Textual Poaching

Miscegenation is defined as “the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types.” Up until 1967, miscegenation was illegal in most of the United States. In the ground-breaking case, Loving v. Virginia a white man fought for the right to live with and love his African-American wife in his home state of Virginia. However, despite the legalization of such relationships, many stereotypes and stigmas are still associated with interracial relations. Stemming from a long history of separation and discrimination, the mixing of two races was seen as a pollution or desecration of one’s gene pool and ancestry. Individuals in other countries, especially under Nazi Germany and Apartheid South Africa, were harassed, incarcerated and sometimes killed for trying to live with the people they loved. Despite steep consequences, there have been brave people willing to fight for the right to love whom they want. Over the past several decades, archaic sentiments have dissipated and a sharp rise in interracial marriages worldwide has been seen.  Even within my own family I have seen a similar trend. In the generation of my grandparents, there exist 0 interracial marriages. In the generation of my parents, 7% of the relationships in my family are between two races, and within my generation it jumps to about 16%.
However, mixed-race relationships still face concerns about cultural compatibility and racial differences. I found in my search through popular media and films, that essentially all bi-racial love stories were characterized with a struggle to overcome bias and judgements. These kinds of stories still exist today. There needs to be push against all forms of discrimination and allowing people to be seen just as people without color. Although in my own personal experience, I haven’t faced outright racism or discrimination for my choice of companion, I have often been questioned about the practicality and functionality of dating a Latino man as a white woman. I have been warned of our destined future as ‘second class citizens’ and the financial and cultural struggles we may face. I hope that in sharing my personal experience through rewriting Shakespeare’s well-known play Othello, that I might help others see into the reality of mixed-race relationships today. I hope this piece serves as remix of socio-cultural ideas and experiences and allows for a more critical approach to these ideas and their representation in media, (Building a Critical Culture with Remix Video - Jonathan McIntosh).





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