Mixed College Students: WHO vs. WHATPosted in Articles, Campus Life, Identity Development/Psychology, Media Archive, United States on 2015-01-06 01:36Z by Steven |
Mixed College Students: WHO vs. WHAT
NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
2014-12-24
Aaron Moore, Residence Life: Hall Director
Ohio State University
Over the past few weeks I have read Mixed: Multiracial College Students Tell Their Life Stories (2014) and was extremely pleased with the thought provoking and eye opening narratives that were shared by the many students included in this book. I decided to read this book as a means of furthering my understanding of identity and how students come to understand who they are, but specifically, for individuals who identify as multiracial. I teach a Social Justice education course and understanding the racial landscape is often tough for students when they look at understanding themselves and relating to others, but grasping that there is not a “binary” if you will as it relates to how one identifies can be a challenging topic to explore and a tough even tougher for individuals trying to answer the question of “who am I.” When reading this book and the narratives I often had moments where I shook my head and understood what was being shared, but as I worked to connect with each student sharing their story, I found myself clothed with empathy as I tried to imagine what it must be like to answer the following:
- What are you?
- What does it take to be noticed?
- Is there a “better” race to identify with?
- How do I fight for how I want to be seen?
The list went on. The experiences of students who identify as being multiracial is not one of understanding, but is often one that presents itself with more questions than answers…
Read the entire article here.