I saw this and thought about my grandmother and our “blasian” (“blackasian”) nephew.
My grandmother, when she was still around, used to call my then 3-4 year old nephew “Chocolate”, because he was “black but not that black.” When Barack Obama became president my grandma was elated. I recall her saying, “This means our Chocolate can be president someday.”
I am sure my grandmother had concerns when she found out one of her grandchildren was marrying a black guy. But my grandmother wasn’t racist – she was (as Asian Tiger Parents can be), however, pragmatic and a realist.
You realized that she loved her “black but not that black” great grandchild, but worried that the blackness could mean the child face prejudices and discrimination, and not necessarily have the same access to opportunities as other not-so-black Americans. She worried about disenfranchisement of those in her *tribe.
On another extreme, she also told me before I left for Afghanistan in 2009, “Promise me you won’t die – other people’s kids can die, but not you.” Oh sure grandma, if the bullets start flying I’ll just throw some other kid in the way. “Sorry bro, promised my Nana!”
I don’t know what she would feel today if she were still around. But if she had doubts, I would say the same thing I said back then. “It’ll be ok.”
you hate mosquitoes too 