Romesh Ratnesar's Essay 'Beating The Wrap'

The United States is known as the place to achieve the American Dream and one of the attributes that make the U.S. distinctive is variety of races and ethnicities from people all across the country. According to Romesh Ratnesar in his essay “Beating the Wrap”; he believes that people of mixed-race ancestry should not identify themselves as belonging to one race or another, but as “multiracial.” On the other hand, I do not agree with this statement. I believe that how people choose to define their race is their personal decision. If they want to consider themselves multiracial, that is acceptable or if they want to consider themselves another race that is acceptable as well. The fact that Romesh Ratnesar believes that mixed-race people should not confine to one race is his personal opinion. Everyone has a different perspective on his or her race and

People tried to fit me into a box and I thought that was how it was supposed to be. I know now how wrong that was." Courtney’s statement goes against Romesh Ratnesar’s opinion; I believe in her statement because it is her personal value and opinion. She has every right to have an opinion and to consider herself “both”. There is nothing wrong with that. Furthermore, in an article from The Root.com titled, ‘Beyond Biracial: When Blackness Is a Small, Nearly Invisible Fraction’, the article states, “Stephanie Troutman, a 36-year-old professor at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., has a white mother and a black father…. I am a mixed woman…” Stephanie considers herself a “mixed woman” and that is completely acceptable. She has every right to call herself a “mixed woman”. There is nothing wrong that. This is her personal belief about how she feels towards her race and mixed background. Furthermore, in the New York Times article, ‘Counting by Race Can Throw Off Some Numbers’ by Susan Sulny, the article states,