By Kimberly Wolford, Student Reporter
Minda Hyde, senior exercise science/pre-occupational therapy major from Hampden, Maine, grew up in a predominately white community. She attended a predominately white school system and never noticed racial differences.
Hyde is one of the many biracial students attending ACU. She is half-Filipino and half-Caucasian. According to the United States Census Bureau, more than six million bi-racial or multi-racial people live in the U.S.
“I haven’t met any form of discrimination,” Hyde said. “At least not any that I have been made aware of.”
According to a Stanford study, marriages between blacks and whites accounted for 2 percent of all marriages in 1970. That number rose to more than 7 percent in 2005.
Less than four decades ago, U.S. laws prohibited interracial marriage. Although now there are no laws against dating or marrying outside of one’s race, students say some parents, pastors and other role models influence younger generations to avoid interracial relationships.
Although Hyde has never met any form of discrimination herself, she does remember hearing stories about how her parents were discouraged from dating.
“My aunts, uncles and grandparents weren’t 100 percent supportive of their relationship at first,” Hyde said. “This is mostly because of the stereotypes of American Navy men in the Philippines.”
Hyde said she remembers her mother telling her the reason behind the discouragement was they did not want the stereotype of Americans to be associated with their family. Historical accounts of American military men at the time were that they would become involved in short relationships with the local women and leave after the women became pregnant. This stereotype was not always correct, as illustrated by Hyde’s parents.
Discouraging interracial relationships is a traditional Asian belief, she said.
Ijeoma Moronu, sophomore health promotions major from Fort Worth, has met many challenges because she is of mixed race. Moronu is half-Malaysian and half-Nigerian.
Moronu said she moved to the U.S. in the third grade, but remembers going to American schools when she lived abroad.
“When I was here, I went to a predominately white school,” Moronu said. “But I didn’t really notice that I was one of the only children of color till later on in life.
Moronu said she was oblivious to racial tensions until she got older and the tensions hit closer to home.
“I personally have never even thought of the possibility of dating a white guy,” Moronu said. “I feel like they wouldn’t want to date me, at least that’s how I felt in high school. I’ve always been open to the idea but even though I’ve been surrounded with Caucasians, the opportunity hasn’t really come up.”
Moronu said attending ACU slightly has changed her outlook on interracial relationships.
“I am still open to it but I still feel like I don’t know whether to start liking them because of my color,” she said.
Whitney Puckett, sophomore interior design major from Melbourne, Fla., said she also has faced discrimination for being biracial. Puckett is biracial and was adopted into a white family.
“I went to mostly white private schools and had the ‘honor’ of being the only girl without a date because the white guys didn’t want to bring me home to mother,” Puckett said.
Puckett said he thinks biracial people should be treated the same as any other person.
“If you do not have enough self-worth and identity to think beyond skin color, then you are truly missing out on giving God the chance to mold you,” she said.
Hyde said the biggest moments of confusion for her have come when filling out surveys, applications or standardized tests.
“I never really knew what to fill in,” Hyde said. “I wasn’t sure if I should put Asian, Pacific Islander or Caucasian because I had heard all three.”
