Choosing to Segregate Children

Recently I interviewed the ladies behind Interracial Family Organization, a website that focuses on interracial families.

While there are many websites trying to highlight interracial families, after interviewing them I felt they we're trying to do something different, something modern, something inclusive.

I guess I was right cause they asked me to guest blog on their website. Yeah, I know! What are they thinking! LOL.

You'd think after all the drama from some of my post about white women I'd be the last person they'd ask to to write for them. But they did...and despite my paranoia after what happened with the other IR website that asked me to blog for them, only to then keep me out in the fields, *ahem*, I accepted their offer.

My first article for them titled "Deliberately Choosing to Segregate Children" is sure to cause some drama. But I'm hoping it will also cause some serious discussion. If readers can get past the knee jerk reactions I'm hoping a deep and thoughtful conversation will be started.

Take a read and share a thought

******Edited to add full article here******

Deliberately Choosing to Segregate Children

A little while back I was hanging out on twitter when another mom with a biracial child tweeted she was thinking of relocating and asked for suggestions of places to move her family. I suggested Portland, Oregon since a few years ago I visited, loved it, and thought about moving there myself.

This mom sent a follow up tweet asking how “white” is Portland, Oregon because she wanted her kids to be surrounded by “black” people everywhere. At this point I should mention this mom is white.

I think she expected me to agree that half black children should be surrounded by the black community. Well, I certainly didn’t agree.

Our follow-up tweets over this issue snow balled into a uncomfortable place racially for both of us. As a result we no longer tweet, blog visit, or even side eye each other.

Oddly, I understood the intention behind her question. This mom wanted her sons, who have a black heritage, to be more exposed to the African American community since currently they live in a predominately white area. I got it, I really did. But her question still left a bad taste in my mouth and heart.

To think of intentional limiting a child’s exposure to one or two racial communities is a bit upsetting. It’s sorta like someone deliberately choosing a form of segregation. As a mom also of a biracial child, I can’t see moving to Korea or any Asian country just because he “appears” more Asian than black. While I hangout within the Asian community, I don’t share the desire to limit my son’s exposure to only Asians or what he “looks” like.

I see my son as part of the larger mixed race/biracial community and try to expose him to all those experiences.

But maybe I’m wearing rose colored glasses. Maybe sometimes children need to “see” people who look like them?

What do you think about deliberate segregation? Can it ever been beneficial?