Digging Deeper… A look at Desegregation for Biracial Students
Growing up in a biracial household Miaje Hubbard, Taylor Schlopy, and Dmitri Pelaez were anything but the self described “black kid.”
Miaje Hubbard, a freshman at Tennessee State University, a historically black college in Nashville, Tenn., talks about her eye-opening experiences as a biracial freshman student. One of the hardest aspects of being a biracial student is that “people don’t believe you’re black because you look white and act white.”
She said dressing a certain way affects the way the rest of the students see you. “I dress ‘preppier’ than other girls at my school” and since “dressing a certain way is considered being black, therefore I’m not black.”
Hubbard said at least once a day someone will tell her she’s not black.
“It’s hard because even things that I can’t help: like the darkness of my skin, or the softness of my hair affect the way the rest of the students see me.”
Dmitri Peleaz a junior transfer student at UGA spoke of his first two years as a three-sport athlete and Kappa Alpha Psi member at Tuskegee University. He said “it’s harder to fit in (at Tuskegee) because people see me and automatically notice I’m not full black.”
Taylor Schlopy, a senior softball star for UGA’s top-ranked program said “most people don’t believe that I’m black, which is a little discouraging because I have to defend my ethnicity.”
Hubbard said most people don’t do it intentionally. It’s a subconscious act, a slight second where they judge you based on your appearance. I think social and economic standing also has a lot to do with what group you get categorized in, she said.
“Sadly most people assume if you’re white you have more money, therefore; it’s not just a racial division but also an economic division.”
A native of California, Schlopy said her time at Georgia has been interesting because being from California she never ran into people who were racist or didn’t like the idea of inter-racial couples. “It’s heartbreaking to see that the world is still like that,” she said.
In order to further the success of desegregation at home and in public, Schlopy said, “In all honesty it comes down to how we’re raising our children and that needs to change across the entire world.”
Another California baby, Hubbard agreed that you see more issues with racism in the South, but that ultimately it comes down to parenting.
“If you put these ideas in your kids’ heads they will trickle down into the next generations,” Hubbard said.
Peleaz said the issue goes even further. People in church act differently toward races contrary to the accustomed race for that church, and he wishes “that people would be more open to different cultures.”
Regarding the institutional realm, Peleaz exposed a deeper issue with HBCU colleges as a whole. He said, although it’s neat to see other blacks achieving, “finding a white, Asian, or Hispanic student on campus is like finding a four-leaf clover.”
“This gives you a false vision of the world because you live, work and study with nothing but one race. But when you graduate and go into the real world you will be working with everybody.”
This factor makes it hard for HBCU colleges to prepare students for the real world. Compared to UGA, students have classes with all different people and get an assortment of backgrounds and viewpoints.
Peleaz said segregating yourself to one race creates “an illusion of the world.”
Hubbard, Schlopy and Peleaz each expressed their own thoughts on how to better create a more desegregated campus and lifestyle.
The answer lied in two words: cultural sensitivity.
Based on their personal experiences, each gave their own definition of what those two words meant to them.
“Cultural sensitivity is seeing beyond what the eyes can see. It’s important because we must learn to look at what’s not in front of us. In order to do this we must accept other people’s cultures and not be judgmental based on where they come from or their economic standing,” said Hubbard.
“Cultural sensitivity is not putting your own culture on others because every culture is different, and no culture is better than another. We can become more culturally sensitive by getting to know people before we pre-determine their personality. Don’t let the media decide someone’s personal traits before you even talk to them,” said Peleaz.
“Cultural sensitivity is respecting everyone’s individual culture. There shouldn’t be a set definition on what someone’s culture is. Who’s to say what I’m supposed to believe or act? We should let the world be. It’s a process of learning and trying not to judge,” said Schlopy.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of desegregation at the University of Georgia represents half a century of dedication to equality amongst its student body. Just as the university changed its policy 50 years ago, the world is changing daily as well. The world is no longer divided by black and white. The biracial world is emerging.
“I love that I am from two ethnicities,” said Schlopy. “It is special to stand for something that a lot of people still don’t believe in the United States. Biracial people are making it and I want to give hope to younger generations. I want to show people who don’t believe that different races should come together that biracial people are beautiful and have so much to give to the world.”
Miaje Hubbard is Black and White
Dmitri Peleaz is Colombian, Moroccan, and Black
Taylor Schlopy is Black and White
Very nice article. Taylor is an awesome athlete. We enjoy watching you play softball.
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