When does black vs white no longer matter?

Question

So ever since my little one was born I have thought about posting this. Keep in mind this is just for discussion sake I would like to know why other people think, it's kind of an interesting happening in my mind.

So I am African American, with really dark skin, my husband is Caucasian. My daughter who is now two months old is white skin tone, with blue eyes and fine straight brown hair (that started out dirty blonde) and it gets curly when when wet but goes back to super straight when dry. Because I am the mom on all of her medical records was listed as Aftican American. And it says at the bottom of her record if there is something missing or incorrect to call and get it corrected because different medical conditions are more common in certain groups.

You would have thought I asked them to change the sky green when I told them she is biracial and white needed to be marked off too. I could not do it at that time just becuase I did not have her social but even when I get around to changing it I have to pick a "primary race". Like she is primarily biracial how do you even answer that question? This is a health organization so skin color should not matter it is literally her insides they should care about. I almost want to keep it African American just to f*** with people.

So at what point does skin color no longer matter? Not just for medical records but even standardized testing for example. If she is biracial how does she fit into the demographic results? Isn't socioeconomic status more of a telling demographic? Is everyone going to think my kid is pulling a Rachel Dolezal?

The more we mix the less these labels make sense it seems. What are your thoughts? For mixed race individuals how should these demographic studies work? How should they identify? Does it matter? If so, when should it stop mattering?

I can't think of any response that would be rude from this post but please do keep in mind when you are responding we are talking about my kid here so don't be an a**.

Keep it civil and let's have a fun discussion.

Answer

Well certain races are susceptible to certain conditions/diseases/illnesses, that's just nature. Therefore I could understand why race is needed, but with all the diverse humans in the world, there should definitely be an option of more that one primary race.

Answer

I had the same issue when filling out stuff for my son. He's Asian and Caucasian. There's no box for that apparently. I don't have an answer for you. Just the same frustrations.

Answer

Same . My son is Hispanic /white. No one can ever answer me when I ask what he should mark down later in the future.  He should be able to mark what he is not try to pick between one of his races

Answer

My mom is Japanese and my dad is primarily African American. I remember as a kid I HATED standardized testing because of these bubbles. My parents always told me as a child to fill both bubbles even if it says choose one. In situations where it would ask for parent name and a bubble I would write my mothers name (Japanese last name) and fill out African American. I will say that testing is catching up to allow more than one bubble or not having to fill one out at all. My baby girl will be even more multicultural than I am as my husband is Caucasian. This isn't meant in a negative way but your son/daughter should have an easier time than I did with this because white/black babies are on the rise. Not saying there aren't still obstacles to get over but your child will likely have peers with the same issues. I understand your frustration. Both on the parent and child side

Answer

I'm in a similar situation, I'm mostly African American, my dad is half Caucasian, & a tiny bit native on my mother's side. My fiancé is Caucasian. We just had our daughter & she's lighter than her father with grey eyes & straight fine sandy brown hair with a little blonde. When I filled out her birth certificate & social security number documents along with her medical insurance information I put both African American & Caucasian on all of her documents & I've had no issues so far.

Answer

Colorblindness (or a better way of saying this, multiculturalism) is only possible when all races are treated equally and discrimination between races is no longer a national issue, but an individual issue.

This being said race will always matter because race/nationality/ethnicity is part of identity and we can celebrate our differences without having to alianate, judge, of discriminate against others.

Answer

This question has been on my mind since I found out I was pregnant. I am also black with a white husband.  I think for medical records it's important to list both races. When I went to my first obgyn appointment, both my husband and I had to list our family medical histories and the nurse discussed with us conditions and illnesses that were more likely to affect certain racial groups. So for medical history, I think all races and ethnic origins that are known should be listed. However in regards to standardized testing, I feel like race shouldn't matter, but someone else pointed out that race does go hand in hand with socioeconomic status for the most part. So it is frustrating.  And then I've been thinking about how do I talk to my daughter about her race. Like I will refer to my daughter as biracial, but there are people who will constantly refer to her as only black because she will be half black. And it's not a bad thing, but it's only half of what she will be. And how will her experiences differ from my husband's? From my own? My brain is always swirling with these questions. 
Anyway I'm glad you are back on glow and congratulations on the birth of your daughter!

Answer

I had a friend in school who was 1/2 Puerto Rican and 1/2 Korean. Every year for the tests she'd say, "well, what race do I want to be this year!?" It always irritated her that she had to pick just one when she's literally half one thing and half another. I've been seeing more and more forms (even at schools) recently that have "fill in all that apply" when it comes to race, so hopefully, eventually, kids will be able to choose all of what they are and not just one.

When does black vs white no longer matter?

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