The challenges of biracial children in Russia


For biracial or mixed race children in Russia growing up can be a challenge. It often means being singled out at school, discriminated against and sometimes even being attacked by Neo Nazi skinheads.

But the Afro-Russian organisation for mixed race children 'Metis' supports the children and learns them to love themselves for what they are and shows them that they are not alone. And not without reason.

In 2006 two men attacked and stabbed a 9-year-old girl of mixed Russian and African heritage in St Petersburg when she was returning home after a walk. The incident came just days after a St Petersburg jury acquitted a teenager of fatally stabbing a 9-year-old Tajik girl two years ago.

According to the Russian Cloudwatcher-Times (Russian) in 2010 in one incident, biracial children were been beaten with chains by skinheads near their own house. They survived because their light brown uncle rescued them.

Because of these challenges and because most biracial children are often raised by a single white mother, the founder of Metis proposed a drastic solution. Warn Russian white female students for the consequences of having relationships with Africans and giving birth to a biracial child. See the story 'A SMALL TRAGEDY' below.

The founder of Metis is Emilia Tynes-Mensa and she is of mixed Russian and African-American heritage. In an interview she talks about the Metis program. "We give children education, language training ,computer classes ,we organise events, but more importantly we learn them to love themselves for what they are and show them that they are not alone."

And the program works. Seventeen year-old Fatima Udayevna said it took her a long time to join the Metis program because she too was afraid. "Its use to be even more difficult; when you would ride on public transportation and they would see a black person they would start pointing at them,’ she said. "They’d say, ‘Look, a black person!’"

But Udayevna said with help from the program, she’s really found herself and she’s comfortable in her own skin. As for the future, the self-assured Udayevnya said she’s got big dreams, but not here in Russia. “I play two instruments, the violin and the piano. I also work as a model and dance. My life is bright,” she said, “and in the future I hope to move to Europe and be successful there if possible.” Read the interesting story and listen to the audio here.

Emilia Tynes-Mensa has been the main force behind the organisation. Her father, George Tynes, was an African-American. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Tynes fled to the Soviet Union in 1933 to escape discrimination. He lived there for 51 years, working as a poultry specialist, and married a Russian woman.

About her father Emilia Tynes-Mensa wrote. "He could hardly imagine that half a century later his grandchildren would be leaving Russia for the same reason he had left the United States." Mensa is one of the first Blacks in the former Soviet Union to recieve a dual US/Soviet passport.

Website Metis at www.fundmetis.ru


A SMALL TRAGEDY
By Daria Okuneva

From Izvestiya, 16 September 2005

Recently Ryazan' was shaken by a wild scene. A ten year boy was beaten by his 40-year old neighbor. The kid was guilty only of not having white skin – he was a mixed-race (metis) child by the name of David Nahenu. David was taken to the hospital with bruises and injuries to the soft skin of his head. Luckily this story didn't have a tragic end: David recovered from his injuries, and the offender subsequently agreed to pay the compensation for the harm caused.

Based on data from the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN), from the 1960s up to now, more than 70,000 students from the “black continent” have been to Russia. Leaving behind a trace of their existence here, they left over 40,000 metis offspring. Today the number of children from mixed marriages is constantly on the rise, and all of them encounter the advent of xenophobia. Eight of every ten such kids are taken care of by Russian mothers who are in no condition to fight against poverty and a society turned nationalistic.


A normal story

“The story is similar for most of the girls,” says Emilia Tynes-Mensa, President of METIS-The Inter-Racial Children's Charity Fund. They met students from Africa in clubs and institutes. In their twenties, they are neat, clever and very sexy and of course they are also intrigued by the local blondes, and the blondes by them. Love affairs are started which often end in pregnancies. Africans are deeply convinced that kids are a blessing and the more there are, the better. They don't resist and with pleasure marry the Russian girls. And after five years they finish their education and fly back home. The young man who has graduated and knows a foreign language is considered an ideal husband [back in Africa]. Moreover the conservative African family at times looks negatively at “white” brides.

There is one more scenario, but it is truly very rare: the African takes his family along. Most of the girls find this variant acceptable. But in practice they find it nearly impossible to stay in Africa. In the first place many countries are experiencing civil wars, for example in Congo; also, there are the problems of poverty and high unemployment. Secondly, most mothers just can't adapt to the hot and dry climatic conditions and different epidemics, in particular malaria. Thirdly, for the ladies, probably the hardest thing is to accept their husbands' unfaithfulness. Africans are polygamists by nature, if this was subdued by the local order, then in their native land nearly all the healthily men have, if not more than one wife, then definitely more than one lover. And don't forget about the language and cultural barriers.


Chocolate tears

“What I hate most in the whole world is going to school,” confirms 12 year old metis Alina Silvia. “At home I was tenderly called ‘chocolate,' in class the name ‘starveling' has stuck on me. There was a time during physical education when I fell and soiled my uniform. I definitely cried. The others just laughed and said that I'm supposed to always wear dirty clothes so that the clothes match with my skin color and unclean origin. Another time, when I faltered at the blackboard, my classmates were shouting to the teacher: “Yes, she's stupid. It's a nigger from the palms”. It was very humiliating. At long last I convinced mother to take me from school. I study at home with hired teachers. Up to now I have very few friends, yep kids from the neighborhood, only one girl from my courtyard.”

The worst thing that takes place is that some of the teachers take part in hurting the metis. Many such examples have accumulated in the METIS organization. Angela, a dark skinned girl with a great voice, could not received her well-earned prize at young talents competition. She was told: “How can a nigger win in the festival of Our Home – Russia?”


Mother return me to womb

A truly tragic story was told by Galina Victorova Fedina, who is now taking care of her grandson, a metis. “After my son-in-law, an Ethiopian, left, my daughter tried in all ways to organize her private life. She had an affair with a Russian man and when things were heading towards marraige she decided to introduce him to her son. The man went berserk and shouted, ‘I hate prostitutes who sleep with niggers. Forget about the wedding!' My daughter was depressed, and later she went to another man, practically leaving me with the kid. Now we are not communicating.”

If there are no relatives ready to take in the metis, then he is in dire straights. Not long ago one of the organization's members heard over the radio that the director of a children's home was basically begging listeners to adopt a metis – he was being beaten by his age mates. Sadly METIS was not able to rescue the boy and the SOS signal was never repeated. METIS hopes the boy was adopted at long last, but we also fear that he might no longer be alive.


A message from Africa

Maybe the situation would not be this critical if the mothers were paid alimony. Theoretically it's possible but in practise, it's not realistic.

“The possibility of getting alimony from one of the African governments is maximum 10%”, - explained to NI Roman Dyachkov, head of the judicial firm Fact. In order to sue an African who is in his homeland, it's necessary to locate him first. No court will take the case if you don't prove that the person in case exists. You need to get his letters or bills. The consular departments are supposed to help in such instances but they normally don't deal with such cases. One has to use personal resources. Then the court starts calling the African to court hearings. More than half a year pass for the court to decide whether to listen to the case without the defendant. Even if you'll have the court's decision, it's not a fact that you'll be paid the money. Firstly, there may be no respective international agreement between Russia and the African country. Secondly, the court has to send a letter to the employers of the defendant, about the plaintiff who in most cases they have never heard about. Thirdly, even if the employer gets the letter, he can decide to ignore it. Practically the Russian court has no way of putting pressure on the person who is not paying alimony, if he is in Africa.

This way the decision of whether or not to support his Russian family is in the hands of the African father only. But according to METIS there are practically no cases of voluntarily payment of alimony. At home the Africans usually have families and usually they don't even have enough for them.


Prohibit love

The answer to the situation, according to Emilia Tynes-Mensa, is propaganda to female students. “Because when they start a relationship with Africans, most of them are not aware of the situation they are putting themselves into. The young ladies have no idea of African culture and taboos, nor about the effects of even a short affair with a fine African man. The decision to give birth to a metis child should be well thought out. Then the situation of the unusual child will be better.”

“Of course, we hope that the xenophobic mood of our society will come to an end,”

adds Tynes-Mensa.

According to specialists at the social-psychological centre of Moscow State University, the problem of discrimination against metis on the local arena is a problem that won't be solved soon. People are sour with the political-economical instability in Russia and they will aim their anger towards the “strangers” until the situation changes. The situation is worst in schools.

“In most cases in classes, the children who are physically and morally unfit,” says NI's judiciary director of the Moscow Bureau of Human Rights, Vladimir Novitski. “A metis will always be the minority, which is usually considered the weak enemy. With the advent of xenophobia some teachers also take out their aggression on the “stranger” kids, changing the stronger objects of hate with weaker ones. In this way the dark skinned kid becomes an outcast. According to us the only way to cure xenophobia within the youth is to have a program on tolerance in kindergartens. The existing projects have not produced the required results up to now. But we will keep on hoping that soon or later Russians will - at long last - have tolerance in relation to people from other nationalities and with different skin color.” (Source Fundmetis.)


See the trailer 'Family Portrait in Black and White' of biracial children in the former Soviet Union republic Ukraine. The children in Russia are in a similar situation. See the post of Ukrainian children here.


Also read the post Video: Black in Russia - harsh life on the streets in Moscow

54 Comments

  1. It is most unfortunate that people with black skin are descriminated in most parts of the world. The girl child is also mostly affected especially if she is biracial. Women in Africa should be aware of their rights especially when it comes to the issue of alimony. I come from Kenya and we have a new constitution which has covered the issue of alimony. Women are now aware of their rights and should fight for them we have organisations who defend women in desperate situation NAMELY (FIDA). Africa as a continent should wake up individual countries should have and implement constitution that bring change and development and not Retrogression. Let women empower themselves through education and let it start with the girlchild in Africa.

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  2. Nice post.

    I just came back from Croatia. The place is beautiful, but while there my fears of the past came back for a brief period. I was looked at by the Croatians as if they've never seen a Black person before - which is probable. But I didn't let that condition my stay and my holidays too much because I've developed a thick skin to the ignorants stares. However, I do understand that teenages or children of Black descent are uncomfortable when they are looked at and pointed at as if they are strange beings. I don't know if that will ever change but talking and writing about how they should let that condition the way they live or their identity is a great message and a big step.

    I really love your blog.

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  3. This is excellent. You are highlighting a story and organisation unknown to many people of African descent in Europe. Keep up the good work!

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  4. Ohima and Euromight, thanks for the compliment! And Ohima, you are right, in spite of everything we should continue to travel and explore the world.

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  5. Long post but very informative. It is so sad too.

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  6. nice post on an important topic. But I find it sad to read, how full of internalized racism the arguments of the METIS-woman herself are. Apart from depicting Africa as if it was a country, she also feeds into the racist stereotypes of all African men being polygamous, wanting to reproduce themselves and having numerous lovers at the side... she might be right with her point, that the white mothers are to naive and dont know anything about their black partners and their culture - but I wonder if one can fight that problem by reproducing stereotypes.

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  7. Anonymous, thanks! I agree with you, I also have my thoughts about her solution. It's an extreme argument in an extreme society.

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  8. Like Anon said on March 4 (2:09), she is making ignorant claims about Africans and African culture. There is no one-size fits all to this debate, every relationship between a young african and a young russian blonde will be different. There might be similar situations but their outcomes will depend on the individuals involved.
    Thanks for posting about this issue especially as black people around the world are trying to move forward with life.

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  9. Great post!

    This isn't a 'pc' answer but, I agree that Russian women need to be very careful when deciding to have relations with AA men/African men. It's no coincidence that most of these kids are w/o their father and 70% of the black kids in US are born to parents who aren't married and fathers who end up not being involved in their lives. I would give the same advice to bw in the US that she is giving to these Russian women.

    That story of the attacks/murders of the little girls is just sick! Russia needs to pay attention to these matters, especially with the World Cup coming to their country in the next few years.

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  10. I'm an American....My son (13) is half African American and His Dad is Russian.....He is beautiful and smart......I would love to adopt a Bi-racial child from Russia... maybe 4, 5, or 6....I can not have more children.......Please contact me......Sharon PG88440@Gmail.com

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  11. I'm an American....My son (13) is half African American and His Dad is Russian.....He is beautiful and smart......I would love to adopt a Bi-racial child (Boy) from Russia... maybe 4, 5, or 6....I can not have more children.......Please contact me......Sharon........at PG88440@Gmail.com
    I will do my best to give him a good life.....

    MAY 4, 2011 12:19 PM

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  12. "Tynes fled" from America "to the Soviet Union in 1933 to escape discrimination."

    How ironical! The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence.

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  13. Whats wrong with the women?

    Sleeping with a foreign student - who is not going to even live in the country, and having his baby, may actually be a crime of stupidity.

    Who Does that ?

    Its almost laughable. These kids are doomed from the get-go.

    I dont care if you are curious - you should know what Black Men are like. THey dont have respect for family like Westerners do. If you want to sleep with them - be prepared to be stuck with his outcast child.

    I have no sympathy for these stupid folk. They should face discrimination for being the children of irresponsible parents

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Please do not generalize. In Africa, we have great regard for family. Families stick together and we take marriage seriously.In Africa, you will not see an African that has been married 3-4-5-6 times and with 3-4-5... ex spouses. If the blacks in your country don't have regards for family and marriage, I think it's more of a societal or individual issue and not a racial or 'non-western' one A Russian girl that chooses to have a child with an African male student that most likely does not have the right to stay beyond the time allowed by his 'student visa' has serious vulnerability and rationality issues and she most frankly left her senses behind in 'wisdomland' while attending college in Moscow.

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    3. Timmy you are very hateful and ignorant.

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  14. Timmy, everyone can comment on this blog, but please mind your language. Children are children and where I come from we respect them whatever their race or nationality.

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  15. LOL - where did I even use profanity? whats wrong with my language? is it too proper ?

    I am NOT saying anything about the kids. Im saying that the mothers made a mistake by sleeping with the short term foreign students - and should now rightfully have to live with their mistakes

    You cant just go around sleeping with anybody and then have a cry when you're stuck with their baby. Thats absurd.

    Having been born and raised in South Africa I know a thing or two about black culture - and its not good. Black men would have up to 10 kids to about 4 women at times.

    Its pathetic - this should not be celebrated. BLACK MEN HAVE SOME SENSE AND KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS YOU UNCIVILIZED IDIOTS

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  16. Timmy, ik heb comments gewist omdat je nu wel hebt gezegd wat je wilde zeggen. Ik neem aan dat je als South African, dit wel kunt lezen.

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  17. Timmy Rider, you're obviously a self-righteous racist bigot. If you experiences of so-called "black culture" from South Africa have defined your views of what is means to be Black and Africa, then you have a very narrow-minded worldview. You must know that your singular experiences in that country cannot define an entire race. Have some respect and focus on creating a solution for these children rather than finding fault in these women. Basically, you're bashing things that happened in the past as if they can affect the present. That's idiotic.

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  18. Who is anyone to deny his experiences? I wish, though, that one race or one country did just what he claims to hate, men having many kids by many women without any responsibility. Life would be easier if just one people did this.

    In reality, though, too many people of ALL races have kids without thinking about the consequences. This is hardly a South African problem.

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  19. Anya, that doesn't make sense.

    Fact is the Russian mothers should be smarter than just sleeping with a student who they KNOW are not gonna be around for the kid.

    Especially in Russia - where they dont bother with multiculturalism.

    If you are stupid enough to be saddled with a black baby from a lowlife, well don't come crying afterwards...

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    1. The Black men in Russia, are at university to further their education. Maybe the women their should keep their legs closed. Don't just blame the men. You know, you sound JEALOUS!!

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  20. I have to say I agree with Timmy.

    Don't have kids with people you know aren't staying, especially if you live in a racist country that might not accept the child because he or she is "different."

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  21. I agree with truth2011. Russia is like the most racist place on earth, so don't have kids with someone if he's gonna go back to his country. Don't even go study there if you're different, Russians aren't the smartest people on the planet!!!! I too grew up in south africa and i think timmy is an idiot with his dumb statements on race. You sir, are very uneducated

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  22. Hello to everybody,

    Firstly, I would like to strongly thank Afro-Europe for this idea and this blog. As an afrodescendant raised in Spain, I really appreciate the idea of connecting black people around the world, I wish we were more happy to unite in order to think and work together for our people and to offer a good contribution to the world. I'm sure that something of the so called African culture or black culture around the world may be very valuable to the planet.

    Secondly, related to the text below, I'm too sad for those children, I really admire them and there mothers for their struggle to survive, for our struggle to survive. Though, I want to point out 2 things: It's quite reasonable the idea that Russian girls should be aware of how their society behave towards diversity in general and about dark skinned people in particular. I would not like to give to birth a black kid in a white racist place. But I do understand that we are people, and specially young people do not think of consecuences of our actions when we are young. If you dare to do have black baby in Russia, you should be able to protect him by leaving the country or creating a safe environment for him in your country. Otherwise, I think that's a harmful mistake.

    2º point. There is a big problem about those young african students who feel free to reproduce themselves everywhere and with everyone when they know they are surely gonna leave soon. What kind of parents are they? It's really disappointing. And I haven't seen a blame on them through the comments. It's just incredible. Russian authorities should oblige them to take responsability of their sons before been allowed to leave. If you want a baby, take your responsability and make sure your son won't be an orphan. It's very sad, I cannot believe these situations are still happening.
    And last but not least, It should also be a more restrictive law in most of the African countries about mixed -race marriage. World is changing, and diversity is a way to assure to future and your likns and support all over the world. Being half African and half Russian, and living in USA may be crucial for the planet's future if you hold a job of international consecuences. I mean, having very diverse origins makes you feel closer to diverse sensibilities. That's the reason why some people refuse bi-national/birracial people, but this world is global and the solution should also be crucial. USA did not invade or tried to conquest europe once they wer stronger because the had blood and cultural closeness, on the contrary, after the II World War, they launched the European Recovery Program to help finnishing with starvation and poverty after destruction.

    Sorry for the long essay. And thanks a lot again for your idea.

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  23. Just to correct one sentenced I wrote. Instead of " It should also be a more restrictive law in most of the African countries about mixed -race marriage", I meant, ... a more inclusibe law...", especially on the moral and societal costumes and traditions. Yes, a kid is a bless, that why you should act out responsably and bring him to life when you are ready to take care of him. We are not irrational animals, we are able to plan our life. We must be able to.

    Anonymous or Simon

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  24. Simon, thanks for the comment and the compliment. And I don't mind a long essay!

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  25. This is why there is an anti-immigrant sentiments in Western countries What goes in your head to think you can just father kids in a foreign country and then return to your country as if you don't have responsibilities to the kid you just fathered.

    A human being doesn't do this, an animal does. This is why some black Americans refuse to put "African American" down.

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  26. The mistakes made by young African students does not absolve the Russians from protecting the rights of these youngsters.This situation would never happen in Western Countries because they take every effort to create an atmosphere where the kids can grow with a sense of pride and confidence in themselves.

    Russia is one of the few European countries where skin color is the litmus test for acceptance into the larger society. Their ignorance plunged them into Communism, poverty and dictatorship for 50 years and now they are displaying total ignorance and cruelty by not condemning and punishing people who are attacking innocent Russian kids who happen to be biracial. Russia has a long way to go before it is truly considered "a civilized society"

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  27. First of all, huge thank you for this blog :)
    I myself am a child of a mixed-racial relation and was raised by my mother in one of the post-soviet states. The discussion about the parental responsibilities here is however, to me, missing the point by targeting the oh-so irresponsible women and promiscuous men. Please do not forget history and how Soviet Union tried to promote itself as a color-blind society not because it was, but because it was tangled up in the Cold war battle with US. Inviting people from completely different cultures, worldviews on marriage, family, religion into one's own country and then chastising them for being so "barbarian" (btw, reiterating the imperial colonial rhetoric that has led to the pillaging of the african continent by the west) is to be completely self-absorbed and ignorant of difference and history. "Yes, please come to our country, boost our international image, BUT for god's sake, behave civilized, which means like us, the enlightened white race". Interesting double standard.
    On a side note, my father HAD to leave because he couldnt get papers or a job in USSR just prior to its collapse when all the ugliness that has been swept under the carpet by soviet propaganda began surfacing.
    What is now needed is not wallowing in the past of whose fault it was that biracial children are now the outcasts in a society dominated by russian pride (also the result of a bruised ego) but thinking of ways to tackle the problem. This blog is a great example, allowing people of mixed heritage to reclaim agency, not be forced to ignore, hide or be ashamed of their heritage.
    Also, tackling nationalist russian rhetoric the discourse of which is always exclusionary and is always to the benefit of the group which finds itself in a dominant position - white and male.
    The category of "race" itself was invented to categorize, classify, all with one goal - to control and conquer. Lets think of ways to move beyond classifications and definitely beyond pretentious finger pointing

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  28. Anonymous, thanks for showing the other side of the story about the “irresponsible women and promiscuous men”. It's so easy to fall into this trap. And also thanks for history lesson, very informative!

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  29. I never had any serious problems in the 9 years I was living in Russia. And for the few I had and have is not the nazis fault because I don't like immigrants/non-whites myself. No race mixing - no problems. People should breed animals if they want fun.

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  30. What an ignorant statement from someone who claims to be biracial or nonwhite. You did not have any problems over the last 9 years may be because you were pandering to the whites by telling them that you donot like immigrants or nonwhites.
    Donot judge people by the color of their skin and make judgements on a whole group. Donot accept your inferiority. Self loathing is the legacy of colonialism. The problem is not about race mixing but about how civilized society is to accept people who are different than themselves. If they are given opportunities like all other childern, they will be great assets for their society and not a liability.
    I am sure these are not the only kids born out of wedlock in Russia or Ukraine. The issue is more about their skin color than anything else. That is why these countries fall below civilized standards when they do this in 2012.

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  31. I am speechless... I mean people made families and had children during the period of slavery in America while realizing that their children will be slaves too, people had and have children during war time, people have children in Somalia for God's sake! Even here in Norway we are aware of racism, here we have some issues too, but it does not mean that we should stop loving and having children too. There is nothing wrong in being biracial or having biracial kid.

    The last thing I want to say is that Metis is a business project for some people involved in it, therefore it has to bring profit, and to bring profit some people have to present the whole situation as awful one to get sponsorship.

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  32. ^^^ Nonsense. It's a problem when you have kids in racist countries and then leave the kids on some poor woman to raise by herself in a country where people that look different aren't accepted. That's the problem.

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  33. there is no country without racism, for you to know... I as a russian mother of two biracial boys that raises them by herself am asking you only one question - who the hell told you that we are poor women? first of all, lots and lots of fathers don't leave their children, they actually go with families to another places to live, whether this be in Africa or somewhere else. Secondly, even those women who stay in Russia manage their life not that low as Mensa is trying to present. there is always a bunch of people who live low, but skin color of their life or sexual partners has nothing to do with that. tens of thousands of kids are street kids in russia, but hardly all of them are half black, moreover most of them are white - then why don't people say that "why in fact russians make kids, since lots of them after leave those kids in streets?" russian women who have kids with black men are not necessary poor (in whatever meaning). it s really annoying to present us the way she presents us. although, we don't live in russia right now, my kids love to visit russia, and cry when they go back to norway. my best friend lives in Moscow with her two girls, and no way you can call her a poor woman, strong woman - yeah, but not poor. why do people stereotype all the time?

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  34. When I said poor, I didn't mean poor as in starving. I meant poor as in I pity them and their situation.

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  35. Yeah, I got that. But we are still not poor... We are exactly like all other women, and our children are exactly like other children.

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  36. What has happened to this beautiful country? I am African-American and went there as an exchange student in the 90's. I went back in the late 90's to visit the friends I made there, and reunited with fellow students. But when I suggested going back again net year, my friends told me to stay away. They said it's become to dangerous for blakcs there, even tourist.

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  37. In 1974 at the age of 19 I came to the USSR to study and lived their until 1979.I spent about 8 month in Karkov learning the language and on the summer of 75 moved to Moscow. I spent that summer with my fellow Ethiopians doing nothing but having fun. There I mate this girl, a medical student from Leningrad. I don't remember her last name now, but her first name was Olga. It was my first experience with a Russian girl,with any girl for that matter. She was completely crazy about me and one thing led to another, you know, and one day she told me that she is pregnant. I was shocked ofcource. She insisted on having the baby although abortion was leagal at the time. She was a loving person, unfortunatly I wasn't in a position to accomodate her wishes. At the end of the summer she went back to Leningrad and I stayed in Moscow and joined MICI. Latter a mutual friend told me she gave birth to a boy. I know it is a sad story and there wasn't much I could have done then.
    I did not graduate from MICI and left the country for good around 1979. I live now in the US.
    I knew about the danger of ultra-nationalists even then. I had some close Calls myself in korkov and in the suburbs of Moscow (Mitishi).
    I don't really know how to contact Olga and her son, who is about 37 years old now, with little information I have. I hope he made it to this age in light of what is happening to Afro-Russians and Africans. What is going to be your advice?

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  38. I think it is good the advice to russian woman and any kind of white girl to not have affair with black boys. The results are catastrophics,becuase the children will suffer a lot. You see blacks have their own culture, their own believing which we could not accept in a easy way. Of course I am against abortion but at least you can avoid it with not meeting black people. You will think I am racist but in fact I am a mixed marriage child. My dad have south native ancestry and my mun is a kind of mulato. I was born with nordic features because from both sides i have some north european heritage. That helps me a lot thanks God but i see how my friends with black skin suffer a lot at school. People could be so racist and ignorant. Sometimes people who knew my parents wanted to make racist coment about me, against that I always answered them with racist phrases too. After all,I was whiter than them and I have more nordic aspect that I used to help my black friends becuase people are more intereting in you when you are white with european aspect. It was hard to me to know It was a competition in my society of who is being the whitest that I always wan.
    It was very common when I was at university that my friend put me to be in front of a work because my aspect, they knew it was the only form our work would be aproved and it be congratulated because people mind changes so easily in front of a person with darker skin. So pain, but it is the true.
    Now my boyfriend is a tall blond blue eye guy and I think God always has good ideas,i prefer my children being whites and very blond, i know what happen with black and mixed children here,it is a very tragical story.

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    1. whoa it seems that you are ignorant and some of the things you say offended me, there is so much wrong with you comment I don't even know where to start.

      I'm black and grew up with a white family (who were un intentally racist) in a white city, yet I've never in my life wanted to be white, why because I am proud to be who I am, this is how God made me and I love it, there is nothing wrong with being black,mixed raced or any other race, you've just been brainwashed into thinking white is right and black is wrong, so what if people laugh at you and your child for being black or mixed raced you teach them to be proud of who they are, people used to laugh at Bob Marley too look how he used that anger.

      Sometimes love is blind and you can't help who you fall in love with you have purposely gone for a white man to wipe out blackness which I think is so wrong what are you going to do if suddenly kids start laugh at your son or daughter because they have big feet? or a big nose?

      I had white people laugh at me and you know what I did I put my head up high and told them I love being black and that I loved the fact that I didn't have to lie in the sun all day trying to get a suntan and they left me alone and I will tell my children the same thing black is beautiful, black is the orignal race which means everything came from black, you should celebrate your black heritage instead of running away from it.

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    2. I live in England have Two beutiful boys from a wonderful Russian women, I'm a black non African I'm actually of caribbean decent. I've read a lot of your comments and agree really with what everyone has said. But I must say racism is everywhere in the world, but if you love someone it dosent matter where they come from, it's fate! If you have children out of love it's meant to be. This to happens all over the world wether you want it to happen or not, at times. I frequently visit Russia with all my family we are respected and made to feel welcome and have never had any trouble or remarks untowards us. From a male perspective on this blog Russian ladies if you have black children and that is what they are be proud of them love them, that little bit more.

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  39. enjoyable post on an significant topic. But I find it sad to read, how full of internalized racism the arguments of the METIS-woman herself are. Apart from depicting Africa as if it was a country, she also feeds into the racist stereotypes of all African men being polygamous, wanting to reproduce themselves and having numerous lovers at the side... she might be right with her point, that the white mothers are to naive and don’t know anything about their black partners and their culture - but I wonder if one can fight that problem by reproducing stereotypes.Russian Love

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    1. I am a white Eastern European lady married to good African man for 16 years. My black husband is faithful and of high moral standards. He loves me and our beautiful, clever mixed children. I know lots of good black men who are good and faithful to their white wife. White men cheat on white women a lot. White men abuse white women. There are lots of white single mothers with white children. Mixed children are a God's gifts and they need to be cherished.

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  40. What an eye-opening and great post! What's happening in Russia, Ukraine and other East European countries towards Biracial children, is heartbreaking! How uncivilized of them to attack children. They're animals. Who behaves this? Civilized people don't go round attacking people over skin color? Blacks don't attack Whites in Africa because of their skin color so why do Whites always do that to Blacks in their countries? I'm looking to adopt Bi-racial children from Russia or Ukraine. My husband will take 2. WE might even consider 3. If anyone can help us by giving us direction in how to start this process, please email us at mjblocal@yahoo.com . We're in the USA. Thank you and my heart breaks for these children. Truly!

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  41. A very informative article that's left me saddened about the plight of the Metis.

    What irritates me is the generalised depiction of Africa(ns) and what vexes me is the irresponsible, fallacious description of South Africa and South African men by Timmy; who clearly didn't live in the same South Africa that I was born and raised in.

    To me, Timmy sounds like a product of the old South African nationalist government, who was probably amongst the handful of white racists who fled the country on realisation that post 1994, they'd be forced to ride the bus with the black folk.

    His acerbic and mindless vitriol should be disregarded. It hardly serves as a credible source.

    I am planning a trip to visit my friend (white Russian male) for the first time next year in St. Petersburg but I won't lie, I am a little discouraged after reading this and, quite a few other blogs/ articles on race relations in Russia.

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  42. As a dual citizen,the product of the now 24 year marriage between a Black American woman and Russian man I must say my experience in Russia has been quite positive. I was born in Germany on the Army Base my mother was stationed to and moved to Russia at a very young age after my mother gave up her career to follow my father in his career as a professional athlete(he was signed by a team in Russia). My family resided in Sankt Peterborg and my father was 100% committed to insuring the happiness and safety of his wife and children there. Admittedly he had to accompany my mother in to high end shops that she liked to frequent so that she was not harassed or cheated and forbade my sibling and self to roam unsupervised as freely as White Russian children did, but aside from a few raunchy catcalls to my mother and jeers to myself we were not persecuted or ostracized to the point it was necessary to stay indoors all the time. If teachers or students mistreated his children then they heard from my father,consequently we were left alone and passed all grades to continue onwards to university. I feel completely at home in Russia and have never set foot in the United States despite my dual nationality, don't ever plan to. No police will run me down and murder me in broad daylight in cold blood here as has been done to Black males in the United States. Even my mother agrees that Russia is much safer than the United States in these times.

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    1. I'm enjoying reading that there are half black or black people abroad who either have never lived here in the US and aren't in a rush to, or have lived here and are over it. The way most people act, America is the holy grail, they do the most disgraceful things to be here when they could have far more respectable lives elsewhere. And glad your mother found happiness, although it's still looking bad on black men since in this case the white man is the one doing his job. But I do see it's not just about fathers abandoning children because in some cases the father wants to take the children but can't because he can't get the DNA test done, or the woman that running the orphanage is blocking them going... which is super selfish of her and the state needs to look into that. Read it in story of that one foster home run in Russia... I do think Russian woman should give the infants to the fathers from day one because most African cultures are way more accepting and have the "it takes a village" mentality when raising children, their family and friends will help them not leave the child out in the streets or in an orphanage. I think being unable to even go to school properly is a major issue but it speaks volumes when a half black man in a lily white country would rather be there, than here... how embarrassing for the US.

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  43. Wow, Malachi, your story is so riveting and unexpected. Seriously consider writing a book (or even a one off article) about your life in Russia as a mixed child. I would buy it in a second!

    I also wonder if your good fortune was because your mother was the black American and your father was Russian. From what I've read, it seems that Russian society is extremely patriarchal. So it would go without saying that whatever respect your father demanded, he would get, no matter what ill feelings there were towards you guys. Whereas Russian women with mixed race children have to deal with sexism, racism and outright ignorance, frequently alone as their partners are unable to stay in Russia after completing school (why these men do not take the children back with them, I cannot understand or even condone. Leaving obviously mixed race children alone in such a society is akin to child endangerment. Quite shameful.). Of course, this is all conjecture.


    I think that the fathers of these kids really need to be more responsible with when and with whom they share their seed. If they are not prepared to stay in Russia and raise their kids, they SHOULD NOT reproduce there! The mothers also need to be more cognizant of the xenophobic tendencies present in their society. Yes, while it is nice to have a boyfriend (esp when skewed gender numbers favor men), it's important to understand and accept the potential issues that may arise in such a relationship.

    But, to the point - I really feel terrible about these children and how society treats them. They are guilty of nothing besides being a little darker than the average Russian! It's an absolute disgrace how much they must suffer. I think, in the future, I would be inclined to adopt one of these children. They deserve so much more than what circumstances they are born into.

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  44. Hello
    Wow i read your blog breathtaking. I'm looking to adopt Bi-racial children from Russia or Ukraine. I m living in Swizerland, my husband is swiss i m african. How can we proceded.

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  45. Hello, I will differ with your blog about russian women finding it difficult to survive in Africa. My mum is russian and has lived in Kenya for 46 years. I was born and raised in Kenya. Most of the Russians I know in Kenya don't even think of going back to Russia the to the negative attitude toward their children of mixed race.

    It's time the Russian society started think out of the box and accepting that their are people of other races and color.

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