It was the first day of a sociology graduate course on race and students were going around the table introducing themselves and their areas of interest. When it was my turn, I stated my name and described my interest in the racial identity development of multiracial people and how such identities might affect our current notions of race. The professor, who, during my introduction, repeated my last name in perfect Spanish commented, “Oh, so you’re jumping on the multiracial bandwagon!” To which I replied, “Well actually I was born on it.”
Since the 1960s, more and more people have been born onto this multiracial bandwagon. With the repeal of anti-miscegenation laws, such as the 1967 Supreme Court decision overturning any remaining laws prohibiting interracial marriage, came a biracial baby boom. While multiracial people have always been a part of American culture, the changing racial climate has created a new context in which children of interracial unions have been able to more openly define and affirm their multiracial heritage. As more of these students enter college they bring with them many questions, complexities, and challenges surrounding their identities. Read more…
