growing up Biracial in WV?

[deltaiam]

Worriedmommy,
I also understand your concern. My husband got the final word today that we are definitely going to Cumberland, MD. He suggests living in PA or WV. In either case, I am also concerned as we are a biracial family, too: I am AA and my husband is white. This will be a culture shock for you as it will be for us. If I read your post correctly, you are from Chicago. We are from Philadelphia, PA. I had to chuckle when I read that your husband received a lot of flack for the way he speaks. My sister and I got teased mercilessly because of the way we spoke. Boy that comment really took me back. Good luck with your move. I'm crossing my fingers for our move.

[westsideboy]

Deltaiam, I remember you from the MD board. Where in WV and PA are you looking? For what reasons are you more interested in those places than MD?

[deltaiam]

"Deltaiam, I remember you from the MD board. Where in WV and PA are you looking? For what reasons are you more interested in those places than MD?"

Thanks again Westside Boy for all of your helpful information earlier. My husband suggested PA or WV because of the tax situation. He said that the taxes are much higher in MD than either of those two states. I've also read on these message boards that people relocate for that reason. As much as I'd like to keep some extra dollars in my pocket, I don't think my husband is looking at the big picture which is diversity. Quite frankly, I am somewhat scared to do that because I don't know what we would be getting our family into. It's okay if people don't talk to me; I'm an adult and can handle that. But for my kids to be ostracized and there being nothing I could do about it would be a bitter pill to swallow.

[GottaHerdOn]

Bigotry doesn't stop at state lines though guys. How else are things going to change if people just coward away from things. I'm gay and I wear my little rainbow bracelet everyday and anytime I hear people say "oh thats gay" or something... I correct them, and tell them that my orientation is not another term for something being stupid. So I urge you to confront the racism. Personally in my opinion I think its way more accepted now. Especially in the younger demographic. I wouldn't worry about your kids being targeted at school. Good luck on your move

[westsideboy]

The tax situation is better in WV and PA. The PA counties that are near Cumberland (Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton) are even less diverse than Allegany County Maryland. Mineral County in WV has some African Amercians, mostly in Keyser and Piedmont, the rest of the county is pretty much uniformly white.

I don't know too much about the public schools in any of these places, but I did have a friend who moved from Philly to Fort Ashby (Mineral County) and attended Frankfort. He was teased mercilessly for being a "city boy" and eventually had to switch schools. His parents chose WV over Cumberland because they bought into to the whole rural paradise thing and suffered from a huge degree of culture shock. The eventually moved to Cumberland and fit in better.

I would like to believe GottaHerdOn's assumption that kids these days are more openminded than adults, but in general I think kids pick on each other far more than adults do, and anybody that appears different or vunerable is a target. I don't think race would be anymore of a target than being a "city boy" or being gay, or being a nerd or anything else, but I kind of think of it like prison, every newcomer has to either assert themselves or buddy up to some clique pretty fast or become a target.

[deltaiam]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

The tax situation is better in WV and PA. The PA counties that are near Cumberland (Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton) are even less diverse than Allegany County Maryland. Mineral County in WV has some African Amercians, mostly in Keyser and Piedmont, the rest of the county is pretty much uniformly white.

I don't know too much about the public schools in any of these places, but I did have a friend who moved from Philly to Fort Ashby (Mineral County) and attended Frankfort. He was teased mercilessly for being a "city boy" and eventually had to switch schools. His parents chose WV over Cumberland because they bought into to the whole rural paradise thing and suffered from a huge degree of culture shock. The eventually moved to Cumberland and fit in better.

I would like to believe GottaHerdOn's assumption that kids these days are more openminded than adults, but in general I think kids pick on each other far more than adults do, and anybody that appears different or vunerable is a target. I don't think race would be anymore of a target than being a "city boy" or being gay, or being a nerd or anything else, but I kind of think of it like prison, every newcomer has to either assert themselves or buddy up to some clique pretty fast or become a target.

As always, thanks for you insightful advice. I just need to resign myself to the fact that it is going to be different and accept it. But it will be a bit much if I have to feel isolated for the next few years.

[westsideboy]

I am confident you will be OK. I have tended to focus on more negative aspects as opposed to the positive in answering your questions. There are many positives about Western Maryland and the near by WV and PA counties as well. Be sure to keep us updated on how you are doing and feel free to ask any other questions you can think of.

[deltaiam]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

I am confident you will be OK. I have tended to focus on more negative aspects as opposed to the positive in answering your questions. There are many positives about Western Maryland and the near by WV and PA counties as well. Be sure to keep us updated on how you are doing and feel free to ask any other questions you can think of.

I definitely will keep you posted. I've been looking at schools, too. So far, Bishop Walsh is winning hands down. I've heard such wonderful things about it via my husband. I just can't tell how diverse it is (or isn't) as it does not report it's racial makeup on greatschools.net. My husband has even met some public school teachers that send their kids there. Now, we just have to put our house on the market (probably next week) and we'll take it from there. Again, thanks so much for your help.

[MartinsburgGUy02]

You should try Martinsburg WV the fastest growing city in WVa. We're located in the Nothern Shannendoah Valley and about 70 miles from DC. Martinsburg is probably the most diverse and least racist in the entire state.

[MovingToIowa]

Originally Posted by Worriedmommy

Dear residents of the Charleston area,

I am a worried mommy of soon to be 5 year old biracial girl. My husband who is AA has been offered a position in Charleston that is a career dream, and to top it off, the office here in Illinois has closed, so the choices are not many but there are a few. We are considering moving, and except for our daughters education and socialization it sounds really nice. He's been there to visit and he thinks the people are very nice. I'm from Southern Illinois right next to Western KY, rural, coal mining area, he is from Chicago. I like the idea of raising my daughter wtih the beauty of the countryside and not the blare of the city. I am terrified of raising my daughter in a town that might be like the one I was raised in for blacks. I had a great childhood, the biracial kids in my town didn't (1970's). I am wondering, have things changed? Are there suburbs recommended? Can we find diversity without finding crime? Will my daughter be accepted by blacks? By Whites?
Will she be able to date normally in high school? Will she have equal opportunity? I am intrigued by the history of the state. I know that there are no guarantees and that these answers will vary on a persons experience, but I'd like to open a dialogue to help me think.

We have about a month to decide.

In Chicago these problems don't exist for us. Chicago is expensive however, and we have no job opportunities here right now.

School systems? Where is better? Also, my husband doesn't speak dialect, sometimes his family members are put off by this. He sounds like the average White chicago guy. He went to private schools and his mother taught he to speak "properly" but she died. He and his siblings take a lot of flack for it. I wonder, will we find ourselves alone and in limbo?

I need honest answers. It is such a huge responsibility to raise a child. I never thought we'd be moving out of Illinois.

Help.

Worried mommy

You have a valid right to be concerned for your child's well being and the amount or racism that she will endure. I was living in Connecticut and then moved back here and I had nothing but problems in the school system. I am biracial as well and my school years were hell for me. To the black kids I wasn't black enough, and to the white kids I wasn't black enough. I didn't have many friends because I stuck out so much, and no matter how nice I was to them you could always feel that uncomfortableness around. High school wasn't any better and I finally had to move back north east because even the teachers were racist. There are some parts that are better than others, and your little girl may not have any trouble at all, but be prepared if she does. Being biracial and in West Virginia is very hard and that is why after winter I will be relocating.