Mixed Race Studies

“Remarkable” Mixed-Race Family in 20th Century Is Subject of Book Discussion [with Book Signing by the Author]

James Madison Building
Dining Room A, Sixth Floor, J
101 Independence Aveune, SE
Washington, DC
2010-03-03, 12:30 EST (Local Time)
Webcast Time: 00:59:24

Adele Logan Alexander, Professor of History
George Washington University

“Parallel Worlds” Focuses on “the Enduring (In)significance of Melanin”

When William Henry Hunt married Ida Alexander Gibbs in the spring of 1904, their wedding was a glittering Washington social event that joined an Oberlin-educated diplomat’s daughter and a Wall Street veteran who could trace his lineage to Jamestown. Their union took place in a world of refinement and privilege, but both William and Ida had mixed-race backgrounds, and their country therefore placed severe restrictions on their lives because, at that time, “one drop of colored blood” classified anyone as a Negro…

…Adele Logan Alexander has written a fascinating account of this couple in “Parallel Worlds: The Remarkable Gibbs-Hunts and the Enduring (In)significance of Melanin” (University of Virginia Press, 2010). Alexander will discuss and sign her book on Wednesday, March 3, at 12:30 p.m. in Dining Room A, sixth floor, James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E. The event, part of the Books and Beyond author series of the Center for the Book, is free and open to the public; no tickets are required…

..The Center for the Book was established by Congress in 1977 “to use the resources and prestige of the Library of Congress to promote books, reading, literacy and libraries.” With its many educational programs that reach readers of all ages, through its support of the National Book Festival and through its dynamic state centers in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Center for the Book has developed a nationwide network of organizational partners dedicated to promoting the wonders and benefits of reading. The Center also oversees the new Read.gov website, with its exclusive “Exquisite Corpse Adventure” serialized story.

View the entire webcast here.

Listen to National Public Radio‘s Michel Martin interview Adele Logan Alexander about the book on Tell Me More (on  2010-02-10) here.

A conversation with Victoria E. Bynum, author of The Long Shadow of the Civil War: Southern Dissent and Its Legacies

University of North Carolina Press
April 2010

Victoria E. Bynum, author of The Long Shadow of the Civil War: Southern Dissent and Its Legacies, discusses three Unionist strongholds in the South,

Q: There seems no end to books about the American Civil War. What does The Long Shadow of the Civil War offer that is new?

A: Although Civil War books about the home front are not new, this is a new sort of home front study that focuses on three communities from three different states. Rather than close with the war and Reconstruction, The Long Shadow of the Civil War follows individual Unionists and multiracial families into the New South era and, in some cases, into the twentieth century. This historical sweep allows the reader to understand the ongoing effects of the war at its most personal levels…

…Q: Newt Knight, the controversial “captain” of the Knight Company, is a polarizing figure who even today evokes heated arguments among readers. Why is this so, and how did it affect your historical treatment of him?

A: As long as we continue to debate the causes, meanings, and effects of the Civil War, Newt Knight’s motives and character will also be debated. We know that he defied Confederate authority during the war, supported Republican Reconstruction afterward, and openly crossed the color line to found a mixed-race community. To neo-Confederates, such facts make Newt a scoundrel and a traitor to his country and his race. To neo-abolitionists, he is a backwoods Mississippi hero who defended his nation and struggled to uplift the black race. My response to such powerful and emotional narratives is to examine critically not only the documentary evidence, but also the mountain of published opinions about Newt Knight that have too often functioned as “evidence” for both sides of the debate.

Q: Newt Knight, his white wife Serena, and former family slave, Rachel, were the founding parents of a multiracial community. What sort of a community was it in terms of racial identity? How did members of the community identify themselves racially, as opposed to how the larger white society defined them?

A: As segregation took hold in New South Mississippi (1880-1900), the descendants of Newt, Serena, and Rachel were increasingly defined by white society as black, i.e. as “Negroes,” despite being of European, African, and Native American ancestry. Before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s, however, few of these descendants identified themselves as “black.” Depending on their physical appearance, including skin shade and hair texture, descendants of Newt and Rachel variously defined themselves as white, Indian, or colored. Whereas white society applied a “one drop rule” that grouped together all people of African ancestry, these descendants self-identified in ways that reflected their multiracial heritage.

There is no direct evidence of how Newt, Serena, or Rachel racially identified their multiracial descendants. Descendant Yvonne Bivins, the most thorough Knight researcher, was told by her elders that Newt Knight actively encouraged his descendants to identify as white. All that is certain — but nonetheless remarkable — is that they economically supported, nurtured, and lived openly among both white and multiracial kinfolk all their lives.

Q: By crossing the color line, Newt Knight deviated from the norm by acknowledging and supporting his multiracial descendants. What may we deduce from those facts about his political views on race relations in the era of segregation?

A: Since we don’t know that Newt Knight identified his multiracial descendants as “black,” we can’t deduce from his intimate relationships with them, or by his efforts to enroll them in a local school (one that he helped create) alongside his white descendants, that he supported equality for all people of African ancestry — that is, for people classed as “Negroes.” Only if we adhere to the “one drop rule” — and assume that Newt Knight did, too — can we conclude that Newt’s protection of his own kinfolk extended to all Americans of African ancestry.

Newt’s efforts on behalf of freedpeople as a Republican appointee during Reconstruction do not necessarily make him an advocate of black equality, as some historians have argued. There were many Reconstruction Republicans who supported the same basic rights of marriage and military service that Newt upheld for freedpeople, while supporting segregation and opposing black voting rights. We simply don’t know Newt’s political position on these issues…

Read the entire interview here.

Black History Month play explores interracial issues

Orlando Sentinal
2010-02-20

Rosalind Jennings, Special To The Orlando Sentinel

Leesburg, [Florida] – Dolores Sandoval’s paternal grandmother was an African slave on a plantation, and that ancestor’s father was the white plantation owner.

So she was mixed racially – an “octoroon,” which is one-eighth African.

“Her father owned the plantation,” Sandoval said. “She was freed by the Civil War.”

In celebration of Black History Month, Sandoval will perform a play that traces her ancestry on both sides as they struggle with issues of race and especially the mixing of races and ethnicities. It will take place at 6 p.m. Monday at the Leesburg Public Library. The play is part of a series of lectures on global awareness sponsored by Beacon College in Leesburg.

“My family is interracial, bi-racial, tri-racial, quad-racial…right through to today,” said Sandoval, a Canadian resident.

The one-hour play, “Coloured Pictures in Family Frames,” will include Sandoval’s ancestors as characters in short episodes that will fit together to tell her family’s story. It will have 20 characters, with Sandoval’s narration being the strongest element as she explains her ancestors’ predicaments and struggles…

Read the entire article here.

The relationship between binge eating and weight status on depression, anxiety, and body image among a diverse college sample: A focus on Bi/Multiracial women

Eating Behaviors
Volume 11, Issue 1, January 2010
Pages 18-24
DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2009.08.003

Valentina Ivezaj
Eastern Michigan University

Karen K. Saules
Eastern Michigan University

Flora Hoodin
Eastern Michigan University

Kevin Alschuler
Eastern Michigan University

Nancy E. Angelella
Eastern Michigan University

Amy S. Collings
Eastern Michigan University

David Saunders-Scott
Eastern Michigan University

Ashley A. Wiedemann
Eastern Michigan University

Binge eating is associated with a host of adverse outcomes, but little is known about sex and racial differences among those who binge eat. The present study examined sex and racial group differences in binge eating based on weight status within a college-student population. It was hypothesized that White women would endorse higher rates of binge eating, depression, anxiety, and body image dissatisfaction than other groups. Participants completed a web-based survey assessing depression, anxiety, body image, weight history, physical activity, smoking, and body mass index. Participants included White, Black, and Bi/Multiracial college students. Findings highlighted sex and racial differences based on binge eating and weight status. Notably, Bi/Multiracial women who endorsed binge eating behavior and who were overweight reported greater levels of anxiety than all other groups and greater levels of depression than White women and White men. Additionally, Bi/Multiracial women and White women who endorsed binge eating behavior and who were overweight reported greater body image dissatisfaction relative to Black women and White men. Future research should further explore the nature and impact of sex and race differences on binge eating.

Read the entire article here.

Mixed Race in the Age of Obama

University of Chicago
Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture (CSRPC)
International House, Home Room
1414 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL
2010-03-05, 09:00 to 18:00 CST (Local Time)

The Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of  Chicago presents a daylong conference, “Mixed-Race in the Age of Obama,” which seeks to intervene in the discursive, material, and ideological debates involving mixed-race people nationally and internationally, examining historical, sociological, literary, legal, and other (inter)disciplinary representations of the lived experience of mixed race people. Organized by Dr. Matthews Briones, Department of History at U of C. Co-sponsored by International House Global Voices Program. Free & open to the public.

For more information, click here.

Framing mixed race: The face of America is changing

Contra Costa Times
2010-02-07

Jennifer Modenessi

Like any proud mother, Janine Mozée sees beauty when she looks at her four children.

But the Benicia resident perceives more than their physical qualities and the various shades and hues of their skin, eyes and hair. For Mozée, 46, it’s a “beautiful thing” that they can take strength and security from their identities, traverse diverse worlds and cultures and fit in where they want.

Bianca, Austin, Weston and Isabella Carr, whose mother is white and father is black, white and Native American, are not alone.

According to the most recent U.S. census, the number of people identifying as mixed race is growing. California‘s mixed-race population, by percentage, ranks fifth in the nation, and data from the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey estimates that more than 4 percent of Bay Area residents identify as belonging to two or more races. Though that number may seem low and could be attributed to people of mixed heritage choosing to identify with one race, a look at the Bay Area’s diversity suggests the 2010 census could reveal much higher numbers. Still, more youths are being raised in interracial homes, often by mixed-race parents who are encouraging their children to embrace their diverse backgrounds, said sociologist and UC [University of California, ] Santa Barbara professor G. Reginald Daniel. The stories of Bay Area residents such as Carr and her family; Donna and Kim Hunter, sisters whose mother was German and father was black; and Whitney Moses, whose father was black, Native American and white, reflect that trend. And their images, featured in the recent book “Blended Nation: Portraits of Mixed-Race America,” offer further proof that the face of the nation is changing…

Read the entire article here.

An Evening with Kip Fulbeck-artist, slam poet, filmmaker Event Type: Lecture

Sacramento State University
University Union Ballroom
2010-02-18, 19:00-21:00 PST (Local Time)
Contact:  (916) 278-6997 

An Evening With Kip Fulbeck, artist, slam poet, and filmmaker- addressing issues on identity, multiraciality, and pop culture through spoken word, stand-up comedy, political activism, and personal stories, University Union Ballroom, 7 pm, FREE!!!
 
Sacramento State’s ASI, Multi-Cultural Center, and the University Union UNIQUE Programs are honored to bring an exciting and unique performance, “Race, Sex, and Tattoos: the Kip Fulbeck Experience” by Kip Fulbeck at the University Union Ballroom on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 7:00pm.  A book signing will follow the performance.

Kip Fulbeck is an artist, writer, slam poet, professor and award-winning director/filmmaker of Chinese, English and Welsh decent. Using his own experiences of being from a mixed heritage, Kip speaks nationwide, tackling topics such as media imagery, interracial dating patterns and icons of race and sex. His performance, which includes a mixture of spoken word, stand-up comedy, political activism and personal stories inspire audiences to explore how our own ethnic stereotypes and opinions on cultural identity are formed.

Fulbeck’s photographic book, Part Asian, 100% Hapa, features portraits of mixed heritage participants along with their hand written responses of how they self-identify ethnically, responding to the frequently asked question of, “What are you?” “Hapa,” derived from the Hawaiian word for “half,” used to be considered a derogatory word. Today, however, it has been embraced as a term of pride by mixed-race individuals and groups who identify with Asian or Pacific Rim ancestry.  Over 1,200 people nationally have participated in The Hapa Project by Kip Fulbeck.

A Professor and Chair of Art and an affiliate faculty of Asian American Studies and Film Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Kip Fulbeck has performed and exhibited in over 20 countries and throughout the U.S., including the Museum of Modern Art, the Singapore International Film Festival, the World Wide Video Festival, PBS, and the Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial. He has twice keynoted the National Conference On Race in Higher Education, directed 13 independent videos including Banana Split and Lilo & Me, and authored the critically acclaimed books Permanence: Tattoo Portraits; Part Asian, 100% Hapa which features portraits of people of mixed heritage; Paper Bullets: A Fictional Autobiography; and Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids. He has also been featured on CNN, MTV and PBS.

All ages permitted. No alcohol provided or sold at venue.

Fulbeck inspires students to be proud of their heritage

The State Hornet
The Voice of Sacramento State
2010-02-09

Jennifer Siopongco

Kip Fulbeck will launch the Multi-Cultural Center’s mixed-heritage series at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 in the Sac[ramento] State’s University Union with his lecture titled “Race, Sex and Tattoos: The Kip Fulbeck Experience.”
 
Spring semester at the Multi-Cultural Center is being spiced up with an innovative idea for a mixed heritage series.

The series will be launched with a premiere performance titled “Race, Sex, and Tattoos: The Kip Fulbeck Experience” by Kip Fulbeck at 7 p.m., Feb. 18 in Sacramento State’s University Union.

Fulbeck is a professor, slam poet, filmmaker and author who focuses on embracing heritage. Fulbeck himself is of English, Welsh and Chinese descent.

He will be speaking about topics dealing with race, sex and tattoos, while exploring the issues of mixed race and identity through comedy and various art media.

“They will see a lot of funny images, how lots of people are seen, spoken word, stuff that’s inspiring and sad,” Fulbeck said.

This idea for a focus on heritage was created by Liz Redford, Sac State student and newsletter and marketing intern at the Multi-Cultural Center, who is proud to be a quarter Japanese…

Read the entire article here.

New Group Embraces Diversity

Daily Nexus
University of California, Santa Barbara
Issue 76, Volume 90
2010-02-10

Ali Limonadi, Reporter

A new student organization at UCSB hopes to create a safe space and open forum for multicultural, mixed-race and mixed-ethnicity students.

The Mixed Student Union registered as an official group with the Office of Student Life roughly two weeks ago, after the founding members returned from the Students of Color Conference 2010, held at UC San Diego. According to its members, the MSU is a club dedicated to opening dialogue amongst mixed-heritage UCSB students about their personal experiences in relation to their varied ancestry…

Read the entire article here.

Two researchers reflect on navigating multiracial identities in the research situation

International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
Volume 23, Issue 3 (June 2010)
pages 259 – 281
DOI: 10.1080/09518390903196609

Erica Mohan
University of British Columbia

Terah T. Venzant Chambers, Professor of Education and Human Development
Texas A&M University
 
Despite the increasing interest in the experiences of multiracial individuals, as evidenced by the emergent body of literature and research related to multiracial experiences, we lack an understanding of methodological concerns related to research with multiracial individuals. Here, we seek to (1) investigate the applicability of theories of insider/outsider status to research conducted by and with multiracial individuals, (2) interrogate our own research experiences as multiracial scholars conducting research with multiracial students, and (3) identify implications from our analysis for other researchers. We conclude that understandings of methodological terms related to monoracial populations are limited in their applicability to research with multiracial individuals. Additionally, we conclude that navigating multiracial identities in research situations is a particularly complicated process aided less by a shared sense of identity or community between researcher and participants and more by experiences that stem from a similar need to engage in micronegotiations of racial and ethnic identities.

Read or purchase the article here.