My wife and I are a mixed-race couple. She is Black, and I am White.  Our newborn son, Ivan, is neither.  Or both.  Or a mix.  To be precise, I guess he is ½ Black, ½ White, tan, beige or gray, depending on whether you like fractions, whether you like shades of brown, or whether you are literally color-blind and only see shades of Black and White.

 

Recently, census data emerged showing that the number of mixed-race people like Ivan is growing.  And, more of them are identifying themselves as “mixed” rather than to one group or another.

 

Clearly, our society is becoming more open, freer, more accepting, but as anyone with family members of another race can attest, things are far from perfect.  So, to what do we attribute this rapidly growing number of mixed-race people?

 

Here’s my top 10 reasons for the growing number of mixed-race people:

 

1.  Sex between people of different races . . . I think.  I say “I think” because it’s been a long time since I, the father of a newborn child, has had any sex.  I barely remember what the word means.

 

2.  Beige is the new “Black”

 

3.  If you want to upset your family, a nose-ring is good, quitting grad school or your job is better, but marrying and having children with someone of a different race is still the best.

 

4.  Being the same as everyone else is so Scandinavian

 

5.  Because maybe your kid will become President too

 

6.  Having a mixed-race kid is the surest way to get the kid into a Baby Gap ad (to say nothing of Benetton)

 

7.  Hey, if Seal and Heidi Klum can do it, then why can’t I?

 

8.  It annoys racists . . . a lot.

 

9.  Angelina Jolie and Sandra Bullock need more kids to adopt.

 

10.  Because life (and love) are better when you mix it up.

 

To all of you out there who are in mixed-race couples or who are, yourselves, mixed-race people, my wife, Ivan and I salute you: