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The number of Americans who identify as multiracial is growing at three times faster than the normal population, and like virtually all people of color, they have encountered racism in their lives. Even within their closest circles.

Family relationships across races add another layer of complication for people who are already straddling two or more worlds.

At least in the US, a vast majority of multiracial people (roughly 90%) say they have not been mistreated by a relative or extended family member because of their mixed-race background. But it still happens.

So when Twitter user NFTina Turner tweeted "I don't think the racism mixed race kids face from their own families is discussed enough," people responded with their own personal experiences.

The top 5 states with the highest percentages of Americans who identified as multiracial in 2019 were California (12%), Texas (6%), Florida (6%), New York (6%), and Pennsylvania (4%). Multiracial Americans are evenly split for gender (50% vs. 50%) and about 2 in 10 (19%) hold a college degree, compared to one-third (33%) who have a high school education. Levels of education among multiracial Americans are comparable to those of the general population and have remained stable since 2014.

Interestingly, most adults with a background that includes more than one race do not consider themselves "multiracial." When asked why, 47% of those with multiple races in their background cited their family upbringing and/or their physical appearance.

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    For multiracial adults, experiences with discrimination are often tied to racial perceptions. For example, in 2015, about 7 in 10 multiracial adults who said most people who passed them on the street would describe them as black (71%) or multiracial (72%) said they have been subjected to slurs or jokes because of their racial background, compared with 55% among those who said most people would describe them as hispanic and 44% among those who said most people would describe them as white.

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    Yes, family dynamics are influenced by many factors other than race but, overall, biracial adults tend to have more contact with relatives from one of the races that make up their background than they do with the other.

    For example, biracial adults who are white and black have much more contact with their black family members than with their white family members. About 69% say, over the course of their life, they have had a lot of contact with their relatives who are black, an additional 19% say they've had some contact with their black relatives, and 12% say they've had only a little or no contact with them.

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    Conversely, 21% of biracial white and black adults say they have had a lot of contact with their relatives who are white, and 13% say they have had some contact. 1 in 4 say they've only had a little bit of contact with their white relatives, and 41% say they have had no contact with them at all.

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    One person who has felt these tensions firsthand is Victoria Anderson. Growing up as a child of a white woman and a black man in a small town in Maine, she was constantly reminded she was different.

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    A close relative nicknamed her "jungle bunny," she told CNN. Another relative once turned her framed photo so her face wasn't visible. Oh, and she wasn't allowed to play with some white cousins, an insult that added to the discrimination she received from strangers.

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    "I heard from a relative in my house that she (my mother) never should have had me because you're supposed to stick with your own kind," Anderson, now 46, said. "I was never taught how to take care of my hair, so it was always a mess."

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    When your answer (and the search for it) to the question "Who am I?" is even more nuanced, support is crucial. And family should be its biggest provider.

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    TheCatasaurusMeowMom
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wish I could use an emoji just to show how angry I am about this. Wtf?!

    SCP-096
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why was this comment downvoted? It was not offensive, it was just somebody expressing their anger about racism. And whats so bad about people using emojis?

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    tmw
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    pls explain, if you are bipoc then getting this doll would be ok? why is it not? would it have been worse if granny gave a white doll and said the same thing?

    Babyoda42 (he him)
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    No it wouldn’t. Look at the color of the finger. If the grandma is constantly racist, then this present is terrible. However, it is possible that she was just trying to be caring. It’s one we need more context on to truly understand

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    J. Normal
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Please remember, not every racial "mistake" made by a relative, is an insult. I (white 61) did not realize that a gollywog(?) was racist. I try to be careful not to have any of my action interpreted as anything but genuine, but we ALL fck up. Take things as they are meant from the heart.

    Daniel Marsh
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It IS a beautiful doll... but you certainly know if your own grandmother was being racist as Hell giving this to you. It's because it looks NOTHING like you, right? It's all just black to her? Black is black?

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