OK Dwayne, I’m trying to wrap my head around what you are saying. “Race” is certainly a big challenge in our country, and we have a lot to sort out. But your article seems to say a few things I can’t understand. So here goes;

First, what ever identity Meghan Markle chooses to take is hers to take. That choice is hers and hers alone. It does not belong to you or anyone else. If she chooses to be “neutral”, as you put it, it’s her right to do so. Demanding otherwise is racial discrimination in itself.

I’m not sure why anyone needs to describe themselves in a racial context, unless of course they want to. I can only imagine how some “racists” would respond if she chose to identify only with her “white side”. There is no rule that says she has to openly embrace either side.

I’m also not sure where the “one-drop” idea came from, but I can tell you none of us are racially “pure”. We are all multi-racial. The completion of the human genome project and its commercial applications such as “23 and me”, “Ancestry.com” or any number of other resources has made that knowledge both common and affordable. I can trace my genetic back to Africa, but it is likely a shorter” journey” than yours.

Finally, I think that forcing people into little racial boxes is racist in itself. If my gene pool is 40% Caucasian, 30% North African, 20% Asian and 10% mixed (Neanderthal and other ancient ancestors) does that make me a different person than if I were 40% North African, 30% Caucasian, 20% Asian and 10% mixed? I don’t think so. And what little race-box would I fit in any way? We’ll end up with a lot of boxes if we try to categorize race in singular, bi-racial or multi-racial contexts. It ends up meaning nothing….which is probably good.

If Meghan Markle, or any other person, bi-racial, multi-racial or otherwise, chooses not to choose, that may well be a lesson we all need to learn.

FTR: I was good with Barack Obama. I didn’t always appreciate his politics, but I did appreciate his humanity; but his skin color and personal choice of identity were his to make and that was fine with me.