Karyn Parsons On Being Biracial In America
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Karyn Parsons Essence Interview – Karyn Parsons, who is famous for playing Hillary Banks on the Fresh Prince of Bel Air sat down with Essence to talk about how hard it is to be biracial in America.
On raising bi-racial kids Karyn said:
MY daughter Lana, 4, came out looking like the ”whitest white child with blonde hair and blue eyes” and my son Nico, 11 months, came out looking “browner than [she is]“.
Your mother is Black and your father White. What’s been your biggest challenge being biracial in America?
Well, it’s hard. When I saw Barack’s speech on race, I cried and I felt like, there’s the speech I’ve been wanting to write. I’ve been thinking about writing about race for a long time. It’s very interesting how we feel about each other in terms of race. When I’m around Black or White people, I’m always in the middle. Especially when I am around Black people; they will really tell how they feel about White people regardless of the fact that I’m also White and have White relatives. It’s very interesting and can be really hard.
It’s definitely an issue our society still faces.
Exactly. And I’m married to a White man, and then my daughter came out looking like the whitest White child with blonde hair and blue eyes. And I’m like, Omigosh, now what am I going to do? She has my mom’s features and is lighter than my husband. And my boy is browner than I am. Brown eyes and really tan. The race thing is something we continue to deal with and just have to learn to love ourselves and others.
Congrats to you on the success of your award-winning collection of African-American children’s DVDs, which aired on HBO. How did you get into writing for children?
While I was on Fresh Prince, my mother, who was head of book resources at a college library, told me the incredible story of Henry ‘Box’ Brown, a slave who mailed himself in a small box from Virginia to Pennsylvania to find freedom. Talk about determination! That was such an obvious story to tell kids and it stayed with me. A few years later, I talked to my husband about it. He was really fascinated with it as well and pushed me to just do it, and bring the story to life.
Well, we are glad you did. That is an eye-opening story that people need to know.
And they really have been receptive. I started my company Sweet Blackberry in 2004 and The Journey of Henry ‘Box’ Brown was our first DVD. It was an easy way to introduce slavery to young kids. It can be difficult for parents and teachers to explain that part of our history. It was an interesting experience and kept me thinking, Is that too much? Does the whip crack in this scene? We all love to hear a good story, and Alfre Woodard was amazing as the narrator. It aired on HBO in February for Black History Month. Our second story was Garret’s Gift, about a teenage Garret A. Morgan, who invented the traffic light, and Queen Latifah narrated for us, which was great.
In 2005, Karyn and her husband wanted to instill a sense of culture and heritage to their daughter started a collection of African-American children’s DVD’s.
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Good for her. It seems like children are not taught about all of history.
I did not find out about the black inventors until I was studying education at University.
Amazing that the most basic things that we cannot live without, are invented by Black people and we do not KNOW about it!
Such a shame!
i never even knew she was half white. it must be hard being in the middle of all the racism going on between black and white people. it’s harder to be half black and white than to be full black or full white. but good for her to teach her children where they came from and their own culture and recognize they’re races.good for her. oh, and i loved you in the fresh prince!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG! I am light skinned and people mistake me for white all the time. So i know how it feels to be discrimanated against because of your skin color. I am happy foor her ]! I never knew she was mixed or her kids. And I always thought she would get with an african american.
I know she was half white. I’m happy for her that she found love and has kids. She seems like she will do a great job at raising kids. Very smart and seems to have a great grasp on what is going on around her.
I’m a fan. I knew she was biracial but I didn’t know she was married with kids. Good for her. Now there are twins being born looking like each of her kids. One family has two sets with one twin light with blue eyes and the other tan with brown eyes.
Im Afro-Amer. and I grew up over seas on military bases where we embraced each others races, ethnicities, religions, and differences. I’m black and I live in the south and it’s so different. People stick to their own kind and it pains me. I’ve experienced racism and have had to stand up for other’s races and sexual orientations as if someone were disrespecting me. I refuse to laugh along and let people insult others out of ignorance even if it’s not towards me. We should all do this and help embrace diverstiy because it is beautiful.
Wow I did not know she wass biracial I alwayss thought she wass jusst hot yellow like me .I ussed to get teased all the time when I wass in gr ammar school becausse I’m creole and I’d be with black kidss and they’d sayy veryy ignorant thingss but I’m gladd she’ss doingg thiss
I’m black on my moms side and white on my dads, just like her! I feel way differnt than she does! Mixed has always been black sence forever, now because of obama, things are suposed to be differnt! i doubt she cares about the struggle of blacks, today! Were filling up the prison population, like its our fucking job! Mixed is black, because of all the shit we suffer, because we are not totally white! mixed kids and people are so pretty! Or else she would most likly not of been on fresh prince! And she would sing a differnt song, all together!
She aint in the hood, she was prolly raised white!
We (black people) are victum’s of america! look at the prison pop! Know one even cares! They say because blacks, have poor morals and ethics, and like to sell drugs!
I don’t even like obama, and after being pushed into a corner, he said how repression and slavery is a dirrect effect on the social status of blacks in america! He spoke the truth!
I am latin and not being black or white I think I have a unique perspective. I believe that blacks are not a progressive people. They don’t value education, and glorify the thug, hiphop garbage. You combine that with 70 percent out of wedlock birth rates and you get the black prison population you have now. Blacks are victims of their own behavior. You are the most backwards people on earth. That is why Africa is behind the rest of the world and living in the 4th century for the most part. (South African was built by the whites so don’t even go there). It makes me sad that my Latin brothers instead of mimicking the progressive Jews, whites, they want to ape the hiphop ghetto backward blacks. As long as you keep blaming the white man for all your own faults you will always continue to be at the bottom. My advise to blacks is cut the crap, get educated, you have your black president stop making excuses. As long as you keep blaming and hating white people then 500 years from now you will still being saying the same shit, and in the same place.
Wow Jason the “Hispanic, Chicano, Latino or what ever your calling your self to day. I like the fact that on of you from your community finally came out of the closet. If I stand correct your community has the highest drop out rate, 120/per 1000 teen birth rate & I could go on & on. How ever that would not serve a point, Mrs. Karyn is letting the public know what her personal experience has been with here identity as a mix-ethnic person. further more you are off topic lets read before making such comments. Mrs.Karyn as well as Ms.Halle Berry have both been working on this issue. One would hope we all see our selves as Humans of one race we all come from. Our ETHNICITY or NATIONALITY will always be a topic of debate, so lets do so with out the derogatory comments.
Pertraining to the person above me. How dare you feel that you can be objective because you are neither black nor white. Your opinions are based solely on the fact that the prisons are over crowded with black people. race should have nothing to do with being abitious. I am black and am proud to be that way but that doesn’t mean that i have ghetto tendancies or have ever been in trouble with the law. I go to work 5 days a week if not more and am damn good at what i do. your belief that blacks are not progressive is a pile of crap. I know plenty of black people that are very successful and want to do great things. I find that many LATIN people try to identify with the white race because YOU LATIN PEOPLE feel that that they are superior. everyone is equal. Every race has ignorant people black ,white, LATIN, it doesn’t matter take control of your own lives and the lives of your children because if you pass down that mentality to them they will suffer.
Gant, its always goning to be hard beeing in the middle. And about your comment to “jason”. Not because you killed a dog once, you are a dog killer.
Jason sweetheart latin is mixed with black and white and indian. Most spaniards and mixed African Americans look alike in the sense of skin color and hair texture not all but most. Look up your culture I am so tired of Spanish people thinking they are not black or do not have it in them. Please be openminded as people an lets just come together and live and stop worrying about color. Im mixed with black and white but hey im still black and a minority just like you You are not white. Its so sad That you think that about African Americans I would never say or declare spanish people have madd babies and go to jail They would be racist. Open your mind up and live your life don’t be negative or judgemental towards half of our culture Thats makes the good ones look bad.
Hi everybody!!!! Wow, you have quite a debate…;-) All I wanna say is: congrats to Karyn who tries to show another face of America and the world…I don’t understand why you want to say: Im black, white, latino and so on…We ALL are humans..For example, I am white, but I sometimes feel black (I love soul, hip hop music, joy of Africans…), I love asian cuisine and love the mentality of South America..And most of all I love traveling, learning language…I dont feel white, I feel like a person on Earth..And dont tell me I dont know anything abt racism, Ive got friends from everywhere and Ive got earing aids, so I kinda know whats like to be in a minority..I cant have all the jobs Id wish, people used to mock at me in high school cos they had to repeat a lot of times…And Punny, dont say you feel more black cos some fucking whites dont consider you well enough…You are lucky to be mixed and be proud of it..Then, I suppose your dad wouldnt be happy if you told him feeling more black..Be grateful, I would LOVE to be mixed..knowing 2 cultures or languages or whatever…Plurality is a QUALITY and dont forget it..Biracial should now say: Im biracial, mixed and proud to be, I know more of the world!!!! I dont know with whom Ill fall in love, but if my wife will be other than white, it would be so beautiful…Obama is hope….
Voila all I wanted to say..;-) Just shine, by being yourself and the world will feel better.!!!!!!!
My 15 year old daughter is biracial. 1/2 black and 1/2 porguese. She has identity issues . From observation she seems to feel more accepted by the white culture. Many of my black relatives including my parents/ my daughter’s own grandparents, auntie , some cousin have issues with her mixed race. It is very sad. My daughter is involved in both the black community and the white. Her black peers much to my surprise refer to her as “that light skinned girl”. They seem to only tolerated her (in church). I push her to try and fit in but even the adults in charge do not embrace her. It’s alot different with white adults. They are kind to her and seem to make her feel accepted for who she is. Still it’s difficult. I wish I had guidance on how to help my biracial daughter navagate between the two worlds. Momma M.
Hello everyone. I am Biracial myself, being born to a black father and a white mother, I am very young, still in my teens, even so, I have seen enough of the world and the many issues with race that are present with in this great country. When ever I am asked of my ethnic background, I am proud to say I am mixed both black and white. While many biracial individuals struggle to identify with either one or the other, I find myslef lucky to view the world with knowledge from both sides, I feel as though many mixed people are weakened by the fact that they are more than one thing, instead of embracing it. I have sat through countless arguments, and conversations that disagree with the mixing of race and in others views “how messed up a child of mixed race is”. Life is seen through the eyes of the beholder, and I take everything in stride. I can honestly say being comprised of two different races has made me strong in this world, aware of others, I think very different from others, and I have to say that my personality has been impacted in such a way, I am proud to be who I am. When you are brought into the world you can not choose who your parents will be, or what ethnicity you are, but as you grow and learn , you are responsible for the way that you live your life, and the decisions you make. I never could quite understand why people waste time arguing and displaying hate toward and about another race. The world is full of so many different walks of life, who is to say which one is the “right one”. If people would open their minds, focus on positive things, and embrace the greater good, this world would be a really wonderful place, and that may be a wishful thought, but I can truly appreciate those who think along the same lines. Just be proud of yourself, regardless of your racial make up.
people..people stop writting crap,what matters is how you feel about yourself not about other people think of you..i live in England and down here there is a lot of ignorant people..but always i take negative and turn to positive,and let me tell you i always left people more mad than more than they wanted me to be
THE REASON WHY HER DAUGTER HAVE BLUE EYES AND BLONDE HAIR IS BECAUSE HERSELF CARRIES THE WHITE RECESSIVE GENE, THAT’S WHY. SHE HAS A CHILD WITH A WHITE MAN WHICH MAKES IT WORSE BECAUSE THAN HER CHILDREN WILL ONLY HAVE 15 TO 25 PERCENT BLACK IN THEM. BUT ANYWAYS, MOSTLY WHEN YOU A BIRACIAL AND HAVE KIDS TO A WHITE MAN, 4 OUT OF EIGHT CHILDREN WILL COME OUT TAN SKIN AND 4 OUT OF EIGHT CHILDREN WILL COME OUT PURE WHITE. IF SHE HAD A KID WITH A BIRACIAL MAN, 2 OUT OF EIGHT CHILDREN WILL COME OUT PURE BLACK LIKE THEIR GRAND PARENTS, FROM THE GRANDMOTHER OR THE GRANDFATHER WHO IS AFRICAN AMERICAN. ONLY IF TWO BIRACIAL PARENTS ARE LIKE 75 PERCENT BLACK BUT ARE LIGHT SKIN. EVEN IF SHE’S HAD A KID WITH A BIRACIAL MAN, IT STILL BE THE SAME RESULT, BUT THAN HER CHILD WON’T BE TAN, HE OR SHE BECOMES MIX LIKE HER AND HIM. IF SHE HAD A KID TO A PURE BLACK MAN, THAN HER CHILDREN WILL COME OUT CARAMEL SKIN, BUT THE BOYS WILL BE DARKER THAN THAN THE GIRLS THAT SHE GIVES BIRTH TO.
THE REASON WHY HER DAUGHTER HAVE BLONDE HAIR IS BECAUSE HER MOTHER OR HER FATHER WHO’S WHITE HAS BLONDE HAIR AND BLUE EYES. SO DOES ONE OF HIS PARENTS WHO HAS BLONDE AND BLUE EYES. THEIR CHILDREN GOT IT FROM THEIR GRANDPANENTS LIKE HELLO! LOL. SHE IS HALF BLACK AND WHITE. LIKE IT’S NOT A SURPRISE TO ME AT ALL. I HAVE BIRACIAL COUSIN’S MARRIED TO A WHITE MAN/WOMEN, AND THEIR CHILDREN HAVE THAT PROBLEM.
The only one with a “problem” is you Nakita.
Get help. I certainly hope your biracial cousins are kept away from you and your racism and ignorance.
After, reading many of these comments, I must say that I am extremely proud of my 11 year-old bi-racial grand-daughter (Black/White). She has been taught to cherish who she is as well as to embrace both sides of her heritage. I must agree with Karyn, oftentimes, Blacks without intent or malice (especially, when it comes to Whites) exhibit a form of disconnect to the fact that our bi-racial brothers and sisters share a dual heritage, and making such statements are a sign of disrespect. Last summer, at our family reunion someone (a relative) made a negative statement concerning Whites, and my grand-daughter immediately corrected the situation by stating: “That’s not true, I am both and I know,” I knew then that this little girl was comfortable in her skin.
the debate here is complicated and could go in many directions.
after reading the comments (some valid and some not so much) i, with a black father and white mother, have to say that until you are one of the results of a mixed union, you cannot experience the same as karyn parsons, or slash, or alicia keys, or i have. and i cannot walk in your shoes either.
try not to judge on the outward appearance; you might end up saying the wrong thing to the wrong person.
I have a girlfriend who is biracial. When I first meant her, she had to continually remind us that she identified more with her white side then her black side. It didn’t matter to me because I just liked her because of who she was, not her make up. As I began to really get to know her, I came to the conclusion that she had an inner struggle with being biracial. It wasn’t so much of what other people thought about her. It may have added to it though. I just tried to treat her like a human being. I have noticed that when she gets around all white people, she changes. That made me sad. I don’t understand why she feels the need to do this. She’s beautiful, highly intelligent, funny and has a good heart. I don’t understand it. Maybe I never will.