Race as a Fraction

(One of the best songs about race ever written)

Seeley is adorable, but something I haven't thought (or cared about) until now is her complexion. When I was pregnant I often thought about what she would look like. Would she look black or white? Would she have my curly, frizzy hair or something resembling Wes' straight, light hair? More importantly, how would she identify? When she was born, however, all of that went away. She's my adorable daughter who, for the moment, has straight black hair and blue eyes.

About a week after Seeley was born I was filling out information for her social security card when my midwife asked me to identify her race. "Um, white. No, black. White and black? Let me talk with Wes on that." Technically, Seeley is 1/4 black, but how ridiculous does that sound? I have a black father and a white mother but I identify as black. I have black features and dark skin. For me it's that simple. But what will she do since she might not "look black"?

If we really want to get technical, Seeley is more German than anything. My "white" side is German and Wes is Swedish and German. So that would make Seeley 1/4 black, 1/4 Swedish, and 1/2 German! But I'm pretty sure my daughter isn't a pie chart:)