Can I Join Your Mixed Race Club?

Yesterday I received an email from a close friend, alerting me to a must-read New York Times article. It's part of a series called Race Remixed. And it was on the front page! Yes, we have made it to the front page of the New York Times, continued on two subsequent pages deeper in the A Section, complete with charts and graphs. I won't synopsize it here, because you should check it out:
"Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the Above" by Susan Saulny


The friend who sent me the link to the article is biracial.
We met as high school freshman, in 1980, and bonded instantly. There were three of us: another girl in our grade rounded out the trio. Three, in a class of over 700 kids. We talked amongst ourselves about whether we were mulatto, black, or mixed. We tried to fit into a prescribed category, and none of them felt right.

I believe we were the first generation to dare to question the "One Drop" protocol: If you have a drop of black in you, you're black. End of story.

The "African-American" label became popular just when we had grown tired of explaining ourselves.  "African-American" people seemed to bear the benefits of empowerment and self-actualization, without the implicit subjugation of  the One Drop principal. So we used it. It entitled us to membership in a much larger tribe. We were Americans, of known African descent. The label answered the fundamental question of whether we belonged.

My own racial identity has evolved since then.
I believe I've found a resting place with the self-imposed tag "mixed race".  Not because it's easy, or clear, or empowering. It just fits. I identify with white and black Americans. I am Russian Jew, Spanish, Irish, Native American and Black. I don't mind explaining my background anymore, and I am excited to share these great heritages with my children. I am thrilled to know that a group of college students in College Park, MD has made a game of the "What Are You?" question. I dreaded being asked that question throughout my young life. But as a game, it sounds wonderful! Challenging, enlightening, and fun.

I trust that my little brown girls are going to have much less confusion about their own racial identity, because their world will let them be who they decide to be.