It's a Mixed Bag: Exploring Multiracial Identities

Story by Kiersten Kimminau | Photos by Jack Royer & Zahn Schultz | Design by Kayla Craig

According to CWU Diversity and Inclusivity statistics, the total student count for Fall 2019-2020 was 12,257. Out of this population, around 52% or half of all students identified as coming from a traditionally underrepresented student group, with about 8.4% from this group identifying as multiracial.

If you identify as multiracial, this seemingly low statistic may not surprise you if you’ve gone most of your life not seeing anyone else quite like yourself.

Although the percentage may seem small, being multiracial is a topic that many students at CWU can relate to because this campus hosts students from a diverse variety of backgrounds and racial identities.

The Broad Scope of Identity

Something that can be particularly unique about being multiracial is that no individual is completely alike. Identifying as multiracial can be a broad and rather complicated description because it means something different to people depending on what races form their ethnic background.

When asked how he identifies racially, Morgan Burrell (pictured right), senior Actuarial Science major, says, “That's kind of a complicated question because I haven’t fully decided yet”

When someone has an array of heritages that make up their background it can be understandable for them to not be completely sure of their racial identity.

“Race is a social construct, as is ethnicity and all of these things ... It can be fluid. It can be dynamic and it can be multifaceted,” says Communication Studies Program Coordinator and Adviser, Joshua Nelson-Ichido.

At any point in an individual’s life, it can be okay to explore what their racial and ethnic identity means to them. Just like any type of social identity, these things can change and transform.

Nelson-Ichido points out that ethnic identity goes beyond basic biology. “Ethnicity isn’t solely based on race. It’s tied to shared cultural elements of a large group that can be influenced by things like religion, nationality, culture [and] race.” He adds, “We need to look at this in a much more dynamic fashion.”

Instead of assuming someone’s racial or ethnic identity, you may consider thinking about the implications that can come with being multiracial. Nelson-Ichido advises you not to just assume that because someone looks a certain way, “they cannot have an identity associated with some different ethnic group.”

Even though Burrell’s family is diverse in heritage — his father is black with Panamanian and Jamaican heritage while his mother is Jewish-European — he identifies closest with his Jewish heritage.

He explains that there has always been a disconnect with other elements of his ethnic identity. “I was always too dark for the white kids and too white for the black kids.” As a result, he often felt a sense of isolation growing up. “No one’s really accepted me as their own,” explains Burrell.

Lacking a sense of belonging can be a common obstacle for people who identify as multiracial. Abby Chien, director of the CWU Diversity and Equity Center, can also recall not quite knowing where she fit in when she was younger.

“I really tried hard to put myself in a box ... and just wanted to see somebody else who looked like me,” she says.

Today, Chien embraces her identity as a multiracial Asian American woman. Finding this identity required her to first develop the proper language to describe her experiences and realize that she had her own identity that was unique to her.

She says, “I think that everybody has the right and the agency to self-define what multiraciality or multiethnicity means for them.”

Obstacles & Common Threads

Just because every individual has the right to determine what their racial or ethnic background means to them, doesn’t mean they can’t also seek common threads within their communities.

“It’s weird when you grow up and no one looks like you at all,” says Burrell. This can be a very valid barrier to overcome.

However, looks and the color of a person’s skin aren’t the sole qualifications for belonging to a certain group. There can be plenty of other elements that contribute to someone’s identity.

Danielle Kuchler (pictured left), a second year graduate student in Biology Education who identifies as Latina and white says, “I have a lot of influences from the culture and heritage of my mom,” she says.

Even though Kuchler grew up in the U.S. and a household that spoke primarily English, certain customs, culture and even cuisine have all contributed to making her feel closer to her Panamanian heritage.

It’s all about “finding the commonalities between both groups,” says Kutchler, who has been able to connect with others of Hispanic heritage through things like cuisine and language. She says, “I don’t speak Spanish, but I have little phrases that I know.” She adds that it’s important to find “the little bits of common ground and opening a dialogue.”

There is value in finding similarities with others. Chien says, “We feel like, ‘that resonates with me’ and so we get to feel seen in ways we don’t in other places.”

At the same time, Chien also takes time to acknowledge that differences are still acceptable and valid. “I think there’s real value in just creating some community and recognizing that not everyone’s going to have the same experiences.”

It may be helpful to seek common ground with people who have similar or shared experiences. But it can also be powerful to embrace, accept and open dialogue around our differences as well.

Opening a Dialogue

Associate Professor of American Indian & Ethnic, Gender & Labor Studies at University of Washington-Tacoma and Haliwa Saponi and Eastern Band Cherokee Washington resident, Michelle Montgomery says, “I learned very quickly that institutions and systems are not built for people of color to succeed.”

In order for individuals from minority groups and people of color to succeed, Montgomery says, “You have to really dig deep and define what success is to you.”

Figuring out how to dig deep and allow yourself to have this power can be uncomfortable but, “The key is, when you’re learning to navigate coming into your own skin and understanding what it means to be humble, it’s about calling people into a conversation,” says Montgomery.

Conversations around racial and ethnic identities have been known to be uncomfortable, offensive and often blanketed with ignorance. Sometimes this ignorance can be intentional and other times it may be completely unintentional based on a difference in cultural heritages.

Chien says, “I think in some ways, we tiptoe around race and ethnicity. So we found ways to code language about it, which doesn’t serve us.”

Few individuals are taught the nuances of ethnic and racial identity, let alone how to have productive conversations about it.

Nelson-Ichido hopes for a future where people of color and people who have multiple ethnic identities no longer have to explain or justify themselves. “We need to be open to more information, learn as we’re talking, and be more dynamic in our categorizations, because our brains will always categorize.”

Currently, the education system tries to teach students not to stereotype or prejudice. However, Nelson-Ichido believes that this is not enough.

“It’s not necessarily just about not liking people who are of other races or other ethnicities. It’s about accepting people for who they are and how they identify,” he says.

It comes down to having respect and being open to starting dialogues with people who may be different than you. “It goes back to calling people into a conversation ... that is a safe space to agree to disagree,” says Montgomery. Otherwise, “how are we supposed to know what the needs and wants are but most importantly, the healing that needs to take place?”

When these conversations are not occuring or when they become exhausting and seemingly futile, remember “it’s also not our responsibility as people of color to educate white privilege,” says Montgomery.

Instead, she urges people to find comfort in their heritage and confidence in their identity. She says, “My grandpa, who could move mountains for me, has always taught me that when you learn to own your skin, people cannot physically touch you, even if they put their hands on you.”

No, but What are You?

Sometimes owning your skin can be challenging in a world that constantly expects you to justify and explain your identity. People who identify as multiracial may be able to recall common questions and challenges they have collectively faced.

Chien and Burrell are both quite familiar with being asked the question ‘What are you?’

Depending on her mood on a given day, Chien’s response varies. “There are some days that I have endless patience,” she explains. Sometimes her response is something along the lines of, “I understand what you’re trying to ask me about. So, let me help you ask me about that.”

However, she adds, “There’s other times when I’m like, ‘I think you’re just trying to place me in a box that I don’t want you to put me in.’”

Burrell says, “When people ask me, ‘What are you?’ I ask them, ‘Well, what are you?’” This response is usually met with frustration. He continues, “They say American, but when I say American, they get angry.”

Some people may also remember in grade school, filling out standardized tests and being asked to check a single box to indicate your race. Nowadays, most documents allow people to select two or more options.

However, this is a relatively recent development. In the past, individuals were usually tasked with choosing a single option. This seemingly simple task could turn into a complete existential crisis for people who identify as multiracial.

Chien remembers when she was met with the ‘check one box’ dilemma. “Steam came out of my ears ... I felt like if I just checked one box then I wasn’t accurately representing how deeply invested I am in my family and my parents.”

Owning Your Identity

Although these barriers and challenges may be frustrating, having a multiracial or multiethnic identity can ultimately be very empowering. Kuchler says, “It’s so exciting to know that you’re a part of multiple communities.”

At the end of the day, people should not be afraid to be themselves and proudly embrace everything that makes up their unique identities. Montgomery says, “It’s not about what you are. It’s about who you are.”

It doesn’t come without hardships, but when you think about people in history who have broken boundaries and barriers, this is only resulted from “a lot of acknowledgment that no one else defines who you are,” says Montgomery

Kuchler has learned to love how her different backgrounds come together to form an identity that is unique to her. She says, “I think it gives me a wider perspective on my identity.”

Even though sometimes she acknowledges that it can be challenging “feeling a little bit like an outsider in both groups,” at the same time it can be comforting “feeling like [she has] an identity in both groups.”

Society may constantly strive to categorize people based on unfair standards and expectations. Montgomery says, “All my life I’ve been told that no one else controls your destiny. No one else controls your emotions. You are who you are, they can’t change it.”

There can be many barriers associated with being a person of color, coming from a diverse heritage and identifying as multiracial or multiethnic. However, nobody truly has the power to minimize or dismiss your identity because, as Montgomery says, “We come from a long line of people that survive.”

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