What does 'mixed race' mean to you? How would you describe a 'mixed race' person?

Such interesting responses. And I will respond myself later. I guess those who say is doesn't matter- have very little experience of 'mixed race' in their close family - and yet I am sure all have had to fill in forms where they were asked the question. Thanks to all who responded- keep comments coming. For me, the question has nothing to do with the research mentionned- it was just yet another trigger for the question to be formulated.

I suspect all of us are 'mixed race' if we go back far enough.
I suspect I have a touch of Viking. And Russian.

There are only variations of one race - the human race. There isn't a single one of us who is the same as another. We are all of mixed race.

In a mixed race person I would usually give a description of beauty/handsome depending on being female/male. The mixed race/mixed heritage person must have some kind of racial camp they belong to because many of them being so good looking always cause so much attention when out and about. Some are fair skinned others darker in complexion but always the looks are outstanding and while many cannot identify as white they all do not identify as black so somewhere in between they must hold their own identity of themselves.
I did see a much earlier post from Greymar Mon. 21.03 and I dd not think that this person was being exceptionally rude maybe more had backward ignorance and they posted,
"Oh these people used to be called Half-Caste" in fact putting that in my post causes me physical pain and my stomach is knotting at the mention of that word to me that word is almost as bad as N....r and if you cannot say the N word any more then you should not say the other one.
By the way ignorant people still say the word half-caste as perhaps they just have not been educated enough as yet.
Last thing I thought I would bring up I have watched several documentaries on ethnicity and think it very cruel that mixed/black children over in Africa if born as albinos without any pigmentation to the skin can be killed by parents as they say they are devil children. There was a charity that opened a big orphanage to look after many of them because of that happening.

Have you ever read the book 'Born a Crime' by Trevor Noah?

I suspect all of us are 'mixed race' if we go back far enough.

We all originate from one woman. Mitochondrial Eve.

Jura2 ; I need to look that book up, depending on the genre it may be I may give it a read.

Mixed race to me, a person born from parents that come from two different counties. However it tends to be more obvious if one of the parents is African/Asian and shows in skin colour or face/eye shape.

It's an imprecise question for a proper researcher to ask. I think what researchers do is ask sort of the same question in a different way alswewhere in the questionnaire in to make sure or to find out if you are telling a lie.

PS if I have to fill in one of those local health authority forms that ask that sort of question I say I am white caucasian.This is of interest to a health authority as persons whose ancestry is form a certain geographical region are prone to some more unusual inherited conditions . Again, certain ethnic customs such as genital mutilation, or excessive boozing ,are associated with both health and ancestry.

Yes, our grand-daughter, blondie, blue eyes, pale skin, with both 'white' British parents- was a mistery to the medical staff as she had a conditions which is rare in UK and only in certainy racial groups.

After a while, they took my daughter aside and asked her if she was sure who the father is. She was incensed- but the doctor explained about the medical condition. Daughter than explained that although she is white, and so is her OH and both sets of grand-parents- one grandmother was part AFrican, and one grandfather was part Indonesian. And it all fell into place. DD1 now always puts 'mixed race' on forms- even though she is white- because she comes from 9 nationalities, but 3 distinct racial groups. I got in touch with cousins back in Cape Town- and they told me 3 of the girls have that (non life threatening) condition. Problem solved.

And since then, and especially now since we have met many of OH's relatives from all over the world- who come in all shades of brown to dark brown - we have come to realise that in most people's mind 'mixed race' means darker, but not too dark...

We have also come to realise that those who are darker, have it a much more difficult path to success, and have experienced much more discrimination than their lighter sibblings. And many just had to flee Apartheid South AFrica in order to escape this, and even post Apartheid.

3nanny6 - Trevor Noah is a South African writer and comedian, with his own channel in the USA. In the middle of the Apartheid period, his Soweto mother met a Swiss man and had a baby with him. Hence the title 'born a crime' - he had to live his life hidden - not dark enough for Soweto, but far too dark for any other place. Looking at him, most people would say he is 'black'- although he is half white. My OH was not born a crime, he and his sister (stunningly beautiful still at 79- but white with an 'exotic' look, like our DD2 and our nieces- one was a model for the top UK agency for many years due to that very special look) - became 'crimes, - OH at the age of 2, his sister at the age of 7. The only way to remain together was to emigrate to the UK- which they could as grandad was British.

They grew up as British white- because they happened to be born light enough ... and this was never questionned or discussed.

So- are my grandchildren, 11 nationalities, and 4 different racial groups (their dad is Irish but also had Indian several generations back) - white British, or mixed race?

Because of their colour and lifestyle, etc, I imagine no-one ever will even think of them as mixed-race. And yet they would if they happen to be darker !?!

4/5 of my GC are mixed race, though all but one are too young to be aware of their identity yet. It’s not something I’ve given much thought to as none seems to have been on the receiving end of any negative behaviour.

One of my dds is often questioned as to her origins. She’s been asked if she’s Egyptian, Jewish, Middle Eastern, Swedish, Canadian or South African, amongst others. Top prize goes to an Italian man who approached her in a library to insist she was Italian! . We do have a South Asian ancestor but it was quite a way back in generations. Scottish people often refuse to believe she’s from Scotland, too. You can’t win.

It would seem, according to the gc, it is not mixed race, that is racist, but mixed heritage.

I would describe it as anyone from one or more different countries be you white, brown, black, green or purple.!

Interesting post Jura, I believe that I have african ancestors which my very dark eyes and hair and light brown skin. My son was born with very black tight curly hair and everyone wondered where it came from, he also has back eyes. I think I will do one of these DNA tests and she what I can find.

The problem is, we need to get away from the idea that race only means skin colour.
It's much wider than that.

barmeyolhat - surely, not 'just' different countries- a person with a French parent will never be called or considered 'mixed race' . With your description everyone in the Royal family is mixed race - not just Meghan.

Yes Fennel - my point indeed. But as far as 'society' at large, mixed race is only ever used for people who are dark, or darker- so visibly mixed. Not my GC or my nieces and nephews and their children - several of them have NO idea they are mixed race- because it was never discussed (probably because of above).

Different races coming together and producing a new being to me is mixed race. Do they have to be a different colour to be mixed race? I suppose we only use this word when it is pretty obvious when a person holds more than one heritage. If you are white or black you wouldn’t probably know. I have a neighbour that describes mixed race in a form used years ago and had to say to her that it’s a totally unacceptable word today.

Black or Asian person having a child with a white person.

You’re not ‘mixed race’ if your Mum is Scottish and your Dad is English. Or any two white people having a child. ( or two black people )

It’s all about skin colour.
In my opinion anyway.

i thought this was not a current term. it is a bit dubious now.
dual heritage is more acceptable, if necessary.
i refuse to define myself on those forms.
by the way the nhs etc ones are not used to link to diseases but to gather statistics on users of the services.
one person used the term mulatto upthread. that is not an acceptable term. someone else quoted a deleted post, while decrying an offensive term, then used it twice !

Wellbeck ; I think you may be referring to me about using an offensive term, I will hold my hands up to that because I had to write it to make my point and if you read my post you will see that I said it gives me physical pain to even write that word, in fact it was the word that someone posted before me that has now been withdrawn as they probably realised their mistake. Go ahead and report my post if you wish but my post was saying how disgusted I felt to see that terminology on G.N. in fact in all the posts and threads I have seen regarding racism and colour on G.N. that is the first time I have seen that and believe me I was not happy and if this sort of thing happens in the posts then I will no longer use G.N.
I been a campaigner for the rights/equality of dual -heritage/black people in the U.K. for 35 years and I do not need comments that I used that horrible word because I like it. Also I saw the word you used in your post m;;;;;o another bad use of words, however you printed it so I say pot calling the kettle black.

Kandinski reply seems to indicate what the vast majority of people think on the matter. Honest, perhaps bordering on brutal.

And this thread was meant to challenge that. People in our family come in all shades from pale to dark. And only those with 'brown to dark brown' skin are considered as 'mixed race' (in the old Apartheid language- and that was NOT very long ago, labelled as 'coloured'). My very fair grand-children are never ever considered 'mixed race' and yet are even more so than their brown and dark brown cousins, from SA to Australia, Tasmania and the USA. And they will never have to face prejudice or discrimination. I am so happy about that- but it is the harsh reality.

There seems to be an assumption that someone who is British, French, other European, is white.

But, of course, not everyone is.
Your mother could be Scottish and your father Welsh, English or French but you could still be of mixed heritage.

Nationality and heritage are two different things.

"Nationality and heritage are two different things."
Plus 'race' and 'ethnicity.'
Why are we so obsessed with being of the same or a different group?
I remember reading something in one of Pepys' diaries about Dutch ships coming up the Thames, and Londoners were giggling because they were dressed so differently.
People with dark skin can't hide their difference (Michael Jackson tried to).
But even Jews , who have been persecuted for other reasons, can pass themselves off as gentiles. As many did during WW2

One of our cousins did use many potions to lighten her skin- because of the prejudice- even after Apartheid.

One of them came to train as a nurse in London. Got British nationality as her grandfather was British. When she returned to Cape Town as a qualified nurse- with her British qualifications and passport- she was not allowed to work in white hospitals. As it happens- she had an English Consultant friend she had trained with in London, and she went to work for him - but only in the operating theatre- once patients were under GA!