INTERRACIAL VOICE - Guest Editorial

Guest Editorial

Teach Our Children Well:
This Year's Mixed-Race Conference at Harvard University
By Kimberly A. Cooper

Kimberly I had been anxiously awaiting news regarding this year's Pan-Collegiate conference on the mixed-race experience ever since returning from last year's event at Wesleyan University. When I saw it was posted as a link to Interracial Voice, I immediately booked my airline ticket and hotel reservations. I was looking forward to hearing keynote speakers- Lise Funderburg, and Pearl Gaskins, two authors whose work has contributed to both my research on people of mixed racial descent, and the discussions I have facilitated on the mixed race experience at the high school level. It was once again inspiring to see the strong representation of mixed race students in attendance. I was thrilled not only to see familiar faces from last year's conference, but I also enjoyed having the opportunity to engage in discussion with new participants.

This year's conference had a strong assortment of workshops. From exploring how discrimination against multiracial people has its roots in the infamous "one drop" rule, to NYU professor Dr. Martha Hodes, and her workshop addressing how the U.S. census form illustrates a hierarchical system of power through the visual arrangement of the racial categories. (Why is the "White" category the first racial option on the U.S. census anyway?) This year's conference provided an extraordinary opportunity for individuals from all ethnic backgrounds to assemble regarding cultural diversity as it relates to the multiracial experience.

Some of the most emotionally charged events for me personally occurred when participants interacted with one another in debate over various issues- including whether or not to assert one's biracial or multiracial heritage when filling out the Census 2000 form. This particular debate created not only the affordability to further expand the personal beliefs and ideologies of the participants involved in discussion, but also granted other conference participants the exposure to the potential pros and cons of acknowledging one's multiracial heritage when asked by the federal government.

As the 3-day conference continued, I grew stronger in my conviction that this type of event should not only have a presence at the collegiate level but also at the secondary school level of education. Isn't it our responsibility to best equip this nation's adolescents with the necessary tools and skills to combat the racism and discrimination that is destined to face them when they enter society as young adults?

Discussing issues relating to racial discrimination and prejudice is necessary in order to prepare students for the multicultural society that awaits them outside of the classroom. Taking a color-blind approach to teaching only prolongs the inevitability that students will encounter racism and prejudice as they enter society. Posing hypothetical questions to incite critical thinking will train students to have the ability to incorporate what they have learned in school and how that knowledge is applicable to prosperity within society. Topics usually considered controversial should be talked about in classes, allowing students to advance as critical thinkers. But as I continue to research the various ways our educational system implements a "multicultural" curriculum within its schools and how multiracial students are evaluated in this process, I realize something crucial is lacking…

THE MULTIRACIAL POPULATION CONTINUES TO REMAIN VIRTUALLY NONEXISTENT WITHIN SCHOOL CURRICULUM AND TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

So what is the true aim of Multicultural Education? Generally speaking, multicultural education programs are designed to build a stronger foundation for students to retain, value, and appreciate their identity, as well as the identities of those individuals that may be different from their own. However, the current model for multicultural education implemented in schools does not support the history, identity, and development of multiracial students. Current programs continue to function on the basis that there are specific, static, racial groups that must be addressed, and fail to address multiracial students that cross the racial borders by having two parents from two different racial backgrounds.

Fortunately, there are internet and print resources such as Interracial Voice, The Multiracial Activist, and MAVIN, providing living testament that there is a growing multiracial population committed to educating this nation about how education, politics, and societal influences affect our diverse population. We have realized that the correlation between power and racial identity is out there not only to be explored and studied, but also to be communicated.

I was a proud attendee at this year's conference on the mixed-race experience at Harvard University. I am now further prepared to continue educating those individuals without access to the educational and environmental resources regarding the multiracial population. But more importantly, through each workshop and keynote address given at the conference, I was further convinced that through our continuous cooperative efforts in the field of education, we could assist one another with building a stronger foundation for the upcoming multiracial generations to follow in our footsteps.

Also by Kimberly A. Cooper:

Where Do We Go From Here?

Additionally, Kimberly is currently working toward her Masters Degree in Education at Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology. She was also recently interviewed by Los Angeles Times reporter Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson for the April 17, 2000 article, "An Ethnic Strategy on the Census."