‘Mulatto’: Racial Slur or Socially Acceptable?

September 10, 2010 | Espana Fly
Pin It

I was perusing the want-ads section for freelance projects when I stumbled upon an add calling for ”mulattas” to model in a local hair show. The title ”Azafatas Multatas para eventos 16, 17, 18 de Septiembre” caught my attention immediately and I clicked on the posting curious to know who was behind the advertisement. From what I could tell it was an afro-latino hair show calling for Cubanas, Columbianas and… mulattas.

Ouch!

There is that word again. I was taught that it was a “derogatory term that came into use during slavery when referring to the bi-racial offspring of African slaves and most often, their white European slave masters.” I was raised believing that mulatto was just as bad as the n word and to see it boldly written in a title for an ad was jarring, to say the least.

Anyone using that term in America would be liable to get smacked upside the head or at least a good tongue lashing, however here in Spain, and Latin America at large, mulatto is a socially acceptable term. I have had the word tossed at me a few times when discussing the possibility of future offspring with my Spanish novio. Conversations that went from cute and cuddly to terse when someone said mulatto babies.

‘What? Excuse me? Did you say, mulatto?‘ I said in my best educate them because they’re ignorate voice.

I explained that where I come from it’s not ok to use mulatto because of its historical usage in slavery times. I always received in return a fast rebuttal of ‘So sorry,  I had no idea but the term isn’t racist and in fact, it just refers to mixed-race people.’ Then, thats when I have to go even further and explain that most linguists or lexographers agree that the word “mulatto” comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word for mule, which is written the same way but pronounced moolay. Now knowing what a mule is, a cross between and horse and a donkey, the comparison is quite ugly. Most academics that have studied the origin of the word are quite certain that word has its roots in Spain’s  prominent role in the slave trade and their need to brand people based on the amount of white European blood running through their veins. These are same people that began the custom of patting the tightly curled afros of black children because it supposedly brought good luck.

So, what to do? Do I just let the word slide and get used to people using it in their lexicon. It was in job positing, for goodness sakes! Should I just grin and bear it when someone brings it up in context of my future kids? I can only imagine an extended in-law from my Spanish novio’s side of the family making some wise-crack about the cute little brown mulattos. Am I giving the word more power by hating it?

What do you think? Tell us your opinion on the use of “mulatto” in a comment below.

30 Comments   |   Tags: , , , , , , ,

RELATED POSTS

  • http://Website Maki

    Well whether the word possess negative historical reference point, it still doesn’t not take away from the fact that you’re nor your future off springs are neither black or white. Your creation is based from two distinct racial group (white and black). With that being said, whether it is derogatory to call someone a “Mulatoo” so then my question is what then must we call you, how do you identify yourself, sub-race?

  • http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mulatto Maki

    According to the definition of the word Mulatto:
    Definition of MULATTO
    1
    : the first-generation offspring of a black person and a white person
    2
    : a person of mixed white and black ancestry
    Origin of MULATTO
    Spanish mulato, from mulo mule, from Latin mulus
    First Known Use: 1593

    Well whether the word possesses negative historical reference point, it still doesn’t not take away from the fact that children of mix race are neither black or white and can never ed called Black; which can only occur from 2 off springs of the same race. The creation of the “Mulatto’s” is constructed from two distinct racial groups (white and black). With that being said, whether it is derogatory to call someone a “Mulatto” My question is then what must they be called?

  • http://Website Brenda

    I heard that word all of my life and never thought of it as being derogatory. It sounds better than saying a person is “half-white and half-black”.

    But, I’m nearing 60 years of age, maybe that’s why I see any problem in the word.

    Please don’t go putting negative thoughts in young people and given power to a word that’s hardly every used today.

  • http://blogtalkradio.com/Anita-Wills Alani

    The term Mulatto was used during slavery times as a reference to person of mixed raced heritage. Native Americans were also referred to as Mulatto during this period. As a writer and author I did include the name in my books, as a point of reference. The word is taken from the Mule, who is a mixture of a Donkey and a horse. What is appealing about a name like that? You can refer to a mixed raced child as multi or mixed raced. There is no Mulatto designation on census records or birth certificates. My Pennsylvania and Virginia ancestors were designated as Mulatto in the 1700-1800 census records. Then designations changed over the years becoming Colored, Negro, and then black. This is all a pattern of racism set up when Europeans came to the America’s and called the Natives, Indians. That is because they thought they were in India, but that is not what the Indians called themselves.

    We should be correcting people who are ignorant about the meaning of the words they are using. I have a radio show called Anita Talks Genealogy, http://blogtalkradio.com/Anita-Wills, which addresses these and many other issues.

  • http://Website Greater Intellect

    @Maki

    I disagree with you to an extent. You are right when you say a mixed race person is not black or white, that is because they are black AND white. That being said, it is perfectly okay for someone to simply call them just black. It is also okay to call them white alone or biracial.

    Personally I wouldn’t accept people using that word unless they are from Latin America/Iberia. The term mulatto reminds me of the word mutt. It alludes to something disgusting or unwanted. Biracial, Afro-Euro mixed sounds much better to me.

  • http://Website Sky

    The word Mulatto has a negative connotation only in the United States (and even there, it’s not widely understood to be derogatory, case in point being the American website Mulatto.org, which I think the name says it all), outside of the U.S. it has no negative meaning what-so-ever. So, since you’re not in the U.S., the people calling you Mulatto are not Americans, and there is no wondering of whether the word is being used to insult you or not (obviously that outside the U.S. its a definite NO, in the U.S. I guess it depends on whose saying it and how); then you should not dwell too much on this. Its like the word gringo, in some countries it’s derogatory while in others it isn’t. Just be sure where ever you are, that you fully understand what meaning that word has in that place and in that community, and leave American “baggage” (for lack of a better word) in America.

    By the way, I’ve heard two versions of how the word Mulatto came to be. One you already mentioned, albeit I don’t know why you view mules in such a negative light, among farmers a mule is considered to be superior to the horse and the donkey because mules capture the intelligence of the horse with the sturdiness of the donkey; what exactly is so offensive of being compared to an animal that is considered superior? I’m sure many people would not feel offended if they were compared to other perceived to be superior animals like lions or jaguars or some other “cool” animal. Why is the mules seen in such negative light despite its a highly prized animal in farming communities, especially in the traditional ones?

    The other version is that it derived from the word Muwallad (spelling?) which is Arabic. Knowing that Spain was conquered, invaded and ruled by Arabs for hundreds of years (aka, the Moors) and Spanish culture/language has many Arabic elements (the arches so common in Spanish architecture is a perfect example, as well as many words among other things); it’s not too far fetch to see the connection between the word Muwallad and Mulatto. Plus, Muwallad in Arabic means mixed, and its the word Arabs used to describe all people of mixed ancestry.

    In either case, I don’t see the negative tone in the word Mulatto. If it derived from Arabic, so what, it still means mixed. If it derived from mule, well it is a superior animal. In all likelihood the negative connotation found in the U.S. towards the word Mulatto has to do with myths that have been created and passed down through the generation in order to discourage Mulattoes from identifying as Mulatto. Almost the reverse of what is being done to the N-word, which now is taking a much more positive tone than it ever did in the past. This probably explains why Mulatto is only insulting in the U.S. and among some Americans, but nowhere else in the world.

    I hope I haven’t bored you with my long response. I didn’t meant to write so much, but I just needed to express this. Thanks for taking the time to read it, regardless if you agree or not.

    Like that old saying says: “Once a mind is stretched with a new idea, it never goes back to its old dimensions.”

    Peace and enjoy your experience in Spain.

  • http://Website Swailly

    As an Angolan (Angola was a former Potuguese colony) I completely understand both sides of the issue. While in America the n-word and “mulatto” are seen are derrogatory terms and “Black” or African American are the politically correct ones, in former Portuguese and Spanish colonies it’s the exact opposite. No one wants to be called “black” instead we use “negro” to describe everything form race to culture. “Black” is associated with the actual dark tone and socially speaking to being “savage”, as in not civilized.

    As a consequence of this just like the image you’ve chosen there are hundreds of therms to refer to people that in America would just pass as “black”. From “mulatto” – black+white, to “mestico” – mulatto+black or mulatto+mulatto, to “cabrito” which translating means “goat” -mulatto+white, to “cafuso” – which is mestico+black. In other words it’s just another social construct to divide us. Because people are very much aware that as a cafuso you’re few generations from black and as a cabrito most of them can pass as white.

    The way I see it I think it’s time we abolish these race designations. Anyone with basic knowledge of History and genetics knows it’s impossible for any of us to be pure race for so to say. Humans have been migrating for millions of years. If “mulatto” and ut’s affiliates do simply designate the mixing of ethnicities then we’re all mixed.

  • http://Website Monica Wright

    “Mulatto”, “quadroon”, “octoroon”… no one should be using these ugly terms!

  • http://Website Ral

    Well whats more racist the english/USA one drop rule, where anyone with 1/8th of black blood or more is therefore “contaminated” and can no longer be recognized as being part white….Or the term the spanish and portuguse use which acknowledges that they are a mix. Many “mulato” people in the USA are just considered black (cough)Obama….This creates further seperation and MORE racism. It doesn’t allow for the blend of the races because ether you black or you white regardless of whether you are actually mixed. That is a big reason why latin america doesn’t have as big of a race problem as the US

  • http://www.chrislterry.com Chris “C.T.” Terry

    I’m an adult and half black, half white. I’m not offended by the term Mulatto, but I don’t use it a lot, because I wasn’t even aware of it until I was a teenager.
    I often use terms like “mixed” and “biracial,” but the problem with those is that it makes biracialism (is that a word?) into an exclusively black-white thing, excluding the many other racial mixes that are out there.
    I wrote a somewhat tongue in cheek essay called “I, Wigger,” which calls for half black half white people to stage a “nigga”-style reclamation of the term Wigger, which is commonly used to describe a white person who affects stereotypically black/hip-hop manners of speech and behavior. “I, Wigger” will be in the book The Audacity of Post-Racism, coming out on McSweeney’s in the near future.
    Mulatto IS easier than saying, “I’m mixed race with a black American father and an Irish American mother.” The other problem is that there isn’t another simple term for being “the first generation offspring of a white parent and a black parent,” and if a new one was invented in 2010, it would probably be corny. I ain’t sayin’ “Cablinasian,” goddammit! I think that the negative connotations to Mulatto are so old that they are outdated and that most people are unaware of them, therefore practically erasing them.

  • http://Website Nigel

    Coming from a mixed-race (half bajan, half scottish) Canadian, I will say for all of you debating this that I find Mulatto extremely offensive. It has connotations of being referred to as a “mule” as discussed, and also a history with the slave trade. The fact that it’s acceptable in areas outside of North America makes no difference whatsoever. That is only a matter of a lack of awareness on the part of those still using this antiquated, racist relic of a term.

    Why is it so offensive? It gives a connotation that someone of a mixed race is of a lesser “breeding” or impure. It’s gutteral, insensitive and disgusting. It’s just as bad as calling someone a “Mutt” or a “Half-breed”

    Debate the semantics all you want, just know that if you use the term, especially in Canada or the states, you ARE going to offend a mixed race person.

  • http://www.mulatto.org Dave

    “mulatto” is just a word. There’s lots of others, the easiest alternative is “white/black biracial”.

    As a mulatto, I’m more concerned about social hostility towards mulattos from any direction, than about if we’re called “mulatto” or “white/black biracial”.

    Having said that, in 2010 mulattos are doing pretty good in the world. We should honestly acknowledge that -personally, I thank President Obama for being a good example and archetype for other folks who identify as having white and black ancestry. Also, for Multigenerationally white/black mixed folks Professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates has been a great example for years -I don’t think his boston cop incident detracts from his great legacy.

    I think mulattos should be concerned about remaining positively portrayed post-Obama, rather than waste much energy on the word “mulatto”, which some of us (including me) like, and many of us don’t.

    As for multiracial folks like the author of the original post, I agree mulattos should be exclusive towards other folks including part asian multiracials. I don’t think that’s a problem with the word “mulatto” (I don’t feel excluded by “blasian”) but more a problem with unecessarily negative behavior by some -but not all- mulattos.

  • http://Website Leona Sira

    I am a mulatta. I am half white and half black. I am perfectly fine with the word. To me, what is offensive is “half breed” or the n word. When people were being racist, they weren’t saying “you are a mulatto!” they were saying “shut up n***er”. racists do not care if you are mixed, in fact, they hate you even more if they did know.

  • http://Website CJ

    I’m mulatto (white and black) and I don’t care if the word is derogative. I refuse to let it or any other word hold me prisoner by making it a taboo to say that word. This is my opinion as a young mixed man

  • Cuteelf

    Thank you for writing this. I’m mixed, half black and half white. I never liked the word mullato.. mostly because it’s derived from the word mule. I find it as offensive as half-breed, oreo, or the ‘n’ word. You are calling people mules for goodness sakes and we’re just suppose to accept it?! I prefer to be called mixed, biracial.. or hey how about just human. Why do people always have to define themselves by race? It’s stupid.

  • Takovyakov

    Thank you also for that picture chart up there. I found that chart a few years ago in my search to prove to people that the word had a negative origin. I am not sure that it is from Spain, but it was implemented by the Spanish colonists on the Cubans and used to mean a mixed person of Spanish, Indio and somebody else’s descent but not a Black and white person. I think people have really chose it to mean Black and white person but as you had mention that has nothing to do with the term mula, a donkey and a horse and it is still degrading. You are facing a history clash and that is why is must be so hard. I am Black and White and never let anyone call me that word. It is a true insult. And it has nothing to do with my Southern for generations African American and German, Welsh and Scottish sides of my family history. It is a lazy term, you should continue to  educated people about it. It has been used to describe me by both Black and White and inbetweeners and it is about time everyone understands some basic history! Thank you again and good luck!

  • anonymous

    I once used the word mulatto in English class during a debate over why lighter skinned African-American women are often considered more “beautiful”. I only used the term for lack of a better term and when I asked my teacher if it was acceptable she simply said “no” without explanation. I appreciate your response because I never felt as if the word (in context) was of a derogatory nature.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4LM23I53VCE4KUVGC4GI6XYCVU toms

    I am a white Hispanic America and I don’t really get how the word Mulatto is derogatory.
    First, if it is derogatory then we lose the only word we have for 50/50 kids (the term biracial can apply to any race).

    From what I know the word comes from when the Spanish arrived in the Americas and wanted to create a comprehensive racial classification system. Not as a racist white supremist classification, just like a general form for convenience like a hair color.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casta

    The word Cholo and Sambo also come from the exact same racial classification system and nobody considers that racist (but then again I didn’t think Mulatto was racist so remember that).

    And while the Spanish were kinda racist and had slavery, it was WAY WAY less severe that in the USA. Slaves had rights and when it was eliminated in basically every country the second they became independent or relatively soon afterwords and there wasn’t much bad blood. Probably because white colonists and Spaniards were already used to dealing with the natives (who they had to treat with respect) so a sense of white supremacy never really came up.

    And in Latin America what it takes to be black is different from what it takes to count as black here in the USA. Obama is 50/50 and he is considered without a doubt a black man because of the one drop rule. But I have heard Latin Americans say “where is the first black president? Is it behind that white guy named Obama” since the one drop rule is kinda reversed.

    And being called mule isn’t really offensive because logically that implies that the black is the horse and the white is a donkey (or reverse) which would also be an insult against 100% black and 100% white people. I guess.

    But all that stuff is mute. I can say with certainty that in Latin countries mulatto is not offensive. And there are tons of Americans who don’t find it offensive (like mulatto.org)

    But if an American thinks it is offensive, DONE, end of discussion, the word is offensive logic/history/context be damned.

  • ~Takezo~

    By denying and belittling this issue closet-bigots are basically saying that it’s alright for them to use their racial slurs and that you blacks/non-whites are just making a big deal out of it…Following this closet bigot’s logic I get to call all non-Asians round-eye,  外人 or 馬の顔! (<_<)
    Remember, you can always tell a closet bigot, by how much they defend racist behavior/slurs, and especially how they will expend all their energy to belittle that fact when someone is offended by it.

    But in all fairness, Most most are likely reacting towards this  because blacks from the ghetto during the 80's went on the bandwagon of "We can't be racist because we are oppressed" so in turn they felt that they could spew out their own brand of horrific racism towards not only whites but everyone else who wasn't black (Hell, even some darker blacks hate lighter skinned blacks)…Which is an entirely different brand of idiotic racism in it's own right!

    Unfortunately, we still see that attitude today, and the backlash that accompanies it from non blacks (Specifically whites as they have the most hatred towards them, and vice-versa)…IE the rise in white/black nationalist movements so prevalent on many youtube channels!

    I suppose that the main racism we hear about are with Whites vs Jews/Blacks more than anyone else, which is ironic due to the fact that these same people, excluding any other race would/have still found reasons to separate and vilify each other, as humans as a whole are stuck in the loop of defaulting on the behavior of thriving in conflict with minor differences with each other, instead on the inborn attribute of co-operation that also defines us as a highly developed social creature.

    So much so, that we are able to thrive in a hostile world without the need of fur and claw, virtually unheard of before our arrival to the natural world…

  • Ghostman67

    I would rather you correct the spelling of the word ‘position’: ” It was in job positing, for goodness sakes.”
    Who cares?????????

  • Ghostmn67

    Or maybe posting………. but again who cares? As regards the ‘mule’ idea- it means the ‘mixing’ not the animal. Too many just look for a reason to find/feel an outrage, so they can express it, make someone else hear it, so they can feel important or invoke sympathy.

    Again, who cares?????????

  • http://www.facebook.com/JudiTroxler Judi Troxler

    Hello; The term Mulatto does not bother me. I have been doing my research on Ancestry.com trying to discover my roots as I had always heard growing up that I was Native American Cherokee and Jewish. I already knew mom was from Germany and dad was born in Virginia. His mom and dad were born in North Carolina. I found out that my grandmother whom I had never met was listed in the paperwork of proven documents as being Mulatto and so was my great grandfather and great great grandaddy. So I am a mix; a blend or what they listed as Mulatto. I would think a female would be Mulatta just like the song that Santana wrote about a Mulatta woman. I am blended; I am mixed; I am Mulatto. No matter what Culture I am; I am proud to be whatever God made me and I would never find any of that offensive. Our outer shell is just that; we all have souls and what we decide to do with the goodness of our hearts and souls is what matters. We all will cease to exist someday and our soul and spirit will rise to be with God and to see our Lord Jesus; that is if you are a believer then if not I am not sure where you will go as that is not my place. I did die when I was 25 though and they brought me back so the experience was amazing and the last thing you are thinking about when you are leaving your body is what nationality you are. It is quite amazingly peaceful. God Bless us all. Blacks, Native Americans, Whites, Asians and all the colors that people can be. Blended, mixed and Mulatto children are beautiful. Love and Peace

  • http://www.facebook.com/JudiTroxler Judi Troxler

    Mulatto is a term used to refer to a person who is born from one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry.[1] Contemporary usage of the designation is generally confined to situations in which the term is considered relevant in an historical context, as now most people of mixed white and black ancestry rarely choose to self-identify as mulatto.[2] The term is not commonly used any more but is generally considered archaic because of its association with slavery, colonial and racial oppression; accepted modern terms include “mixed” and “biracial.” Mulattos may also be an admixture of Native American, South American native and African Americans[3] according to Henings Statutes of Virginia 1705, which reads as follows: “And for clearing all manner of doubts which hereafter may happen to arise upon the construction of this act, or any other act, who shall be accounted a mulatto, Be it enacted and declared, and it is hereby enacted and declared, That the child of an Indigenous and the child, grand child, or great grand child, of a negro shall be deemed, accounted, held and taken to be a mulatto.”[4] In colonial Latin America, mulato could also denote an individual of mixed African and Native American ancestry.[5] However, today those who are mixtures of Indigenous peoples of the Americas and Black Africans are called Zambos while those who are mixtures of African American and Native American are called Black Indians and sometimes are solely classified or identify as African American.[3] To further complicate matters, in early American history the term mulatto is also seen regarding Native American and European mixed offspring, and certain tribes of Indians of the Inocoplo family referred to themselves as mulatto as well.

    http://www.answers.com/topic/mulatto

  • slconfidential

    Obama is a mulatto. The news media wants to picture him all black and he is not. They want to avoid letting the sheep know his mother was white.

  • Debbie

    Originally, people in Spain believed that offspring of a black parent and a white parent were born sterile…..as are male mules…hence, the term, mulato.

  • George

    Me, and my sister were was brought up as a mixed childern (father white/mother black) in a rural communtiy in Namibia during Apartheid times. Like nearly all mixed boys and girls in our community, we were the illegal and often unwanted offspring of relations between white farmers and black female workes. Generally mixed children were brought up only by their mothers but the white father usually paid for the illegal offspring, or like in our case, our mother had not to pay rent for the worker’s hut on the farm premises.

    Personally I never opposed the word mulatto. I rather do not like the word ‘couloured people’, as we are not of green, blue or red colour.

    Whatever is said by science (…and I do not doubt it at all), mulattoes are as fertile and have the ability to reproduce as normal as blacks, whites or other races is probably scientifically absolutely true and proven. However, on the other hand I know from our community, that a very high percentage of the mulatto boys ARE INDEED STERILE, me including. All of them have white fathers and black mothers. But there is NOT ONE case known where a mulatto girl is infertile.

    So if you see it from my point of view, the word mulatto might be somehow offensive, when referring to a sterile mule, but on the other hand there seem to be a bit of truth in it,….and I wonder, if there other community where a high number of mulatto boys are sterile, contrary to science ?

  • Mulatta

    I love the word, and if you study linguistics and history further, it actually comes from the Arabic word “muwallad” which meant “mixed race”. Then the Arab Moors brought the term to the Iberian peninsula. After all, the Arabs were slave-traders of Africans for centuries before the Europeans started, so it makes sense that that’s where the word originates. Here’s the thing, since it’s a word describing half-black, half-white people (like myself), it’s really OUR choice as to whether or not to use the word. Who knows, your future children might even take a liking to it, and they shouldn’t be chastised for that from people who don’t share that heritage or the particular life experience of mixed-race people. Soy mulatta latina, y me encanta!

  • mulata89

    In latin america…it isnt offensive to use the mulato or mulata..if anything its proudly used …it signifies exoticism of a person…i am a mulata….black panamanian and honduran mestzo and im proud.

  • Joe Buck

    You sir are an ass among asses. And i rest confident that you will not take offense to my comment, as the ass is prized for it’s sturdiness. You should stand proud to be compared to such an animal.

  • Dug Bledsoe

    Historical words are words. Taking them out of the language is communistic at best. Get over it and remember that black Africans sold black Africans to white traders. I would assume you don’t live in a mud thatch house. Thank your lucky stars you were not born in the Congo.