White people confused about ish lol
When that's the side that acknowledging more, then that's all u know unless ur parent tells u bout them but if that side of the family treating ur baby funny u probably don't wanna talk abt them anyways so it leaves in a weird space of just acknowledging the side that accepts u more, even if it comes with some bad like some thinking u bougie or better than others because the dominant society holds u in higher regard.
It actually does. Black “persona” comes from jazz, soul and hip hop. So yes our swag and our dialect which is AAVE is Founded by guess who? Black people. We made it. It’s us.
Well, it actually does. The same way that liking Reggaeton or Bachata has something to do with you being latin/S.American. Or how liking folklore has something to do with you being scandanavian. Hip hop has roots in the black american culture. Every black person does not like the same genre of music. But there are certain things that were born out of our culture and who's historical origns can be traced right back to black american people. When you define black culture, the origin of hip hop is a part of it. We do not have to deny our own culture, just because we are ashamed of some negativities associated with it. Nobody would have hip hop if it were not for Black Americans. I don't see how the music genre has nothing to do with being black if black Americans literally have everything to do with it's creation AND popularity world-wide.
Thanks to Dr Donna and Shayvan for their HONEST commentary. The black experience is not the same as the biracial experience and there is nothing wrong with acknowledging that. Biracial people deserve spaces to discuss their experiences without “but my expericence” during conversations about the black experience from people that have an undeniable black phenotype.
Biracial man here. I know what you mean. After being called red and light skinned by elders, peers, and family since i was born I found some resolve with just being Black too. Helps save an argument and unnecessary headaches😂
I just hate the dismissal of struggle. Just cause me as a darkskin man go through shit because of my skintone doesn't mean ur experience ain't shit because ur lighter than me. That's ass. That lightskin individual probably got the "U think u too good for us" "U think cause u got good hair n light eyes u special" "U soft ass lightskin nigga, ol Drake ass nigga" a meme like "Lightskin dudes fall like this *elegant fall*" 😂 n some of this is jokes but some of that cuts deep for them n I'd be an asshole to dismiss that or compare trauma. What they experienced mightve had them 2 minutes away from hitting the delete button on themselves like what I experienced mightve had the same impact even tho both r different
Bi-racial people are Bi-Racial with their own unique experiences. We as black people should accept and respect it. Great discussion 👍🏾 I’m a new subscriber!
Saying biracial twice makes no sense. Biracial is a description not an identity. It’s mean you have two races and unique to both whether socially or culturally accepted or not
The lady is the red dress is such a wonderful mom. She’s raising her biracial son right. Not forcing him to choose side and constantly telling him he is both despite his complexion.
Agreed. I think she is a wonderful mom. I would like to add it's not necessarily the parents who "force" biracial people to pick a side...it tends to be how the world views them that dictates what side they take. Examples such as Megan Markle and Halle Berry. Both biracial however, I remember Halle Berry stating in an interview that she identified as black because she knew that's how the world perceived her.
@@chara8231 I understand the point "Biracial people tend to pick a side based on how the world views them." but that does not age well and I really wish Black people would stop saying that. Yes, I understand the saying is true, but it's up to Biracial people to choose their own trajectory. There is nothing wrong with a Biracial person identifying as a Black biracial as long as they understand when it's all said and done they are biracial no matter how melanated they are. I think of Biracials like Drake and it's so embarrassing and disappointing that he thought just because he was melanated he was going to have a melanated son. That lets me know that Drake doesn't view himself as a biracial man despite him having a white mother, sure he we will acknowledge his mother and her culture but because he feels like he is dark enough he does not get take into account his biracial identity and how that will affect his offspring if he procreates with white women. Drake had a whole biracial identity crisis when his white son was born and hip-hop laugh at him about it despite them black manning him his whole career because he looks like someone who gets stopped by the police. It was pathetic that Black women were getting mad at Drake for being attracted to white women when his mother is white. It made zero sense for Black women to hold him to the same standards as they would a Black man. I just feel like when melanated biracial steps out into the scene all logic gets thrown out because they look like could be one of your cousins and that is dangerous. Here is another example, Tamera Morry. She has always been known as the black twin, the black community always referred to her as the black one but she just recently made black women mad for calling her new hair care line a product made for black women. Every black woman in her comments instantly reminded her that day she was biracial and her hair was not black hair but that's what the community has been telling her, her whole life. Acknowledging biracial people as biracial is important. I don't have a problem with biracial Identifying as Black biracial as long as they know at the end of the day they are biracial. When you know who you are you will not be able to let people tell you otherwise. I love biracial women like Zendaya and Mariah Carey. Despite how they are perceived, and the discrimination they face, they never hesitate to let anybody know they are biracial and they don't mind telling black people or white people to fuck off when they feel like they are being pushed inside of a box of being a white woman or a black woman.
The prejudice you face is a little bit like pretty privilege. Some people will not like you because of your privilege. But overall your privilege far outweigh the prejudice you face.
@@user-Mimi622 Every compares themselves to everyone, even if they are not trying to do it consciously. That is just human nature. And to be be frank, comparison is no always a bad thing. It is by comparing how you are treated as opposed to other people that you can see when you are being discriminated against. Jealousy over someone who is being treated better than you for something you cannot control is tiring yes, but it's a natural feeling. No one likes feeling this way and no one wants to be in this position. So yeah if you're an ugly girl, jealousy over pretty girls is tiring, but it's natural when you've seen countless times how you've been passed up for opportunities that have been given freely to less deserving but prettier girls. Again, no one likes being treated unfairly, and feelings of jealousy and envy are completely normal.
I LOOOVE the fact that Shayvan put into words THE DIFFERENCE that NEEDED to be stated in this conversation. Biracial people are trying to have their IDENTITY AFFIRMED and dark skinned people are trying to have their HUMANITY AFFIRMED! My God! So on point, that was SOOO potent, and needed during this conversation.
With all due respect, Nikki sounds confused. She seems to let her little sister's experience cloud everything she says. Why is it Black people's duty to provide a space to Biracials (when we already do!!!) ? And when will ya'll go just as hard against the other communities who produce biracial kids? When will ya'll demand they make room for biracials in their communities? Does she ask her sister's mother for the room she's demanding from other black folks? And the other guy coming in saying he's not "concerned about white spaces" just confirms the whole thing. Did he ever confront his colorist Puerto Rican family members? Or is it just from the black folks around him he's expecting perfect behaviour?
Never confused honey I have empathy for HUMAN beings which biracial people are. There is nothing confusing about acknowledging EVERYONEs pain yall gotta really grow a heart
@@inikkivalentinex ma'am, you already said on instagram that the only reason we talk about Biracial people is because we feel "threatened" and we victimize ourselves. I've heard everything I needed to hear from you. Be blessed.
Biracial people do have voices and are heard but its the biracial EXPERIENCE that doesnt get heardbecause people want to lump biracial and black people together. How can the Biracial experience be HEARD if people arent willing to admit that there is a biracial experience. Imo people need to understand that Black isnt a personality trait or a culture its a race. Same with Biracial. Many Biracial people who speak on the discrimination they face or often shut out because they speak about it as if its a "black experience". E.g. when discussing colorism a lot of the time biracial people would say their experience of "colorism" is being told they arent "black enough" ... thats not colorism thats simply the reality, you are BOTH equally. And i also think this idea of "you can choose how to identify" is weird and it causes a lot of confusion not just with them but also when they have kids.... there are a lot of people who identify as biracial or even black not knowing that they are about 70% white because all their biracial family members identified as "black". This leads to many identity issues down the line.
My daughters are mixed, Puerto Rican and Trinidadian and 1 thing I make sure they do is embrace every part that makes them who they are, my daughters are equally with both side of her family and she is simply mixed and loves all things Puerto Rican and trini that way when she gets older she can confidently say I embrace all sides that make up who I am, one of the guys here said why can’t I just pick to be black I don’t care about the other parts who make up who I am cause I identify as black and that really made me sad cause he should feel comfortable in embracing all sides of him
@@immealldayeveryday9425 What you are doing is Amazing! Not only are you raising your daughters with pride and love but you are also making sure they will never go through identity issues/crisis. People who grow up with identity issues /confused about who or what they are, are more likely to end up resenting one part or both parts of themselves and its sad. Im half PR too and my other half is BR. All the biracial and generationally mixed people in my family identify as biracial or mixed race and they embrace and love it. Meanwhile the US often act as if biracial is some bad or evil word to go by. Now to make it more "PC" people will say they are a "black biracial" or "biracial black" thats like having a mestizo mexican call themselves a white native american. I dont know what problem americans have with the identity Biracial/Mixed race
@@sadesuarez2954 ye I feel that it comes from a place where they are with one side of their family most of the time instead of both, and that’s why it’s very important for me that my daughters are raised equally with both sides of her families that way this is not an issue, it’s sad that in the states people often pick a side to embrace and it should not be that way cause they should be able to equally embrace all side that make up who they arw
@@brothertspoon5899because he wasn’t saying he’s a dark nxgga as in his complexion , dark as in the acts he would commit…some of y’all are the dumbest smart ppl ever
I dont agree with Nikki saying biracial peoples voices haven't been heard. Darkskinned women are silenced more than anyone in this community and aren't being heard. We talk about colorism and erasure and instantly get gaslit and told we are angry, bitter, and jealous. When it comes to blackness, biracials have actually have more of a voice than the women who should have the dominant voice about OUR representation. Nikki seems to place biracial issues above that of her own as a black woman and that's a huge problem in our community. The placing the biracial issues on a pedastal is frustrating.
And light skin people talk about there issues and there belittled and shut down. Dark skin women aren’t silenced content creators have built a huge platform (with 100 of thousands sometimes even millions) of followers and subscribers specifically talking about issues that black and dark skin people go through. The truth is light skin people are bullied just as much as dark skin girls
@@fan7708 no they are not 😭😭 mixed people are praised for their existence, their features, and everything else and yeah SOMEtimes ppl will have a personal vendetta against them but that’s because at the same time that person is being degraded for their features in contrast to biracial features. Please stop it. The collective experience of mixed identity is positive. Being so disingenuous saying “oh my overall experience of being mixed is bad because I’m being praised for my features :(“
Unpopular opinion, the difference in experience is due to the father. Black fathers with mixed children vs white fathers with mixed children. From my experience (im a black woman) white men tend to foster healthier relationships with their mixed children.
1. I agree that some biracial people do get accused of having a superiority complex even when innocent because of how differently unambiguous black women get treated in the black community by black people and so sometimes black people specifically black women will automatically assume this about biracial women. Yes some biracial people do have a superiority complex and often times they don't even notice because they have been raised that way, but most of the time it stems from their black parents living vigorously through them or from them being raised by or surrounding themselves with black people who continuously put down unambiguous black women. 2. I think biracial people expect too much from black people. Their white side can be racist, not claim them, exclude them, see them as 'other' and there is absolute silence because it is expected and seen as normal. The community will not complain about white people, who are also a part of them, not accepting or catering to them the way black people do. However, black people are kinda expected to be the nanny's. Expected to accept them fully, raise them fully, cater to them fully, treat them in ways that often put them on a pedestal and when any of those expectations are not met it immediately leads to a discussion of "black people hate me" but there is never a discussion demanding for white people to FINALLY do their part when it comes to raising and claiming biracial kids as white and treating them as such or better. People really need to ask themselves why this kind of discussion cant be had with a white and mixed panel instead of a black and mixed panel.
You said everything I wanted to say PERFECTLY. It’s really indicative that they got a panel full of mixed ppl and ppl with close proximity to mixed ppl and the conversation turned into how tragic being mulatto is and how black people just HATE them… while they were raised and praised by black people, on a black channel, talking to black people. I’m sorry but you’re not gonna convince me that being mixed actually gives you a WORSE experience in the black community. It was even crazy at the very end when the main guy said that in the future most people will be mixed like please relax 😭😭 like we have to cater to their whims. Someone check the data!!
@@WesleyLindsey Even if more biracial people are born. Because of anti blackness in a few generations they will just look like Megan Markle’s kids. That’s something that is not talked about. Lol.
Thank you! Mixed people are litterally forced onto black people against our will BECAUSE OF white people. They threw the rock and hid their hands. It's time mixed people stand up to white people, hold them accountable, and do what's right, which is allow us to rebuild our damaged community.
If calling a biracial person biracial is offensive, divisive or "AnTi-bLAcK" I'll be that. Halle berry, Zendaya, HER, Kehlani, Ella Mai, 2/3 members of Flo are not black women.
Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Cardi b, Latto, Justine Skye, Zoe Kravitz, Ice Spice, even Ryan Destiny. The list goes on and on. They love to point out biracial people when they're lightskin only.
@@genevaxo Be careful who you assume is bi-racial just because of how they look. Beyonce is Black. Both her parents are Black. Just because her mother is Creole does not mean that her mother has a white parent. The percentage of your DNA is irrelevant if all your ancestors you can trace are light skinned, Black Americans.
Being biracial, I feel very uneasy when a light skin person or biracial person say they don’t feel privilege. To me that totally disregards things that our darker brothers and sisters go through. I’m 6 months pregnant with identical twin girls and my husband is very dark skin. His mom is from South Sudan and his dad is from Ghana. I really hope to teach them the best I can and that black is in all shades and definitely teach them about our black history.
My current bf is white and as a dark skinned young bw under 21, im always worried my children will turn out like that. my worst fear bc that would mean I didn’t do my job as a parent. I can’t stand when biracial/light skinned blacks say there is no privilege bc of how they look. You may not see it but don’t gaslight the rest of us who can.
@@trxphywaifalt Right and even if they don’t feel that way, still they shouldn’t even say that. To me that’s so disrespectful like what world do they live in. I feel like as long as you tell your kids who they are but also remind them of our ancestors struggles, they’ll be fine. Some people with biracial kids just have them and don’t even talk about black history to them. That’s a big mistake right there.
@@trxphywaifalt But also don't gaslight those of us who are living in our experience, and you don't realistically do the research to understand what we deal with. I don't think I have some powerful and substantial privilege. That hasn't been my life. I think being passing makes my life worse. I am also gay, and that makes it difficult to sus out the value of my so-called light-skinned, or biracial, or white-passing privilege. I certainly think I have it, for example, if I travel abroad to countries that aren't black. But even in Russia, I was being called out for being half black, even vocally once by a stranger when I was walking around outside.
@@jays-move8803 privilege is invisible to those that have it my friend. Privilege is always in juxtaposition to others so while you might not be getting roses thrown at your feet when you want I’d argue that your dark skin counterparts experience things more adversely. Like I don’t feel privileged as a dark skinned black man but I know when traveling abroad I have American privilege my non American friends don’t get
Lmao which privilege. Everyone has a gift. You either choose to see or you dont. I hv seen drop dead gorgeous dark girls literal goddesses but only the girls that see their own beauty enjoy the privileges that come with it. The ones who dont, dont enjoy the beauty. They dont see when men open doors for them. They dont see when recruiters call them back for jobs. They dont see when neighbors marvel at their uncommon beauty. My millionaire brother married a drop dead dark senegalese babe. I cant put how beautiful she is into words. And walks like a goddess. No eyelashes no wigs but she stops everyone on their tracks when she walks into every room. Every single time. I dont believe in this biracial bs.
I’m concerned with the term “best of both worlds” being engrained in the minds of the next generation. This can make biracial children have an inherent superiority complex over others because their parents told them they are inherently better than full black kids because they’re are “the best of both worlds”. Potentially problematic rhetoric
I mean if the Holy Trinity is 3 people in 1, my mom is Black, then I think I’m being pretty generous by identifying as biracial/mixed race. Plus, I have a famous painting of me as Thor crushing ice giants😂
Agree, and also interracial marriages are more prone to violence, drug use, and divorce (per statistics), and so no, we definitely get the WORST of both worlds statistically on the home front. The only "make up" for it is looks, and even that is spinning the wheel (cause not all biracial people are a 10/10 on looks).
Looks By Naheemah You are absolutely correct 💯. The woman in the red is promoting a biracial superiority to full Blacks. Be careful what you teach your children.
@@meme-fs1jn not blaming them but when the Black/Puerto Rican brought up at that he lost out on media jobs because he was not perceived as Black enough my mind didn’t immediately see the oversaturation of dark skin folks.
@@Salutations26 I get it. Have you ever wondered if the media has a agenda? Why the over use of biracial people. I see it to . But why? White people know the difference between biracial and black. Why would they choose over and over to use biracial people??
As others have said. I think biracial people need to be able to create their own spaces separate from black people. It's almost seen as taboo for a biracial person mixed with black to say they are biracial and not black. Technically they are as much of their other race as they are black if not more. They need to be able to be biracial and it be okay. I believe a lot of the gaslighting they do to black people and denying their mixed privilege, would dissipate if they're able to just have their own identity.
Like in the D 🇩🇴 Republic .? Black roots, but things there white? Nope prefer as biracial man, as Black. And I raised up, in a non black country. Germany 🇩🇪. We calling ourselves Afro-Germans
It’s also gaslighting for blacks to reject biracial ppl then expect them to 100% claim their blackness. They can’t have their cake and eat it too. How do you expect me to claim the part of me that’s black if y’all don’t consider me as one? Of course I’m not going to represent if they don’t even claim me lol Makes no sense. And it’s common sense that dark skinned black folks experience racism a lot worse. No one is denying that. But to dismiss me and my pain is grimy af.
@@pr1.8ijmk Definitely divisive and reducing Black political power. If you try to separate Black and mixed into 2 different categories you're going to lose so much Black history.
@@pr1.8ijmk Slippery slope that's being pushed. You might get sisterhood for a while, but you're ultimately going to lose a massive chunk of Black history, accomplishments and achievements if you start saying you want to separate from Mixed Black people. And I'm talking from Slavery era Frederick Douglas to BoB Marley to Louis Farrakhan to Boris Kodjoe and a vast amount of celebrities, entertainers, famous doctors, NAACP leaders and Civil Right activists, HBCU founders and more. I'm sorry, but I'm never going to support this division. You will be dramatically reducing our numbers which will in turn reduce our political power in the country.
No dark skinned person has the time to continuously affirm biracial people if they are concerned about the possibility of their life’s being taken and being purposefully erased. Being not black enough is an experience but it has never been life threatening systematically. Dark skinned people are worried about preserving their life not only systematically but a lot of time within their own communities especially dark skinned women. I think biracial people have to understand why they are not being affirmed by their other side. That alone should give them an indication on how serious it is when someone is fully black considering no matter how white passing biracial’s can be their non black side still refuses to affirm them. #Meghan Markle.
And, why can't they build their own platforms and forums to advocate for their issues i addition to having access to resources in BOTH black AND white communities?!!
I've traveled the word. And dark skinned people are treated far worse in every culture I've seen than their light-skinned counterparts. So, I'm sorry but I don't feel sorry for light-skinned people on any level about any thing really, they might not be accepted by whites but none of us are. However, they are privileged in many other ways for greater than a brown-dark skinned person.
The, "Not black enough," issue is specific to interactions with the black community. Outside of that, biracial people are definitely black enough and experience anti-black discrimination and violence. Daunte Wright.
Also, some Black ppl don’t even feel “Black enough” because of their personality or interests. We need to focus on their experience with not feeling Black enough. If a biracial person doesn’t feel Black enough, its probably because you are not!
To Nikki concern, I hear you sis but your sister’s singular experience does not overshadow the general pop. It’s up to your sister’s mom + dad to give her that voice not blk ppl, and certainly not blk women. If white ppl automatically shun her, WHY us the ownership of blk ppl to accept her? Shouldnt it be both sides- not just forcing brachial acceptance on blk ppl? Again biracial ppl need their OWN category. Being able to“claim the best of both world” is a privilege that most blk ppl cannot do , so yea I don’t think I want to take it on myself to “give them a voice”
Girl what😂 go ahead and log out for me. I pray for this next generation of this is your mindset. “They need a category of their own” why shouldn’t they embrace the two cultures that they apart? How is it a privilege to be apart of two cultures when neither embraces you?
@@fan7708she never said that mixed folk shouldn’t embrace both sides. she said they should ALSO look to their white side and hold them to the same standard. often and like most of the people on this panel stated “they aren’t concerned with white people” but expect black people to be loving and accepting without question and it’s a clear double standard.
@@fan7708 that doesn’t mean that they are excommunicated from the black community 😂 but they have their own unique experiences that are different from the black community and that needs to be acknowledged in their own spaces not brought up only when black people are talking about their own unique struggles
Sorry I need to correct that girl when she talked about the eve gene. They had me up until that point. I’m a PhD level biologist. What you refer to as the “eve gene” is mitochondrial dna that does not encode for how someone looks. Only genomic dna does. Mitochondrial dna encodes for proteins of the mitochondria which help in cellular respiration. Ekkkk hearing her say that made me cringe but carry on. Great conversations otherwise but let’s not speak on science if you’re not certain what things are bc it make me question other things that are being said that I may not have the background to instinctively verify it’s accuracy.
The "eve gene" is just another excuse for black women to claim that anyone can have blonde hair and blue eyes so they dont have have to embrace their natural kinky hair and ethnic features. It's deep rooted self hatred. It's ridiculous.
Exactly so called Eve gene🧬, and the celebration of the concept, is only giving praise to the historical sexual violation that white men have been doing onto melanated women on all continents! Still most people have no idea what "Racial BLANQUEAMIENTO" is 🤦🏿♂️
Thank you Dr. Donna for always speaking up for us dark skinned somebodies! Ps some of the biracial people almost sound like white people denying their white privilege and saying I wasn’t born rich so I don’t have privilege. We’re not denying that biracial people also have a struggle but there are major differences from dark skinned persons experiences.
Literally the whole “I’m mixed and didn’t ask for this privilege” is no different than modern day white ppl saying they were born white and didn’t ask for the benefits of white supremacy… as they soak in all the benefits.
right! it's like comparing a life threatening situation to a minor incovenience. When I was younger, I looked a little more ambiguous so I got the teasing lol... You think you're this or that because of your hair etc. Don't get me wrong; it's harmful. But it's not the same as being seen as a threat or being hunted down because of how you look. And some of these biracial people sound exactly like poor whites when we talk about white privilege. I had to do this and do that to make it. We didn't have this or that. And it's true, and that experience is VALID. But you didn't also have the pressure of navigating an unambiguous black existence on top of that. It's like they are seeking validation for a situation that we've already recognized is valid. Now, move out the way so that we can focus on the real fight lol. Don't talk about an oppression olympics because dark skin people gonna take home the gold every time with that.
Did Nikki and Issam just ALL LIVES MATTER this convo? Also, let’s not remiss that often times the villains in these Tragic Mullato stories are often CHILDREN! The Black girl that insulted you on the playground. Some dark skinned kid that said something to you on the bus. Where’s all the smoke for the White/non-Black parent that abandoned you, didn’t acknowledge you, didn’t protect you?
The lady with the work jacket is the ONLY one willing to acknowledge biracial privilege. Everyone else was giving us the usual "tragic mulatto" storyline over and over again. You gave us a panel full of so-called experts but only ONE was willing to speak of the overall benefits of mixed identity.
@Bee R exactly and thank you for fessing up to it too. This video and a lot of the comments are trying to make it seem like the biracial experience is just as bad if not worse than the black one and that is LITERAL colorism gaslighting and erasure.
@Bee R maybe in white spaces however in a good amount of black spaces light skinned ppl are discriminated against & rightfully so but it really depends on the spaces your in. I’m only in black spaces so I get treated in a way that shames me for my light skin & I understand why. It’s definitely a necessary layer of protection however to say the pain from those experiences isn’t that bad is negligent. It might not be your experience but those experiences are painful.
@Bee R I also am commenting after watching the first video & I haven’t seen this video yet however in black spaces the discrimination is high, which is honestly just social evolution.
The Nikki panel sounds like savior for black bi-racial people, similar to white savior complex. I am more in agreement with Dr Donna that Brown and Dark Skin black people go through more discrimination and bias in all aspects.
To say black people mistreat biracial or lighter skin people is disingenuous especially for women. In the black community they’re put on a pedestal & is preferred for 98% of the men in this community. I’m not saying you weren’t picked on, but let’s be real. Most of the time when a biracial person or light skin person have that experience is when they were kids. Kids are assholes & that’s when we were the most shallow. No grown black woman is literally distancing herself from light skin / biracial people and calling them names. Like let’s not do that.
This what people cant seem to understand: being put on a pedestal simply for looking a certain way is UNCOMFORTABLE and RACIST. Black men thinking that putting down Black women is some kind of complement to biracial women is DISGUSTING and RACIST not to mention divisive. I think Black mens internalized self hatred needs to be addressed because as a biracial woman, their "preferences" are toxic and harmful. Being put on a pedestal at the expense of your identity and community does not feel good. Biracial people are not blind to how we are being used to fuel anti-blackness in our own community and it hurts.
I just dropped in to say that bi-racial people are not LIGHT-SKINNED Black people. Bi-racial people are bi-racial, end of story. Light-skinned Black people have TWO Black parents. I read a comment from someone on here who said that the panel was missing light-skinned Black people, and I agree. I would love a conversation where both light-skinned and dark-skinned Black people are represented because the experiences are nuanced.
📌 Point Taken. They are not only hijacking the identity of bw but also light skinned bw/people as well. .They been on that, that's why I never liked the grouping terms where predominately blk people are not solely represented like Poc, malenated to now being used by anybody with the slightest pigment who choose to claim blk by identifying as such. My point, If it's impossible for them to claim negro they ain't blk and if they have to identify as blk they ain't but as their numbers undoubtedly increases due to the self hate of the original blk people, they will in time be given a name to match their growing identity whereas they won't feel entitled to take others who's been here forever.
without her it would’ve mainly been a panel of mixed people and black people with close proximity to mixed people crying about how tragic it is to be mulatto. (Yawns)
@@WesleyLindsey yes exactly! They’re talking about their personal experiences and it’s like noo!! We’re talking about STRUCTURAL oppression. It’s bigger than you!
But, one can be biracial and darkskinned with coily hair. Are they not allowed to be heard about their black experience? Biracial does not always mean lightskinned.
Why are biracial/multiracial people so fixated on being a part of a dominant community when they can have their own community? Why do Black people have to take on biracial/multiracial whoas, we have other things to worry about.
I think the main issue is that when we only compare and debate our pain we never get to the next step of adding that pain up to get the full picture. A lot of what dark skin people see simply as proximity and privilege is not experienced that way by light skin/biracial people. In one way being "accepted" into certain spaces is a privilege, on the other hand being made a token is ALSO racist. Being made to feel like there can only be one of you IS racist. Having your blackness be used for "exoticism" and "diversity" at your own expense IS racist. Rewarding people for being closer to white IS racist. Being able to benefit from racism doesn't make it NOT racist, most biracial people are acutely aware of this and yet are always being lectured about it. That's the part we can't seem to understand.
i'm soo glad🙏🏽i always am a little apprehensive to comment or express myself because i don't want to piss anybody off or seem tone deaf but i also keep feeling like a huge part of anti-blackness is being excused under the idea of "its not as bad as mine". I think a lot of biracial people are trying to agree rather than compare but there is a real resistance to this.
This was a discussion that needed to have several series. The guy said "everything is not just black and white" And to me that sums it up. Because to me that is the main issue with the discussion. People think experiences are monolithic. Not every lsbp and biracial has the same experience as each other. Not all dsbp have the same experiences. Colonization did a number on the world and created so much confusion and division. Yet we get in these spaces frequently but don't give others the voice they need to express their own lived truth, we are easily offended etc. We minimize and conclude. We discuss our perspective and decide if we want to accept the other persons. That's not how resolution is made or conflict resolved and understanding is reached. So that makes me question is resolution the goal? This was good but could of been longer. Its okay to not agree. Again, its a lot to unpack. Are we expecting to have all the answers in this generation and it took 400 + yrs to get here? The elephant is White Supremacy and it never enters the chat. Without the key players this convo can have no depth because colorism is a result of racism and lsbp and biracial ppl are not the ones upholding it systematically. There's a missing party.
as a mixed person the getting made fun of for being light or having loose curly hair or being called white is never gonna compare to the pain of racism and colorism. that’s just getting teased like most people experience at some point in life. there’s probably not one human alive that hasn’t been teased by other kids about SOMETHING
And it’s not like the black community doesn’t also make fun of every other shade of black person too. Darker skinned people get made fun of for their appearance and Ethnically ambiguous people get made fun of that too
I loved how Tiffanie talked about parents asking their biracial/mixed racial children how it makes them feel seeing other Black folks with darker skin treated as well as parents having real honest conversations with their mixed/biracial children about their different identities and lighter skin privileges. This reminded me of a time when I had to tell my younger twin sisters who are bi-racial when they were 13 about how they will be treated differently compared to people who look like me and their mother. It was an uncomfortable conversation but necessary to have. Also, Shayvawn bringing up how darker skin folks don't feel safe around lighter skin was so POWERFUL. We need more light skin folks like her who ensure safety for darker skin and brown skin people!
As a Darkskin woman, I think it would be great for darkskin women to have our own spaces. There are some but very few. It would be great to have a space to liken our experiences within our own but also with an understanding that we meld into black spaces too (rightfully). This would allow for our voices to be heard without being told we are somehow "cruel/bitter/exclusionary" when we speak on our issues. All too often, when conversations are held in front of those outside of this complexion range, we are force fed the beliefs that we need to be accepting when no other groups have experienced what we have. To be a darkskinned woman is to be prejudiced by black men who want acces to these ambiguous lookingvwomen so they label us bitter. To black people who are buracial we're cruel when we tell them they don't truly have a grasp and to all others we're exclusionary. It feels like there's no winning. I don't say this to be mean there are just things that can be conceptualized but not as palpable as when lived. P.s. Dr. Donna gave me life. She spoke the unpleasant truths.
Next time you all want to have a discussion about biracials and their experiences invite a proudly biracial person like me on. I identify solely as biracial and I speak on being proudly biracial on my livestreams. Hell I had a six hour live discussing how biracials can separate from the black community. Stop brining on bootlicking biracials to speak on behalf of all biracials.
We've always been separate. Several hundred years of Mulatto history spread throughout just the Americas. Let's not even get started with Africa because we will have to go back to King Solomon and Queen Makeda. I wonder what race child that union made 🤔😁
I cannot describe how amazing and excited I feel to have found this channel. There is soooo much charged and violent dialog centered around these issues in particular and everyone always leaves with more animosity towards the other than before. But this space is one of the first I have seen where EVERYONE is getting heard and respected and given time to speak. There is so much genuine love and respect here that it honestly makes me emotional. I often don’t get too experience this and it is so difficult because I take immense interest in issues of colorism and the like.The focus on learning and listening instead of wanting to be heard and being the center of conversation is one of the core foundations of communication and especially in this circumstance. I want to commend every single person on the panel for being so respectful and delightful and dismantling ideas I had about dialogue centered around black issues. I immediately subscribed and I cannot WAIT for this channel to take off. This is what I like to see and I can’t wait to binge you all videos.❤ Also I REALLY appreciate that everyone in this conversation understands how nuanced this issue is and cannot be described in black and white statements (no pun intended). So often it’s the OVERSIMPLIFICATION of life that leads to opposing sides where I feel like if people realized that life is many shades of grey, it would be easier to coexist. I once read a statement that said that it is a Western concept to see issues as a linear progression with CAUSE1 = CONSEQUENCE1. In other parts of the world, especially the East, they see life as a collection of many things that all affect one another. I think this idea is really interesting and affects how politicians approach problem solving.
I think simply because It's biracial vs black. Not biracial vs white. I wish they also talked about how black men create this hierarchy, causing divide between light skin and dark skin women in the black community.
@@AsèUnderground black ppl are the most welcoming ppl!! So it’s bazaar , while saying they called them selves black and only being apart of the black community. They dnt feel welcome !!! BY WHO ?? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@Empress of Life Okay so this is a complicated topic. Part of me has to disagree because I've gone through not being seen or accepted by black people until people meet my mom. (Because a lot of us are very ignorant about genetics and assume I have a white parent. Which I don't but my father is biracial) The other part of me understands exactly what you are saying because historically, the black community is very accommodating to other ethnicities almost to a fault.
@@AsèUnderground I get it my oldest brother is biracial!! He is yt passing !! But he was never not excepted by our community!! He got push back when it came to his yt side !! They definitely abandoned/never claimed him!!
Honestly the light vs dark debate is mad distracting. I think we should focus on how black immigrants are granted more power and media attention than ADOS (African descendents of American slavery). I would like to see the statistics of how many of us who are descendants of slaves in the United States are given economic opportunities in media, politics, education etc and maybe I'm wrong and creating tribalism ?? But why are we not questioning resources from those whose bloodline deserves proper reparations in America?
Yesss!!! Glad to see Donovan and all the great individuals picking up where The Grapevine left off. This is like a breath of fresh air. RIP Ayesha ❤️ you guys started something magical ✨️
this is the only conversation i’ve heard about colourism that is genuine, not watered down or cookie cut. thank you for finally introducing real issues and not forgetting specific nuisances. this is something i finally feel is worth listening to where the ball was not dropped one way or the other
“My sister is half her mother is white and my dad is Jamaican but I don’t consider her half because I don’t like that…?” What 😂. Her sister is going to have some serious identity issues when she gets older
Im making an assumption here, but i think she meant that she didn't consider her her "half" sister. Which I totally understand because when my parents split my father went on to have another daughter, and she is my sister period..
@@waheedanaomi ooooh I thought she meant she didn’t consider her biracial. I get that all my siblings are just my siblings as well even though we have different mothers.
Blackity Black people please gatekeep your space. Biracial people create spaces for yourselves to speak your truths. Your experience is not the same as the blackity blacks.
The thing is, people need to acknowledge that the darker your skin is, the less privilege you have. But at the same time, if you have any connections to whiteness, you have more privilege.
First of all, describe what you mean? The word space sounds like an actual, physical locale. So, this is what I envision people who think that expect: that we be born into the world of our two parents, grow up, and then leave to create our own world that all biracial people can come into?
I wish they talked about how black men create this hierarchy of color which divides dark and light skin women in the melanated community. My introduction to having any type of privilege started with dating at my historically black college and it was because the men "othered" me. If the men are in control of who is getting certain opportunities in the media then they are a big part of the divide and the problem.
This right here is it! I can totally understand why darker skin women see black male attention as part of light skin privilege but i think most light skin and biracial people can attest to the kind of attention it really is: projection. Being light skin doesn't mean men actually like you better, it means they are trying to use your social privilege as their own. They don't see light skin women as anything other than a status symbol and i'm soo tired of people swearing up and down that this kind of self hatred ass attention is what all light skin people yearn for. It's soo cringey and embarrassing.
Also, mixed or bi-racial women are not unicorns or sexual objects to fetish. Too many of yall date to make your kids lighter or have lighter eyes. 🙄 There is a Self Hate issue that mixed and bi-racial people see upfront. That's why many don't like the constant questions about ethnicity. Seeing the self-hate up close and personal is heart breaking. I had a male tell me that he didn't date dark skin women. The catch is my mother is chocolate and so are my kids. Had to end that relationship quickly ✋🏾 and I hope more mixed women continue to not entertain such ignorance.
Somehow how I knew this will come down to a blk man even though this is not the topic. We understand after all u are not aborting us enough or the police killing us enough. So nothing strange here
It’s interesting that the lady wearing the burgundy dress refers to her son Jeremiah as biracial while he self identifies as black. She’s teaching him to be on guard with people who share her dark skin tone while simultaneously giving him the responsibility of standing up for those same people. She’s creating a lot of the issues that exist between black and biracial people.
I just want to say how Nikki's stance and body language while the other's were speaking on how the light skin person's experience is not the same as a dark skin person's was very dismissive. It was giving mammy. She didn't want to hear it at all or even try to understand it. It was very disheartening but I guess it's her opinion. The 2 lighter women were also really good on saying that it is not the same. The experiences are Apples and Oranges and it's not fair to ask dark skin people to hold the hands of others to make them feel safe and welcome when that's all they've ever done. Stop asking for extra labor out of them and make your own spaces if it's that important to you.
What? "The biracial experience is not black!" really? So this woman knows all about biracial's people experiences? Unless a biracial/multiracial person is extremely light-skinned and can literally 'pass' as white, we are absolutely seen by the white community as black and treated as such. Look at the controversy with the new Netflix Cleopatra. The actress is biracial but is being called 'black'. When I am in white spaces, I am absolutely seen as black and have had nightmarish experiences because of it. Some dark skinned people, it seems, resent mixed race people because in their mind, those people have a closer proximity to whiteness and as such don't want to acknowledge the discrimination that we suffer, never mind having a discussion about it! However, that mindset doesn't make our experiences any less real. It's really sad that colourism is so entrenched in the black community and other communities of people of colour; the architects of white supremacy who instigated colourism, were very efficient and effective at their job and would surely be elated to see that after so many years it is still very much alive.
No, the Biracial and Black experience is not the same. You don’t know what it’s like to experience being mono racial, so please explain how you’re the authority on being Black? Because White people are racist? That’s doesn’t define Blackness.
Las a blk woman I find it highly offensive that we keep being compared to biracials as if we r the same. Nothing about us is the same except for the fact that we are not yt! Stop playing w our likeness. We r not the reject pool for the world!
@@zhaw4821 The world does treat folks like the reject of the world though. ALL groups have the "keep them over there" attitude. At times it's our own doing but often times it's not.
As a biracial person who looks Latina I always felt privileged when I’m in a room full of unambiguous blacks however, I have felt my voice was more silenced or softer to the ears of whites when another biracial person who is lighter or looks predominantly white was in the room so it does makes u feel like where do I fit. Side note: I love ❤❤❤❤ blue hair lady’s brain and passion. She is beautiful and powerful
“Light skin, but I’m still a dark n***a” this was done in two ways. Toronto’s slang is very Jamaican based. So when we say we’re “dark” or “ I got dark” or “I can get dark like a cave” it literally means a dangerous state of vexness/vexation. This line was definitely a play on words to affirm strength using this slang.
Also, historians have written about the local organizers' selection of Rosa Parks as the face of the boycott. Of these is Danielle McGuire's "At the Dark End of the Street." What the panelists are sharing isn't purely speculation - the Civil Rights Movement was tactical in every sense of the word. In general, I think we should all be leaning into the scholarship a bit more, and in particular the work of Black scholars. Much of what is being discussed here has research behind it - much of the language we are able to use - comes from this research, but it is too often uncited and unrecognized.
To Isaam's point at 10:48, another variable to this discussion is how colorism differs between genders and also within genders. Since light skin is associated with being refined, delicate, and beautiful as opposed to hard, masculine, and even animalistic dark skin, being a light skinned black man creates a weird contradiction to these racial/colorist ideologies. How could a person be black (the lowest and darkest skinned of the racial hierarchy) but have the daintiness of light/white skin? With that being said, I can see how within spaces of black men, light skin could be made fun of and ostracized because it goes against these (racist) ideologies that black men have internalized about themselves as being hyper masculine due to their darker skin. On the flip, for light skinned women, this weird conundrum of being light (and delicate) works more favorably. Women are typically depicted as feminine, and due to this (racist) likeness of light skin to feminine attributes (e.g. soft, dainty), light skinned black women are the most woman-like as opposed to their darker skinned counterparts within black women spaces. However, outside of black women spaces, that blackness and association of masculinity comes into play for the first time because other women don't have that black association, thus making other women, in many of these cases, considered more desirable, woman-like, beautiful, dainty - no matter how white presenting the light skinned woman is. (* watches more of the video *) Thanks Dr. Donna for bringing this point up at 23:40!
From a Jamaican background. None of us choose the skin we are in. I believe lightskin folk due face issues, however, I’ve seen men almost run over darkskin women because they had a car full of light women and mentioned the ladies darkness as the reason. Getting drinks thrown on them for being dark or pushed off stages. I’m not saying things like that don’t happen, I’ve just never seen it or heard it… especially in Jamaican culture.
How can someone listen to them saying “biracial people are fighting for identity and darker skinned people are fighting for humanity” and STILL comment about being silenced?
I will never dismiss biracial people blackness or dismiss their experiences, my issue with SOME biracial people is that they pick and choose when they want to be apart of blackness and that’s not ok. To be in true solidarity with other black people is to embrace your blackness 100% of the time. That doesn’t mean you have to dismiss the other racial identity that makes you, but don’t decide today I wanna be black and tomorrow be singing a different tune.
@@jays-move8803 so I have a few thoughts and I don’t mean any harm when I say them. In regards to Latin people seeming to get a pass on saying the N word, it shouldn’t be happening. I grew up in a predominantly Spanish neighborhood and grew up with them saying it, during that time I was ignorant to the weight of the word and how most Hispanics people don’t really fuck with black people but still wanna say the word. I think more and more black people are waking up to the fact that Hispanic people shouldn’t be saying it either, so I think that’s gonna get better with time. When it comes to black women, I’ll be honest, I think you might just be around the wrong type of black women, I’m also gay and black women are the only demographic that ever made me feel comfortable and made me feel like I don’t have to change to fit in with anyone. I’m not trying to dismiss your feelings with the black women around you, I’m just saying you might have to get exposed to different types of black women because they are not a monolith. And lastly it could be the fact that you switch up that makes it hard for black people around you to embrace you. For me, if I meet someone who is mixed and I see them constantly playing the fence, picking an choosing when they gonna stand with black people and when they not, I’m gonna keep my distance because (in my opinion) those types are not to be trusted. Black people can’t switch to another race to make life easier, and usually mixed people can, and often exercise their ability to do so. If that’s something I see, I’m not bothering with you. It’s not cool to want to claim blackness when it’s beneficial or when we doing some lit shit, but when the going gets tough, you run and hide. How is anyone suppose to trust someone who does that? If you truly wanna be embraced in black spaces, start with being consistent and show that your truly stand with the community.
@@pr1.8ijmk Are you dumb? where did I express any hate toward them? I clearly gave a critique about how SOME biracial people move and how that can cause harm to the black community. critiques are not hate. and there is nothing to be jealous of, I love being black and having melanin, so it's no jealousy over here. try somebody else
Biracials have every right to pick and chose when they want to be a part of blackness. Why shouldn't they? Who cares about "true solidarity" from black people who do nothing for biracials except pedestalize them and then abandon them when it's time to grab an opportunity where you can claim colorism as the reason for all your problems.
The parents of lighter skinned children - including those who are biracial - have to have conversations with them around their privilege, access, power - and ways to refuse colorism or a pull to center themselves in Black spaces. I like that the parents in this room, elevate that, in my experience, it doesn't happen enough.
I feel like, yeah, sure, but more along the lines of telling them people may pretend to like you because of the color of your skin. I think the privilege conversation needs to be had only around one thing, wealth. Privileged black people, those who have wealth, should talk to their children about that. As far as social privilege, the ghetto is full of light-skins XD So what exactly is the privilege? I gained privilege because I'm smart and did good in school. I got a degree. Guess what, my dark-skin counterparts who majored in computer science made 6 figures out of school. I made 49k because I majored in humanities (dumb move, I can read books on my own time). In terms of police, I don't see them caring that much about color. Tamir Rice was light-skinned. This whole conversation is a waste of time. Black people need to be lifting each other up, and the biggest divider among black people is nationality and class. Most of this dark-skin business concerns African and Caribbean immigrants who are living in the US anyway. They are the ones who are bringing this up. In the US, we already came up with sexy chocolate and blacker the berry sweeter the juice. There was never a need for this. Colorism is real, especially in like the hip-hop industry, but that has a lot to do with black men feeling inferior and needing women who will make them look like they fit in. I know several dark-skin women. They are all getting plenty of dick. So no issue there. What I think the issue is is blending. Light-skin people can more so blend and seem better assimilated. I don't think we're treated well unless we reach a certain class. Right now, my dark-skinned friend is quite well paid as an attorney. He seems to get treated fairly well, and I doubt a white person would see a light-skinned black man any better. Ambiguity is its own set topic, as is having a parent who isn't black, and the possible privileges that can bring. The individual may not have privileges (yes, rich black men tend to marry white or Asian, and yes, that is for status nine times out of ten, or lifestyle), or they may. You would have to see.
@@jays-move8803 I am thinking less about anecdotal experiences - and more on the sociological findings. Peer-reviewed studies have spoken to the disparities. Even if one doesn't see it in their world - just like one may not see racism in their world - the data reveals the broader patterns.
@@phdgirl2016 Yes, on that I do agree. One person's experience doesn't negate the power of broader trends and findings. Those experiences and individuals could be outliers. I still remind people that Tamir Rice was a light-skinned black boy, and that the Buffalo shooter killed a biracial woman. So my conclusion is that those privileges shouldn't be worn as a shield.
How would gatekeeping blackness work? There are so many different shades of black . A mixed person can be darker than a black person w/ two black parents.
Idk how Nikki can say biracial voices arent being heard when that panel was full of mixed and bi racial people. Also evident in Meghan being able to control the conversation when asking Monaleo if colorism is “a real thing” only to completely make it about HER experiences as a mixed person. We have heard the same Biracial song too many times. Not black enough, not white enough. Mixed people are mixed. And that is that. This is coming from an afro-indigenous person.
I find it interesting that even though the goal of the episode was to discuss the biracial experience, the dark skinned ppl on the panel had the most to say. It may have been helpful to give the biracial ppl their own time to discuss what being biracial is like. I came away hearing that there is a lot of pain over being bullied or disliked but as a dark skinned Black person who was also denigrated because of my skin color, I would have liked to hear more.
Imma just say mixed race people are treated great in Jamaica. I don’t agree with Nikki. They have many safe spaces and are privileged, nobody is calling them derogatory names (they call themselves c*****).
The reality is we’re living in two different paradigms at the same time with this issue. The first is: the media. In the media there is an OVER representation of biracial folks in black characters, spaces and in music especially when it comes to roles and avenues designated for women. Thus us unambiguous black folks who can never be anything but black because we aren’t anything but black see this time and time again. The second is in: reality. These are the day to day interactions with folks. Always depending on if we’re in a majority white or non black space or if we’re in a majority black space. When us black folks are in community with each other the lightness and proximity to whiteness that biracial people have is used as social currency to get a leg up in our community whether or not they realize it. Because guess what, it’s A SYSTEM. Colorism is systematic. Yes you may have experience bullying because of kids because upset over the inevitability of you benefiting from the system or because their parents at home treat them like dirt for being dark skinned. But this bullying isn’t systematic. So as you can see these two paradigms are happening all at the same time and it’s a result of white supremacy and the trauma that has come out of it. And as the world gets more and more mixed we can not run away from these conversations. It will become more and more important to yes “gatekeep” and define blackness so that unambiguous dark skinned black people can have space in the ONLY LANE we can exist.
This group is frustrating me! The bi racial people saying they have never experienced privilege is annoying. They don’t know it because they are experiencing the privilege
Biracial people who pass as Black are in the MINORITY. Most Biracial people look like what they are. And even if they pass to a certain degree as Black, we still don’t have the same experiences. Biracials who look more Black are still being raised by non-Black people with access to resources and culture outside the BC. A full Black person doesn’t experience this. Regardless of their look, Biracial and Black people are not the same racial category.
I absolutely LOVED Shayvawn & Donna! There were times during the conversation where I wanted to jump through the screen and interject but they said everything that I was thinking!
My mom is Native American and I never had a problem in my community , I was raised on my dad side of the family. I never considered myself biracial or mixed at school people were like oh you’re black we can tell you’re black but we thought you was going to act like an other . Black people are the most accepting race on the planet my dad and mom split when I was 4 months old . My mom died giving birth to my little sister who is full blooded Native American and she listed my grandma as guardian if something ever happened to her . My little sister was raised by my family since birth and she’s accepted has friends and doesn’t get bullied. People say black people are mean but it’s not a fraction of how whites treat black or mixed people at a predominantly white school or neighborhood.
Reading the comments disheartened me. “Race” is only color based because whites made it color based. And the one-drop rule was universally accepted because whites said so. Now that their birth rates are dwindling, instead of all black people still utilizing that same definition, it’s WE OURSELVES calling for US to separate. And what does that do? Splits us out so white people continue to keep their dominant majority. WE as black folk, are finally on the come up and y’all do the Whites work for him… And…. Is it light skinned black people betraying the race? Last I checked the conservatives anti black, black people getting the most airtime are dark skinned (Candace Owens, Herschel Walker, Officer Tatum, Clarence Thomas, Larry Elder, and the list goes on). Check your own traitors before you make those accusations. Lastly, so we can put this nonsense to rest…. Money is power. There are 8 black American billionaires. 7 are fully black. 4 are very dark skinned. 3 are brown skinned. And then there is Tiger woods. He was the least amount of money of the group. IF there was such light skinned privilege, ALL those billionaires would be light skinned or bi racial. 2 most influential people in Black America are Oprah and Michelle Obama. Both have light skinned men who play second fiddle to them and one of those men was the president. Show me where light skinned black people are materially winning TODAY!! Not in 1884…. Wealth, education, housing, politics, employment, etc. you will have no basis there. You’ll point to one thing…. Brown men favor light skinned women…. And that’s the crux of the anger… and that’s a dumb reason to divide us…. It’s a real reason for a conversation BUT A STUPID REASON for division! So I ABSOLUTELY challenge this notion that “light skinned people” sound like white people denying their privilege. By the numbers sounds like dark skinned people are like White people who are mad anyone else is taking any of the power at all….
There is absolutely way more dark skinned representation in wealth and in media than these people would ever be willing to admit. A dude told probably told them they were too dark, or they got passed up at work because they're black but somehow think I'm on the fast-track to CEO 😂 I know one ls, white passable, half black billionaire. The rest are all dark-skinned males. Michael Jordan and Kanye are dark-skinned males. And they are billionaires. 😅
Thank you! You can include some of our most prominent/top actors like Viola Davis, Angela Basset, Denzel. Sidney Poitier was our top Black actor for the longest. Chadwick Bozeman. I have personally seen a lot of darker brown skin professionals in many settings.
Or nah. The one drop rule upholds White racial purity while watering down Blackness until it becomes White. So actually your position helps White Supremacy.
I will admit that part 2 was hard to watch. The trigger warning at the beginning was warranted. Yet, I am in full support and thank Stranger Fruit for brining this content to us! My discomfort stems from the premise that biracial people's voices are not heard. The premise is false. I have literally never heard a conversation about colourism that did not center the biracial experience (with the exception to Ms. Vixens channel discussion on the topic) Usually with the predictable comment of: I was bullied for being light skinned, I experienced reverse colourism etc...which leads to virtually every conversation about colourism leading to the dark skin person having to spend the rest of the conversation explaining the reality that reverse colourism does not exist, and that being bullied in school is not the same as colourism...etc. I find those type conversations to be so harmful to the dark skinned person. This episode was in fact harmful to dark skinned people and I am so thankful Dr. Donna and Shayvan were present.💓 Lastly, I thought the women who spoke of her experience with her biracial sister was incredibly dismissive and unprofessional when Dr. Donna was talking. I hope something like that doesn't happen again. Dr. Donna and Shavan are phenomenal. Thank you ladies for lessening the harmful experience for me❤
I didn't think the one with the biracial sister was dismissive or unprofessional. I, as a biracial person, felt understood and heard finally and I hope it happens more.
Sounds to me like you felt uncomfortable that the woman was talking about a factual issue regarding how certain people are treated. And you wanted this to be an echo chamber so you wouldn't have to feel that way. Well, it's aint and it shouldn't be.
This was an amazing conversation..and very interesting perspectives. I LOVED I’m not sure of her name but the mixed woman sitting in between the two dark skinned women. She didn’t back down and she spoke up for us because we almost always drowned out. She brought statistics and facts to the table and others brought feelings. Not the same. Loved the closing ..work needs to be done at every angle going forward . I subscribed.. finally mature adults doing the work.
Sooo many emotions over this one! 😭🙏 I’m so inspired by everyones capacity to be vulnerable and mature in have such a real & raw conversation. Keep going 🤝🏽⚡️💯
Is there a way to acknowledge that light skin/ambiguous Black Biracial people experience privilege due to colorism/featurism, with also acknowledging they too can experience trauma from childhood well into adulthood without having it be comparatively scaled and told to just suck it up? Also, it just seems weird that now some of us are saying Biracial people of Black descent aren't a part of our community when they have been since the creation of our ethnicity. To that point, a decade ago we were upset if folks didn't acknowledge their Blackness
@@naavajo the way people obsess about "how we came out" is just creepy, everyone swears we are all vain and love being put on a pedestal but i think most of us just want people to stop treating us like we chose to come out looking a certain way.
Most ppl still consider mixed ppl to be Black, its just a small group (including myself) who believes that mixed ppl should have their own category. I only see ppl who think like me online. I’ve only met one other person who agrees with me. But this ideology isn’t new. Most countries distinguish mixed ppl from Black ppl, but the U.S. likes to lump them into one category.
I do believe light skin/mixed ppl should open up about their traumas but they always bring it up as a way to delegitimize the experiences of dark skinned Black women. This is seriously counterproductive to progress, especially considering that dsbw suffer from colorism the most and therefore their struggle should be priority in the Black community. Why not save your trauma for your own platforms? Also why not share your grievances with your non-Black relatives? If your Asian relatives are racist to you, why don’t you confront them about it? Don’t you want to be accepted in the Asian community? Of course, they’re not gonna put you on a pedestal like the Black community, but they are part of your heritage
Finally a mature comment. Why do people have such a hard time doing multiple things at the same time. It is definitely possible to acknowledge mixed/light skin people have and benefit from privilege, while also acknowledging their trauma and personal experiences without diminishing or excluding the dark skin experience. This isn't hard to do, empathy goes both ways.
Nikki Valentine, I disagree. Ppl are more likely to sympathize with light skinned ppl who deal with bullying or colorism. And let’s be real. Colorism benefits light skinned ppl and mixed ppl. They’re afforded better job opportunities, academic opportunities, better healthcare, better treatment from law enforcement. Light skinned ppl are heard loud and clear lol
It's so wild to me when other Biracial people feel or think that they don't have privilege. I've been sooooo extremely pedestolized, and benefited, there is no doubt in my mind on the massive privilege I walk around with. White people treat me like a celebrity, Black people are obsessed with me. It's not even a factor. Schoolyard bullying is the only "downside" and it is wielded far too much in conversations like this.
Well, if you want a separate category for Mixed people EXPECT them to also take a large chunk of Black history's singers, entertainers, NAACP leaders, HBCU founders etc. (as well as many Creole people etc.) with them!
First, I would like to thank this channel for providing such a mature, intellectual, educated conversation. I have been exposed to such negatively on certain platforms, which affected my mental in the worst way. I am a biracial woman, my Mother is White & my Father is Black Carribean. Although I have a White Mother, I was also raised with my Black family as well. I am proud to be biracial and proud to be Black. I have experienced racism & colorist among and within the Black culture. Not within my Black family, however. This experience has saddened me, as I have been made to feel and have been told I am not Black and cannot refer to myself as such. I have been told my skin to e equates to privileges and a different experience. I can say, especially within my corporate workspace, there has been zero privileges. I have experienced the exact opposite with regards to advancement, opportunities, and such. I am thankful channels like this exist and allow opportunities for conversations like these.
This is a great conversation. I'm in my late 60s and from a black mother and a white father who married in the 1950s. I always considered myself a bi-racial black person. From childhood I knew it could be dangerous being one or the other under the wrong circumstances. People were dying being in the wrong place and being the wrong color. It wasn't most of the time but once in awhile I had to figure out if I was safe around certain people if they knew what I was.
Everything that Nikki had to say is everything I have ever felt as a mixed race, light-skinned black individual. I am mixed with black from both of my parents, as both of my parents are biracial. What that mean said, I am proud of my black heritage, yet and still haven't been rejected time and time again for being mixed race and Light skin. And why do people like it or not, when you are black mix, the other races you tend to be mixed with have been even less accepting, and socially speaking, if you look like a black person, you are considered black! I have never been considered Caucasian or native, even though I am mixed with both. But of course, bring this up to a mono racial black person that has no empathy, and you get told that that's your light skinned problem, as if that's not a hateful and discriminatory thing to say.
Amazing conversation. Rich. Varied. Nuanced. So many thoughts. Also a lot of wounds and anguish coming up with this. I'm German-Caribbean. I grew up in a majority white country in one of the most racist parts at the time (thankfully it's changed quite a bit since). There was no notable black community to talk off. My mother is white. My father is a proud black man, who raised me with a strong black consciousness and pride in my Caribbean roots. My parents are still married after 40 years - through thick and thin. We didn't fit in anywhere, so it was our responsibility to build our own diverse and safe community, which by necessity included people from all sorts of backgrounds, because there was no ethnic group we could belong to or lay claim to. We stood alone. Most of the time I was the only mixed kid in class or even school. To my white peers it didn't matter whether I was technically mixed or black - I was the darkest and only different shade in the room. No hiding - no refuge. Period. So much for being able to truly choose as who you present or how you are perceived. When I was born my white mother was insulted for her new-born baby girl - sullying the pure Arian blood line by bringing an impure abomination like me into the world. Our humanity as a family and individually was always under threat - because collectively we were the darkest and strangest family around. Someone mentioned in the conversation about where to run to when they unleash the dogs... I was 9 years old playing by the river with some white school mates after school when a Neo-nazi gang set a bulldog on me. I got away, while my white peers watched from a safe distance. They were more concerned about the welfare of the dog as it was mistreated by the owner to chase me harder, than the fact that they came after me. No mixed-race privilege there. To them I was a black monkey who should go back to where I came from... preferably in a state of pulp. Did I hate white people - yes. Did I hate German culture - yes. Did I feel terrified about Neo-nazis hunting me down - 100%. Worried about whether my dad or brother would come home save - absolutely. Worried about even my mum's safety - you bet. Should I hate my white mother who cared for me? Nursed her children through all the difficulties in life keeping them from the brink of suicide? Who stood by my black father's side against her own family at times, against the vile shit society threw at them? The white lioness who'd give the very last of her for the love and protection of her family? Would you tell your child they should fucking hate themselves a little bit because they are mixed? How sick is that? Isn't that the damn-ass cancer we're trying to get rid off, that this white supremacist oppression has poisoned us with: self-hatred? And trust me, I did grow up hating parts of myself and reaped the consequences of that in form of health issues later on. Nobody needs or deserves more fucking hate piled on them. I understand that this conversation is particularly centred around racial relations within a mostly US dominated context, with some extensions into Caribbean and Latino culture. There are great nuances depending on context and structures of representation in place. Black people bear the brunt of systemic oppression particularly in the States. The statics bear the facts of many lived experiences, yet they cannot capture all or negate the more nuanced pain embedded in the scars of all our pigmented skins. They're important to showcase trends, direct our attention to reform and change. But they do not reflect every persons truth, which also matters if one is interested in going deeper in understanding and healing trauma. It's a loosing battle to minimise the existential struggles many of us have to face whether mixed or black to see the light of day. I dare say that some of the shit and hatred my family members had do endure, a lot of my black friends in my Caribbean home never ever encountered. They do not bear those particular scars of being hunted, not welcome and constantly denigrated. They grew up embedded in a loving, warm, majority black community, which I embrace. And that doesn't take away from our past colonial traumas or the daily struggles faced particular to this cultural context. I do live in the Caribbean now, where I feel more at home, at ease and safer. The tone of my skin colour doesn't put a mark on my back here - it just blends in with the multicultural sea of skin tones that get to call the Caribbean their home. And interestingly I've heard the similar from black American friends, who moved down here, who feel their nervous system is recovering from the trauma of racial tension than can engulf their every day live in the US. I still stand out as a stranger in my father's land, because of many of the issues that were very adeptly discussed in the video. Now, I live in a place where I do hold much more obvious privilege than I ever felt in my entire life. I'm 'red skin', educated, employed - it's on me to meet and confront suspicions of superiority. A flip from having to dismantle people's assumptions of my inferiority for most of my life up to this point. My soul may be exhausted of having to constantly assuage different creeds of people's need to feel at ease with me - whether black or white - to accept me and let me live. But I rather embrace my privilege and responsibility to do that here than worry again about where to run when the dogs come out. Here in the Caribbean I've finally got a chance to make peace with myself on so many different levels. A gift I'm deeply grateful. As a mixed person and beyond - because that's not the only identity that makes me who I am - I bear a lot of different kinds of privileges. The greatest privilege of all is what my parents union bestowed on us: love, humanity, black pride, awareness, resilience, kindness and humility - which are attributed to both of them not just the black or the white half. We are not half people but complex whole beings. I wear my own authentic scars, which teach me to care for and respect the real scars of others. Would I ever belittle the pain and rage someone feels at the hands of isolation, injustice and worse? No. I'm not more than nor lesser than... I am here to respect a person's humanity and I also ask that they respect mine. And with that in mind I see it as mine and everyone's power - on some days more on other days less - to soften and lighten the burden of our families, friends, sisters and brothers crushed under the weight of pain inflicted by colourism, racism and systemic oppression. We need to lead with hard truth and kindness not dismissiveness and hate. If you're raising a mixed child or black child or any child, teach them to love themselves and to care deeply for others. To love even harder, especially when things are hard. To never succumb to meanness and bitterness even though things are unjust. To feel rage and every complicated emotion there is and still keeping loving fervently, bravely and truthfully. Because that's what our broken souls need in an oppressive system stacked against us to affirm the essence of our humanity - genuine love and self-acceptance. Thank you for reading
She keeps talking about her sister being bullied! Lots of kids get bullied. But she is more likely to get a job, not be profiled and be married and preferred
I kept ignoring this video in my recommended for days but decided to just look at it. I’m glad I did. Great conversation. There were many points that I haven’t heard which proved to me that this conversation is still relevant and needs to keep going. 👏🏾💯
It's privilege, as well as our lowly state in the racial hierarchy (as BLK ppl) that allows bi racial ppl to DEMAND to be embraced in the BLK community but not carry those demands and need to be accepted in the white community. Are they talking about BLK women embracing them? Bc BLK men collectively embrace bi racial women. A staggering amount of bi racial ppl are fathered by black men. You should have more of them on your panel. Why is there a willful ignorance to biology?bi racials are half BLK and half white. That is not the same thing as a BLK person with 4 BLK grandparents. Pls stop. Pls stop trying to shut down the voices of BLK women by saying we are jealous. We are not. Why are we historically ignorant. At the 'ending' of slavery bi racial ppl quickly distinguished themselves from BLK ppl. Making it clear that they were NOT Ethiopians Starting social clubs, comb test, sororities and paper bag test to exclude BLK ppl and were absolutely hateful towards us just like ytes. BLK women and BLK girls have been systematically erased and replaced by bi racial women in movies, commercials etc BLK men don't care, bc they are allowed to be dark and their image is not being erased. Dark women are largest victims of colorism and that should not be a side note..
Nobody is saying that biracial people aren’t black. But they are black AND white. Black AND Asian. They are not just BLACK. That’s disingenuous
A lot of people online are saying that race is a phenotype, and not an ancestry. Well, this comment makes it seem like race *is* an ancestry. So, what is race? A phenotype? Or an ancestry? A lot of biracial people phenotypically look only black. Very few look only like their other race, and then there are those of us who look like both.
There are also people whose parents are not of a different race from each other, but who look mixed, or even another race. So, what to make of that?
Lastly, we know that race used to be decided legally in the United States, so how about that? Most black people (namely dark skin women who are upset, yeah I said it) are saying to get rid of the one-drop rule. Fine. Are you ready for that? Are you ready to give up every single person who isn't either phenotypically unambiguous, or whose ancestry is only African black??? That's a lot more people than you realize.
And then what, basically, just the dark-skins are left?? And what are they gonna do. Finally sit around and say: we're all black, hooray! This is bullshit. Mixed people...ARE BLACK! Even if the experience isn't the same.
@@jays-move8803 Gaslighting and projecting much?😂
@@jays-move8803 I would say “Go AWWF” but you already did. Have a great Mother’s Day weekend
@@jays-move8803 You😂
@@firstladychosen186 lmao
I'd like to see this WHOLE energy from biracial people to the white community abt acceptance
Weird how it never happens huh. They like to use phrases like "divisive" and 'your own people' when having conversations with black people on this topic, which is a subtle way to keep pushing themselves onto black people, a way of reinforcing this idea that they're somehow black when they're not. Basically trying to assert themselves as black without having the conversation
You know they wanna upset massa.
Up in the big house.
@@ShaneM420 They better leave us alone cause it's tiring.
Won't happen they'll be quick to disregard them. In fact, some are even angry they're created. It's natural for folks racial or others to want offspring like they're culture and heritage. It's a sad but human experience.
It's not the same kind of battle because that's not what white means. European and white aren't the same. The social construct of the white race comes from a germanic, anglo-saxon context. The concept was made to separate anyone of color and or negro features from the concept of whiteness. There was even a time when italians weren't considered white because of some of their ethnic features and them being darker than other europeans on average
The issue is pretending that biracial people are black, it actually doesn’t give them the space to even speak because their multiethnicness is ignored. You can’t address something you don’t acknowledge
ikr! Biracials are NOT black and society is using them as buffers to not address what monoracials go through!
Blacks need to gatekeep their race so you don't have a confusion with counting biracials as Black yet still don't feel represented! Notice how even White passing Biracials do NOT have White people confused about ish lol
biracial means 2 races. hope this helps.
When that's the side that acknowledging more, then that's all u know unless ur parent tells u bout them but if that side of the family treating ur baby funny u probably don't wanna talk abt them anyways so it leaves in a weird space of just acknowledging the side that accepts u more, even if it comes with some bad like some thinking u bougie or better than others because the dominant society holds u in higher regard.
@@TalentedKamarty true because a lot of times biracials are rejected by the white side so they are more closer to the Black side.
Racist.
Liking hip pop and having “ swag” has nothing to do with being black I hate hearing that shit
she was just describing how a 10 year old chooses to embrace his black side. weirdo
It actually does. Black “persona” comes from jazz, soul and hip hop. So yes our swag and our dialect which is AAVE is Founded by guess who? Black people. We made it. It’s us.
Well, it actually does. The same way that liking Reggaeton or Bachata has something to do with you being latin/S.American. Or how liking folklore has something to do with you being scandanavian. Hip hop has roots in the black american culture. Every black person does not like the same genre of music. But there are certain things that were born out of our culture and who's historical origns can be traced right back to black american people.
When you define black culture, the origin of hip hop is a part of it. We do not have to deny our own culture, just because we are ashamed of some negativities associated with it. Nobody would have hip hop if it were not for Black Americans. I don't see how the music genre has nothing to do with being black if black Americans literally have everything to do with it's creation AND popularity world-wide.
Yes it does. Hip Hop music was created by African Americans.
For real!!!
Thanks to Dr Donna and Shayvan for their HONEST commentary. The black experience is not the same as the biracial experience and there is nothing wrong with acknowledging that. Biracial people deserve spaces to discuss their experiences without “but my expericence” during conversations about the black experience from people that have an undeniable black phenotype.
Biracial man here. I know what you mean. After being called red and light skinned by elders, peers, and family since i was born I found some resolve with just being Black too. Helps save an argument and unnecessary headaches😂
Do black people have to listen to it? Because the problem is biracial folk coop the black experience ie anything Kenya Barris creates
I just hate the dismissal of struggle. Just cause me as a darkskin man go through shit because of my skintone doesn't mean ur experience ain't shit because ur lighter than me. That's ass. That lightskin individual probably got the "U think u too good for us" "U think cause u got good hair n light eyes u special" "U soft ass lightskin nigga, ol Drake ass nigga" a meme like "Lightskin dudes fall like this *elegant fall*" 😂 n some of this is jokes but some of that cuts deep for them n I'd be an asshole to dismiss that or compare trauma. What they experienced mightve had them 2 minutes away from hitting the delete button on themselves like what I experienced mightve had the same impact even tho both r different
@@TalentedKamarty This made my eyes tear. Thank you. ☺
Agreed!
Bi-racial people are Bi-Racial with their own unique experiences. We as black people should accept and respect it. Great discussion 👍🏾 I’m a new subscriber!
Saying biracial twice makes no sense. Biracial is a description not an identity. It’s mean you have two races and unique to both whether socially or culturally accepted or not
@@brothertspoon5899 Oh really!? LOL 😆 sooo what race are they? FYI, My race is part of my identity.
@@brothertspoon5899
Every country outside of america has mixed communities, that are (rightfully) categorised separately.
The lady is the red dress is such a wonderful mom. She’s raising her biracial son right. Not forcing him to choose side and constantly telling him he is both despite his complexion.
Agreed. I think she is a wonderful mom. I would like to add it's not necessarily the parents who "force" biracial people to pick a side...it tends to be how the world views them that dictates what side they take. Examples such as Megan Markle and Halle Berry. Both biracial however, I remember Halle Berry stating in an interview that she identified as black because she knew that's how the world perceived her.
Thank you, this is the part people keep missing.
@@chara8231 I understand the point "Biracial people tend to pick a side based on how the world views them." but that does not age well and I really wish Black people would stop saying that. Yes, I understand the saying is true, but it's up to Biracial people to choose their own trajectory. There is nothing wrong with a Biracial person identifying as a Black biracial as long as they understand when it's all said and done they are biracial no matter how melanated they are. I think of Biracials like Drake and it's so embarrassing and disappointing that he thought just because he was melanated he was going to have a melanated son. That lets me know that Drake doesn't view himself as a biracial man despite him having a white mother, sure he we will acknowledge his mother and her culture but because he feels like he is dark enough he does not get take into account his biracial identity and how that will affect his offspring if he procreates with white women. Drake had a whole biracial identity crisis when his white son was born and hip-hop laugh at him about it despite them black manning him his whole career because he looks like someone who gets stopped by the police. It was pathetic that Black women were getting mad at Drake for being attracted to white women when his mother is white. It made zero sense for Black women to hold him to the same standards as they would a Black man. I just feel like when melanated biracial steps out into the scene all logic gets thrown out because they look like could be one of your cousins and that is dangerous. Here is another example, Tamera Morry. She has always been known as the black twin, the black community always referred to her as the black one but she just recently made black women mad for calling her new hair care line a product made for black women. Every black woman in her comments instantly reminded her that day she was biracial and her hair was not black hair but that's what the community has been telling her, her whole life. Acknowledging biracial people as biracial is important. I don't have a problem with biracial Identifying as Black biracial as long as they know at the end of the day they are biracial. When you know who you are you will not be able to let people tell you otherwise. I love biracial women like Zendaya and Mariah Carey. Despite how they are perceived, and the discrimination they face, they never hesitate to let anybody know they are biracial and they don't mind telling black people or white people to fuck off when they feel like they are being pushed inside of a box of being a white woman or a black woman.
@@chara8231 that's really true in America only
@@disorientedbutterfly
As far as Drake and Common both are problematic to Black women and a waste of time.
Gaslighting goes both ways when mixed ppl deny privilege and non-mixed ppl deny the racism/prejudice we face
stop calling someones blessing a privilege so embarrassing what BP are doing these days
The prejudice you face is a little bit like pretty privilege. Some people will not like you because of your privilege. But overall your privilege far outweigh the prejudice you face.
@@user-Mimi622 Every compares themselves to everyone, even if they are not trying to do it consciously. That is just human nature. And to be be frank, comparison is no always a bad thing. It is by comparing how you are treated as opposed to other people that you can see when you are being discriminated against. Jealousy over someone who is being treated better than you for something you cannot control is tiring yes, but it's a natural feeling. No one likes feeling this way and no one wants to be in this position. So yeah if you're an ugly girl, jealousy over pretty girls is tiring, but it's natural when you've seen countless times how you've been passed up for opportunities that have been given freely to less deserving but prettier girls. Again, no one likes being treated unfairly, and feelings of jealousy and envy are completely normal.
@@pr1.8ijmk it's so funny because I don't think privilege exists because people hold colours go things
@@pr1.8ijmkit's like people believe in these things. This is why racism still exists
I LOOOVE the fact that Shayvan put into words THE DIFFERENCE that NEEDED to be stated in this conversation. Biracial people are trying to have their IDENTITY AFFIRMED and dark skinned people are trying to have their HUMANITY AFFIRMED! My God! So on point, that was SOOO potent, and needed during this conversation.
With all due respect, Nikki sounds confused. She seems to let her little sister's experience cloud everything she says. Why is it Black people's duty to provide a space to Biracials (when we already do!!!) ? And when will ya'll go just as hard against the other communities who produce biracial kids? When will ya'll demand they make room for biracials in their communities? Does she ask her sister's mother for the room she's demanding from other black folks?
And the other guy coming in saying he's not "concerned about white spaces" just confirms the whole thing. Did he ever confront his colorist Puerto Rican family members? Or is it just from the black folks around him he's expecting perfect behaviour?
my thoughts exactly
Never confused honey I have empathy for HUMAN beings which biracial people are. There is nothing confusing about acknowledging EVERYONEs pain yall gotta really grow a heart
@@inikkivalentinex ma'am, you already said on instagram that the only reason we talk about Biracial people is because we feel "threatened" and we victimize ourselves. I've heard everything I needed to hear from you. Be blessed.
@@inikkivalentinex nah they just need to grow up. The whole "you can't sit here" mindset is childish.
Do you believe biracial people are in the way of the black communities progress? Is that way it’s the number one topic
Biracial people do have voices and are heard but its the biracial EXPERIENCE that doesnt get heardbecause people want to lump biracial and black people together. How can the Biracial experience be HEARD if people arent willing to admit that there is a biracial experience. Imo people need to understand that Black isnt a personality trait or a culture its a race. Same with Biracial. Many Biracial people who speak on the discrimination they face or often shut out because they speak about it as if its a "black experience". E.g. when discussing colorism a lot of the time biracial people would say their experience of "colorism" is being told they arent "black enough" ... thats not colorism thats simply the reality, you are BOTH equally. And i also think this idea of "you can choose how to identify" is weird and it causes a lot of confusion not just with them but also when they have kids.... there are a lot of people who identify as biracial or even black not knowing that they are about 70% white because all their biracial family members identified as "black". This leads to many identity issues down the line.
My daughters are mixed, Puerto Rican and Trinidadian and 1 thing I make sure they do is embrace every part that makes them who they are, my daughters are equally with both side of her family and she is simply mixed and loves all things Puerto Rican and trini that way when she gets older she can confidently say I embrace all sides that make up who I am, one of the guys here said why can’t I just pick to be black I don’t care about the other parts who make up who I am cause I identify as black and that really made me sad cause he should feel comfortable in embracing all sides of him
@@immealldayeveryday9425 What you are doing is Amazing! Not only are you raising your daughters with pride and love but you are also making sure they will never go through identity issues/crisis. People who grow up with identity issues /confused about who or what they are, are more likely to end up resenting one part or both parts of themselves and its sad.
Im half PR too and my other half is BR. All the biracial and generationally mixed people in my family identify as biracial or mixed race and they embrace and love it. Meanwhile the US often act as if biracial is some bad or evil word to go by. Now to make it more "PC" people will say they are a "black biracial" or "biracial black" thats like having a mestizo mexican call themselves a white native american. I dont know what problem americans have with the identity Biracial/Mixed race
That makes me get to my point of Shayvon. She identifies as biracial or multiracial but she is 75% + black. Why is she not saying she is black?
@@sadesuarez2954 ye I feel that it comes from a place where they are with one side of their family most of the time instead of both, and that’s why it’s very important for me that my daughters are raised equally with both sides of her families that way this is not an issue, it’s sad that in the states people often pick a side to embrace and it should not be that way cause they should be able to equally embrace all side that make up who they arw
@@immealldayeveryday9425 Yayy!! We need more parents like you.
24:36 ‘yea I’m light skinned but I’m still a dark nigga’ 🤦🏿♀️🤦🏿♀️ get Drake tf outta here
😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I don’t even know why he said that because Huey P Newton, Malcolm X. and Muhammad Ali are Lightskin . It doesn’t get much more harder
@@brothertspoon5899because he wasn’t saying he’s a dark nxgga as in his complexion , dark as in the acts he would commit…some of y’all are the dumbest smart ppl ever
I dont agree with Nikki saying biracial peoples voices haven't been heard. Darkskinned women are silenced more than anyone in this community and aren't being heard. We talk about colorism and erasure and instantly get gaslit and told we are angry, bitter, and jealous. When it comes to blackness, biracials have actually have more of a voice than the women who should have the dominant voice about OUR representation. Nikki seems to place biracial issues above that of her own as a black woman and that's a huge problem in our community. The placing the biracial issues on a pedastal is frustrating.
And light skin people talk about there issues and there belittled and shut down. Dark skin women aren’t silenced content creators have built a huge platform (with 100 of thousands sometimes even millions) of followers and subscribers specifically talking about issues that black and dark skin people go through.
The truth is light skin people are bullied just as much as dark skin girls
Couldn’t agree with you more
Yes she’s caping because of her personal experience with her sister
@@fan7708 no they are not 😭😭 mixed people are praised for their existence, their features, and everything else and yeah SOMEtimes ppl will have a personal vendetta against them but that’s because at the same time that person is being degraded for their features in contrast to biracial features. Please stop it. The collective experience of mixed identity is positive. Being so disingenuous saying “oh my overall experience of being mixed is bad because I’m being praised for my features :(“
@@WesleyLindsey What does that have to do with them being embraced into the culture?
Another subject to explore is the difference of biracial children being raised by a black mother vs. white mothers.
Unpopular opinion, the difference in experience is due to the father. Black fathers with mixed children vs white fathers with mixed children. From my experience (im a black woman) white men tend to foster healthier relationships with their mixed children.
1. I agree that some biracial people do get accused of having a superiority complex even when innocent because of how differently unambiguous black women get treated in the black community by black people and so sometimes black people specifically black women will automatically assume this about biracial women. Yes some biracial people do have a superiority complex and often times they don't even notice because they have been raised that way, but most of the time it stems from their black parents living vigorously through them or from them being raised by or surrounding themselves with black people who continuously put down unambiguous black women.
2. I think biracial people expect too much from black people. Their white side can be racist, not claim them, exclude them, see them as 'other' and there is absolute silence because it is expected and seen as normal. The community will not complain about white people, who are also a part of them, not accepting or catering to them the way black people do. However, black people are kinda expected to be the nanny's. Expected to accept them fully, raise them fully, cater to them fully, treat them in ways that often put them on a pedestal and when any of those expectations are not met it immediately leads to a discussion of "black people hate me" but there is never a discussion demanding for white people to FINALLY do their part when it comes to raising and claiming biracial kids as white and treating them as such or better. People really need to ask themselves why this kind of discussion cant be had with a white and mixed panel instead of a black and mixed panel.
You said everything I wanted to say PERFECTLY. It’s really indicative that they got a panel full of mixed ppl and ppl with close proximity to mixed ppl and the conversation turned into how tragic being mulatto is and how black people just HATE them… while they were raised and praised by black people, on a black channel, talking to black people. I’m sorry but you’re not gonna convince me that being mixed actually gives you a WORSE experience in the black community.
It was even crazy at the very end when the main guy said that in the future most people will be mixed like please relax 😭😭 like we have to cater to their whims. Someone check the data!!
@@WesleyLindsey Even if more biracial people are born. Because of anti blackness in a few generations they will just look like Megan Markle’s kids. That’s something that is not talked about. Lol.
Thank you! Mixed people are litterally forced onto black people against our will BECAUSE OF white people. They threw the rock and hid their hands. It's time mixed people stand up to white people, hold them accountable, and do what's right, which is allow us to rebuild our damaged community.
EXACTLY
Well said!!!
If calling a biracial person biracial is offensive, divisive or "AnTi-bLAcK" I'll be that.
Halle berry, Zendaya, HER, Kehlani, Ella Mai, 2/3 members of Flo are not black women.
but yet so talented
Bless you sister ! They are BIRACIAL and that's all right.
I agree here
Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Cardi b, Latto, Justine Skye, Zoe Kravitz, Ice Spice, even Ryan Destiny. The list goes on and on. They love to point out biracial people when they're lightskin only.
@@genevaxo Be careful who you assume is bi-racial just because of how they look. Beyonce is Black. Both her parents are Black. Just because her mother is Creole does not mean that her mother has a white parent. The percentage of your DNA is irrelevant if all your ancestors you can trace are light skinned, Black Americans.
Being biracial, I feel very uneasy when a light skin person or biracial person say they don’t feel privilege. To me that totally disregards things that our darker brothers and sisters go through. I’m 6 months pregnant with identical twin girls and my husband is very dark skin. His mom is from South Sudan and his dad is from Ghana. I really hope to teach them the best I can and that black is in all shades and definitely teach them about our black history.
My current bf is white and as a dark skinned young bw under 21, im always worried my children will turn out like that. my worst fear bc that would mean I didn’t do my job as a parent. I can’t stand when biracial/light skinned blacks say there is no privilege bc of how they look. You may not see it but don’t gaslight the rest of us who can.
@@trxphywaifalt Right and even if they don’t feel that way, still they shouldn’t even say that. To me that’s so disrespectful like what world do they live in. I feel like as long as you tell your kids who they are but also remind them of our ancestors struggles, they’ll be fine. Some people with biracial kids just have them and don’t even talk about black history to them. That’s a big mistake right there.
@@trxphywaifalt But also don't gaslight those of us who are living in our experience, and you don't realistically do the research to understand what we deal with. I don't think I have some powerful and substantial privilege. That hasn't been my life. I think being passing makes my life worse. I am also gay, and that makes it difficult to sus out the value of my so-called light-skinned, or biracial, or white-passing privilege. I certainly think I have it, for example, if I travel abroad to countries that aren't black. But even in Russia, I was being called out for being half black, even vocally once by a stranger when I was walking around outside.
@@jays-move8803 privilege is invisible to those that have it my friend. Privilege is always in juxtaposition to others so while you might not be getting roses thrown at your feet when you want I’d argue that your dark skin counterparts experience things more adversely. Like I don’t feel privileged as a dark skinned black man but I know when traveling abroad I have American privilege my non American friends don’t get
Lmao which privilege. Everyone has a gift. You either choose to see or you dont. I hv seen drop dead gorgeous dark girls literal goddesses but only the girls that see their own beauty enjoy the privileges that come with it. The ones who dont, dont enjoy the beauty. They dont see when men open doors for them. They dont see when recruiters call them back for jobs. They dont see when neighbors marvel at their uncommon beauty. My millionaire brother married a drop dead dark senegalese babe. I cant put how beautiful she is into words. And walks like a goddess. No eyelashes no wigs but she stops everyone on their tracks when she walks into every room. Every single time. I dont believe in this biracial bs.
I’m concerned with the term “best of both worlds” being engrained in the minds of the next generation. This can make biracial children have an inherent superiority complex over others because their parents told them they are inherently better than full black kids because they’re are “the best of both worlds”. Potentially problematic rhetoric
I mean if the Holy Trinity is 3 people in 1, my mom is Black, then I think I’m being pretty generous by identifying as biracial/mixed race. Plus, I have a famous painting of me as Thor crushing ice giants😂
Agree, and also interracial marriages are more prone to violence, drug use, and divorce (per statistics), and so no, we definitely get the WORST of both worlds statistically on the home front. The only "make up" for it is looks, and even that is spinning the wheel (cause not all biracial people are a 10/10 on looks).
I agree.
Looks By Naheemah
You are absolutely correct 💯.
The woman in the red is promoting a biracial superiority to full Blacks.
Be careful what you teach your children.
@@the2ndcoming135 what are you even talking about!!??????????
It’s interesting because there is an over saturation of light skin or ambiguous looking folks in the media.
And politics
But who’s in charge of the media? Biracial people?
@@meme-fs1jn not blaming them but when the Black/Puerto Rican brought up at that he lost out on media jobs because he was not perceived as Black enough my mind didn’t immediately see the oversaturation of dark skin folks.
Their beauty is so usual and common now. Nothing special to me
@@Salutations26 I get it. Have you ever wondered if the media has a agenda? Why the over use of biracial people. I see it to . But why? White people know the difference between biracial and black. Why would they choose over and over to use biracial people??
I wish that Ayesha K. Faines was still here 🖤 especially when i hear conversations like this
I miss her, she was my favorite 🙏🏾🤎
As others have said. I think biracial people need to be able to create their own spaces separate from black people. It's almost seen as taboo for a biracial person mixed with black to say they are biracial and not black. Technically they are as much of their other race as they are black if not more. They need to be able to be biracial and it be okay. I believe a lot of the gaslighting they do to black people and denying their mixed privilege, would dissipate if they're able to just have their own identity.
Like in the D 🇩🇴 Republic .? Black roots, but things there white? Nope prefer as biracial man, as Black. And I raised up, in a non black country. Germany 🇩🇪. We calling ourselves Afro-Germans
It’s also gaslighting for blacks to reject biracial ppl then expect them to 100% claim their blackness. They can’t have their cake and eat it too. How do you expect me to claim the part of me that’s black if y’all don’t consider me as one? Of course I’m not going to represent if they don’t even claim me lol Makes no sense. And it’s common sense that dark skinned black folks experience racism a lot worse. No one is denying that. But to dismiss me and my pain is grimy af.
Nope black is black stop dividing people
@@pr1.8ijmk Definitely divisive and reducing Black political power. If you try to separate Black and mixed into 2 different categories you're going to lose so much Black history.
@@pr1.8ijmk Slippery slope that's being pushed. You might get sisterhood for a while, but you're ultimately going to lose a massive chunk of Black history, accomplishments and achievements if you start saying you want to separate from Mixed Black people. And I'm talking from Slavery era Frederick Douglas to BoB Marley to Louis Farrakhan to Boris Kodjoe and a vast amount of celebrities, entertainers, famous doctors, NAACP leaders and Civil Right activists, HBCU founders and more. I'm sorry, but I'm never going to support this division. You will be dramatically reducing our numbers which will in turn reduce our political power in the country.
No dark skinned person has the time to continuously affirm biracial people if they are concerned about the possibility of their life’s being taken and being purposefully erased. Being not black enough is an experience but it has never been life threatening systematically. Dark skinned people are worried about preserving their life not only systematically but a lot of time within their own communities especially dark skinned women. I think biracial people have to understand why they are not being affirmed by their other side. That alone should give them an indication on how serious it is when someone is fully black considering no matter how white passing biracial’s can be their non black side still refuses to affirm them. #Meghan Markle.
And, why can't they build their own platforms and forums to advocate for their issues i addition to having access to resources in BOTH black AND white communities?!!
This the one.
I've traveled the word. And dark skinned people are treated far worse in every culture I've seen than their light-skinned counterparts. So, I'm sorry but I don't feel sorry for light-skinned people on any level about any thing really, they might not be accepted by whites but none of us are. However, they are privileged in many other ways for greater than a brown-dark skinned person.
The, "Not black enough," issue is specific to interactions with the black community. Outside of that, biracial people are definitely black enough and experience anti-black discrimination and violence. Daunte Wright.
Also, some Black ppl don’t even feel “Black enough” because of their personality or interests. We need to focus on their experience with not feeling Black enough. If a biracial person doesn’t feel Black enough, its probably because you are not!
To Nikki concern, I hear you sis but your sister’s singular experience does not overshadow the general pop. It’s up to your sister’s mom + dad to give her that voice not blk ppl, and certainly not blk women. If white ppl automatically shun her, WHY us the ownership of blk ppl to accept her? Shouldnt it be both sides- not just forcing brachial acceptance on blk ppl? Again biracial ppl need their OWN category. Being able to“claim the best of both world” is a privilege that most blk ppl cannot do , so yea I don’t think I want to take it on myself to “give them a voice”
Girl what😂 go ahead and log out for me. I pray for this next generation of this is your mindset. “They need a category of their own” why shouldn’t they embrace the two cultures that they apart? How is it a privilege to be apart of two cultures when neither embraces you?
This sounds so bitter, how do you hear about someone being bullied and come up with this?!?! Its HUMAN beings job to accept other HUMANS
@@fan7708she never said that mixed folk shouldn’t embrace both sides. she said they should ALSO look to their white side and hold them to the same standard. often and like most of the people on this panel stated “they aren’t concerned with white people” but expect black people to be loving and accepting without question and it’s a clear double standard.
@@solanasharpe “Bi racial’s need a category of their own”
@@fan7708 that doesn’t mean that they are excommunicated from the black community 😂 but they have their own unique experiences that are different from the black community and that needs to be acknowledged in their own spaces not brought up only when black people are talking about their own unique struggles
Sorry I need to correct that girl when she talked about the eve gene. They had me up until that point. I’m a PhD level biologist. What you refer to as the “eve gene” is mitochondrial dna that does not encode for how someone looks. Only genomic dna does. Mitochondrial dna encodes for proteins of the mitochondria which help in cellular respiration. Ekkkk hearing her say that made me cringe but carry on. Great conversations otherwise but let’s not speak on science if you’re not certain what things are bc it make me question other things that are being said that I may not have the background to instinctively verify it’s accuracy.
thank you for explaining. Learned something new
The "eve gene" is just another excuse for black women to claim that anyone can have blonde hair and blue eyes so they dont have have to embrace their natural kinky hair and ethnic features. It's deep rooted self hatred. It's ridiculous.
Exactly so called Eve gene🧬, and the celebration of the concept, is only giving praise to the historical sexual violation that white men have been doing onto melanated women on all continents!
Still most people have no idea what "Racial BLANQUEAMIENTO" is 🤦🏿♂️
I’m not a doctor but even I know what she said didn’t sound accurate. Thank you for clarifying
thank you. i agree
Why is it on black ppl to create spaces for Biracials?
Exactly lol.
It always has to be black ppls problem I swear 😂😂😂💀
Its not we are all on our own, we are doing what willi lynch predicted the physcological war fair is real.
There should not be a space needed to create. Just accept people's human beings if you get along.
@@theresahaley2992 Tell that to other races as well 😏
Thank you Dr. Donna for always speaking up for us dark skinned somebodies! Ps some of the biracial people almost sound like white people denying their white privilege and saying I wasn’t born rich so I don’t have privilege. We’re not denying that biracial people also have a struggle but there are major differences from dark skinned persons experiences.
Literally the whole “I’m mixed and didn’t ask for this privilege” is no different than modern day white ppl saying they were born white and didn’t ask for the benefits of white supremacy… as they soak in all the benefits.
I was so thankful she was there! Dr. Donna is always 10 toes down for dark skin people! Thankful for her.
right! it's like comparing a life threatening situation to a minor incovenience. When I was younger, I looked a little more ambiguous so I got the teasing lol... You think you're this or that because of your hair etc. Don't get me wrong; it's harmful. But it's not the same as being seen as a threat or being hunted down because of how you look. And some of these biracial people sound exactly like poor whites when we talk about white privilege. I had to do this and do that to make it. We didn't have this or that. And it's true, and that experience is VALID. But you didn't also have the pressure of navigating an unambiguous black existence on top of that. It's like they are seeking validation for a situation that we've already recognized is valid. Now, move out the way so that we can focus on the real fight lol. Don't talk about an oppression olympics because dark skin people gonna take home the gold every time with that.
@@brittanyholland9540This sounds like you are happy about finally being first at something.
@@AdoraBangles lol that's a weird conclusion to draw from that comment.
As dark skinned Black woman this was one of the best conversations defining the nuances of Blackness! THANK YOU✊🏾🫶🏾👊🏾
So shoutout to the TH-cam algorithm for suggesting an actual CONVERSATION about a REAL topic
Sucks not being cuddled and told you’re handsome huh?💆🏽♂️
Did Nikki and Issam just ALL LIVES MATTER this convo? Also, let’s not remiss that often times the villains in these Tragic Mullato stories are often CHILDREN! The Black girl that insulted you on the playground. Some dark skinned kid that said something to you on the bus. Where’s all the smoke for the White/non-Black parent that abandoned you, didn’t acknowledge you, didn’t protect you?
Y'all opinions on us...are weird. I'll just say that.
@@jays-move8803 I’m not biracial but I agree with you. generalizations like this are very weird
@@jays-move8803who’s the “y’all” and “us”? What am I? Please tell me the assumption you made based on my comment…
@@larsattackk, Caped Crusader 😂
@@jays-move8803You need to be specific, because otherwise this just comes off as dismissive and condescending gaslighting.
The lady with the work jacket is the ONLY one willing to acknowledge biracial privilege. Everyone else was giving us the usual "tragic mulatto" storyline over and over again. You gave us a panel full of so-called experts but only ONE was willing to speak of the overall benefits of mixed identity.
Seriously it’s so annoying and tone deaf
Most of the participants are tethers that is why.
@Bee R exactly and thank you for fessing up to it too. This video and a lot of the comments are trying to make it seem like the biracial experience is just as bad if not worse than the black one and that is LITERAL colorism gaslighting and erasure.
@Bee R maybe in white spaces however in a good amount of black spaces light skinned ppl are discriminated against & rightfully so but it really depends on the spaces your in. I’m only in black spaces so I get treated in a way that shames me for my light skin & I understand why. It’s definitely a necessary layer of protection however to say the pain from those experiences isn’t that bad is negligent. It might not be your experience but those experiences are painful.
@Bee R I also am commenting after watching the first video & I haven’t seen this video yet however in black spaces the discrimination is high, which is honestly just social evolution.
The Nikki panel sounds like savior for black bi-racial people, similar to white savior complex. I am more in agreement with Dr Donna that Brown and Dark Skin black people go through more discrimination and bias in all aspects.
To say black people mistreat biracial or lighter skin people is disingenuous especially for women. In the black community they’re put on a pedestal & is preferred for 98% of the men in this community. I’m not saying you weren’t picked on, but let’s be real. Most of the time when a biracial person or light skin person have that experience is when they were kids. Kids are assholes & that’s when we were the most shallow. No grown black woman is literally distancing herself from light skin / biracial people and calling them names. Like let’s not do that.
This what people cant seem to understand: being put on a pedestal simply for looking a certain way is UNCOMFORTABLE and RACIST. Black men thinking that putting down Black women is some kind of complement to biracial women is DISGUSTING and RACIST not to mention divisive. I think Black mens internalized self hatred needs to be addressed because as a biracial woman, their "preferences" are toxic and harmful. Being put on a pedestal at the expense of your identity and community does not feel good. Biracial people are not blind to how we are being used to fuel anti-blackness in our own community and it hurts.
I just dropped in to say that bi-racial people are not LIGHT-SKINNED Black people. Bi-racial people are bi-racial, end of story. Light-skinned Black people have TWO Black parents.
I read a comment from someone on here who said that the panel was missing light-skinned Black people, and I agree. I would love a conversation where both light-skinned and dark-skinned Black people are represented because the experiences are nuanced.
📌 Point Taken. They are not only hijacking the identity of bw but also light skinned bw/people as well. .They been on that, that's why I never liked the grouping terms where predominately blk people are not solely represented like Poc, malenated to now being used by anybody with the slightest pigment who choose to claim blk by identifying as such. My point, If it's impossible for them to claim negro they ain't blk and if they have to identify as blk they ain't but as their numbers undoubtedly increases due to the self hate of the original blk people, they will in time be given a name to match their growing identity whereas they won't feel entitled to take others who's been here forever.
I agree some lightskinned people need to be on the panel. But people call light biracial lightskinned too sometimes.
Biracial people come in a light skinned and dark skinned variety of hues.
@@MedusasSnakePit Of course but predominately blk is predominately blk
There was a light skinned Black woman on the panel, but her mother is biracial and her father is Black.
Dr Donna is always on it!! Love her perspectives
without her it would’ve mainly been a panel of mixed people and black people with close proximity to mixed people crying about how tragic it is to be mulatto. (Yawns)
@@WesleyLindsey yes exactly! They’re talking about their personal experiences and it’s like noo!! We’re talking about STRUCTURAL oppression. It’s bigger than you!
@@asiaokao8534 right! Even with their personal experiences you can’t convince me being mixed is harder than being dark skin like pleaseeee, save it.
Y’all are having an oppression olympics. This conversation was purposely not about that
💯.
The blue haired Dr. Should be protected at all costs!!!
But, one can be biracial and darkskinned with coily hair. Are they not allowed to be heard about their black experience? Biracial does not always mean lightskinned.
Exactly
This is an EXCEPTION, not the rule. In general, Biracial people look Biracial.
Still biracial and speak about your own experiences in your own spaces
Your last sentence is sooo true!
Why are biracial/multiracial people so fixated on being a part of a dominant community when they can have their own community? Why do Black people have to take on biracial/multiracial whoas, we have other things to worry about.
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
I think the main issue is that when we only compare and debate our pain we never get to the next step of adding that pain up to get the full picture. A lot of what dark skin people see simply as proximity and privilege is not experienced that way by light skin/biracial people. In one way being "accepted" into certain spaces is a privilege, on the other hand being made a token is ALSO racist. Being made to feel like there can only be one of you IS racist. Having your blackness be used for "exoticism" and "diversity" at your own expense IS racist. Rewarding people for being closer to white IS racist. Being able to benefit from racism doesn't make it NOT racist, most biracial people are acutely aware of this and yet are always being lectured about it. That's the part we can't seem to understand.
This explains so much of what so many don't have the words for.
This is it!! Like we really are fighting for our lives in these white spaces.
i'm soo glad🙏🏽i always am a little apprehensive to comment or express myself because i don't want to piss anybody off or seem tone deaf but i also keep feeling like a huge part of anti-blackness is being excused under the idea of "its not as bad as mine". I think a lot of biracial people are trying to agree rather than compare but there is a real resistance to this.
This was a discussion that needed to have several series. The guy said "everything is not just black and white" And to me that sums it up. Because to me that is the main issue with the discussion. People think experiences are monolithic. Not every lsbp and biracial has the same experience as each other. Not all dsbp have the same experiences. Colonization did a number on the world and created so much confusion and division. Yet we get in these spaces frequently but don't give others the voice they need to express their own lived truth, we are easily offended etc. We minimize and conclude. We discuss our perspective and decide if we want to accept the other persons. That's not how resolution is made or conflict resolved and understanding is reached. So that makes me question is resolution the goal? This was good but could of been longer. Its okay to not agree. Again, its a lot to unpack. Are we expecting to have all the answers in this generation and it took 400 + yrs to get here? The elephant is White Supremacy and it never enters the chat. Without the key players this convo can have no depth because colorism is a result of racism and lsbp and biracial ppl are not the ones upholding it systematically. There's a missing party.
@@CandyCoated96 whew you said it all right here🎯🎯🎯 your last 3 sentences really hit the nail on the head perfectly! You are absolutely right.
as a mixed person the getting made fun of for being light or having loose curly hair or being called white is never gonna compare to the pain of racism and colorism. that’s just getting teased like most people experience at some point in life. there’s probably not one human alive that hasn’t been teased by other kids about SOMETHING
And it’s not like the black community doesn’t also make fun of every other shade of black person too. Darker skinned people get made fun of for their appearance and Ethnically ambiguous people get made fun of that too
I loved how Tiffanie talked about parents asking their biracial/mixed racial children how it makes them feel seeing other Black folks with darker skin treated as well as parents having real honest conversations with their mixed/biracial children about their different identities and lighter skin privileges. This reminded me of a time when I had to tell my younger twin sisters who are bi-racial when they were 13 about how they will be treated differently compared to people who look like me and their mother. It was an uncomfortable conversation but necessary to have. Also, Shayvawn bringing up how darker skin folks don't feel safe around lighter skin was so POWERFUL. We need more light skin folks like her who ensure safety for darker skin and brown skin people!
As a mixed man, my experience has been society tells you what you are allowed to identify as. It hasn’t mattered how I “choose” to identify.
Bro who have spaces online for US
As a Darkskin woman, I think it would be great for darkskin women to have our own spaces. There are some but very few. It would be great to have a space to liken our experiences within our own but also with an understanding that we meld into black spaces too (rightfully).
This would allow for our voices to be heard without being told we are somehow "cruel/bitter/exclusionary" when we speak on our issues. All too often, when conversations are held in front of those outside of this complexion range, we are force fed the beliefs that we need to be accepting when no other groups have experienced what we have. To be a darkskinned woman is to be prejudiced by black men who want acces to these ambiguous lookingvwomen so they label us bitter. To black people who are buracial we're cruel when we tell them they don't truly have a grasp and to all others we're exclusionary. It feels like there's no winning.
I don't say this to be mean there are just things that can be conceptualized but not as palpable as when lived.
P.s. Dr. Donna gave me life. She spoke the unpleasant truths.
Next time you all want to have a discussion about biracials and their experiences invite a proudly biracial person like me on. I identify solely as biracial and I speak on being proudly biracial on my livestreams. Hell I had a six hour live discussing how biracials can separate from the black community. Stop brining on bootlicking biracials to speak on behalf of all biracials.
We've always been separate. Several hundred years of Mulatto history spread throughout just the Americas. Let's not even get started with Africa because we will have to go back to King Solomon and Queen Makeda. I wonder what race child that union made 🤔😁
I cannot describe how amazing and excited I feel to have found this channel. There is soooo much charged and violent dialog centered around these issues in particular and everyone always leaves with more animosity towards the other than before. But this space is one of the first I have seen where EVERYONE is getting heard and respected and given time to speak. There is so much genuine love and respect here that it honestly makes me emotional. I often don’t get too experience this and it is so difficult because I take immense interest in issues of colorism and the like.The focus on learning and listening instead of wanting to be heard and being the center of conversation is one of the core foundations of communication and especially in this circumstance. I want to commend every single person on the panel for being so respectful and delightful and dismantling ideas I had about dialogue centered around black issues. I immediately subscribed and I cannot WAIT for this channel to take off. This is what I like to see and I can’t wait to binge you all videos.❤
Also I REALLY appreciate that everyone in this conversation understands how nuanced this issue is and cannot be described in black and white statements (no pun intended). So often it’s the OVERSIMPLIFICATION of life that leads to opposing sides where I feel like if people realized that life is many shades of grey, it would be easier to coexist. I once read a statement that said that it is a Western concept to see issues as a linear progression with CAUSE1 = CONSEQUENCE1. In other parts of the world, especially the East, they see life as a collection of many things that all affect one another. I think this idea is really interesting and affects how politicians approach problem solving.
I wonder , how come they dnt get upset about not being accepted by the yt half? So much punching down on no.
I think simply because It's biracial vs black. Not biracial vs white. I wish they also talked about how black men create this hierarchy, causing divide between light skin and dark skin women in the black community.
@@AsèUnderground black ppl are the most welcoming ppl!! So it’s bazaar , while saying they called them selves black and only being apart of the black community. They dnt feel welcome !!! BY WHO ?? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@Empress of Life Okay so this is a complicated topic. Part of me has to disagree because I've gone through not being seen or accepted by black people until people meet my mom. (Because a lot of us are very ignorant about genetics and assume I have a white parent. Which I don't but my father is biracial) The other part of me understands exactly what you are saying because historically, the black community is very accommodating to other ethnicities almost to a fault.
@@AsèUnderground I get it my oldest brother is biracial!! He is yt passing !! But he was never not excepted by our community!! He got push back when it came to his yt side !! They definitely abandoned/never claimed him!!
Honestly the light vs dark debate is mad distracting. I think we should focus on how black immigrants are granted more power and media attention than ADOS (African descendents of American slavery). I would like to see the statistics of how many of us who are descendants of slaves in the United States are given economic opportunities in media, politics, education etc and maybe I'm wrong and creating tribalism ?? But why are we not questioning resources from those whose bloodline deserves proper reparations in America?
Yesss!!! Glad to see Donovan and all the great individuals picking up where The Grapevine left off. This is like a breath of fresh air. RIP Ayesha ❤️ you guys started something magical ✨️
this is the only conversation i’ve heard about colourism that is genuine, not watered down or cookie cut. thank you for finally introducing real issues and not forgetting specific nuisances. this is something i finally feel is worth listening to where the ball was not dropped one way or the other
“My sister is half her mother is white and my dad is Jamaican but I don’t consider her half because I don’t like that…?” What 😂. Her sister is going to have some serious identity issues when she gets older
Im making an assumption here, but i think she meant that she didn't consider her her "half" sister. Which I totally understand because when my parents split my father went on to have another daughter, and she is my sister period..
@@waheedanaomi ooooh I thought she meant she didn’t consider her biracial. I get that all my siblings are just my siblings as well even though we have different mothers.
@@waheedanaomi yeah I think she meant half-sister not half-black
That's that tether babble to just pretend stuff doesn't exist.
I said dont consider a HALF SISTER yall really listen to criticize and not understand huh?
Blackity Black people please gatekeep your space. Biracial people create spaces for yourselves to speak your truths. Your experience is not the same as the blackity blacks.
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
🙌🏾
The thing is, people need to acknowledge that the darker your skin is, the less privilege you have. But at the same time, if you have any connections to whiteness, you have more privilege.
Blue hair ate.
Why does the black community need to make room for their experience. Why can't interracial people create their own space.
Wtf are interratial people ?
First of all, describe what you mean? The word space sounds like an actual, physical locale. So, this is what I envision people who think that expect: that we be born into the world of our two parents, grow up, and then leave to create our own world that all biracial people can come into?
💯 💯💯💯💯
I wish they talked about how black men create this hierarchy of color which divides dark and light skin women in the melanated community.
My introduction to having any type of privilege started with dating at my historically black college and it was because the men "othered" me. If the men are in control of who is getting certain opportunities in the media then they are a big part of the divide and the problem.
This right here is it! I can totally understand why darker skin women see black male attention as part of light skin privilege but i think most light skin and biracial people can attest to the kind of attention it really is: projection. Being light skin doesn't mean men actually like you better, it means they are trying to use your social privilege as their own. They don't see light skin women as anything other than a status symbol and i'm soo tired of people swearing up and down that this kind of self hatred ass attention is what all light skin people yearn for. It's soo cringey and embarrassing.
Also, mixed or bi-racial women are not unicorns or sexual objects to fetish. Too many of yall date to make your kids lighter or have lighter eyes. 🙄 There is a Self Hate issue that mixed and bi-racial people see upfront. That's why many don't like the constant questions about ethnicity. Seeing the self-hate up close and personal is heart breaking. I had a male tell me that he didn't date dark skin women. The catch is my mother is chocolate and so are my kids. Had to end that relationship quickly ✋🏾 and I hope more mixed women continue to not entertain such ignorance.
Somehow how I knew this will come down to a blk man even though this is not the topic. We understand after all u are not aborting us enough or the police killing us enough. So nothing strange here
@Ta M not all black men but we can not act like this doesn't happen in our communities. We have to call it out because it is part of the problem.
@@AsèUnderground I agree, so what will you tell your sisters that will not touch anything blk ? Or you still haven't come across them?
It’s interesting that the lady wearing the burgundy dress refers to her son Jeremiah as biracial while he self identifies as black. She’s teaching him to be on guard with people who share her dark skin tone while simultaneously giving him the responsibility of standing up for those same people. She’s creating a lot of the issues that exist between black and biracial people.
Yap I caught that too😂 sis? and her biracial son are a lost cause
@@firstladychosen186yup just a waste of time and space.😂😂😂😂
I just want to say how Nikki's stance and body language while the other's were speaking on how the light skin person's experience is not the same as a dark skin person's was very dismissive. It was giving mammy. She didn't want to hear it at all or even try to understand it. It was very disheartening but I guess it's her opinion. The 2 lighter women were also really good on saying that it is not the same. The experiences are Apples and Oranges and it's not fair to ask dark skin people to hold the hands of others to make them feel safe and welcome when that's all they've ever done. Stop asking for extra labor out of them and make your own spaces if it's that important to you.
I agree 100%. It's so much anger towards the BC for not accepting, but never the same energy towards the WC. That is what confuses me
Idk why she as a darkskin woman was caping so hard for lightskin people. Colorism dosen’t go both ways, period.
What? "The biracial experience is not black!" really? So this woman knows all about biracial's people experiences? Unless a biracial/multiracial person is extremely light-skinned and can literally 'pass' as white, we are absolutely seen by the white community as black and treated as such. Look at the controversy with the new Netflix Cleopatra. The actress is biracial but is being called 'black'. When I am in white spaces, I am absolutely seen as black and have had nightmarish experiences because of it. Some dark skinned people, it seems, resent mixed race people because in their mind, those people have a closer proximity to whiteness and as such don't want to acknowledge the discrimination that we suffer, never mind having a discussion about it! However, that mindset doesn't make our experiences any less real. It's really sad that colourism is so entrenched in the black community and other communities of people of colour; the architects of white supremacy who instigated colourism, were very efficient and effective at their job and would surely be elated to see that after so many years it is still very much alive.
The biracial experience IS NOT the Black experience. That is correct!
@@NoName-mc7wd Get a life!!
Yes 👏
No, the Biracial and Black experience is not the same. You don’t know what it’s like to experience being mono racial, so please explain how you’re the authority on being Black? Because White people are racist? That’s doesn’t define Blackness.
@@j.rising7286 And you are an authority on the biracial experience?! Getting up in your feelings thinking you're making some valid point! 😂😂.
Shayvawn and Dr Donna are my people!
Same!
Las a blk woman I find it highly offensive that we keep being compared to biracials as if we r the same. Nothing about us is the same except for the fact that we are not yt! Stop playing w our likeness. We r not the reject pool for the world!
These are the most ignorant words I read for a long time
W
@@zhaw4821 The world does treat folks like the reject of the world though. ALL groups have the "keep them over there" attitude. At times it's our own doing but often times it's not.
As a biracial person who looks Latina I always felt privileged when I’m in a room full of unambiguous blacks however, I have felt my voice was more silenced or softer to the ears of whites when another biracial person who is lighter or looks predominantly white was in the room so it does makes u feel like where do I fit.
Side note: I love ❤❤❤❤ blue hair lady’s brain and passion. She is beautiful and powerful
“Light skin, but I’m still a dark n***a” this was done in two ways. Toronto’s slang is very Jamaican based. So when we say we’re “dark” or “ I got dark” or “I can get dark like a cave” it literally means a dangerous state of vexness/vexation. This line was definitely a play on words to affirm strength using this slang.
I am biracial. If I'm asked if I'm black i say I am biracial. Regardless of how i self identify, the world puts their own label on me.
You are what your father is
@@JamesBrooks-hj3dzso I'm white 💀
@@JamesBrooks-hj3dz You sound real smart...so if Jenny's presumed father is a White man she's White, right? Gtfo of here. She's Biracial as she said.
Also, historians have written about the local organizers' selection of Rosa Parks as the face of the boycott. Of these is Danielle McGuire's "At the Dark End of the Street." What the panelists are sharing isn't purely speculation - the Civil Rights Movement was tactical in every sense of the word. In general, I think we should all be leaning into the scholarship a bit more, and in particular the work of Black scholars. Much of what is being discussed here has research behind it - much of the language we are able to use - comes from this research, but it is too often uncited and unrecognized.
To Isaam's point at 10:48, another variable to this discussion is how colorism differs between genders and also within genders. Since light skin is associated with being refined, delicate, and beautiful as opposed to hard, masculine, and even animalistic dark skin, being a light skinned black man creates a weird contradiction to these racial/colorist ideologies. How could a person be black (the lowest and darkest skinned of the racial hierarchy) but have the daintiness of light/white skin? With that being said, I can see how within spaces of black men, light skin could be made fun of and ostracized because it goes against these (racist) ideologies that black men have internalized about themselves as being hyper masculine due to their darker skin. On the flip, for light skinned women, this weird conundrum of being light (and delicate) works more favorably. Women are typically depicted as feminine, and due to this (racist) likeness of light skin to feminine attributes (e.g. soft, dainty), light skinned black women are the most woman-like as opposed to their darker skinned counterparts within black women spaces. However, outside of black women spaces, that blackness and association of masculinity comes into play for the first time because other women don't have that black association, thus making other women, in many of these cases, considered more desirable, woman-like, beautiful, dainty - no matter how white presenting the light skinned woman is.
(* watches more of the video *)
Thanks Dr. Donna for bringing this point up at 23:40!
From a Jamaican background. None of us choose the skin we are in. I believe lightskin folk due face issues, however, I’ve seen men almost run over darkskin women because they had a car full of light women and mentioned the ladies darkness as the reason. Getting drinks thrown on them for being dark or pushed off stages. I’m not saying things like that don’t happen, I’ve just never seen it or heard it… especially in Jamaican culture.
How can someone listen to them saying “biracial people are fighting for identity and darker skinned people are fighting for humanity” and STILL comment about being silenced?
I am a mixed black person who has also felt like I had to fight for my humanity when experiencing racism.. it is not so black and white
I will never dismiss biracial people blackness or dismiss their experiences, my issue with SOME biracial people is that they pick and choose when they want to be apart of blackness and that’s not ok. To be in true solidarity with other black people is to embrace your blackness 100% of the time. That doesn’t mean you have to dismiss the other racial identity that makes you, but don’t decide today I wanna be black and tomorrow be singing a different tune.
@@jays-move8803 so I have a few thoughts and I don’t mean any harm when I say them. In regards to Latin people seeming to get a pass on saying the N word, it shouldn’t be happening. I grew up in a predominantly Spanish neighborhood and grew up with them saying it, during that time I was ignorant to the weight of the word and how most Hispanics people don’t really fuck with black people but still wanna say the word. I think more and more black people are waking up to the fact that Hispanic people shouldn’t be saying it either, so I think that’s gonna get better with time. When it comes to black women, I’ll be honest, I think you might just be around the wrong type of black women, I’m also gay and black women are the only demographic that ever made me feel comfortable and made me feel like I don’t have to change to fit in with anyone. I’m not trying to dismiss your feelings with the black women around you, I’m just saying you might have to get exposed to different types of black women because they are not a monolith. And lastly it could be the fact that you switch up that makes it hard for black people around you to embrace you. For me, if I meet someone who is mixed and I see them constantly playing the fence, picking an choosing when they gonna stand with black people and when they not, I’m gonna keep my distance because (in my opinion) those types are not to be trusted. Black people can’t switch to another race to make life easier, and usually mixed people can, and often exercise their ability to do so. If that’s something I see, I’m not bothering with you. It’s not cool to want to claim blackness when it’s beneficial or when we doing some lit shit, but when the going gets tough, you run and hide. How is anyone suppose to trust someone who does that? If you truly wanna be embraced in black spaces, start with being consistent and show that your truly stand with the community.
stop making up reasons to hate those people
they are both and they can live in both u sound so jealous of them
@@pr1.8ijmk Are you dumb? where did I express any hate toward them? I clearly gave a critique about how SOME biracial people move and how that can cause harm to the black community. critiques are not hate. and there is nothing to be jealous of, I love being black and having melanin, so it's no jealousy over here. try somebody else
Biracials have every right to pick and chose when they want to be a part of blackness.
Why shouldn't they? Who cares about "true solidarity" from black people who do nothing for biracials except pedestalize them and then abandon them when it's time to grab an opportunity where you can claim colorism as the reason for all your problems.
@@pr1.8ijmkJealous of what? You're begging for my blackness gtfoh😂
The parents of lighter skinned children - including those who are biracial - have to have conversations with them around their privilege, access, power - and ways to refuse colorism or a pull to center themselves in Black spaces. I like that the parents in this room, elevate that, in my experience, it doesn't happen enough.
This!
I feel like, yeah, sure, but more along the lines of telling them people may pretend to like you because of the color of your skin.
I think the privilege conversation needs to be had only around one thing, wealth. Privileged black people, those who have wealth, should talk to their children about that. As far as social privilege, the ghetto is full of light-skins XD So what exactly is the privilege?
I gained privilege because I'm smart and did good in school. I got a degree. Guess what, my dark-skin counterparts who majored in computer science made 6 figures out of school. I made 49k because I majored in humanities (dumb move, I can read books on my own time).
In terms of police, I don't see them caring that much about color. Tamir Rice was light-skinned. This whole conversation is a waste of time. Black people need to be lifting each other up, and the biggest divider among black people is nationality and class.
Most of this dark-skin business concerns African and Caribbean immigrants who are living in the US anyway. They are the ones who are bringing this up. In the US, we already came up with sexy chocolate and blacker the berry sweeter the juice. There was never a need for this. Colorism is real, especially in like the hip-hop industry, but that has a lot to do with black men feeling inferior and needing women who will make them look like they fit in. I know several dark-skin women. They are all getting plenty of dick. So no issue there.
What I think the issue is is blending. Light-skin people can more so blend and seem better assimilated. I don't think we're treated well unless we reach a certain class. Right now, my dark-skinned friend is quite well paid as an attorney. He seems to get treated fairly well, and I doubt a white person would see a light-skinned black man any better.
Ambiguity is its own set topic, as is having a parent who isn't black, and the possible privileges that can bring. The individual may not have privileges (yes, rich black men tend to marry white or Asian, and yes, that is for status nine times out of ten, or lifestyle), or they may. You would have to see.
@@jays-move8803 I am thinking less about anecdotal experiences - and more on the sociological findings. Peer-reviewed studies have spoken to the disparities. Even if one doesn't see it in their world - just like one may not see racism in their world - the data reveals the broader patterns.
@@phdgirl2016 exactly
@@phdgirl2016 Yes, on that I do agree. One person's experience doesn't negate the power of broader trends and findings. Those experiences and individuals could be outliers.
I still remind people that Tamir Rice was a light-skinned black boy, and that the Buffalo shooter killed a biracial woman. So my conclusion is that those privileges shouldn't be worn as a shield.
How would gatekeeping blackness work? There are so many different shades of black . A mixed person can be darker than a black person w/ two black parents.
When Isam said that he would be called the black one at home in a derogatory way. That broke my heart. Nearly brought me to tears.
Idk how Nikki can say biracial voices arent being heard when that panel was full of mixed and bi racial people. Also evident in Meghan being able to control the conversation when asking Monaleo if colorism is “a real thing” only to completely make it about HER experiences as a mixed person. We have heard the same Biracial song too many times. Not black enough, not white enough. Mixed people are mixed. And that is that. This is coming from an afro-indigenous person.
I find it interesting that even though the goal of the episode was to discuss the biracial experience, the dark skinned ppl on the panel had the most to say. It may have been helpful to give the biracial ppl their own time to discuss what being biracial is like. I came away hearing that there is a lot of pain over being bullied or disliked but as a dark skinned Black person who was also denigrated because of my skin color, I would have liked to hear more.
Imma just say mixed race people are treated great in Jamaica. I don’t agree with Nikki. They have many safe spaces and are privileged, nobody is calling them derogatory names (they call themselves c*****).
The reality is we’re living in two different paradigms at the same time with this issue. The first is: the media. In the media there is an OVER representation of biracial folks in black characters, spaces and in music especially when it comes to roles and avenues designated for women. Thus us unambiguous black folks who can never be anything but black because we aren’t anything but black see this time and time again. The second is in: reality. These are the day to day interactions with folks. Always depending on if we’re in a majority white or non black space or if we’re in a majority black space. When us black folks are in community with each other the lightness and proximity to whiteness that biracial people have is used as social currency to get a leg up in our community whether or not they realize it. Because guess what, it’s A SYSTEM. Colorism is systematic. Yes you may have experience bullying because of kids because upset over the inevitability of you benefiting from the system or because their parents at home treat them like dirt for being dark skinned. But this bullying isn’t systematic. So as you can see these two paradigms are happening all at the same time and it’s a result of white supremacy and the trauma that has come out of it. And as the world gets more and more mixed we can not run away from these conversations. It will become more and more important to yes “gatekeep” and define blackness so that unambiguous dark skinned black people can have space in the ONLY LANE we can exist.
This group is frustrating me! The bi racial people saying they have never experienced privilege is annoying. They don’t know it because they are experiencing the privilege
Biracial people who pass as Black are in the MINORITY. Most Biracial people look like what they are. And even if they pass to a certain degree as Black, we still don’t have the same experiences. Biracials who look more Black are still being raised by non-Black people with access to resources and culture outside the BC. A full Black person doesn’t experience this. Regardless of their look, Biracial and Black people are not the same racial category.
I absolutely LOVED Shayvawn & Donna! There were times during the conversation where I wanted to jump through the screen and interject but they said everything that I was thinking!
My mom is Native American and I never had a problem in my community , I was raised on my dad side of the family. I never considered myself biracial or mixed at school people were like oh you’re black we can tell you’re black but we thought you was going to act like an other . Black people are the most accepting race on the planet my dad and mom split when I was 4 months old . My mom died giving birth to my little sister who is full blooded Native American and she listed my grandma as guardian if something ever happened to her . My little sister was raised by my family since birth and she’s accepted has friends and doesn’t get bullied. People say black people are mean but it’s not a fraction of how whites treat black or mixed people at a predominantly white school or neighborhood.
I’m going to listen to the podcast at work today but it’s nice to see everyone. 💗🌸
Reading the comments disheartened me. “Race” is only color based because whites made it color based. And the one-drop rule was universally accepted because whites said so. Now that their birth rates are dwindling, instead of all black people still utilizing that same definition, it’s WE OURSELVES calling for US to separate. And what does that do? Splits us out so white people continue to keep their dominant majority. WE as black folk, are finally on the come up and y’all do the Whites work for him…
And…. Is it light skinned black people betraying the race? Last I checked the conservatives anti black, black people getting the most airtime are dark skinned (Candace Owens, Herschel Walker, Officer Tatum, Clarence Thomas, Larry Elder, and the list goes on). Check your own traitors before you make those accusations.
Lastly, so we can put this nonsense to rest…. Money is power. There are 8 black American billionaires. 7 are fully black. 4 are very dark skinned. 3 are brown skinned. And then there is Tiger woods. He was the least amount of money of the group. IF there was such light skinned privilege, ALL those billionaires would be light skinned or bi racial.
2 most influential people in Black America are Oprah and Michelle Obama. Both have light skinned men who play second fiddle to them and one of those men was the president.
Show me where light skinned black people are materially winning TODAY!! Not in 1884…. Wealth, education, housing, politics, employment, etc. you will have no basis there. You’ll point to one thing…. Brown men favor light skinned women…. And that’s the crux of the anger… and that’s a dumb reason to divide us…. It’s a real reason for a conversation BUT A STUPID REASON for division!
So I ABSOLUTELY challenge this notion that “light skinned people” sound like white people denying their privilege. By the numbers sounds like dark skinned people are like White people who are mad anyone else is taking any of the power at all….
There is absolutely way more dark skinned representation in wealth and in media than these people would ever be willing to admit. A dude told probably told them they were too dark, or they got passed up at work because they're black but somehow think I'm on the fast-track to CEO 😂
I know one ls, white passable, half black billionaire. The rest are all dark-skinned males. Michael Jordan and Kanye are dark-skinned males. And they are billionaires. 😅
Thank you!
You can include some of our most prominent/top actors like Viola Davis, Angela Basset, Denzel. Sidney Poitier was our top Black actor for the longest.
Chadwick Bozeman.
I have personally seen a lot of darker brown skin professionals in many settings.
Or nah.
The one drop rule upholds White racial purity while watering down Blackness until it becomes White. So actually your position helps White Supremacy.
This was the one break my heart thank you for sharing
I will admit that part 2 was hard to watch. The trigger warning at the beginning was warranted. Yet, I am in full support and thank Stranger Fruit for brining this content to us! My discomfort stems from the premise that biracial people's voices are not heard. The premise is false. I have literally never heard a conversation about colourism that did not center the biracial experience (with the exception to Ms. Vixens channel discussion on the topic) Usually with the predictable comment of: I was bullied for being light skinned, I experienced reverse colourism etc...which leads to virtually every conversation about colourism leading to the dark skin person having to spend the rest of the conversation explaining the reality that reverse colourism does not exist, and that being bullied in school is not the same as colourism...etc. I find those type conversations to be so harmful to the dark skinned person. This episode was in fact harmful to dark skinned people and I am so thankful Dr. Donna and Shayvan were present.💓 Lastly, I thought the women who spoke of her experience with her biracial sister was incredibly dismissive and unprofessional when Dr. Donna was talking. I hope something like that doesn't happen again. Dr. Donna and Shavan are phenomenal. Thank you ladies for lessening the harmful experience for me❤
I’m Black American and completely agree with you. 💯
I didn't think the one with the biracial sister was dismissive or unprofessional. I, as a biracial person, felt understood and heard finally and I hope it happens more.
Girl bye
Sounds to me like you felt uncomfortable that the woman was talking about a factual issue regarding how certain people are treated. And you wanted this to be an echo chamber so you wouldn't have to feel that way. Well, it's aint and it shouldn't be.
I COMPLETLEY AGREE with you Char A
This was an amazing conversation..and very interesting perspectives. I LOVED I’m not sure of her name but the mixed woman sitting in between the two dark skinned women. She didn’t back down and she spoke up for us because we almost always drowned out. She brought statistics and facts to the table and others brought feelings. Not the same. Loved the closing ..work needs to be done at every angle going forward . I subscribed.. finally mature adults doing the work.
«biracial» or «mixed» is not a skin colour. There is a lot of confusion between skin colour and cultural identity/background in this debate
Sooo many emotions over this one! 😭🙏 I’m so inspired by everyones capacity to be vulnerable and mature in have such a real & raw conversation. Keep going 🤝🏽⚡️💯
The lady said it best. Let me speak for me. I know what I look like neega. You just don’t know what I am🤣
Omg The Willie Lynch letters still in effect 2023. Break the chain 🔗 🙏🏾
Is there a way to acknowledge that light skin/ambiguous Black Biracial people experience privilege due to colorism/featurism, with also acknowledging they too can experience trauma from childhood well into adulthood without having it be comparatively scaled and told to just suck it up? Also, it just seems weird that now some of us are saying Biracial people of Black descent aren't a part of our community when they have been since the creation of our ethnicity. To that point, a decade ago we were upset if folks didn't acknowledge their Blackness
Amen.. also mixed black people can also experience the dehumanization that comes with racism... I've experienced it
@@naavajo the way people obsess about "how we came out" is just creepy, everyone swears we are all vain and love being put on a pedestal but i think most of us just want people to stop treating us like we chose to come out looking a certain way.
Most ppl still consider mixed ppl to be Black, its just a small group (including myself) who believes that mixed ppl should have their own category. I only see ppl who think like me online. I’ve only met one other person who agrees with me. But this ideology isn’t new. Most countries distinguish mixed ppl from Black ppl, but the U.S. likes to lump them into one category.
I do believe light skin/mixed ppl should open up about their traumas but they always bring it up as a way to delegitimize the experiences of dark skinned Black women. This is seriously counterproductive to progress, especially considering that dsbw suffer from colorism the most and therefore their struggle should be priority in the Black community. Why not save your trauma for your own platforms? Also why not share your grievances with your non-Black relatives? If your Asian relatives are racist to you, why don’t you confront them about it? Don’t you want to be accepted in the Asian community? Of course, they’re not gonna put you on a pedestal like the Black community, but they are part of your heritage
Finally a mature comment. Why do people have such a hard time doing multiple things at the same time. It is definitely possible to acknowledge mixed/light skin people have and benefit from privilege, while also acknowledging their trauma and personal experiences without diminishing or excluding the dark skin experience. This isn't hard to do, empathy goes both ways.
Nikki Valentine, I disagree. Ppl are more likely to sympathize with light skinned ppl who deal with bullying or colorism. And let’s be real. Colorism benefits light skinned ppl and mixed ppl. They’re afforded better job opportunities, academic opportunities, better healthcare, better treatment from law enforcement. Light skinned ppl are heard loud and clear lol
How can you have a honest accurate discussion about about Race without including the perspective of a heterosexual black OR biracial man?
We’ve seen everything they have to say on social media and in their music and in interviews…
He still doesnt know what privilege means @11:48mins
Bulying and systemic appreciation are different things
Exactly.What’s the difference between what he said and Meghan from the podcast who spoke of reverse racism
It's so wild to me when other Biracial people feel or think that they don't have privilege. I've been sooooo extremely pedestolized, and benefited, there is no doubt in my mind on the massive privilege I walk around with. White people treat me like a celebrity, Black people are obsessed with me. It's not even a factor. Schoolyard bullying is the only "downside" and it is wielded far too much in conversations like this.
Well, if you want a separate category for Mixed people EXPECT them to also take a large chunk of Black history's singers, entertainers, NAACP leaders, HBCU founders etc. (as well as many Creole people etc.) with them!
There would be so much division. Wyt supremacists wouldn't hesitate breaking up the black community.
That was her parents choice to have a no-racial child knowing the society we live in. Black people don't have a choice. The two can't be compared.
They act as if predominately blk people have an either or box to 0000
😊p😊
Dr Donna 👌🏾🙌🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
First, I would like to thank this channel for providing such a mature, intellectual, educated conversation. I have been exposed to such negatively on certain platforms, which affected my mental in the worst way. I am a biracial woman, my Mother is White & my Father is Black Carribean. Although I have a White Mother, I was also raised with my Black family as well. I am proud to be biracial and proud to be Black. I have experienced racism & colorist among and within the Black culture. Not within my Black family, however. This experience has saddened me, as I have been made to feel and have been told I am not Black and cannot refer to myself as such. I have been told my skin to e equates to privileges and a different experience. I can say, especially within my corporate workspace, there has been zero privileges. I have experienced the exact opposite with regards to advancement, opportunities, and such.
I am thankful channels like this exist and allow opportunities for conversations like these.
You are lying about the privilege and that's why most of us don't see you as black
This is a great conversation. I'm in my late 60s and from a black mother and a white father who married in the 1950s. I always considered myself a bi-racial black person. From childhood I knew it could be dangerous being one or the other under the wrong circumstances. People were dying being in the wrong place and being the wrong color. It wasn't most of the time but once in awhile I had to figure out if I was safe around certain people if they knew what I was.
Everything that Nikki had to say is everything I have ever felt as a mixed race, light-skinned black individual. I am mixed with black from both of my parents, as both of my parents are biracial. What that mean said, I am proud of my black heritage, yet and still haven't been rejected time and time again for being mixed race and Light skin. And why do people like it or not, when you are black mix, the other races you tend to be mixed with have been even less accepting, and socially speaking, if you look like a black person, you are considered black! I have never been considered Caucasian or native, even though I am mixed with both. But of course, bring this up to a mono racial black person that has no empathy, and you get told that that's your light skinned problem, as if that's not a hateful and discriminatory thing to say.
Wow, this woman in the light brown jacket is amazing. I agree with everything she said and touched on it beautifully.
Amazing conversation. Rich. Varied. Nuanced. So many thoughts. Also a lot of wounds and anguish coming up with this. I'm German-Caribbean. I grew up in a majority white country in one of the most racist parts at the time (thankfully it's changed quite a bit since). There was no notable black community to talk off. My mother is white. My father is a proud black man, who raised me with a strong black consciousness and pride in my Caribbean roots. My parents are still married after 40 years - through thick and thin. We didn't fit in anywhere, so it was our responsibility to build our own diverse and safe community, which by necessity included people from all sorts of backgrounds, because there was no ethnic group we could belong to or lay claim to. We stood alone.
Most of the time I was the only mixed kid in class or even school. To my white peers it didn't matter whether I was technically mixed or black - I was the darkest and only different shade in the room. No hiding - no refuge. Period. So much for being able to truly choose as who you present or how you are perceived. When I was born my white mother was insulted for her new-born baby girl - sullying the pure Arian blood line by bringing an impure abomination like me into the world. Our humanity as a family and individually was always under threat - because collectively we were the darkest and strangest family around. Someone mentioned in the conversation about where to run to when they unleash the dogs... I was 9 years old playing by the river with some white school mates after school when a Neo-nazi gang set a bulldog on me. I got away, while my white peers watched from a safe distance. They were more concerned about the welfare of the dog as it was mistreated by the owner to chase me harder, than the fact that they came after me. No mixed-race privilege there. To them I was a black monkey who should go back to where I came from... preferably in a state of pulp.
Did I hate white people - yes. Did I hate German culture - yes. Did I feel terrified about Neo-nazis hunting me down - 100%. Worried about whether my dad or brother would come home save - absolutely. Worried about even my mum's safety - you bet. Should I hate my white mother who cared for me? Nursed her children through all the difficulties in life keeping them from the brink of suicide? Who stood by my black father's side against her own family at times, against the vile shit society threw at them? The white lioness who'd give the very last of her for the love and protection of her family? Would you tell your child they should fucking hate themselves a little bit because they are mixed? How sick is that? Isn't that the damn-ass cancer we're trying to get rid off, that this white supremacist oppression has poisoned us with: self-hatred? And trust me, I did grow up hating parts of myself and reaped the consequences of that in form of health issues later on. Nobody needs or deserves more fucking hate piled on them.
I understand that this conversation is particularly centred around racial relations within a mostly US dominated context, with some extensions into Caribbean and Latino culture. There are great nuances depending on context and structures of representation in place. Black people bear the brunt of systemic oppression particularly in the States. The statics bear the facts of many lived experiences, yet they cannot capture all or negate the more nuanced pain embedded in the scars of all our pigmented skins. They're important to showcase trends, direct our attention to reform and change. But they do not reflect every persons truth, which also matters if one is interested in going deeper in understanding and healing trauma.
It's a loosing battle to minimise the existential struggles many of us have to face whether mixed or black to see the light of day. I dare say that some of the shit and hatred my family members had do endure, a lot of my black friends in my Caribbean home never ever encountered. They do not bear those particular scars of being hunted, not welcome and constantly denigrated. They grew up embedded in a loving, warm, majority black community, which I embrace. And that doesn't take away from our past colonial traumas or the daily struggles faced particular to this cultural context. I do live in the Caribbean now, where I feel more at home, at ease and safer. The tone of my skin colour doesn't put a mark on my back here - it just blends in with the multicultural sea of skin tones that get to call the Caribbean their home. And interestingly I've heard the similar from black American friends, who moved down here, who feel their nervous system is recovering from the trauma of racial tension than can engulf their every day live in the US.
I still stand out as a stranger in my father's land, because of many of the issues that were very adeptly discussed in the video. Now, I live in a place where I do hold much more obvious privilege than I ever felt in my entire life. I'm 'red skin', educated, employed - it's on me to meet and confront suspicions of superiority. A flip from having to dismantle people's assumptions of my inferiority for most of my life up to this point. My soul may be exhausted of having to constantly assuage different creeds of people's need to feel at ease with me - whether black or white - to accept me and let me live. But I rather embrace my privilege and responsibility to do that here than worry again about where to run when the dogs come out. Here in the Caribbean I've finally got a chance to make peace with myself on so many different levels. A gift I'm deeply grateful.
As a mixed person and beyond - because that's not the only identity that makes me who I am - I bear a lot of different kinds of privileges. The greatest privilege of all is what my parents union bestowed on us: love, humanity, black pride, awareness, resilience, kindness and humility - which are attributed to both of them not just the black or the white half. We are not half people but complex whole beings. I wear my own authentic scars, which teach me to care for and respect the real scars of others. Would I ever belittle the pain and rage someone feels at the hands of isolation, injustice and worse? No. I'm not more than nor lesser than... I am here to respect a person's humanity and I also ask that they respect mine. And with that in mind I see it as mine and everyone's power - on some days more on other days less - to soften and lighten the burden of our families, friends, sisters and brothers crushed under the weight of pain inflicted by colourism, racism and systemic oppression. We need to lead with hard truth and kindness not dismissiveness and hate.
If you're raising a mixed child or black child or any child, teach them to love themselves and to care deeply for others. To love even harder, especially when things are hard. To never succumb to meanness and bitterness even though things are unjust. To feel rage and every complicated emotion there is and still keeping loving fervently, bravely and truthfully. Because that's what our broken souls need in an oppressive system stacked against us to affirm the essence of our humanity - genuine love and self-acceptance.
Thank you for reading
Jane Nurse, Thank you for sharing your story and especially thank you for the last paragraph. ❤️
This is so beautiful. Thank you !
Bro wrote 10 paragraphs 😂 we do not care
Trolls never care.@@homomagii
She keeps talking about her sister being bullied! Lots of kids get bullied. But she is more likely to get a job, not be profiled and be married and preferred
I kept ignoring this video in my recommended for days but decided to just look at it. I’m glad I did. Great conversation. There were many points that I haven’t heard which proved to me that this conversation is still relevant and needs to keep going. 👏🏾💯
It's privilege, as well as our lowly state in the racial hierarchy (as BLK ppl) that allows bi racial ppl to DEMAND to be embraced in the BLK community but not carry those demands and need to be accepted in the white community. Are they talking about BLK women embracing them? Bc BLK men collectively embrace bi racial women. A staggering amount of bi racial ppl are fathered by black men. You should have more of them on your panel.
Why is there a willful ignorance to biology?bi racials are half BLK and half white. That is not the same thing as a BLK person with 4 BLK grandparents. Pls stop. Pls stop trying to shut down the voices of BLK women by saying we are jealous. We are not.
Why are we historically ignorant. At the 'ending' of slavery bi racial ppl quickly distinguished themselves from BLK ppl. Making it clear that they were NOT Ethiopians Starting social clubs, comb test, sororities and paper bag test to exclude BLK ppl and were absolutely hateful towards us just like ytes.
BLK women and BLK girls have been systematically erased and replaced by bi racial women in movies, commercials etc
BLK men don't care, bc they are allowed to be dark and their image is not being erased.
Dark women are largest victims of colorism and that should not be a side note..