EXCLUSIVE - Bullied at school, called an albino and told to 'choose a side': Biracial twin who looks white while her sister looks black reveals the challenges of growing up looking so different to her sibling

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When Breana Cincotta was seven, she asked to see her own birth certificate.

She was convinced she was adopted and wanted to see the proof. Her mother Marilyn showed it to her and convinced her it wasn't the case.

At school, Breana had been struggling to make friends and was even bullied. Her classmates would ask if Marilyn was her real mom or if Breana was actually adopted. Eventually she had started to believe it.

Why? Breana looks white but her twin sister Brittney looks black.

As a child of a black mom and a white dad, Breana was called albino and was even told she had to ‘choose a side’ between black and white.  

Breana and Brittney Cincotta are fraternal twins with different skin colors. Breana (left) looks white like their dad and Brittney (right) looks black like their mother

When the girls were growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Breana (left at 4) had a hard time making friends. She was bullied by her classmates who asked her if she was albino or adopted and who told her she had to 'choose a side' between white and black. For Brittney (right at 4) it was hard to watch her sister get teased for no reason

Children at her elementary and middle schools in Fayetteville, North Carolina, would tease her while her sister made friends with ease.

Now 21, Breana isn't bullied anymore, but she and Brittney still face constant disbelief that they are even related. 

Much like two biracial twins from Illinois who had their picture go viral in January. Kalani and Jarani Dean were born last April and also have different skin tones. Kalani has lighter skin and Jarani has darker skin. 

Their mother, Whitney Meyer, said that no one believes her daughters are twins. No one believes that Brittney and Breana are twins either.

‘It’s the normal routine for me now,' Brittney told DailyMail.com. ‘They’re never going to believe it just on my word. Even when they see my mom and dad, they’re like, ooh, that’s your real dad? Or that’s your real mom? Or are one of y’all adopted? We get that a lot, too.’

Breana added: ‘We have to convince them. But at this point we’re just pretty much like, okay, either you believe it or don’t.’ 

Fraternal twins can look as similar or different as any other siblings, so having different skin tones is not unusual.  

Mixed-race couples in Europe who are expecting twins have a one in 500 chance their twins will have different skin tones, UK geneticist Dr Jim Wilson told the BBC. 

And as interracial marriages and relationships in the US increase, the likeliness of twins like Brittney and Breana are increasing as well. One academic hopes that more children like Brittney and Breana will help change the way the US views race.

Francis Wardle is a professor in Denver, Colorado, and has been studying and writing about multiracial families since 1976. He teaches courses on diversity, education and multiracial children and families at the online University of Phoenix and at Red Rocks Community College. He has also written countless articles and three books on the subject of multiracial families. 

'Race is determined by the society and how they create categories,' Francis said. 'In this country, until 2000, we wouldn’t even entertain the idea of mixed race, so race is nothing to do with biology, it has to do with the society and politics of that society.'

In America, Wardle said, the problem comes down to a rule called the one-drop rule. 

'The one-drop rule says that if you have a drop of black heritage somewhere in your lineage, you are black - which is stupid.

'We all have genetic background from different places and the fact that they’re put into different categories is simply an artifact of a racist society. And there’s no logic to it at all. It doesn’t many any sense... Regardless of race, we’re all one species. There’s no biological discussion at all. It doesn’t make any sense.

The Cincottas (pictured) have been through a lot but are still a gracious Southern family. The twins' dad Joseph (center right) suffered a stroke in September and is still recovering. But through everything, their mom Marilyn (center left) said the girls have really stepped up: 'They have been here 100%. They’ve showed me they are mature young ladies'

Because Brittney (pictured left at 10) has a darker complexion, people almost never ask about her race, but Breana (pictured right at 10) gets questions about her race all the time. Sometimes people even tell her to choose sides. She said: 'They’re like, “either you’re black or you’re white. You can’t be both”. But we are both. We’re biracial'

The girls' parents, Joseph, now 52, (pictured at 24) and Marilyn, now 50, (pictured at 22), tried to raise their daughters to stand up for each other and to be their own people

'You have to continually deconstruct the stupid idea that there are somehow fundamental racial groups. There are not. They're inventions of society initially to keep people down and it's time to begin to deconstruct that.' 

Even though Wardle hopes racial groups will be deconstructed, being put into categories and disbelief are still a part of daily life for Brittney and Breana. They've learned they have to prove themselves in order to be believed - but sometimes even proof doesn’t work.

‘People never believed we were even sisters,’ Breana said. ‘Maybe cousins, but not even sisters. So constantly we would have to show people our IDs or even call my mom on the phone to tell them yes, we’re really twins.

‘And even now when we go out, the bouncers always think we have fake IDs.’

Brittney added: ‘Nobody ever believing we’re even related at all - I think it’s a very frustrating thing.’ 

Even with their constant frustration, the twins from come from a strong and polite Southern family who have been through a lot.

The girls’ older brother Christopher passed away in 2009 at the age of 19, and since September their dad, Joseph, has been recovering from a stroke. 

Despite the challenges, the Cincottas are courteous with their ‘yes ma’am, no sirs’.

Their parents Marilyn, 50, and Joseph, 52, made sure to teach their daughters to stick together, but to also remember that they’re individuals.

And they’ve stuck to that.

Breana said: ‘Another thing that people don’t realize about twins - we are our own person. Even my friends still now, think we have to have the same group of friends, have to like the same things.

‘We’re just born on the same day. We’re completely opposite.’   

Brittney (left) and Breana (right) had an older brother Christopher (center). He passed away in 2009 when he was 19. The siblings are pictured in 1999. Brittney and Breana are three and Christopher is nine

Even though the girls are twins, they're almost like opposites in taste. Breana (left) is more of a tomboy and plans on going into the Air Force and Brittney (right) is more girly and is studying to become a teacher. Breana said: ‘We’re just born on the same day. We’re completely opposite’

Breana is about to go into the Air Force and Brittney is studying to become a teacher. Breana is a bit of a tomboy and she loves riding motorcycles. Brittney is more of a girly-girl, getting her nails and hair done.

Those difference never stopped them from sticking up for each other as they went through school. 

In their primarily African American elementary and middle schools, Breana was often teased and bullied when their classmates found out she and Brittney were twins.

Breana said: ‘They would tell me, “oh, you’re albino,” like “there’s no way you’re twins”.’ 

But the teasing affected Brittney, too. 

‘It really bothered me because that’s my twin. Why would you act like she’s a problem just because she’s white? Like what’s the problem?’ Brittney said.

In general, Brittney had it a bit easier because people rarely asked her about her race.

‘I look like I’m black… But I’m black and white at the same time. I feel like they just go off the color of my skin, not the race,’ Brittney said. ‘That’s what bothers me. They’re just always guessing instead of asking.’

But Breana’s race seems more ambiguous, so when people ask about it she explains that her mother is black and her father is white.

‘I never really choose a side,’ Breana said. ‘[But] they’re like, “either you’re black or you’re white. You can’t be both”. But we are both.

‘We’re biracial. But in North Carolina, it goes by your mother, so technically on state tests and anything like that we are black.’ Even though Breana looks white.

This frustrated Marilyn, who wanted to teach her daughters to embrace both sides of their family. 

Marilyn said: ‘On their birth certificates, here in North Carolina when they were born, it was the race of their mother, which they consider black. I wanted biracial, because I think they’re more - they’re not just black. They’re black and they’re white. And so that’s one thing that I really was disappointed in, that I could not put [biracial] on their birth certificate.

‘But I would try to tell them, embrace both your cultures.’

Breana (right, at 17) said that the bullying has stopped, but people still refuse to believe that she and Brittney (left) are sisters. Breana said: ‘Even now when we go out, the bouncers always think we have fake IDs’

That wasn’t always easy when they were out in public. When the girls were young, running errands caused confusion for other people.

Breana said: ‘I remember going into the store with my mother and people were like, “who are you? Do you know this lady?” Because my mother’s black and I was white, they stopped me all the time.’

Brittney got the same questions whenever she was out with their dad. Their parents got comments and questions like 'who are you babysitting?' 

Marilyn said: ‘Sometimes, I’d be out with them and my husband and people would think they weren’t ours.’

Even after an explanation, people were - and are still - rarely convinced. Thankfully at home, Breana and Brittney don't thought about their differing appearances. 

Even though the teasing and constant questions are hard to navigate, the girls never thought anything was strange when they were at home. Brittney (left) said: ‘We didn’t grow up thinking anything different. We just accepted it because we knew we looked like both of our parents, which in our home was just different'

Brittney said: ‘We didn’t grow up thinking anything different. We just accepted it because we knew we looked like both of our parents, which in our home was just different. But we knew we were twins. We knew we had the same mom and dad.'

Breana added: ‘We didn’t see anything - I guess you could say wrong - with the picture. We didn’t think anything was different until everyone from the outside was like “hey, why are you white and she’s black?”... But it was never an issue in the family.

‘You know, my dad was white, I look like dad. And my mom is black, my sister looks like her. We never really looked at skin to tell if we were related or not.’

And that was something that Joseph, who has retired from the military and Marilyn, an educational aide, tried to teach their children as they grew up.

‘We tried not to raise them differently,’ Marilyn said. She would always tell her girls: ‘You’re sisters, you’re the same. You come from the same family.’

Joseph added: ‘We taught them not to even think about race. Racism is something taught.’

Marilyn explained: ‘We don’t teach them oh you’re black, oh you’re white. They used to say “my black friend” or “my white friend” and I don’t know if they got that from coming from a multiracial family, but we always said, “no, what’s your friend’s name?”... We try not to teach them to look at color… You have to treat your friends the same. 

Though Brittney (left) and Breana (right) are biracial, the way North Carolina recognizes race is by the mother. So even though Breana looks white, her birth certificate says she is black. Their mom, Marilyn, was frustrated by that. She said: ‘They’re black and they’re white. And so that’s one thing that I really was disappointed in, that I could not put [multi-racial] on their birth certificate. But I would try to tell them, embrace both your cultures’

‘And I try not to teach them, oh, you’re better because you’re this or this. No. You’re an individual. You’re an American. You just happen to be biracial.’ 

After hearing the story about the babies born in Illinois, Kalani and Jarani Dean, Brittney and Breana showed their mom.

Marilyn told them: ‘It’s no big thing. That’s you guys.’

She added, later: ‘I never thought about it. I always said, you’re different people. That’s it.’

But the girls had some advice for the babies as they grow up.

Brittney said: ‘Just be yourself and just be there for one another because it’s gonna come a lot of times where people don’t believe - they’re not going to believe you.

‘But don’t let it affect you, because you know the truth and don’t let it bother you.’

'The rarity of it is something to use, something to teach the kids to be an example to show that skin color is just that, skin color': Mom talks about challenges of raising twins with completely different complexions

When Arnesha Douglas, 27, was pregnant with twins, she and her mom wondered if they would have different skin tones. They had just seen a story in the news about a British family with twins who had different complexions and they wondered if that would happen to Arnesha.

She doubted it would, but when her twins were born and she saw them, Arnesha was in shock.

'It was like one of the most memorable moments I’ve ever had in my life. It was amazing,' she said. 

Caleb, like his dad Eduardo Sanchez, has lighter skin, while his twin Chloe has darker skin like Arnesha. The three-year-old twins are her pride and joy and together their existence say a lot about race. 

‘It’s something to actually be very proud of,’ Arnesha said. ‘The rarity of it is something to use, something to teach the kids to be an example to show that skin color is just that, skin color.

‘We can be brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles. We can be one with different skin tones.’ 

Chloe (left) and Caleb (right) Sanchez are three-year-old biracial twins from Hollywood, Florida. Chloe has a darker complexion like their mom, Arnesha Douglas, and Caleb has a lighter complexion like their dad, Eduardo Sanchez

Arnesha Douglas, 27, (left) is the loving mother of Chloe (left) and Caleb (right). In a time where race is a sensitive topic, Arnesha wants people to show love through her twins. She said: ‘I have no discrimination,’ she said. ‘I mean, I can’t. Look at my kids. One is white and one is black'. Eduardo Sanchez, 27, (right) is Caleb and Chloe's dad. He is from Venezuela and has a light complexion, which Caleb inherited

In a time where race is such a sensitive topic, Arnesha, a proofreader from Hollywood, Florida, said she tries to keep her opinions to herself and show love to others instead. 

‘I have no discrimination,’ she said. ‘I mean, I can’t. Look at my kids. One is white and one is black.’

But even though that comes easily for the devoted mother, other people don’t know how to respond.

‘They can’t believe it,’ she said. ‘At first it was tough because as a new mommy, you don’t want to hear people saying “oh, well they look nothing alike” and “he looks nothing like you”.

‘Before I used to be very protective and ready to get in arguments, but now I’ve accepted it.’

 Even running errands would raise questions from people she didn't know. People would stare at her and people would question if she was Caleb's mom. 

‘I used to think everyone would stare at me when I had my son, just me and him because it’s a harder situation to explain. And then when daddy’s around it’s like “oh, well, I see what happened. You guys have a mini me of each of you”.

‘It makes sense, but some people can’t put two and two together.’

While Chloe (left) and Caleb (right) are still young, their mom Arnesha is worried about what people will say to them when they get older. She said: 'I get it now... and if I'm experiencing that, I just know when they get in school, kids are going to ask' 

 When Caleb and Chloe get older, Arnesha said she plans to have a conversation with them to prepare them for people's comments and questions. For now, she constantly reminds them that they are family and they shouldn't ever be separated

As a young mother with toddlers, Arnesha is worried about the comments that people will make to her children as they get older, questioning if they’re related or trying to cause tension. But for now, they’re still too young to recognize that they look different from each other. 

‘They will only know it if they were taught it and I don’t teach them that,’ Arnesha said. ‘I just tell them: “you guys are the same. That’s your brother, that’s your sister”.

‘When the time is right and they’re old enough, then that would be a different story and maybe a different discussion to explain it… Someone’s going to ask them and that’s where we come in as parents to tell them how to respond to it.’

But Arnesha, who is no longer dating Eduardo, sees a bright future for her children.

‘What I hope for them for the future is just to be a leading example to not let anybody ever separate them, come in between them, try to tell them that they’re not twins or whichever the case may be.

‘I just want nothing but the best for them and for them to be safe and hopefully not experience what our generation is going through.'

Arnesha hopes her kids will have a brighter future than today's reality. She said: ‘I just want nothing but the best for them and for them to be safe and hopefully not experience what our generation is going through’