Mixed Race Studies

My greatest challenge in writing this book has been to present the information in a way that does not accelerate racism.  To avoid this, I talked with experts such as Randy Lindsey and Glenn Singleton. Mr. Singleton asked me to consider this question when I wrote the book: “What accelerates racism when dealing with the topic of multiraciality?” I used this question as a guide to my thinking and writing. Additionally, I read and reread Rainier Spencer’s outstanding book Challenging Multiracial Identities in the hopes of better understanding this complex topic. His question “How do we move away from the fallacy of race while remaining aggressive in the battle against racism?” was another idea I used to guide my work. This book is what I now know I know.

Bonnie M. Davis, The Biracial and Multiracial Student Experience: A Journey to Racial Literacy, (Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2009), xiii.

The Biracial and Multiracial Student Experience: A Journey to Racial Literacy

SAGE Publications
2009-06-30
168 pages
Paperback ISBN: 9781412975063
Hardcover ISBN: 9781412975056

Bonnie M. Davis

What does it mean to be “in between”?

As more biracial and multiracial students enter the classroom, educators have begun to critically examine the concept of race. Through compelling student and teacher narratives, best-selling author Bonnie M. Davis gives voice to a frequently mislabeled and misunderstood segment of the population. Filled with research-based instructional strategies and reflective questions, the book supports readers in examining:

• The meaning of race, difference, and ethnicity
• How mixed-identity students develop racial identities
• How to adjust instruction to demonstrate cultural proficiency
• Complex questions to help deepen understanding of bi- and multiracial experiences, white privilege, and the history of race in the U.S.

This sensitively written yet practical guide fills a gap in the professional literature by examining the experiences of biracial/multiracial students in the context of today’s classrooms. The author calls upon readers to take a transformational journey toward racial literacy and, ultimately, become empowered by a real understanding of what it means to be biracial or multiracial and enable all students to experience increased self-confidence and believe in their ability to succeed.

Contents

• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Prologue
• 1. Beginning the Journey
• 2. What Is Race?
• 3. What Are You?
• 4. What Are the Challenges for Multiracial Students?
• 5. How Mixed Identity Students Develop Racial Identities
• 6. Outside the School Walls
• 7. The Impact of Skin Color
• 8. Listening to Parents
• 9. Taking It All to the Classroom: Culturally Proficient Instruction
• 10. Future Voices
• 11. The Journey’s End
• References
• Index