For the first time in the 210-year history of its existence, the U.S. Census 2000 allowed Americans to identify themselves as multiracial. This is important because the multiracial community of children, who now account for four percent of all children under 18, is continuing to grow. Most multiracial, bicultural/biracial, or mixed-race children have, from birth, been intimately exposed to more than one life style, speech pattern, cultural norm, and racial group. But they grow up in a society that attempts to classify them in a mono-racial identity system, forcing them to reject the other parts of their rich heritage.
It is difficult for early childhood educators to address the needs of multiracial children because of the lack of information about this growing population. Educators can promote the positive development of multiracial students by treating each child according to his or her unique cultural characteristics instead of lumping together children of various ethnicities as generically multiracial.
This edition of the newsletter provides articles and resources related to the description of how this population is changing societal reactions to race, and on the unique experience of multiracial children.
- Lena Ko, Issue Editor
Articles on Multiracial Populations
A New Way To Measure America
A description of the impact of adding "Multiracial" as a category to the U.S. 2000 Census. About 2.4% of Americans, or about 6.8 million, took advantage of the opportunity to identify themselves as multiracial when their racial choices in the Census jumped from five to 63.
www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=140
Overview of the Development of Ethnic, Gender, Disability and Class Identity and Attitudes in Children and Youth
This article from Roots For Change, a journal of the Early Childhood Equity Alliance, focuses on the multiple facets of identity, specifically on language, cultural, and racial identity. Page six begins a section on biracial identity development.
www.rootsforchange.net/pdfs/E4_Eng-Journal.pdf
The Schooling of Multiracial Students
This ERIC Digest from 1998, provides summary of research on the unique realities of multiracial students and their families. It includes a discussion of multiracial identity development models, attitudes towards racial classification, school practices, the educator's role in meeting needs of multicultural students, and suggested learning and counseling activities.
www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed425249.html
Family Diversity in Urban Schools
This ERIC Digest from 1999 describes different family types including multiracial families and children. It includes school strategies for family inclusiveness and curriculum and classroom activities.
www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed434188.html
As Population Blends, Schools Ease Rigid Race Labeling
A Maryland school's routine classification of students by a single race or ethnicity is a long-standing practice in many school systems, rooted in an effort to collect data that will help officials guard against segregation and raise minority student performance. But the practice is giving way as critics raise their voices and the growing multiracial student population (fifteen percent of seniors last year) outstrips officials' ability to neatly classify them. From Interracial Family Circle
http://interracialfamilycircle.org/Library/Outside/10101.htm
Multiracial/Multicultural Sites and Organizations
Biracial Kids
Provides resources and supports primarily towards teens and parents of mixed or trans-racially adopted children.
www.resasweb.com/biracialkids
Association of MultiEthnic Americans
Representing America's Multiracial, Multiethnic Community since 1988.
www.ameasite.org
Center for the Study of Bi-racial Children
Produces and disseminates materials for and about interracial families and biracial children.
www.csbc.cncfamily.com
Interracial Voice
The "voice of conscience" of the Global Mixed-Race/Interracial Movement. The site is no longer maintained, but includes links to many articles and editorials.
www.webcom.com/~intvoice/welcome.html
Mavin Foundation
The Mavin Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is redefining diversity by celebrating multiracial and trans-racially adopted youth. Through their programs, they are helping to create a cohesive, multicultural society. They are recipients of President Bush's "Points of Light" award and the "Heroes of Health Care" award for their innovative approach to race and diversity issues.
www.mavinfoundation.org
The Multiracial Activist
An activist journal covering civil liberties issues of interest to biracial/multiracial individuals, interracial couples/families and trans-racial adoptees.
www.multiracial.com
Project RACE
A non-profit organization leading the movement for a multiracial classification.
www.projectrace.com
Mixed Race 101
Facts sheet about races in America. From the Fusion Series: A discussion series dedicated to exploring ethnicity and identity in a changing society
www.fusionseries.com/resources/factsheets/101.htm
Resources
Great Books For Interracial Children - a very thorough list of books about interracial children compiled by Jana Fine.
http://interracialfamilycircle.org/reading.htm
Biracial Identity - an annotated bibliography of resources
www.flint.lib.mi.us/fpl/resources/biracial/index.html
Serving Biracial and Multiethnic Children and their Families - Childcare Health Program publication. A multimedia exploration of dual-heritage children developed to inform the early care and education community of the unique identity development of biracial children and their families.
www.childcarehealth.org/publications.php
List of books on multiracial, multi ethnic families and children from the Biracial Kids web site.
www.resasweb.com/biracialkids/
Childrens' and Young adult books with interracial family themes.
www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/newmultirace.htm
Facing History and Ourselves: An American Love Story. A four-tape video series chronicling a year and a half in the life of an interracial family in Flushing, a section of Queens in New York City. A study guide is also available.
www.facing.org/facing/fhao2.nsf/3a028132bf20f1528525686d00572a76/dd009ccfcb9c3dfa85256a0200728846?OpenDocument
Alike and Different: Exploring our Humanity with Young Children. Includes a chapter by Francis Wardle, Building Positive Images: Interracial Children and Their Families.
http://128.174.128.220/cgi-bin/clasSearch/viewitem.cgi?id=164#Summary
Staff Favorite Web Site of the Month
CARTS - Cultural Arts Resources for Teachers and Students - multi media resources, professional development, school projects
www.carts.org
Quotes of the Month
"While completing those [Census 2000] applications was a mere formality to some, it challenged me personally, and questioned whether I was really a valued person. To have the chance to identify myself as biracial validated me and my experience, something that rarely happens for biracial people."
Bill of Rights for Racially Mixed People. By Maria P.P. Root
I Have the Right …
Not to justify my existence in this world.
Not to keep the races separate within me.
Not to be responsible for people's discomfort with my physical ambiguity.
Not to justify my ethnic legitimacy.
I Have the Right …
To identify myself differently than strangers expect me to identify.
To identify myself differently from how my parents identify me.
To identify myself differently from my brothers and sisters.
To identify myself differently in different situations.
I Have the Right …
To create a vocabulary to communicate about being multiracial.
To change my identity over my lifetime — and more than once.
To have loyalties and identification with more than one group of people.
To freely choose whom I befriend and love.
From: www.resasweb.com/biracialkids
