Mixed Race Studies

Although I still experience this world as an African American woman, I am much more inclined to share my biracial identity and embrace the intricacies and complexities of my broader identity.

Jeanette Snider, “The Evolution of My Mixed Race Identity,” NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, July 11, 2016. https://www.naspa.org/constituent-groups/posts/the-evolution-of-my-mixed-race-identity.

The Evolution of My Mixed Race Identity

NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
2016-07-11

Jeanette Snider, Assistant Director in the Undergraduate Program
Robert H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland

I recently took an intergroup dialogue-training course for administrators and graduate students interested in leading a related course offered at my university. We were ushered through a number of activities to explore our own life experiences and interrogate any biases we might bring to our class as facilitators. One of the exercises that particularly stood out to me during the training was the “Racialized Life Map” worksheet. We were asked to record the first 5 experiences we can recall in which we encountered or recognized ourselves as racialized beings.

As a Black biracial (African American and German American) woman several moments came to mind. I can remember in kindergarten, being asked if I was adopted by my classmates after my father came in for career day. I recall getting strange stares from my father’s coworkers on take-your-daughter-to-work-day or even being called the “N word” by a white classmate in 6th grade after school.

The memories continue…my first recollection of being tokenized by my middle school history teacher occurred when she asked me to speak on behalf of African Americans in class when the topics of slavery and the Civil Rights movement arose. As a high school senior, I vividly recall my guidance counselor telling me I had a strong chance of getting admitted to my top college choice, an elite, small public university in southern Virginia, because I am black. I was constantly socialized and treated as an African American woman. You see, in my mind, I didn’t have a choice to be biracial. Based on the aforementioned interactions along with a lifetime of experiences, I have identified as Black for most of my life. This, often conscious decision is based on people’s perceptions of my racial identity…

Read the entire article here.

Beyond Black: Biracial Identity in America – Book Review

National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA)
2016-04-04

Shauna Harris

Rockquemore, Kerry Ann and David L. Brunsma, Beyond Black: Biracial Identity in America (Second Edition) (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007).

Beyond Black is a groundbreaking study that used both interview and survey data of young black/white individuals that sought to understand the meaning of being racially mixed in the United States by providing a theoretical and methodical analysis of racial identity for multiracial individuals in post-civil rights America.

Kerry Ann Rockquemore and David Brunsma document the comprehensive range of racial identities of individuals that have one Black and one White parent and provide a sociological explanation of the identity choices facing those who are racially mixed. The purpose of focusing on black/white racially mixed individuals stems from the fact these two groups still have the most social and spatial separation in the United States. Racial categorization among black/white individuals still poses continuing questions about how racially mixed individuals construct their identity and the constant use of the one-drop rule to identity multiracial individuals as black…

Read the entire review here.

Mixed College Students: WHO vs. WHAT

NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
2014-12-24

Aaron Moore, Residence Life: Hall Director
Ohio State University

Over the past few weeks I have read Mixed: Multiracial College Students Tell Their Life Stories (2014) and was extremely pleased with the thought provoking and eye opening narratives that were shared by the many students included in this book. I decided to read this book as a means of furthering my understanding of identity and how students come to understand who they are, but specifically, for individuals who identify as multiracial. I teach a Social Justice education course and understanding the racial landscape is often tough for students when they look at understanding themselves and relating to others, but grasping that there is not a “binary” if you will as it relates to how one identifies can be a challenging topic to explore and a tough even tougher for individuals trying to answer the question of “who am I.” When reading this book and the narratives I often had moments where I shook my head and understood what was being shared, but as I worked to connect with each student sharing their story, I found myself clothed with empathy as I tried to imagine what it must be like to answer the following:

• What are you?
• What does it take to be noticed?
• Is there a “better” race to identify with?
• How do I fight for how I want to be seen?

The list went on. The experiences of students who identify as being multiracial is not one of understanding, but is often one that presents itself with more questions than answers…

Read the entire article here.

Who Are You? Multiracial Students and Microaggressions on College Campuses

NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
2014-08-01

Brittany Hunt

Have you ever been in a situation where you were having a conversation with someone and then all of the sudden you feel them looking at you with a puzzled look on their face? Then here comes the question: “So…what exactly are you mixed with? What are you?” This is the subtle, intentional (or unintentional) form of racism known as a microaggressions (Sue, Capodilupo, Torino, Bucceri, Holder, Nadal, & Esquilin, 2007). This is an all too familiar experience for those who are multiracial. This article is influenced by my research study on how multiracial students manage microaggressions. In this research I looked at how microaggressions affected the student experience, and how that impacted their experience on campus. This led me to realize that each student has a different experience and we should recognize and embrace each of those experiences. This article will mainly focus on the effect of microaggressions on the experience of multiracial students using my research and other relevant literature. I will also take some time to talk about how we can create inclusive environments for multiracial students…

Read the entire article here.