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If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you know I promote the blasian community. A lot. It's no secret that I love sharing about the Asian Black Community of families and those with biracial blasian heritage. After all my own son is blasian. Within my community everyone knows what this term means and celebrates it.  Outside the community.....



Well that's another story. So many people outside the mixed race community have never heard of the term blasian. Heck some people inside the mixed race community don't know what the term blasian means. It's not as well known as the term Hapa use to describe those with half asian heritage.

Many times I have to explain, sometimes in detail, that the term blasian is valid and that there is a large and vibrant community. I've been trying to do this for over 10 years. Over 10 years.  Am I succeeding in spreading awareness of what it means to be blasian outside the community?

Well this is the topic I'm going to discuss during the next Swirl chat via twitter TODAY

For those who don't know, Swirl is "a national multi-ethnic organization that challenges society's notions of race through community building, education, and action" Plus there really cool and fun people.

Wanna join in? The more the merrier!

WHEN: July 13, 2012 3 pm EST (2 pm CT; 12 pm PT)

WHO TO FOLLOW: @AsianBlackCo and @Swirlinc

TOPIC: Spreading Blasian Awareness

HOW TO JOIN: Follow the hashtag #Swirlchat and #BlasianAwareness

All are welcome, whether your blasian or not, so hope to see you there! Leave a comment with your twitter name to let me know you'll be there.

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Recently I was ranting on twitter about the need to paint my son's toys a different color aka race. I figured I was the only mom who would do something like that. Until I received a tweet from Melissa sharing she also did this. Of course I asked her to share her story – Onica, editor

There is something special and difficult about raising a child of color. I am honored that my daughter is biracial. I feel that it makes her special. It gives her color, heritage and culture. But there is also an up hill battle that I must fight. Society is not ready to embrace the idea that 'everyone is beautiful regardless of their color'. Instead, they feed us the notion that that only one particular look is right.



I've taken my sharpie many times to my daughter's books and toys and have given them color. I know that it is vital for her to see herself in these heroes, in these main characters, to build her self esteem.

Some of my friends call me crazy for doing it. They tell me that I am being over sensitive to these stories but I know that I am doing what is best for my daughter and for her character.

When I was growing up, there was shame in the color of my skin because I was surrounded by images of people who were not like me. I don't not want to see my daughter go thru the same thing. Even if it means that I have to hide dolls that are given to her by family members that do not look like her, or that I have to give her book characters some color.

I try my best to look for books and toys that look like my daughter. Who reflect the ideals that I want her to learn but it is hard to control the world. It is hard to control what other people give her. I don't want to seem ungrateful, or unwilling to take the gifts but at the same time I don't want to taint my daughter's perception of what is beautiful.

I know that if I raise her to believe that she is beautiful, she can conquer anything. And it is my hope that she learns to love herself and where she comes from. Even if I have to give her toys and books a 'little color'

Melissa is a Latina Mommy to a biracial child, a wife in an interracial relationship and a women with a lot of passions: education, activism and more recently health. Melissa says she's a walking contradictions of sorts. She walks a fine line between two worlds and make no excuses when it comes to her views. You can read her blog Painting Mariposas in The Sky and follow her on twitter as @melissalibertad

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Recently, I was asked by a very dear friend if I worried my sons would face different life experiences because of their complexions. I wanted to say "No".   In fact, I did say "No".  However, after giving it some thought I wonder if I gave the right answer.



After the Trayvon Martin scandal, race has been featured much more prominently in the media. As a Latina, I consider myself a woman of color, even though I have a light complexion. I am after all Puerto Rican, a race which is part Spaniard, part Taino and part African. As a result, you will find a multitude of hues on the isla/island. It's also not uncommon to find that same multitude within ones own family. Maybe because of this, and the fact that I live in a NYC, one of the largest melting pots, that I never gave it much thought and neither have my sons.

Yet, now that my oldest is going off to college, my boys and I can't help but broach this topic. My teen's college advisement group was the first to bring up the issue of race and color. They want to ensure the students are prepared for the college transition. As a result, they have students discuss taboo subjects, those that many do not want to speak of, topics which include race and color.

Hearing about his group discussion reminded me of a conversation I had many years ago with another close friend called Fina. Fina is an Afro-Latina. In college, she noted that she was not accepted by many "lighter" Latinas. She may have shared a language with them, but she believed the color of her skin caused her to be cast out of many Latina cliques. Remembering this conversation saddened me. It also made me re-evaluate a few preconceived notions I had about ethnicity and color.

I am color blind to my sons' hues. Those within my circle are as well. However, this did not guarantee that they would not encounter discrimination. In fact, I know they will. As minority Latino men they WILL encounter biases. It's a given. I accept that and strove to prepare them for that. What I did not broach before this was the discrimination one, or both of my sons, would encounter, not because of their ethnicity, but because of their complexion. Because in the end, my family and I may be color-blind, but most of the world is not, no matter how vehemently they claim they are.

Let's talk! Have you ever been judged by your race or complexion? How did you react? Share in the comments!

Migdalia Rivera, a single mother of two boys, created Latina On a Mission to fill a need within the blogosphere for Latinas who have acclimated to the United States culture, yet still hold onto their Latino heritage. You can also find Migdalia tweeting about her love of coffee, fashion and food as @MsLatina on twitter.

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