The discussion of Black versus Biracial really bothers me. We live in a nation where people who have any percentage of African ancestry are considered African American. And before I go any further, let me state that I am proudly African American – both of my parents are full Black (as full as one can be in this country).
I say all of this to say that while I accept people who are biracial, quarterracial or whatever they may call themselves, I honestly do not believe that they carry the same burden that I do. There have been hundreds and hundreds of discussions about complexion within the African American race. I’m not talking about light skin versus darker skin Blacks. What I’m talking about is the upbringing and background of people who have a parent that is non-Black.
I had this discussion with a colleague of mine who fathered a child with a White woman. He told me that his daughter was Black and would be treated as such in this country for her entire life. While I did not disagree with him, I did bring it to his attention that his daughter will have many advantages over a child who comes from a household where both parents are Black (like mine). He maintained that his daughter will still be treated the same, regardless of what race her parents are. And that’s where the conversation got good!
You see, having a White mother (or father, for that matter) makes things a little bit easier. It allows for far greater benefits than to have a mother of “ethnic origin”. That White mother, on average, will make more money for the same job, won’t face racial discrimination (which is still alive & well), be afforded better opportunities and probably came from a more privileged background herself – just because of the color of her skin. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but those are the facts. So while the biracial child may be treated the same as any other person of color, they still came from a “better” foundation (read: having a White parent).
Well, one of these days day we’ll all be mixed anyway….
Chocolate Vent 
I’m glad I’ve got two biracial parents. Dad is Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish while Mom is Filipino and Caucasian American (Her paternal grandmother is Filipino and Caucasian American. It’s no wonder my maternal grandfather looked a bit more Eurasian than Asian. He had hazel versus brown or black eyes.). But then people in Atlanta where I live don’t think I’m Asian enough. I get called Hispanic, Middle Eastern, etc. because I’m Filipino, Spanish, Caucasian American, and Chinese and it’s hard to get along with them since most people are typically single race and that there aren’t much interracial couples, especially among young people.
I found this post interesting as I never thought about the matter of biracial children in this perspective. You said there may be exceptions to your rule of a white parent being able to earn more money for the family, but in my opinion– and this is only my opinion– many of the families with biracial children seemed to be in a financially worse situation than my family (a completely black household). Some biracial children may not be able to relate to completely black children regarding financial stance, but I also believe that many black children can’t relate to the cultural tensions or scrutiny that comes with any interracial relationship. But all in all, your post gave me lots of insight, and it really got me thinking about this more.
Thanks for reading! I don’t have any issue with anyone who is biracial (it’s not like we can decide who our parents are anyway). I’ve just always held the opinion that their upbringing/background is statistically “better” than an all Black household. I come from an average suburban 2-parent middle-class household so I have no issues with my own upbringing, but we all know that White people have it easier in this country (especially White men). So if a biracial child is able to benefit from that White parent having it easier, I just think they’re at an advantage. And not just financially, but in terms of having “access” and other resources that we don’t normally get.