You Don’t Know Me: Picture Books to Make Biracial and Multiracial Children Comfortable with Dual Identities |
Multicultural Review
Volume 18, Issue 4 (Winter 2009)
pages 20-24
Kena Sosa
Next year, in 2010, our country will be due for round two of the census containing an option for biracial or multiracial people. This feature debuted in the 2000 census cycle, when for the first time in U.S. history, people had the chance to choose their racial description as they pleased, and to include their multiple backgrounds. At that time, 6,826,228 Americans were recognized as being of more than one race, 2.4 percent of the counted population. This number may be fairly accurate or slightly deceiving. Although many people were pleased to determine the categorization of their own heritage, others preferred to claim only the blood to which they felt most closely connected. As Americans, we appreciate our right to choose.
Now that we have a multiracial president for the first time in our history, will the results of the 2010 census show a sudden surge in those taking pride in being biracial? Will Barack Obama’s enthusiasm for inclusion and his exploration of his own roots encourage others to take a more introspective look at themselves and proclaim themselves as both halves of the whole of their parents as they were born?…
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Tags: Kena Sosa, Multicultural Review