Actor Taye Diggs wants the world to recognize his son as mixed not black, he even wrote a book making the message clear to little mixed kids everywhere.

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When you [call biracial kids Black], you risk disrespecting that one half of who you are and that’s my fear. I don’t want my son to be in a situation where he calls himself Black and everyone thinks he has a Black mom and a Black dad, and then they see a white mother, they wonder, ‘oh, what’s going on?

The actor even went as far as using President Barack Obama as an example to prove his point,

As African Americans we were so quick to say okay ‘he’s Black, he’s Black,’ and then there were the white people who were afraid to say he was biracial because who knows,” says Diggs. “Everybody refers to him as the first Black president, I’m not saying it’s wrong, I’m just saying that it’s interesting. It would be great if it didn’t matter and that people could call him mixed. We’re still choosing to make that decision, and that’s when I think you get into some dangerous waters.

This is a touchy topic because obviously any parent would want their biracial child to identify as both races and not just one, but unfortunately it’s just that easy in this country. In a America race is such a huge and debilitating social construct that one also has to prepare their child for the perils that will definitely come with being even partially Black. Although it may sound cliche, being Black is more than just any old race–It is a lifestyle. A lifestyle that involves resilience, faith, courage and strength because of the torment the black race faces. These are things that will be inevitable as the child grows and learns about the world around him/her. Blackness is inescapable and regardless of what one identifies as much of the world is still black and white and society will distinguish one accordingly.

We could go on and on all day, instead we’d like to hear what you have to say! Let us know what you think of this in the comments below!