Mission Statement
Our goal is to assist in educating and advocating for people who are interracial by providing resources that can be used in and out of the classroom that will help the development of identities of people who are interracial.
Importance
Race has always played a significant role in the history of the United States. From the pre-colonial era to present times, race has been a major aspect of many of America's structures, including economic, political, and social institutions. This role of race can be seen in the way Europeans and Euro-Americans forcibly and brutally robbed Native Americans of their land, the enslavement of Africans and African-Americans, the Exclusion Act of the 1800's on Asian Americans, the forced internment of more than one hundred thousand Japanese Americans during World War II, and the numerous immigration laws enacted during the 1990's and 21st century focusing on Latin Americans because Europeans and Euro-Americans believed they were the superior race.
With the overwhelming prevalence of race in American society racial segregation became, and still is, the norm. This racial isolation allowed for communities like Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, Little Armenia, and Little Havana to develop and construct their own identity. By separating from "mainstream" America, these communities participate in racial socialization, world views about race and ethnicity, which has a direct correlation to children's motivation and achievement and racial identity (Coll et al, 1996). Although cultural communities have been supporting the development of racial identity through racial socialization, our school systems have failed to recognize the development of interracial identity.
As the United States continues to become increasingly diverse, there has been a rise in interracial marriages and interracial children. According to a NBC news report, the 2000 census, the first census in which Americans could identify themselves by more than one racial category, revealed that approximately 6.8 million Americans described themselves as interracial (Stuckey, 2008). With the racial identity of non-Whites in the United States being inadequately addressed in schools across the United States, the racial identity of interracial children are almost non-existent. Education in today's schools does not represent the diversity that can be seen across the nation. By incorporating new pedagogical concepts, alternative materials, and additional resources to portray a more accurate representation of racial groups in the United States, the identity of interracial children can be positively influenced, which can also contribute to a higher amount of motivation and achievement amongst the group.
With the overwhelming prevalence of race in American society racial segregation became, and still is, the norm. This racial isolation allowed for communities like Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, Little Armenia, and Little Havana to develop and construct their own identity. By separating from "mainstream" America, these communities participate in racial socialization, world views about race and ethnicity, which has a direct correlation to children's motivation and achievement and racial identity (Coll et al, 1996). Although cultural communities have been supporting the development of racial identity through racial socialization, our school systems have failed to recognize the development of interracial identity.
As the United States continues to become increasingly diverse, there has been a rise in interracial marriages and interracial children. According to a NBC news report, the 2000 census, the first census in which Americans could identify themselves by more than one racial category, revealed that approximately 6.8 million Americans described themselves as interracial (Stuckey, 2008). With the racial identity of non-Whites in the United States being inadequately addressed in schools across the United States, the racial identity of interracial children are almost non-existent. Education in today's schools does not represent the diversity that can be seen across the nation. By incorporating new pedagogical concepts, alternative materials, and additional resources to portray a more accurate representation of racial groups in the United States, the identity of interracial children can be positively influenced, which can also contribute to a higher amount of motivation and achievement amongst the group.
Coll, C., Crnic, K., Lamberty, G., Wasik, B., et al. (1996). An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67(5), 1891-1914.
Stuckey, M. (2008). Multiracial Americans surge in number, voice: Obama candidacy focuses new attention on their quest for understanding. NBC News. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24542138/ns/us_news-gut_check/t/multiracial-americans-surge-number-voice/
Stuckey, M. (2008). Multiracial Americans surge in number, voice: Obama candidacy focuses new attention on their quest for understanding. NBC News. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24542138/ns/us_news-gut_check/t/multiracial-americans-surge-number-voice/