Multiracial
The terms
multiracial,
biracial, and
mixed-race describe people whose ancestors are not of a single
race. (Biracial strictly refers to those with ancestors from exactly two races). One example might be a
mulatto, a term used in the U.S. in the colonial period to describe a person with mixed
Cacasian American and
African American ancestry. The term is also used in many Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries presently. Another might be the
Mestizo who are descended from Caucasian and indigenous American ancestors. It is sometimes a matter of opinion if people are mixed-race, because races themselves are not clearly defined. This has caused some problems for census-takers.
Multiracial also describes a society or group that is composed of people from more than one racial or ethnic group. See also
multicultural and
coloured.
Societal acceptance of
interracial marriages and offspring varies widely from person to person and region to region. In
Nazi Germany, harsh race laws were enacted to establish
racial purity. In the United States, especially the
Southeast, marriagebetween
African American and
Caucasian American people has historically been looked down upon and legislated against. As recently as 2003,
Taylor County High School in
Taylor County, Georgia has held separate prom celebrations for black and white students; however, some similar phenomena occur equally because of cultural differences and not specific prohibitions on marriage or dating. However, recent data suggests that multiracial marriages are becoming increasingly common in the United States.
In
2000,
The Sunday Times reported that "
Britain has the highest rate of
interracial relationships in the world".
[John Harlow, The Sunday Times (London), 9 April 2000, quoting Professor Richard Berthoud of the Institute for Social and Economic Research] Apparently contradicting this, more recent census data shows the population of
England (as a sub-section of the
UK) to be 1.4% mixed-race (2001), compared with, for example, 1.4% in the U.S. (2002 estimates; see below). However, as most of the English population is of one race (white)â€"even more so than in the USâ€"there are fewer
opportunities for interracial relationships in England. In support of the report's conclusions, it can be calculated that 14.4% of English residents not identified as
white are mixed-race, compared with 7.5% in the U.S.
The mixed race population of Canada, at 1.2%, is the fourth largest group in the country, greater than the
Filipino population.
Censuses notwithstanding, any count of numbers of mixed-race people is subject to dispute. People may identify themselves as members of one single racial category despite having (potentially many) ancestors belonging to other categories, for various reasons. For instance, genetic studies of black
Caribbean people show an ancestry that is on average 10% European and 90% African.
[Motherland: A Genetic Journey, BBC Documentary, 2003. This also stated that 25% of Afro-Caribbean people have a European ancestor in the paternal (Y-chromosome) line of descent.] Also, a considerable portion of the U.S. population identified as
Black actually have some
Native American or
European American ancestry. Up to one third of
White Americans may have African ancestry. Much of these categorization phenomena occur due to current or past cultural stereotyping or segregation.
Multiracial individuals are often presumed to have an
identity crisis because of not being able to answer questions such as "Are you Black or White?", perhaps due to having a sense of identity that is very different than people who claim to be of just one race. Most multiracial people cannot or do not identify with just one group. To complicate this further is a common phenomenon of a mixed race person not being 'claimed' by any of the ethnicities that run in their veins. Typically, in North America, biracial people, specifically of African and European paternity, self-identify themselves as "black" and are generally accepted in the African American community. However, within the continent of Africa, biracial individuals consider themselves "white" and although they may not be readily accepted in all European African communities, they are generally not accepted as "black" among the indegidous population.
Multiracial children in the United States
The proportion of multiracial children in the United States is growing rapidly. Interracial partnerships are rising, as are transracial adoptions. In 1990, about 14% of 18- to 19-year-olds, 12% of 20- to 21-year-olds and 7% of 34- to 35-year-olds were involved in interracial relationships. [
1]Given the variety of the familial and more general social environments in which multiracial children are raised, along with the diversity of their appearance vis-a-vis their component races and their family members, it can be difficult to make generalizations about multiracial children's challenges or opportunities. The racial
social identity of children and their parents in the same multiracial family may vary or be the same, to different degrees.[
2] Some multiracial children feel pressure from various sources to "choose" or to assimilate into a single racial identity, while others whose identity or lifestyle is perceived to be closer to some of their component races than others may feel pressure not to abandon one or more of their ethnicities. Still other children grow up without race being a significant issue in their lives.
Some multiracial individuals feel marginalized by US society. For example, when applying to schools, for a job, or taking standardized tests, all Americans are asked to check boxes corresponding to
race or
ethnicity. Typically, about four or five race choices are given with the instruction to "check only one." Many other such surveys include an additional "other" box, but this unfortunately groups together individuals of many different multiracial types (ex: Caucasian/African-Americans are grouped with Asian/Native American Indians), as well as individuals who feel their race or ethnic identity is not included in the standard groups (ex: Arab, Asian Indian). Perhaps most acceptable in the "multiple choice" format of race is to both provide an "other" box and to allow selection of multiple boxes, but some individuals will not be satisfied with any box checking.
There remain many circumstances in which biracial individuals are left with no real response when asked for demographic data. But multiracial people won a victory of sorts with the 2000
United States Census, which allowed participants to select more than one of the six available categories, which were, in brief: "
White", "
Black or African American", "
Asian", "
American Indian and Alaskan Native", "
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander", and Other. Further details are given in the article:
Race (US Census).
In contrast, the
United Kingdom Census 2001 offered specific mixed-race categories: "Mixed White and
Black Caribbean", "Mixed White and
Black African", "Mixed White and
[South] Asian", and "Other Mixed", as well as "Other ethnic group".
Formal recognition of legitimacy
Anti-miscegenation laws in the USA not only applied to
African Americans and
White Americans but also to
Asian Americans, and less often to
Native Americans in the United States, because of the frequent history of US Settlers bearing children with Native Americans.
Hispanics of White, African, and/or Native American descent were also legally forbidden to marry whites in a few states.In December of 1912, an amendment to the Constitution was introduced to abolish racial intermarriage: "
Intermarriage between negros or persons of color and Caucasians . . . within the United States . . . is forever prohibited." These anti-
micegenation laws were declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967, in
Loving v. Virginia.
*
Ethnicity*
List of multiracial people*
List of terms for multiraciality*
Mulatto*
Mulatto American*
One-drop rule*
Interracial Marriage*
MULTIRACIAL CHILDREN*
Education Program: offering resources and strategies (including videos, publications & trainings) to support mixed race children in educational settings
*
:Multiracial Asian Americans by C.N. Le, Ph.D.
*
Happy and Healthy Mixed Race Kids: a seminar for parents of multiracial children
*
Or Not There Are "Issues," Parents Need to Talk With Their Mixed Heritage Kids: Article by Jen Chau, Co-Director of New Demographic
*
Students in the Classroom: Not Absent, Just Overlooked: Article by Jen Chau, Co-Director of New Demographic
*
Mixed Media Watch: a blog that monitors how the media portrays mixed race people, interracial couples, and mixed families
*
Swirl: A mixed community.
*
MAVIN Foundation: The nation's leading organization advocating for mixed heritage people and families.*
MOSAIC UK: a UK organisation for mixed race families.*
MatchMaker: the only national program dedicated to mixed race marrow donor recruitment and education.*
Latin America and the Concept of Social Race*
White Racial Identity, Racial Mixture, and the "One Drop Rule" by A. D. Powell*
DNA Study published by United Press International showing how 30% of White Americans have at least one Black ancestor*
Mulatto.org: For the mulatto community (people mixed with european and african, black and white).*
ProjectRACE: National Organization leading the movement for a multiracial classification
