[noirkitten]

i was doing a lot of resereach this afternoon about race after i saw some very racist tv ads on youtube that were originaly aired in india for a skin lighting cream called ''fair and lovely''. ok frist of all. these ads were so racist i found myslef saying ''is this a joke?''. the ads were basicaly saying ''in order to get a good job, a man, or anything else good in life, your skin needs to be fair''. by the way the the company that owns fair and lovely ''unilever'' also owns ''dove'' who are quite famouse for there dove self esteem fund. you know, ''love your body''. bull****.
well besides the fact the unilever are huge hypicrites i might as well get back to the topic of my title. after looking at those ads i also strated reading a few blogs that discussed the racisem behind skin lighting creams. and some where along one of these blogs they said that people should always know ther heritige, you know, where they came from. im mixed race, very mixed. some of my past relitives were. my great grand father was europeon and native american, my great grandmother was just irish. my grandmother married a portigese man( did i spell that right??) so my mom is native amrican, irish, and spanish. then my mom got with my dad who was puetrican, so...what does that make me, what am i?, how can i follow my ancesters if i really dont have a soild history about my heritge.
iv wondered a few months ago about how people say ''oh you act black'' or ''your a white boy or girl''. do i act more white? do i act more spanish?. despite the fact that i really dont have a soild backround of my heritige, iv tired to push that aside by saying ''i am who i am''. so i dont know. i guess you really dont need to know much about your backround because if you do, people like me whould be ****ed.

[bebop]

most americans are of multi lineage. since we mostly came here from England to begin with. I don't think anything is racist about that. I am English, Irish and native american. I am proud of all my heritages! talk to your grandparents and try to really dig in to learn all you can about each one.

[pachyderm]

The president of the United States is of "mixed race" -- take courage!

[lotusflames]

i dont think anyone can really say exactly what their heratige is anymore.

and at the end of the day, does it matter?

You are YOu no matter what anyone else says. It doesn't matter where you come from or what you do as long as you're happy in your own skin

[KathyM]

((Noirkitten))

I agree knowing your heritage is important, but it sounds to me you DO know your heritage - you're a bouquet, like a lot of other people. When it comes to knowing who you are, the stories on race and culture are not as important as the stories of your individual ancestors. The political struggles they faced are not as important as their personal struggles - i.e., what they had to endure and how they overcame their obstacles. IMO, this is where you get your strength and personal pride.

I'm Scandinavian (Finnish/Danish), so my son is African-American/Scandinavian. Because of the "fair and lovely" preference, he is considered black in this country. My husband, my son's step-father, is Mexican and raised my son as his own. Our son knows the stories on both sides of his family, including his step-family - going back quite a few generations.

Basing your pride and self-esteem merely on race sounds silly to me. Stereotyping and discriminating against people of color shows arrogance and ignorance. When I needed to learn more about my Finnish ancestry, I needed to connect with my grandmother's personal struggle and character. It didn't do me any good reading about Finland and Finnish people in general.

Generations from now, I want my descendents to connect with MY story instead of a generic story about the character of white people in the U.S.A., how they lived, and what they believed. Our stories are all very different.

We can gain strength and pride in our ancestors, but we can't ride on their coattails. We have to face our own obstacles and fight our own battles, just as they had to do - and their ancestors before them.

Be proud of who you are, and do your best to live a good life. I'm pretty sure your variety of ancestors are watching over you - elbowing each other with pride saying "She gets that from ME!"

[lonegael]

Hey, no matter where people comes from, in the end, when you really get down to it, it's pretty much the same old same old. I am fascinated with culture and i love the physical beauty that each so called race brings with it, but in the end, people are people, and it's the individual who is where the rubber hits the road. It's us who have to make the difference, not the ancestry, fro crying out loud. can't say it any better than has already been said. Huggs all!

[thunderbear]

Although the commercail was racist I don't think skin lightening creams are. Due to my NA blood, when I had my 1st child, I got awful looking dark patches on my face. So my mom ordered me some of that stuff from marykay and I used it and it worked. It is also used on scars.

As far as heritage, I agree with everyone else. Most of the ppl who have been told "you act like a black boy/girl" is'nt black and most of them who were told "you act white" are not white. People have their own personality and sometimes it does'nt match the stereotype that society has put on their race/heritage. Be yourself. Only you know who that is.

[Travelinglady]

I guess I'm just plain old "white" on all sides--English and Welsh. Boring. I know Tiger Woods of pro golf fame is of "mixed heritage." He has a bit of black in him, so people say he is black. The sad part is that people try to make people "take sides." So, someone like Obama, who is half white and half black, can have lots of trouble growing up. Black kids will often say "you need to act black," for example. Part of it is a cultural thing. What kind of music you listen to, the lingo you use, how you dress, etc. Sad to say, people have the dumb idea that the "whiter" your skin (except for being albino), the better it is, even within the black race often. I didn't know that even spread to other cultures. Good grief!

[SeptemberMorn]

I'm of a mixed race and my kids are even more so! LOL

On my mother's side, my grandfather was Spanish and the grandmother looked very Mexican Indian. Personally, were they good people? Not very high on my list. The grandfather was home only long enough to leave his wife pregnant. He traveled with his fighting cocks. Ugh!

On my father's side, they were either English or Scottish. Never got it pinned down before everybody died. My paternal grandmother was Mexican. Had to be some Indian in there and who knows what all else because a couple of my uncles had blue eyes. Personally, were they good people? All I can say is that a couple of them were Bible thumpers. My dad was raised by one of them and he was a broken man. Not only that, but an abuser.

Am I proud of any of them? No. Do I lean towards one side or the other? Umm... Let's say, I'm more intrigued by the European side, probably because there's a sense of mystery about them.

I had 4 half siblings on my father's side. The oldest was a redhead with brown eyes, the next one was blonde with green eyes, the next two had black hair; one with brown eyes and the other with green eyes. Me? I simply look Mexican although many people have told me I don't. I have dark brown hair and dark brown eyes and dark skin. At least, I think I have dark skin. I'd like it to be lighter.

Because of medication that makes me sensitive to the sun, I got two very dark patches on my cheeks that looked like the liver spots a pregnant woman gets. I went to a dermatologist for something to take them away. For a couple of weeks now, those dark spots have been peeling off. Am I freaked or excited? I'm excited as can be!! As soon as my face is cleared up, I'm starting on my hands and arms! Oh, and the tops of my feet, too. I have a granddaughter that likes to use them for stops when she roller skates and has left a couple of scars, i.e., dark spots. I go barefoot all the time since I'm in a wheelchair. Why wear shoes? Let my Indian ancestry out of the bag! What the heck! LOL I've always had to wear the wide shoes, anyway. hehe

At the end of the day, "I yam what I yam!" as Popeye used to say. I just AM. If it matters to anyone, I think White. Does that make me an "Oreo"? If it does, so what! LOL It's the inside of me, where my heart is, that is more important than any "race, creed or color."

[El-ahrairah]

race isn't important and shouldn't be in our day and time. As long as you're proud of who you are and what you stand for skin color only goes so deep. :]

[lonegael]

Yeah, about the dark spots, I think those are different that skin bleaching because you are ashamed that your dark skin might brand you as belonging to a lower caste or ethnic group; I get the darker spots with pregnancy (with all those celts and gosh knows who else decided to join the party, I don't know or care who it came from) and whereas I would LOve a more natural tan, well, I could do without the dalmation effect. Luckily, they are rather light on me, but I can understand those who don't like them! Otherwise I just sort of look like a fried tomato if I get any sun, in fact, a red head without the gorgeous hair

[DancingAlone]

We are all part of the rainbow of life.

Each one a unique flower that together forms a beautiful boquet.