Diversity at Work

By Mallary Jean Tenore

New York Times video, "Being Multiracial in America."

Barack Obama's recent speech on race has renewed attention to a question many minorities face regarding their identity: What does it mean to be multiracial in America? The New York Times addresses this question today in an article and related video, both of which are worth a look.

In the Times article, Carmen Van Kerckhove, a diversity consultant who runs racialicious.com, a blog on race and popular culture, raises an interesting question: "Are multiracial people trying to be multicultural as a way to escape racism?" The answer may be yes in some cases, but I wonder how much of an "escape" being multiracial really is. I read a story a couple of years ago about a young, multiracial woman. I can't remember where the story was published, but I remember quite vividly the girl's experience of feeling stuck in the world, caught between two worlds with no real sense of belonging. She identified as both black and white, but didn't feel accepted by either group.

The folks interviewed in the Times video touch upon this issue and raise the question of whether mixing cultures dilutes cultures. One young woman who was interviewed said she thinks some people show animosity toward multiracial people because they can't easily categorize them. "Often the issue is that obviously we don't fit it any boxes really well," she said, "so people, I think, have a certain animosity toward us because they can't categorize us easily."

What struck me most about the video was that it centered on a conversation. It seems the more we can talk openly and ask questions about race, rather than tiptoeing around it or avoiding it altogether, the more easily we can come to understand, acknowledge and embrace its complexities.