Why are there more biracial families than black families in Arizona?

[The_Cadillac_Lawyer]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

LOL. Funny you should put it that way. There was a time many years back when I arrived late to a class I was scheduled for. The room had self-divided into groups that were to be the study teams for the class. All the groups were full except for the "black" one and I had to join that - with some discomfort admittedly. It turned out to be a stroke of luck or something. I hit it off with that group very well and ended up marrying one of them! We're still together.

What a great story!

[fcorrales80]

No one cares and I think in Phoenix because of our unique situation as a new, modern city the old obstacles from other regions regarding races are minimal here. I too see so many mixed couples, white/black, hispanic/white, hispanic/black, asian/black, whatever but don't really think about it until someone from somewhere else comments on it. I'm hispanic but with someone white as is the case with 50% of my family members in my generation or younger. Even some of our older family members are with a person of another race. It isn't taboo in Phoenix especially when compared to other parts of the country...especially the south!

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by trudawg

nope, I was never uncomfortable being with the mother of my children, and the first person I fell in love with.
I'm never uncomfortable in my skin as it has made me the person whom I am today and my confidence and high self esteem supersedes all of that.
As I said before I cannot explain to you the feeling within me being the "only" black person in many scenarios. Like Ponderosa "Admitted" there is definately a FEELING, I'm not saying it's always a negative one, but just being more aware. If you are indeed cacuasion I would love for you if only for one day be the only white among a sea of blacks, in every situation you encounter, and report back to me that there was absotely no indifference, and tell me you where not made aware of your skin color, then times that by 365, then multiply that again by 3 years, then you will begin to have window into my world and my experience living in phoenix. Only then IMHO might you be able to have the kind of "empathy" that brings understanding of what someone else experiences.
Now obviously this is MY choice to remain here in Phoenix, and honestly I do like living here, I was just merely stating my experience for the nay-sayers who seem to pop in every race related topic to tell us race shouldn't matter when IMO it clearly does for some people



**edited** to add the last paragrah

I agree on the being somewhat uncomfortable in the opposite race gathering thing. I've certainly been there on most holidays, birthday parties, weddings etc. None of my family live here so it's all the black side for me. But they are all good to me, no problems with that at all. Just not a lot in common though much of that is age difference. Once a year or so, she gets the treatment with my side when we head east. She gets on better with my family than I do. And my wife is a Phoenix near-native having lived here since childhood. Phoenix has its racial awareness, of course, but it is not ingrained and part of the air we breathe here like it is in so many US cities.

Anyway, back to the question. I don't know that there are more interracial families than black families, though it seems that way in my neighborhood. I always figured it was because of the Air Force base nearby. The military puts people of different races in close proximity and that is often all that is needed.