As a biracial student, I am African American and Egyptian. Since I was born there was this split between my mother’s and my father’s side of the family. As I got older, I was able to recognize the difference in skin color of my family around me. I always felt different.

Growing up my mother always tried to keep me around African Americans because I was their skin tone, and they were more welcoming to me than Egyptians were. In Egypt, people with darker skin tones are seen as ugly. My grandfather would refuse to go out into the sun for too long in fear of turning darker. I didn’t speak Arabic because I had a speech problem and learning English was difficult when also speaking Arabic. So imagine, having a darker skin tone and not speaking Arabic made me feel more and more distance from my family.

But being around other African Americans was no walk in the park either. Sure, I was able to blend in with them at first glance, but making friends was a whole new challenge. I didn’t act Black, and I’m sure you’re as confused as I am about that sentence. How can someone act Black? Well, some of the stereotypes people hear are correct. Many African Americans are unique in their own way and can sometimes have a negative way to act or talk.

In middle school I sat with the rejects. They weren’t my friends, but they were people that didn’t have a set friend group to hangout with. Even in High School, I’ve noticed that now. There are friend groups of mostly the similar people. Whether it’s the bad kids, the shy kids, or the cool kids there is always set friend groups, and most of the time one race dominates them all.

There can sometimes be a group of White kids with a Spanish kid or a Black kid in the mix. Now I know this all sounds messed but if you pay close enough attention you will notice it too.

When it came to me in school, I didn’t fit into any friend groups. I didn’t act Black enough. I listened to what would be considered “White music”, but I wasn’t White, I didn’t act or speak Arabic and even though I looked Spanish I would always get put on the spot when someone started to talk to me in Spanish, and I would panic.

Being biracial isn’t as simple as it seems, whether you are the child or the parent. There will always be parts of it that will be misunderstood and people that don’t believe you are biracial or don’t approve of it. Maybe this should be something that more light should be put on as the biracial community grows.

There is really no way to end the way biracial teens feel in their community because at the end of the day it always comes down to racism, and the way the people around us are thinking. Even with ourselves we can be a little racism and grow not to care to fit in.