Biracial Perspective

            Biracial Perspective

For a long time, biracial individuals have faced exceptional challenges such as marginalization and the lack of a recognized and acceptable identity with conventional civilization. The problem of not fitting in extends past children’s play with such issues being noted other facets of interactive society such as the workplace. European Americans on the other hand, are considered as being individuals who have a rich background in terms of their culture, outlook and ethnicity (Korgen, 1998). In the workplace, for instance, they may not be faced with issues of identity, but face a significant number of other challenges. These include stigmatization from individuals of other ethnic origins for their acts of discrimination against minority groups in the past. Therefore, despite the disparities between these two groups, each individual group faces a set of challenges at the workplace that should be addressed by utilizing interventions that promote equality in all aspects of their interaction.

Effective interventions will involve two main aspects to breaking down the existing barriers in the workplace. The first goal will be that of promoting self-awareness in addition to an awareness of the disparities in cultures (Wright et al., 2006). The main challenge here is that of biracial individuals who may be considered as not being from a particular ethnic background. However, promoting the assertion that they bear multiple racial backgrounds, thereby having a diverse culture inherently, would be an effective approach to dealing with this particular group. The second goal of the interventions would be that of promoting a commonality amongst all individuals, thereby avoiding discrimination of any individual based on their race. In an ideal situation, all individuals would be equal and not considered as being from any particular race. A breach of such a structure would thereby come with considerable penalties in order to avoid unacceptable ideals and discriminatory behavior (Winters & DeBose, 2003).

Indeed, every individual is unique and thus have various strengths and weaknesses that are not determined by their racial background. Being from a European-American background should be considered as being no different from being from a biracial community. Descriptions such as ‘mixed breeds’ should therefore be abolished entirely as they dehumanize biracial communities, giving them terms usually associated with animal groups. Indeed, the color of one’s skin is not a limitation to how they should live or work, but is an enhancement in a world that would otherwise have been dull and without diversity if all human beings looked alike.

References

Korgen, K. (1998). From Black to biracial: transforming racial identity among Americans. Greenwood Publishing Group

Winters, I., & DeBose, L. (2003). New faces in a changing America: multicultural identity in the 21^st century. SAGE

Wright, R. et al. (October 11, 2006). Bi-racial issue. Retrieved February 16, 2010, from http://www.halfblackhalfwhite.com/index.php/articles