There is a wide range of different races at White Station, 66% of the population being minorities.  Although Memphis is a city where most people are progressive, mixed race people still struggle against prejudice and discrimination.

“When I go to Mississippi and other places like that, especially when I’m with my dad or my mom, I get kind of odd looks because we don’t look alike at all,” Briahna Macklin (11), who is Black and White, said.

Mixed people are seen as a separate race, not quite fitting in with either of their ethnicities. Finding an identity for oneself is difficult when that person is constantly told that they are not what they really are.

“[People] don’t classify me as either [race] even though I’m both of them,” Abe Nakayama (10), who is White and Japanese, said.

There is also sometimes prejudice within families and communities. Many mixed people do not feel completely comfortable when in a community of one of their races.

“I kind of feel a little ostracized from both groups that I’m mixed with,” Maya Saxe (10), who is White and Indian said.

Mixed people struggle to fit into society due to the stigma surrounding them. Many people are confused by mixed races and make assumptions about them that are not necessarily true. They are often seen as confused or outcasts.

“I feel like a lot of people think that we don’t belong and that we don’t know where we belong,” Macklin said.

This is most likely because being mixed is a relatively new concept. Interracial marriage has been less stigmatized for a short period of time, having only been legalized in 1967. While there were definitely still mixed people before recent years, it was not talked about or seen in a positive light.

Despite this stigma, a positive view of mixed races can progress.

“We need to have more conversations about mixed people and see them as real people instead of half a thing and then half another thing,” Saxe said.