The Minority That Doesn't Exist

A Halfrican's Story

Posted by Doug Melville on 03.04.08 @ 11:11 AM

Doug Melville

Hello all. Today is my first blog. Ahhh, how trendy! Blog is the new brain dump.

As I scribe my first entry, I want to thank Ken Wheaton for letting me into the Big Tent -- I didn't even have to pay a cover charge, although I did wait in line for a few weeks. Now that I'm in, I got the memo telling me a few things: Most readers don't look at the bio section (shame on you); I should be creative (sounds fun already); I should be original (write what you know in a special way); and get it in under 700 words (even digital ink has limits). Exhale. Since I didn't want to be swayed by reading the whole Tent that has come before me, I decided to jump in without looking -- so I don't think I've plagiarized anything. But if I have, let me know and I will send a word to Hillary letting her know I "Xerox." Funny she says that, because I was always taught that if it was mentioned twice by two people, it was worth repeating.

At any rate, there has been a lot of debate recently about a unique group of Americans. In some circles it is projected that they account for up to 5% of the population of America today. Yet they have no country of origin, they don't have "neighborhoods," they don't have a TV network that caters to them, they don't have a niche magazine, an ad agency or an organization to represent them. But over the last 30 days they have been talked about in both The Wall Street Journal and on Rush Limbaugh -- amongst other outlets -- and people's reaction was a chuckle, or a smirk with every mention.

I still remember growing up as a child in Connecticut, and no one at school would talk to me. I would come home and say "Mom and Dad, no one looks like me. I hate it!" My mother, who was a fourth-grade school teacher, would say to me, "One day Dougie, everyone in America will look like you" and I would say, "No they won't!" My Dad, who was a judge, would say to me, "Dougie, with that kind of attitude, I don't want you to speak to people unless they speak to you first!" With that in mind, and really no friends, I was imprisoned by the media and pop culture -- spending hours a day watching TV and reading magazines. I quickly realized that after hours of flipping through the channels, and turning through pages, no one in any of the ads or on the TV shows was speaking directly to me either. At that point, I was convinced no one looked like me! Nor would anyone.

My realization that I was truly alone came when I was applying for college. Penn State to be exact. I got a call from the university stating there was something inaccurate about my application. I was eager to fix it, as it was my first-choice school. The woman on the phone told me that I had made a mistake in the race/ethnicity section and it needed to be clarified. Intriguing.

"You have checked both the African American box, and the Caucasian box -- and you wrote in the word 'Halfrican' next to the 'Other' box. Although the question is optional, if you choose to fill it out, you can't be more than one race at the same time." She continued "What is a Halfrican?"

There it was -- my shining moment. Had I actually gotten someone to repeat my ethnicity back to me?! Ahh, the feeling. "A Halfrican," I explained, "is someone who is half black and half something else -- we are not one or the other exclusively. We are Halfrican Americans -- as in half African."

She followed up "Would you like me to add Halfrican to the system?"

I replied, "As a matter of fact, I would!"

At that moment, I began scouring the world to look for others like me -- and found out they were everywhere. Hollywood, sports stars and politicians. Tiger Woods. Barack Obama. Derek Jeter. Mariah Carey. Jordin Sparks. Halle Berry. But where is the targeted marketing? Where is the niche advertising? Where is our voice? Must we always pick a side -- must everything be Black or White? Does the unwritten rule that one drop of black blood makes you black still apply?

Halfrican-Americans, if you are out there, raise you your hands and let me know! Do you know a Halfrican? If so, reach out to them and let them know you understand. I would love to invite you -- and all Halfrican's -- to join the revolution as our market share grows. But you better get in now -- we may be taking the White House.

13 Comments

By carmenvankerckhove | New York, NY March 4, 2008 01:44:44 pm:

> they don't have a niche magazine, an ad agency or an organization to represent them

Actually, there are quite a few national organizations that represent multiracial people. Swirl, Inc. is one, AMEA (Association of Multiethnic Americans) is another. Also, the MAVIN Foundation published a magazine by the same name for quite a few years, targeted specifically at multiracial folks.

But Doug, why exactly would multiracial people (and I count myself among them) want to be packaged and marketed to? How does that benefit multiracial folks?

Permalink

By Derek Walker | Grand Prairie, TX March 4, 2008 02:37:08 pm:

Aren't most of "us" "Halfrican?" Most descendants of slaves are not pure African (if that really exists). Just because my features are more pronounced towards my African heritage does that make me more "black?" I hope not.

What does it say about us that we draw that distinction?

For the record, in the black community for the longest time being more white has been better, more attractive, more acceptable. Obama may be mixed but why is it that most reporters and talking heads talk about him as being black? Because one drop of blood does still make you black in most of America.

Permalink

By Robert | Middleton, WI March 5, 2008 09:10:54 am:

The U.S. government, public institutions and marketing firms perpetuate the notion of separate races. I had never questioned race until the fall of 1971, when I took an anthropology class at the University of Michigan. As I soon learned, there is no scientific criteria for differentiating race. There is the human race — period.

Race is a term that is often used when ethnicity is really the distinction. Race is a social and political fabrication that breaks down under close scrutiny as demonstrated by the Penn State application. Is it so easy to create a new race by just entering it into the database at the university?

Multi-ethnic ... yes. Multi-racial ... no. Our skin color and genetic constitution is a continuous spectrum and has always been such. Any attempt to divide people by race is flawed. By definition, it is divisive. And arbitrary. How black is black; how white is white?

Bob Hoot
Middleton, WI

Permalink

By JOSEPH | NEW YORK, NY March 5, 2008 09:26:09 am:

Doug, I am in the same boat (for the most part). Being a mix of white and black, and not having anyone else like me growing up, I would like to counter Carmen's argument ...

Why do we want to be packaged and marketed to? Simple, all of our lives (some of us anyway) have never had something that was ours. It was always "part of this" or "some of that". In a world of addressable marketing and individualized products (i.e. something for everyone), why shouldn't we have our own products, tv networks, magazines, web pages, shopping sights? There might be a few places for us to go, but they are not widely known. There might be an advertisement here or there that happens to feature a multi-racioal person, but chances are they are not portraying a multi-racial person. So I ask again, is it wrong to want something that you can identify with, a place where you belong in your entirety?

Permalink

By domtouche | COSTA DEL ESTE. March 5, 2008 09:44:11 am:

Being from the French caribbean, I have little to say about being marketed to...there are too few of us to constitute even a tiny profitable niche. However, it has always struck me that a drop of "african" blood makes you black everywhere in the world "if it shows" whereas white would be everybody who does not "look" black....It was obscure to me until I read the Human stain....and the idea of halfricans makes it even easier to explain...

So I would give my vote to Halfricans anytime. It would define me better than anything else (and make the life of us foreigners easier when filling in the forms in the US...)

Permalink

By jerry.hill | Red Oak, TX March 5, 2008 10:41:18 am:

Being a Heinz 57 variety of human being has left me out of this century. I cannot even begin to say in one sentence my brand of American. English, Irish, German, Swedish American, wow. Who cares, I am American, male, income bracket defined by zip code, plain old blended American. Isn't it great, people no longer refer to me as anything except as American. Maybe this generation of half Americans could just feel that being American is what it is all about. It may be time to bring all Americans together into one fold. Please, if you are American and proud, start saying so. All USA Americans are mixed breeds. It is a common trait to be attrached to warm, witty, caring, exciting people, regardless of the skin color. Unless you are ready for the reservation, blend......Jerry D. Hill All American Network

Permalink

By jfwein85 | New York, NY March 5, 2008 11:42:17 am:

I agree with Bob that it is divisive and as Carmen asked, "Why exactly would multiracial people want to be packaged and marketed to?" Well, they probably wouldn't if they knew that the main reason they were being singled out was for profit or some other equally altruistic reason(!). Even with that knowledge, many in the selected groups probably feel a sense of pride in the fact that their heritage is important enough to be singled out and marketed to.
I for one consider it mostly misleading and divisive.

Permalink

By ALENIA | NEW YORK, NY March 5, 2008 11:45:19 am:

This minority does exist...they're called black. We all know (I hope) that for the most part the terms "black" and "white" in reference to people are social constructions. As such, one drop African makes one, on this side of the world and by extension every where else, "black." My mother is of East Indian/African heritage and my father is African/Irish heritage. I never saw anyone looking like me either and was always confused about which box I should choose. Not confused anymore - black is it!

Permalink

By Andrea | Orlando, FL March 5, 2008 12:27:43 pm:

As a minority myself, a Latina, born and raised in the good ol' US of A...actually in the culturally enriching pot also known as Miami...I find this article very relevant, and I'm actually intrigued by most of the comments. I read this article and found great truth. I don't think that the author is talking about being divisive or separating ourselves from "America". For me, it was more about feeling a part of this great country, feeling recognized by the majority.

As a minority, I, myself have felt "invisible" to the majority. And yes, I love this country...i was born here, my allegiance is here. But to say that or think that it's not cool or significant that Penn State now has "Halfrican American" in their system, to me is an unfortunate conclusion. I mean, before there was no "Halfrican" and now there is?! To me, as a young Latina woman i find that ultra-empowering.

Yes, we are ALL immigrants in this great nation. Please, let us not forget that. But we are not all the same, and we don't all look the same. What's the problem in acknowledging our differences? Does that make you less American? Or me less of hispanic descent? Of course not. It makes me, me! The beauty, i feel, is that we're a blend of cultures, whatever yours maybe. For me, it's knowing that i'm fully American and fully hispanic, Chilena to be exact. For me, taking the hispanic away from "Hispanic-American" would mean taking an essential part of who i am. What would be great is if the world, the nation, the majority would realize that just because there are people in this country that consider themselves half-americans...doesn't necessarily mean that they should be viewed as "half-citizens". I am a hispanic american young adult woman, fully American, fully hispanic, and fully citizen of this country. My desire is that we would treat each other as such; aknowleding our differences (because they are there for a reason) but realizing that just because I consider myself half-american doesn't make me half of a citizen of this country. And those are my two cents...

Permalink

By ldarden3 | Dayton, OH March 5, 2008 01:00:23 pm:

I think it is a shame the way this country and the people in it make so much of race, the color of your skin, the ethnicity that you claim and so forth. I know that it is the way of the world and definitely in the United States where we all look different. I think TV is the culprit. Entertainment and the media have showed each new generation what they are supposed to do and act like, but in reality wouldn't it be better if there were no markets or adverstising to interfere with one's self-esteem or feeling of self-worth?

My mother is white, and my father is black. For most of my life I have considered myself black when it comes to things like applications or medical forms. It is funny to know that other multi-racial people question which box to check, because I have been confused about that at one time. However, what I realized coming up is that if you look black - then the people that are paying enough attention to see what color you are, they are going to call you black.

The problem is not that we are a non-existent minority, the problem is that we have to actually put labels on ourselves and each other in order to make it in this life. I feel sorry for other countries that don't have to worry about living in a melting pot. They have to worry about starvation, violence, disease, death. I bet when they look at each other they don't see any color at all. And I also bet that they would wish they could trade in our problem for all of theirs. So, I just wish the people in our country would work on trying to take off the labels that have been placed on each person.

Permalink

By Mayrah | San Antonio, TX March 5, 2008 02:24:05 pm:

I'm enriched by sharing the friendship of quite a few multirracial folks. What I've learned through them is that they gravitate culturally to the race that influenced them the most while growing up; whether that was black, Hispanic or Asian. They don't feel "estranged" from the rest of the United States population or living in a racial "limbo".

So, I'm honestly curious, what special cultural or racial aspects either unify or make an Halfrican different, Doug?

As far as I'm concerned, there are too many "labels" in the U.S. already... African-American, Hispanic-American, Italian-American, Irish-American, Asian-American... absolutely superfluous. In my humble opinion, either you're an American (of Hispanic, Italian, African, Irish, Asian descent, etc.) because you were BORN in the United States or, you're African, Irish, Italian, Hispanic, Asian (more succintly Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.) because you were ACTUALLY born in Africa, Ireland, Italy or in any of the Hispanic or Asian countries.

For example: I was born in Puerto Rico, (a U.S. territory) hence, I'm an American citizen; I am of the white race and, I am Hispanic (by virtue of 500 years of Spanish colonization). I have live in mainland U.S. for 33 years - what does that make me? Simply, a person that has not been able to cast her accent, but can cast a vote and enjoy a standard of living many people outside of this country can only aspire to have. Get it?

Permalink

By nichellemybelle1 | The ville, NJ March 5, 2008 05:13:25 pm:

"She followed up "Would you like me to add Halfrican to the system?"

I replied, "As a matter of fact, I would!" "

- that is absolutely CLASSIC!!!

Permalink

By mssrcorp | RIDGEFIELD, CT March 5, 2008 09:50:24 pm:

Doug, you seem like a bright fellow, but you have a disconcerting lack of awareness of the rich and ever-blossoming bi-racial world all around you.

My children are bi-racial and I am proud to say that they take a fairly activist posture in ensuring that both friends and strangers have an opportunity to appreciate what makes them special and why that special-ness matters to them.

They represent, by the way, significantly more than 5% of the US population. I know of at least three national magazines devoted specifically to this audience and there is even a bi-racial holiday (Loving Day, look it up) based on a famous US Supreme Court case.

My kids point out that some of the hottest (I'm not sure if they mean best looking or most popular, but both apply) people in entertainment are bi-racial. You have already mentioned a few.

Don't think there are bi-racial neighborhoods? You should read American Demographics. You'd be surprised.

But then there's Madison Avenue. Perennially a day late and a dollar short, the ad industry still hasn't figured out how to embrace black people into its fold, let alone anything newer than that. But who knows, maybe it will be bi-racial folks like you and my kids that will bring about the change and the new thinking that the rest of us will benefit from. I hope you do. Mark Robinson, Ridgefield, CT

Permalink