Hello Shamontiel L. Vaughn,

I enjoyed reading your piece and feel you brought up some good points. While I don’t believe you should tell someone who’s biracial how to live their life, you can enlighten them (we’re speaking about those mixed with Black here) about your life experiences being a Black woman, as well as Black history, when necessary. Take your friend for example. If he makes an ignorant statement about Blacks you are well within your rights to correct him. Also, if you were asked a question regarding Black affairs, you could be one to enlighten those who are inquiring. You can always positively impact someone’s life when the opportunity presents itself. It’s up to the person on the receiving end of your comments to learn and grow.

J. Stokes