When are you no longer “mixed” race?

Question

I’m just curious to hear peoples thoughts!
My sister and and I’d maternal grandparents who lived next door to us are both Ukrainian. Their parents immigrated over so they grew up in very traditional Ukrainian households. Food, language, lifestyle etc.
A couple years ago we found out that our biological father, who left our family when we were like 1 and 3, was actually half Lebanese. His grandparents immigrated so his mother was biologically fully Lebanese and his father was white and from Wales.
We grew up not knowing or being connected to our bio dads side of the family, as our mother remarried our step dad so early in life. Our home was a very Ukrainian Canadian environment, we’ve always really just considered ourselves white with European heritage.
When I moved away I made a good friend who is also half Ukrainian, and then on the other side she has a grandpa who was from Nigeria. So in terms of biological percentage of white to something else we are pretty similar.
However she calls herself mixed, and we all do as well just because that’s what she considered herself to be. I’ve never really thought about it too much until now though, like how far down the line of having a different race in your blood would you consider yourself or someone else mixed race?
Just curious to hear some thoughts! 🙂

Answer

Were talking about ethnicity here right? Anyway if that's what she considers herself then that's it.
But personally, I don't think there's a lot of sense unless you're in at least indirect contact with the culture, or grew up around it through your parents/grandparents. My grandma has Portuguese citizenship because her mom was Portuguese, but my grandma has never been there and only got through the citizenship process so my aunt could get her too and move to Europe. I don't really consider myself mixed ethnicity at all, I have no contact with that culture, never been there etc. I see myself as 100%latina/brazilian.

Answer

For me I will acknowledge my heritage (European Mongolian and Pima native american) but I was not brought up with a strong connection to any of those and I just look white (sometimes people think I'm spanish or Armenian though as I have dark hair and eyes). I explore my heritage and learn about it but I dont use them daily in my life or claim myself as some sort of voice for those ethnicities. Claim who you are and also be open to others who know more about the ethnicity and learn from them.

Answer

You’re always gonna be mixed race. 
But heritage/race/culture comes to a halt when it comes to skin color. As sad as that is to say. U can be white passing Latina (like myself) but in (uneducated) societies eyes I’m just white. 
At least that’s kinda how I see it. No mater what you are who u are. It’s really just societal perspective.

Answer

My son will run into this problem because he is half Irish half Lebanese and lets just say he is the most Irish looking Lebanese child ever to exist with the most Arabic name in existence. It definitely throws people when he starts talking. (MENA is considered an ethnic group and not a race though so you are considered Caucasian yet ethnically middle eastern - so not mixed race like your friend). I think my son will have a strong cultural upbringing of both sides and it will be interesting to see what passes down.

Answer

For my family kids and their father will always be mixed. When people ask my husband he says he is mixed and they can tell my kids are mixed mainly because when we go out they are much lighter than I am. They will embrace all sides because they are black, mexican and white. There will be no side that dominates more than another.

Answer

I honestly don't know. I'm 100% Scottish on my mum's side with a dash more on my dad's side, plus English, German, and Cree. My great-great-grandmother was full-blooded Cree, but I hesitate to talk about it because I don't look in any way Cree. I am very pale with reddish hair and look more Celtic/northern European than anything else and some people consider it rude and racist of me to even mention that part of my heritage, almost as if I'm trying to claim something to which I have no rights. I'm not, it's just part of whom I am and what makes me, me. I don't trade on it and only ever mention it if asked about my ancestors, but I don't particularly enjoy feeling like I can't or shouldn't talk about it. The funny thing is, people in my hometown used to ask me if my dad was Cree because he's darker skinned with almost black hair (well, it used to be almost black - it's white now). There are a lot of Cree people where I grew up. It's odd to me the assumptions people make based on skin colour. Nobody should have to defend and define their ancestry just because someone decides they're not light or dark enough. At the end of the day, though, I don't make a huge deal out of any part of my heritage or try to claim anything specific as a result of it. I'm Canadian and have always thought of myself as such.

Answer

My husband is, I think, like...1/4 Welsh? But has never identified with it. Raised in a very American household. My first boyfriend was 1/4 japanese and identified with it. I think it just depends on the person

Answer

My husband considers himself mixed even though he’s “white passing”. He’s Iraqi and Hungarian Jewish mix. Our son is that plus my aboriginal side with French, Hungarian, and British.

Answer

I think you're confusing ethnicity and nationality with race. People from Lebanon are white or what the original term caucasian actually means. You cant really be "biologically Lebanese" because while there may be genetic markers that can determine where people of similar genetics have lived historically, Lebanon is a state so anyone of any race can technically be Lebanese.

Answer

I think it’s complicated...and whatever the person feels to call themselves or wherever they belong it’s fine.
I had a friend: shite skin, blue eyes, brown curly hair
She was offended when I called her white.
She was mixed. I did not know.
I tried to explain / understand.
We are friends..
I just had no clue! 😂

When are you no longer “mixed” race?

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