Susan Graham is the executive director of Project RACE (Reclassify All Children Equally).
The first time they register for school is when most children see forms with questions about their race and ethnicity.Multiracial children have been made to choose between the races of their parents under the “check one” mandate on forms in our country.
All children are worthy of recognition of their entire heritage. If we teach our children to tell the truth and then stand in the way of them doing that on school forms, we are missing the point. If accurate data are what we want, true identity of our students is what we must collect and reflect.
We are not asking for a piece of the pie, but we need to be reflected on those data pie charts.Tracking the multiracial population is no less important than tracking any other group.
In 1990, my son was listed as white on the U.S. Census, because they assigned the race of the mother, and black at school because his kindergarten teacher picked a race for him on his first day of school based on her “knowledge and observation” of him. At home, he is multiracial.
On the 2000 Census, my son could check more than one race and is called “a person who checks more than one race.” If he were still in school, he could check more than one race, and would be put in the category called “two or more races.” He is still multiracial at home.
The new guidelines are a positive move, but they still do not reflect appropriate, respectful, dignified terminology for children of more than one race. California is out in front of the federal government on this one. They offer this wording on enrollment forms: “If your child is multiracial, you may select two or more races.” It does not disturb any data and recognizes multiracial students for who they truly are. Any school in the country can and should do the same.
I'm shocked that many states still use the "check one" method regarding their racial census, because people typically are not one race. It requires young children to have to pick between their many races and cultures that compose their background. It causes children to have to ignore all except one part of their culture, when no part of culture should ever be ignored. I agree with Susan Graham, many states should make attempts to to add the concept of checking more than one race. In reality, many people are of more than one race and culture, which should be accepted, not ignored.
ReplyDeleteI find it shocking that, in 2011, the “check one” method is still considered viable enough to be a part of assigning a racial profile. For many, it is impossible to define themselves as one race. It forces children to deny part of their heritage – and therefore deny an important part of their life. It is important for children to realize that being multiracial is normal and acceptable. It is unfair for the multiracial population to be misrepresented in a census.
ReplyDeleteI agree with monica. People, especially young, influential children, should be able to choose more than one race. A person's entire background should be represented in all data and research--and just in life as a whole. A person shouldn't have to choose between one half of themselves or another. All people should have the chance to share their full background information, not just half. More schools should follow California's example.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone. It must be very confusing for a young child to be told to check a different race by different schools. Its hard to believe that we still use the "check one" method. As we have said in class, race is socially constructed and hard to define so, in one hundred years we may end up with pages and pages of optional boxes to check. Its hard to define someone as either "White" or "Black" because that white person may actually be Greek, Russian, Australian, etc and the black person may be Nigerian, South African, Namibian. Things may get more and more difficult the more politically correct America tries to become. More states should get on board with California and try to broaden these limited choices.
ReplyDeleteThis article makes you wonder why California is the only government who is considerate to people of two or more races. As the world grows and discrimination and prejudices decrease, people of different races marry and have children. This did not happen over night. Based on America's intelligence and technology, I think it can't be that hard for racial identity to be full of choices. For example, check here if you are one race; then check the race that you are from the list. If you are two races, check here. Then you review the list and check the mix of races you are. Yes, it is a few more steps. Yes, it may take a few more seconds. Yes, it may use more paper, but isn't accurate and fair information worth it?
ReplyDeleteI think this article brought up many good points and shows first hand how confusing and upsetting just choosing one race can be to not just the child, but also the family. This mother kept reiterating that at home he was considered multiracial, unlike at school where his teacher gave him a false label that she chose to identify him with. This article also brought up a good point that tracking multiracial people is just as important as tracking people of one race. To make an individual just choose one race is discriminatory and unfair for that person and his or her family.
ReplyDeleteThis article shocked me, because I truly had no idea this policy even existed. The fact that a child should only be allowed to choose one race is insulting, and incorrect. Multiracial family's numbers are on the rise across the globe, and with this rise should be an appropiate choice on a school form. If our country really has grown from our dark times in the past with the treatment of race, this policy should not even exist and the government should strive to fix this issue.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Holly: I am so suprised that a child is forced to pick just one half of his heritage. It has to be so confusing to be called black in school, white on the census, and then multiracial at home. The child should be taught to take pride in his multiracial background. The family has to deal with the responsibility of reassuring the child that race does not define who you are. I also think it wass extremely ignorant of the teacher to just assume that the son was black without asking the family for conformation. Being black and white should be no different in status then being Polish and Italian. I think it's wonderful that California schools have added a "check more than one race" option for families of mixed cultures.
ReplyDeleteHow can the "check one" method possibly be an accurate way of assigning race. By using this method we are asking the children to deny part of their heritage. We are all associated with more than one race and children shouldn't have to feel self conscious about it. It's normal and being different is nothing to be ashamed of. Due to this States should adopt the concept of checking more than one.
ReplyDeleteThis article definitely highlights the issues that stem from the need to classify individuals as a certain race. Our country has evolved and diversified so much that it is becoming increasingly impossible for a child to be able to determine only one race to choose on school forms. To have the "check one" method in effect seems to be diminishing the importance of racial diversity in our country in a effort to be able to classify our population on a more general scale. The last place that children should be facing difficult regarding race is on a school form - it is ridiculous. The option that California has put into effect is wonderful, as it allows children to identify themselves truthfully - without having to pick and choose races.
ReplyDeleteEmma Woodward: I really liked the author's message in this article. His statements about multiracial children are absolutley true. The census has a strong message to those trying to fill it out, and can't without lying or a least telling the full truth. The census told multiracial people that they shouldn't exist or that there was something so out of the ordinary with it that it wasn't even worth considering when making a national survey. This article shows how those creating the survey are anti-miscegenation or incredibly ignorant.
ReplyDeleteThe term “check one” is an option that does not fit into our world today. I am happy to say that many people have learned to judge people for who they are and not what they are. With that being said, our education system needs to catch up with the times. For a multiracial student, say one that is half white and half black, to only have the option to pick from one race on his registration form at school must make him feel different immediately, something that should be avoided at all cost. It is encouraging to see that California has the wisdom to change the guidelines and move into the 21st century, we should all follow in their footsteps and allow children of all races to feel free to “check” as many boxes as they feel necessary to truly depict themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe "check one" option is not a proper way to classify people based on their race. A person's heritage is normally made up of several different racial backgrounds. This means that they should be able to check all of the boxes that apply to them. Also, there seems to be a negative connotation when a person checks more than one box. They should not be categorized as "two or more races". They are multiracial children and should be proud of that. Society should not be look negatively upon the fact that someone is not just white, black, Asian, etc. Individuals should embrace their diversity and multiracial backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteWhen a student fills out a questionnaire for schools they plan to fill out their race and all of their races. But when they are told to 'check one' box that they believe might classify them the best is upsetting. A mixed child is a child that needs to check more than one box. They should not be told that they are limited to one box when that one box might not classify them as a whole. I believe that the census is moving in the right direction by allowing people the chance to check more than one box. It shows that mix races are a still a problem but is becoming a little more acceptable in America.
ReplyDeleteThe check one policy sounds to be one of the most ineffective policies for a census. Today, There are many children who have multiracial ethnicity. if a student can only check one option then their multiracial identity would be lost and data would be inaccurate. What was equally shocking was the teacher's assignment of the child's race based on her "observation". Officially on the national census, the child is defined as white while in school he would defined as black. Not only does this create an identity crisis for the child, it creates a stark inconsistency in census data.
ReplyDeleteThis "check one" box is an inaccurate way of classifying people in today's society. By only check one box, school administrations and the government are asking people to erase a large part of people's identity.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, when cultural groups were more isolated and intermarriage between ethnicities rare, the "check one" box would have been a completely valid and acceptable feature. Today, every city is an amalgam of backgrounds and peoples, and billions of individuals are of mixed race, this is not applicable. I understand the frustration with this, because I am Hispanic and Polish. Normally, I have the option of selecting "White" or "Latina"; I do not consider myself either. This method of classification ensures that valuable histories are overlooked, and certain backgrounds given more value than others. It also means that statistics are not as accurate as necessary, and the information available about the racial makeup of certain areas or populations is flawed.
ReplyDeleteRestating my multiracial identity I have first hand experienced the check one box. Recently though on college application there has been spaces available for two or more races. That gives me space to affirm my identity that I have internalized and have been taught for eighteen years. There indeed needs to be a space for those of more than one race to once again, make information accurate and useful.
ReplyDeleteCorinne, I do agree that individuals should be encouraged to classify themselves as specifically as possible on forms presented to them asking for demographic information, but at the same time, is the specificity which you advocate logical? I think it is also important to consider what individuals should do when their race is not represented on forms. I, for one, am proud of my heritage, but extremely rarely have the opportunity to present myself officially as Spanish and Polish. As I stated above, I am White or Latina when it comes to filling out forms or censuses. While this is frustrating for me, I accept it, because I understand that having every single culture or classification present on a form or census brochure is almost impossible, because it would take up an enormous quantity of space and because there is no way to collect a list of every single culture or heritage in the world that individuals relate themselves to.
ReplyDeleteAll form and school censuses should have a spot that allows parents to check “If your child is multiracial, you may select two or more races.” This should be an option on each and every form. America is known for having many ethnicity's so why wouldn't America just embrace the fact that the census and school form should be updated in this way. The "check one" box is very out dated because many Americans today are bi racial. If there was a box that said to check more then one then I can only assume that there would be more Americans checking the "more then one box" then there would be checking the single box.
ReplyDeleteThis shocks me that a teacher can pick a race for a child. this shows me that even a young age children are exposed to racism! We live in the 21st century and it still shocks me that "adult figures" in our lives can be like this. I agree with the article when it says,"If we teach our children to tell the truth and then stand in the way of them doing that on school forms, we are missing the point." when someone is trying to identify their race on forms they should not be limited to "choosing one" this is needs to be removed from forms because I think almost everyone has a little mix cultures in them if we track their heritage back far enough.
ReplyDeleteTeachers should not be defining children but should be teaching them that race is just a word man made up. California made the right choice by letting children be themselves and select two or more races instead of only one. People can not just check one box and classify themselves as this one race. It is illogical and unfair.
ReplyDelete