Mixed Race Studies

Race is more than just black and white. This new podcast explores some of that middle ground.

The Washington Post
201-04-24

Alex Laughlin

(Illustration by Chris Kindred)

There’s this literary theory called the “mulatto canary in the coal mine.”

It holds that the treatment and depictions of mixed-race people in art and culture is a reflection of the broader state of race relations in America at that moment. The theory has been applied to works throughout American history, from Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel, “Passing,” to Danzy Senna’s “Caucasia” in 1999.

These multiracial characters, their very bodies providing evidence of racial lines crossed, are marked by confusion and betrayal, jealousy and cowardice, and most frequently, a tragic ending.

Well, it’s 2017 — 50 years since the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court decision invalidated anti-miscegenation laws across the country. It’s been legal to cross these racial lines for five decades now, almost two full generations. What does it mean to be mixed race in America today?

I suppose I should tell you a little about myself and why I’m so interested in this topic…

Read the entire article here.

Looking For Participants For Washington Post Podcast On Mixed-Race Identity

Alexandra Laughlin
2016-09-01

I’m a journalist at The Washington Post and I am working on a podcast about mixed race identity in the United States. This is going to be a highly produced, narrative-driven podcast that explores these complex issues through storytelling.

Now, I am now looking for your stories to tell!

The best stories will have a beginning, middle, and end, and they will involve you or someone you know experiencing a problem/conflict/hilarious situation involved with being mixed race. Here are some questions to get you started:

• Who do you want to bring home to your parents?
• Have you ever felt fetishized? How and why?
• Have you ever dated someone who didn’t realize your race/ethnicity? Did it change things when they found out?
• Was there ever a time when you didn’t feel accepted in a certain racial group?
• Do you remember a time when people interpreted your identity in a way that wasn’t consistent with the way you feel?
• Has your identity changed throughout your life?
• How has your family/parents communicated your racial identity to you?

These are just some rough questions, but I would love to hear anything you have to share! Bonus points if you’re in Washington, D.C. or on the east coast. If you’d like to chat, shoot me an e-mail with a few sentences about your story at Alexandra.laughlin@washpost.com.

I’m excited to hear from you!

Alex