America's Changing Color Lines

America's Changing Color Lines: Immigration, Race/Ethnicity, and Multiracial Identification 
J. Lee and F. Bean

Retell

Even though there have been many races and ethnic groups, America has been predominately a biracial society. We know that has been changing and will continue to change over the next several decades. Jennifer Lee and Frank Bean talk about how the intermarriages between these groups and races are growing the multiracial population of America.  "By the year 2050, as many as 1 in 5 Americans could claim a multiracial background." (Rosenblum and Travis, 2012, p.95)    What than, will happen to the black and white color line that divided this country for so long?  "Although the birth of a new divide is certainly one possible scenario, another prospect is a shift toward unconditional boundary crossing and the fading of racial boundaries altogether.  The raising rates of intermarriage combined with a growing multiracial population may indicate with a growing multiracial population my indicate that boundaries are weakening overall, providing evidence of a declining significance of race for all groups." (Rosenblum and Travis, 2012, p.95) 

In their review, Lee and Bean discuss reasons for the growth of intermarriages and how the resulting children will make a difference in our population, trends in interracial marriage, as well as patterns of multiracial identification.  Something I found very interesting was listed in a paragraph reviewing trends.  "Third, compared with Asians, Latinos, and American Indians, intermarriage is still relatively uncommon among blacks." (Rosenblum and Travis, 2012, p.98)    Lee and Bean respond "By contrast, the lower rates of intermarriage among blacks suggest that racial boundaries are more prominent, and the black/white divide more salient that the Asian/white or Latino/white divides." (Rosenblum and Travis, 2012, p.98) 

From Friendly Foreigner to Enemy Race
John Tehranian

John Tehranian reviews what Middle East means and where the term came from.  It seems that the term was traced back to the mid- eighteen hundreds but wasn't used as it is used today until the early nineteen hundreds.  "In an article first published in September 1902, Mahan used the term Middle East to refer to a region of growing strategic importance in the emerging conflict pitting Britain and the United States against Germany and Russia." (Rosenblum and Travis, 2012, p.104)    Mahan was a naval strategist. who also defined where the Middle East was.  "Mahan appeared to define that region as ranging, on a north-south axis, from Turkey to the Arabian Peninsula and , on an east/west axis from Iran to Egypt." (Rosenblum and Travis, 2012, p.104)    Tehranian tells us that the term wasn't used again until around 1957.  Now it is a house hold name.  Why?  Tehranian tells us.  Oil.

At one point in history, Middle Easterners were considered white.  They had many of the same beliefs, they came from friendly lands, they were mostly Christian.  Now they are not.  Even though they have a strong desire to assimilate,  and want to be considered white once again, most Americans feel they are all  linked with Islam and they are all terrorists.

Recall/React

This makes me think about my cousins on my father's side.  There are six of us altogether.  Five girls and one boy.  My sister and I both married white men from the Northeast Kingdom where we grew up.  My father's sister had one daughter.  This cousin also married a white man from a town in Pennsylvania where she grew up.  My father's bother, a Border Patrol Agent who moved all over the country as well as Puerto Rico had two daughters and one son.  His oldest daughter married a man from India.  The second daughter married a man from San Salvador.  The son married a girl from Mongolia.  Of the sixteen children resulting from these six marriages, six are interracial.  I think about two things in regards to our marriages.  One, that statistically, half of us have interracial marriages and interracial children.  Second, I think about why.  Three of us grew up in very strict and sheltered homes.  We lived in predominately white communities.  We married men who grew up in the same way with very similar values.  Three of us were exposed to many different communities and values with different races and ethnic backgrounds.  Was it exposure to different peoples that allowed them to feel comfortable around different groups of people?  I do not have any answers to these questions.  Just more questions for me to ponder.


Rethink

I have learned that our society is changing rapidly in ways people could not have expected fifty or one hundred years ago.  As participants in this change we must make an effort to understand it.  Our classroom, if not currently, will soon be filled with interracial children.  We will need to change how we do things in schools. One Black history month activity is not going to be sufficient.  What will be?  That will be for diverse groups of community member to decide.