Mixed Race Studies

BLM resources: Nella Larson’s ‘Passing’

Palatinate: Durham’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1948
Durham, United Kingdom
2020-07-28

Anna De Vivo

Image: Thomas E. Askew via U.S. Library of Congress

‘She was caught between two allegiances, different, yet the same. Herself. Her race. Race! The thing that bound and suffocated her.’ Written in 1929 but still pertinent to this day, Nella Larsen’s Passing centres around two biracial women, and explores racial identity, racism, and white privilege –significant concerns which have been propelled after the surge of global support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Racial passing is when one member of a racial group is accepted or passes as another member of a different racial category, which both protagonists of this novella undergo. The idea of racial passing gained prominence in post-Civil War America, where previously enslaved African Americans could construct a new identity and thereby evade legal and cultural oppression based on race. In essence, passing could become a tool to create a new white identity.

In Passing, after a chance encounter in the segregated Drayton Hotel in Chicago, Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield, the two protagonists, reunite after twelve years. Both women grew up together. Both women are of African American and white heritage, yet both women pass as white. But there is one significant difference: whilst Irene embraces her racial identity and passes only when she feels necessary, Clare assimilates into a white identity and marries John Bellew, her rich but racist husband…

Read the entire article here.

Miscategorization and Passing of Multiracial Individuals: A Qualitative Exploration of Lived Experiences

Chicago School of Professional Psychology
2020-05-29

Jasmine Telemaque

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of PsyD Clinical Psychology

Individuals often have preconceived ideas about others’ race based on the color of their skin. However, skin color does not necessarily reflect one’s racial group. There are currently approximately 7 million multiracial people in the United States, and the issue of miscategorization cannot be ignored. Though there is an increasing emphasis on racial equality and growing research on multiracial individuals, this research is still sparse and developing. This study discovered how some multiracial individuals identify across different settings, and if passing, or not disclosing true racial identity, has affected some areas of life, including personal, academic, and professional. This study expands the literature on multiracial individuals and provides insight into the decision to disclose or not disclose racial identity. Participants were interviewed, data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research for domains and core ideas, and cross-analysis was performed. Overall findings of the study found that participants had differing reactions to racial miscategorization and racism. Ultimately, all participants found ways of feeling represented or found pride in their multiracial background through media, friends, and family members. Implications and future directions are discussed.

For more information, click here.

Seeking Participants: Experiences of Multiracial Students in Higher Education

2020-08-27

Lauren Wagner
Graduate College of Education
San Francisco State University

Hello – I am a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Education: Equity and Social Justice in Education at San Francisco State University. I am currently seeking research participants for phone interviews during the month of September.

My qualitative study focuses on perceptions, representation, and identity development of multiracial students in higher education – specifically the significance of continuous access and visibility of ethnic studies curriculum throughout a student’s academic journey.

Please consider participating if you meet all of the below:

1. Identify as multiracial (i.e., individuals who have mixed ancestry of two or more races).
2. Have taken at least one ethnic studies course at a California Community College, California State University, or University of California.

Participants will be asked to share their experiences in a 45-60 minute interview. All information provided will be kept confidential.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in this research, please contact me at lwagner@sfsu.edu.

Thank you!