Biracial and/or Multiracial
Americans in the United States
Rebecca Schmoll, Laura Thornton,
Joe Voeller, Bao Xiong
3.
1.
5.
2.
4.
Can you Tell who is Biracial/Multiracial?
7.
8.
9.
6.
10.
Movie Clip
• Guess Who
Interracial Marriages
– Immigration laws and migrations
• 1960 Anti-Asian immigration laws, Chinese-Americans
• In Los Angeles, intermarriage is 5x the national average because
diversity
– The number of interracial marriages in the United States
has increased over the years:
• 150,000 couples in 1970 to 1.1 million couples in 1994
– The number of children born out of interracial marriages:
• 460,300 in 1970 to 1.9 million in 1995
(Gallop Poll, 1991)
KBD#5
Interracial Marriages (cont.)
• Interracial marriages represented .7% of all
marriages in 1970. In 1980, marriages
increased to 1.3% and then to 2.2% in 1992.
• However, black-white marriages still tend
to be the most controversial in the public
eye.
• From a recent poll of 1,314 Americans of all
races, it was noted that 3 in 10 people are
against black-white marriage, but are more
willing to accept white-Hispanic or whiteAsian marriages (Ford, 2003).
•
KBD#8
Racist Mammy Postcard from Early 190os
wikipedia.com
History of Interracial Marriages
• Marriages between whites and persons of color were
decried as “immoral” and “unnatural.” Polls showed
that overwhelming numbers of Americans agreed.
• Massachusetts forbade interracial marriage as early
as 1705, a restriction which was ultimately changed
in 1843 after a three year campaign in the legislature.
– The legislature understood that withholding marriage
based on race was an affront to human dignity and denied
our basic guarantees of equality. (GLAD, 2005)
KBD#8
Perez v. Sharp
• 1948 California Supreme Court Case
“A member of any of these races may find himself barred from marrying the person of his
choice and that person to him may be irreplaceable. Human beings are bereft of worth
and dignity by a doctrine that would make them as interchangeable as trains.”
• The decision was controversial, courageous and
correct. At that time, 38 states still forbade interracial
marriage, and 6 did so by state constitutional
provision (GLAD, 2005).
Loving v. Virginia
Richard and Mildred Loving were arrested in 1958 for violating
Virginia’s 1924 Racial Integrity Act.
U.S. Supreme Court struck down the remaining interracial
marriage laws nation-wide.
A Virginia judge had upheld that state's ban on interracial
marriages, invoking God's intention to separate the races.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned his decision, declaring that:
– The “freedom to marry” belongs to all Americans;
– Marriage is one of our “vital personal rights” and
– The right to marry is “essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by a
free [people].”
KBD#5, #8
Statistics/Information
• From 1960-1990 Census, white – East Asian
married couples increased almost tenfold,
while black – white couples quadrupled.
• Reason: greater integration and the decline of
white racism.
• White – Asian marriages outnumber black –
white marriages, yet Asian men and black
women have become bitterly opposed to
intermarriage.
(Sailer, 1997)
KBD#8
Statistics/Information (cont.)
• About two percent of the population nationwide
identifies itself as biracial/multiracial.
• Intermarriage does not guarantee in which direction
assimilation will occur because it can lean towards a
dominant race.
• This causes changes in society, parenting practices
and young people’s way of viewing the world and
themselves.
Racial Demographics of U.S.
• According to the 2005 CIA World Fact, an
official statistics agency, America is:
White – 69%
Hispanics – 14.1 % or 41.3 million
Black – 12.9 % or 36.4 million
Asian – 4.2 % or 11.9 million
Amerindian – 1.5% or 4.1 million
Biracial/Multiracial – 2.4 %
Wikipedia.com
Online Resources
• Association of MultiEthnic Americans (AMEA)
http://www.ameasite.org/index.html
• HAPA Issues Forum
http://www.hapaissuesforum.org/
• Interracial Voice
http://www.webcom.com/intvoice/
• GLAD
http://www.glad.org
Instructional Objectives
• Multiple variables influence an individual
student’s behaviors and attitudes.
• These overlapping categories of identity include,
but are not limited to, characteristics such as
gender, race, ethnic group, social class, region of
origin, religion, and level of ability.
• Teachers need to be careful of first impressions
and generalizations.
Teaching Resource Center, U of Virginia
Instructional Objectives (cont.)
• Many biracial students prefer not to identify
with a particular race.
• Teachers need to be aware that because of the
way a student looks should does not mean
what we initially think.
• Assuming that will rob students of their
individuality.
Teaching Resource Center, U of Virginia
Instructional Objectives (cont.)
• Do not assume that students learn in one style or
another.
• Recognize the different ways in which students
learn.
• The biracial and multiracial student population is
increasing significantly, as are all groups of color.
• In fact, if current trends continue, the US Census
projects that groups of color will make up about 47%
of the nation’s population by 2050 (Banks xxi)
Teaching Resource Center, U of Virginia
Instructional Objectives (cont.)
• Students bring their histories into the classroom.
• Some of these histories can be problematic and as
educators, realizing those problems is the first step
and attempting to reach out is the second.
• Make students aware of every culture/race in the
classroom so that students of biracial descent can feel
at ease with both of their cultures
Teaching Resource Center, U of Virginia
What to Avoid in the Classroom
• Ignoring students of color
• Challenging them less often during discussion
or problem-solving sessions
• Counseling them to take less-advanced
courses in mathematics or science
• Accusing those who do well of cheating
(a phenomenon also known as “spotlighting”).
Teaching Resource Center, U of Virginia
In the Classroom
• Establish positive faculty/student relations
with all of your students
• Positive relationships lead to lower levels of
alienation and higher retention and graduation
rates
• Acknowledge and address differences in the
classroom and provide course material or
examples that draw from a wide variety of
cultures and experiences.
Teaching Resource Center, U of Virginia
What to realize…
• Realize that vast differences exist between the various 3 cultures
lumped together under such words as “ethnic,” “minority,” or
“students of color.”
• All African-American students, for example, do not know each
other, nor do they all speak alike, think alike, or have similar life
experiences.
• Asian-American students may exhibit very different reactions
and backgrounds than African-American students
• Student behaviors or attitudes may also differ widely according
to gender, social class, their specific cultural group, and even
how long ago their families immigrated to the US.
Teaching Resource Center, U of Virginia
Social Identities
Race, Class, Language, Gender
Race
•
•
•
•
Racial Identity
Biracial/multiracial individuals are often identified with
whichever race their physical features most reflect
Racial Identity begins to develop during preschool years
Developing a positive racial identity starts at home and in
family relationships
J.R. Brandell identified three methods that parents of biracial
children use when confronting issues of race:
1. Deny that race is important – the child is human above all else
2. Promote only one parent’s racial identity
3. Acknowledge the child’s biracial heritage.
Brandell (in Harris); Morrison; KBD #2, #3,
Factors that facilitate the development of
positive racial identity
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Parents acknowledge & discuss their racial heritage with
their children
Children have the opportunity to develop relationships
with racially diverse peers
Parents are flexible in promoting the development of a
positive racial identity
Biracial children form positive non-stereotypical
attitudes towards others
Family identifies itself as an interracial unit & has social
interactions in racially integrated social institutions &
organizations
Harris; KBD #2
Kerwin-Ponterotto Model of Biracial Identity
• Stage I – Preschool up to 5 years
• Stage II – Entry to School
• Stage III – Pre-adolescence
• Stage IV – Adolescence
• Stage V – College/Young Adulthood
• Stage VI – Adulthood
Harris; KBD #2
Identity Problems
• Identity problems arise when biracial/multiracial children feel like they have
to choose one racial group over another in order to develop an identity
• Inability to Identify with both parents – Disloyalty/Guilt
– “When I was younger, I wanted to identify with both of my parents, but I felt like I
didn’t identify with my dad because I only had white friends. I use to ask my mom, a
lot, why I didn’t have any black friends and if my dad was mad at me for not having
any black friends.” ~O’Neal Hampton
• Biracial children can receive rejection from both sides
• Biracial children may feel confusion and frustration when they have close
relationships with both races outside of school, but they come to school and
don’t identify with both races.
– I think it is difficult for biracial kids to have a white parent, grandparent, uncle,
cousin, etc. that they feel they fit in with at home, but they go to school and don’t fit
in with anybody white. That was a huge problem for me.” ~O’Neal Hampton
Hampton; Nitardy; Sebring (in Harris) KBD #8
Class
• African American, Mexican Americans,
Puerto Ricans, and American Indians have the
severest economic deprivation of all ethnic
groups
• In 2001, the median income of…
– $60,158 – Asian American and Pacific Islander
families
– $54,067 – White families
– $34,490 – Latino Families
– $33,598 – Black Families
• In families with married couples…
– Black married couples earn 84% of the median
income of whites
– Latino married couples earn 67% of the median
income of whites
• People of color make up a disproportionately
high percentage of people in poverty.
– White population – 8%
– Latino population – 23%
– Black population – 24%
Gollnick & Chinn
What does this mean for Biracial Individuals?
• Persons of color may be stereotyped to be “lower class”
• Because biracial individuals are generally identified with the
parent of color, they will often be stereotyped into the
perceived class of the person of color they are seen as.
– someone who is Black & White will most often be
identified as Black and will therefore often be stereotyped
to be lower class
– “Groups of nearly equal status allow for greater social and
economic mobility” (Asian and White)
• Problems with Families/Relatives
Psychological; KBD #8
Colorism & Class
• Whiteness or lightness valued above Blackness or darkness
– Research:
• Black Children select White dolls
• Black men tend to prefer lighter-skinned women as intimate companions
• Blacks with lighter skin tones fare better educationally and economically
• Since 1960s, most Blacks appointed to prominent government positions have
had light skin.
– Lightness: intelligence, refinement, prosperity, femininity
– Darkness: toughness, meanness, criminality, masculinity.
– These are historically based meanings (Slavery)
• Racist views:
• Light Skin preferred to Dark Skin (by Whites)
• Light Skinned person inferior to Darker Skinned Blacks (by Blacks)
• A persons relative lightness or darkness determines whether he/she can access the
benefits associated with a particular class (Buffer Class)
Jones; KBD #4, #8
Class in the Classroom
• Be aware of your own assumptions, beliefs,
opinions regarding class
• Be aware of comments – use the moment to
discuss stereotypes, attitudes, and feelings
• Be careful in talking about things that relate to
money (dances, vacations, school supplies)
Morrison
Language
1. Communication
– Mixed Languages: People that identify themselves
as biracial also identify themselves with two
different languages.
– Ex: Someone who is Korean and American may
find the English language important, and their
American heritage and the Korean language
important for her Korean heritage.
Engelken (2005); KBD #4
Language (cont.)
2. Verbal Abuse
– Names Given to biracial children: half-breed oreo,
mulatto, mixed, Mesitzo, Amerasian.
Harris (1997)
Language (cont.)
3. Frequently Asked Questions
- # 1 question: Where are you from?.
*This question can often be offensive to biracial children
because they are only asked this question because they look
different.
- Younger aged children that are biracial:
“Are you black?”
*It is natural for young children to ask these type of questions.
Individuals that are biracial often take this offensive and
“teachers need to be ready to help children respond in a way
that builds their self concept and educates the questioner”.
Harris (1997); Schwartz (1998); KBD #6
Language (cont.)
4. Enhanced Language Facility
– Individuals who are socialized as multiracial
frequently have an enhanced sense of language
because of their ties to a duplicate-heritage.
Schwartz (1998); KBD #4
Gender
1. Gender Confusion
– Conflicts about sexuality and “What is my sex
role?”
*Biracial Males often feel anxiety of
rejection by women
*Biracial Females often perceive their
future sexual partners limited to
minority men.
Harris (1997); KBD #12
Gender (cont.)
2. Studies
A.) In a clinical study of biracial children, it proposed that the
greater the child’s problem of racial identification, the greater
the problem of sexual identification (Harris).
B.) Kerwin Study: (interview of 9 Black/White biracial children
from six different interracial families)
-Girls identified primarily with their mothers
-Gender seemed more important of a factor for
females than males in racial identity development.
-One 16 year old male identified himself primarily
with his White father, even though he had little
physical resemblance.
Harris (1997); KBD #12
What can Educators do?
1. Reflect and Respect the preferences of individual children when
alluding to their heritage.
2. Examine a student’s personal values and what is important to them.
3. Ensure that no children are victimized by others.
4. Ensure that the identity chosen by students is accepted and respected
by peers
5. Help children develop the skills and confidence needed to protect
themselves from and verbal or physical abuse.
6. Facilitate age-appropriate discussions and foster open and supportive
questioning about race.
7. Refrain from breaking groups into specific categories defined by color or
physical characteristics.
8. Overall, understand the identity process for individuals who classify as
biracial or multiracial.
Schwartz (1998); KBD #1, #2, #4, #6, #7, #8, #10
What Can Educators Do? (cont.)
• Develop and share family trees
• Provide dolls, books, posters, etc. that
depict individuals with multiracial
characteristics
• Encourage cooperation
• Curriculum that transcends ethnic
boundaries
• Demonstrate how people in the U.S. have
successfully mixed languages, cultures,
and religions throughout its history
• Identify multiracial heroes
• Address the history of racism
• Address questions in a calm and
supportive manner
• Include biracial/multiracial persons as
assembly and classroom speakers
Morrison; Portrait; Schwartz; KBD #1, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #15
Things Teachers Should Not Do
• Do not assume a child is Black, White, Native American, etc.
based on their physical characteristics.
– “People don’t realize that biracial individuals are in fact biracial. They
have two different parents, are offended by black jokes and white jokes,
and they want to identify with two different races.” ~O’Neal Hampton
• Do not assume that a biracial child has the identity only of the
parent of color.
• Do not automatically attribute a child’s problems to his or her
mixed heritage.
Hampton; Wardle (in Nitardy); KBD #8
Minnesota Based Examples
• Robert E. Willis, Motivational Speaker
telesis@ix.netcom.com
Minnesota Inclusiveness Program
• MP Mission
• MP Overview
• MP Projects
Minneapolis Anti-Racist Action
• Fighting oppression through direct action and
education.
• ARA-a large network of anti-racist groups.
• Minneapolis is a subset.
Case Study
Demographics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Howard Elementary School (Grades K-6)
Enrollment: 500 students
Students of Color: 41% (205 students)
Biracial Students: 4% (20 students)
Other: 55% (275 students)
District Enrollment: 25,000 students
City Size: 400,000 residents
Case Study
Mrs. Stevens has been hearing comments
directed towards Trey, a student of black and white
descent, and the only biracial student in her
Kindergarten class. One day Mrs. Stevens notices
Trey excluding himself from the group activities with
the other children. He appears as if something is
bothering him. Mrs. Stevens approaches him and
asks him if everything is okay. Trey complains to
Mrs. Stevens about not wanting to be by the other
kids in the class because of the questions the
students have been asking him.
If you were the teacher, how would you handle
the following comments?
Case Study (cont.)
Group 1: Why is your Mommy’s skin white if your skin is brown?
Group 2: Why is your hair kinky?
Group 3: Why does your skin look dirty?
Group 4: Why don’t you look like everyone else?
Each group should answer the following questions:
A.) If you heard this comment, what would you say to answer
the question and handle the situation?
B.) How will you teach your students about different races so
they understand?
Knowledge Bases for Diversity
1. Foundations of Multicultural Education
2. Sociocultural Contexts of Human Growth and Development in
Marginalized Ethnic and Racial Cultures
4. Language, Communication, and Interactional Styles of Marginalized
Cultures
5. Essential Elements of Culture
6. Principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching and Culturally Responsive
Curriculum Development
7. Effective Strategies for Teaching Minority Students
8. Foundations for Racism
10. Culturally Responsive Diagnosis, Measurement, and Assessment
12. Gender and Sexual Orientation
15. Foundations of International and Global Education
Warring, 1992
References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Engelken, L. Personal Interview. 10 Oct. 2005.
GLAD, (2005). Marriage A History of Change. Retrieved December 3, 2005, from
http://www.glad.org/right/OP3-historyofchang.shtml
Gollnick, D. M., & Chinn P. C. (2006). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Hampton, O. Personal Interview. 1 Nov. 2005.
Harris, H. L. (2003). Multiracial students: What school counselors need to know. Retrieved December 5,
2005http://www.ericdigests.org/2005-2/multiracial.html
Harris, H. L. (1997). Issues concerning interracial families. Retrieved November 10, 2005 from
http://soeweb.syr.edu/CHS/pedersen/training/old/a9.htm
Jones, T. (2000). Shades of brown: The law of skin color. Retrieved December 8, 2005 from
http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/dlj/articles/dlj49p1487.htm#H2N7
Nitardy, C. (2004). Identity problems in biracial youth. Retrieved December 1, 2005, 2005 from
http://education.umn.edu/EdPA/licensure/leader/2004Fall/identity.html
Minneapolis Anti-Racist Action. (1997). Fighting oppression through direct action and education.
Retrieved December 1, 2005 from http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/2853/
Minnesota inclusiveness program. (2005). Retrieved December 1, 2005 from
http://www.miprog.org/history.html
Morrison, J., & Bordere, T. (2001). Supporting biracial children's identity development. Childhood
Education, 77(3), 134. Retrieved December 1, 2005, from the Infotrac database.
Nitardy, C. (2004). Identity problems in biracial youth. Retrieved December 1, 2005, 2005 from
http://education.umn.edu/EdPA/licensure/leader/2004Fall/identity.html
References (cont.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Portrait of Frederick Douglass(1866). New York Historical Society. Retrieved December 8, 2005,
from http://www.pbs.org.ezproxy.stthomas.edu/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2962.html
Portrait of Halle Berry, Alicia Keys, and Tiger Woods. Retrieved December 1, 2005 from
http://www.blackflix.com/articles/multiracial.html
Portrait of Maria Tallchief. Retrieved December 1, 2005, from
http://www.nativecc.com/JJ_site/tallchief_photo_portrait.html
Portrait of Mammy Card Interracial.. Retrieved November 15th, from
http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(U.S._Census)
Portrait of Walter White. Retrieved December 1, 2005 from
http://www.mixedfolks.com/images/walterwhite.jpg
Psychological Services Center. (2004). Biracial identity formation. Retrieved December 5, 2005
from http://www.uc.edu/psc/sh/SH_Biracial%20Identity.htm
Randall, V.R. (2005). Interracial Children and the Effects on Children., Retrieved November 10,
2005, from http://www.academic.udayton.edu/race/04needs/s98alouis.htm#ChildrenIn
Sailer, S. (1997). Is Love Colorblind?. Retrieved November 10, 2005, from
http://www.isteve.com/IsLoveColorblind.htm
Schwartz, W. (1998). The schooling of multiracial students. 138 Retrieved November 20, 2005,
from the ERIC/CUE Digest database.
Teaching Resource Center. (2004). Teaching a diverse student body. Retrieved December 1, 2005
from http://trc.virginia.edu/Publications/Diversity/PDFs/Chapter 1.pdf
Warring, D. F. (1992). Understanding and Applying Human Relations and Multicultural
Education.
Scottsdale, AZ: Leadership.