Multiracial More Important Than “Which” Race

There are more than 5 million people who identified themselves as “multiracial” in the last Census, according to preliminary estimates. This is a 20% increase from the year 2000 and it comes at a time when people are increasingly mixed up as a result of love and procreation that the idea of “one” race is becoming irrelevant. I would argue that the idea of race has always been irrelevant — taking Latinos as an example, the Spanish were already mixed with the Romans and the Moors before they even began the big mixing that took place in Latin America, which is a whole different story.

Yet, in the U.S., race continues to matter — a lot. Slate.com’s Gene Lyons had something interesting to say about President Barack Obama’s choice to check “black,” even though he’s multiracial:

This decision disappointed a unique student group at the University of Maryland, although most understood it. Recently profiled in the New York Times, the self-styled Multiracial and Biracial Student Association could with equal accuracy be called “Students Whose Mothers Were Asked Insulting Questions by Busybodies at the Supermarket”…

My view is that absent extreme circumstances, race never tells you anybody’s story…

Definitely interesting points, probably starting a conversation that will continue to pervade the U.S. popular consciousness for many years to come.