Electronic Magazine of Multicultural Education
FALL 2001 http://www.eastern.edu/publications/emme Vol. 3, No. 2
Theme: Interracial and Mixed-racial Relationships and Families
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Electronic Magazine of Multicultural Education FALL 2001 http://www.eastern.edu/publications/emme Vol. 3, No. 2 Theme: Interracial and Mixed-racial Relationships and Families |
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This
Issue | Articles
| Open Forum | Instructional
Ideas | Reviews
| Contributors
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| Boylston
| Flakes
| Le | Matthews
| Minges
| Morris_Pomery_Murray | Wallace
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REVIEWS OF RESOURCES
Juvenile
Literature
Professional
Literature
Films
and Videos
Websites
Adoff, Arnold & McCully Emily (Illustrator). (1992). Black Is Brown Is Tan. San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins. 32 pp., ISBN: 0064432696 (pb), $5.95 (ages 4-8).
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A
"Black" boy tells a story about his biracial family. His mother is Black and his father is White.
The book has a large number of pleasant pictures to go along with the
character’s moods of laughter and excitement.
The author gives us a diverse view of what makes interracial families
unique, as well as similar to families of the same racial identity.
Although the little boy's parents have different skin tones, he only
sees different shades of black, and thus assume that they are one color. |
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Davol, Marguerite. W. & Trivas, Irene (Illustrator) (1993). Black, White, Just Right! Morton Grove, IL: Alberto Whitman & Company. 14 pp., ISBN: 0807507857 (hc), $14.95 (ages 4-8).
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Using
a variety of inviting colors and pictures, the author presents a positive
depiction of an interracial family who loves to spend time with each
other. The story is told by
the daughter who has a mixed heritage from a Black mother and a White
father. She often describes herself as being in between the two cultural
worlds. Each event is related
by the use of expressive language and alluring illustrations.
The interracial connections that are displayed through various
familial activities evoke a wide range of human emotions, even in the
simplest form. |
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Dorris, Michael. (1997). The Window. New York: Hyperion. 106 pp., ISBN: 0786803010 (hc), $16.95 (ages 9-12).
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Having to deal with a Native American mother who allows her alcohol-drinking habit to drive her into a rehab treatment center and an irresponsible Black-Irish father who places her into foster care, Rayana Taylor struggles to find acceptance in what she sees as a confused world. After going from one foster home to the next, Rayana finally finds a haven with her Kentucky relatives; it is here where she feels love and acceptance as an individual. In dealing with the opposition that she encounters due to her racial mixture, Rayana comes to terms with the reality and begins to appreciate richness in the combination of being a part of three different cultures. Dorris' use of authentic language smoothly presents a clear depiction of each character. |
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Grace, Roz, and Melvin,
James (Illustrator). (1999). Anthony's Surprise. Durham, NC: BMF
Press. 32 pp., ISBN: 0965918122 (hc), $12.95 (ages 4-8).
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Dealing with the fact of being adopted can, at times, be very difficult. The author, who also experienced oster care in the first grade, expressively illustrates the opposition that adopted children experience. She brings to light the harsh realities of a biracial young boy and how he responds to being adopted. As Anthony learns to accept that people treat him differently, he realizes that he has nothing to be ashamed of because he has everything he needs. This book does a great job with expressing the struggles children face when they are adopted. |
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Grace, Roz, and Melvin, James (Illustrator). (1999). Trina's Family Reunion. Durham, NC: BMF Press. 28 pp., ISBN: 0965918114 (hc), $14.95 (ages 4-8).
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The
meaning of true family love is expressed when a young girl visits her
grandparents and other relatives during a summer vacation. The pleasant
feeling of Big Mama’s hugs and kisses is enough to boast about.
During this family reunion, Trina discovers the diverse makeup of
her family.
After tasting a variety of French and Mexican food, Trina begins to
understand that her family members come in different ages, sizes, and
colors.
This book did a wonderful job of illustrating the concept of family
as not always being of the same race but of a mixture. |
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Grace, Roz, and Srba, Lynne (Illustrator). (1998). Why is John Special? Durham, NC: BMF Press. 22 pp., ISBN: 0965918106 (pb), $6.95 (ages 4-8).
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It
is love that counts! In this story of a special boy who has a Black aunt
the author is able to convince the readers that love transcends racial
barriers. In addition to
showering John with awesome gifts, Aunt Liz expresses unconditional love
for her nephew. When his friends find out his "cool" aunt
is Black, they are initially surprised. Emotionally touched by her display
of love, his friends decide to become a part of a different world by
adopting a "relative" who looks different from them.
Indeed, this book would serve as a great resource for teaching
children how to accept cultural differences. |
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Igus, Toyomi & Wells, Daryl (Illustrator). (1996). Two Mrs. Gibsons. San Francisco, CA: Childrens Book Press. 32 pp., ISBN: 0892391359 (hc), $14.95 (ages 4-8).
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In this beautifully illustrated book the narrator describes two very special women in the life of a young girl. One is an African-American grandmother and the other a Japanese-American mother. They are different in their country of origin, behaviors, and special talents, yet they are both called "Mrs. Gibson." The girl discovers that her family is unique, yet comparable to others in the bond that they share, which helps her embrace the multiracial traits comfortably. This heart-warming story, complemented by attention-grabbing illustrations, broadens the horizon of the juvenile literature of multiracial families beyond the Black and White combination. |
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Johnson, Angela, and Soma, David (Illustrator). (1996). The Aunt In Our House. New York: Orchard Books. 28 pp., ISBN: 0531095029 (hc), $15.95 (ages 4-8).
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This story tells how an aunt’s visit can change the lives of a biracial family. The book demonstrates how the lives of a boy and his younger sister are changed due to a visit from their father’s sister, who is White. The aunt’s purpose for visiting is never explained, but it is obvious that her presence brings a fragrance of love and warmth into their home. Her active involvement with the children in giving trumpet lessons, weaving, and laughing creates an immovable bond between the family members. Indeed, this book does an excellent job of relating how children develop a relationship with adults and how every little moment counts. |
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Neufeld, John. (1968). Edgar Allan. New York: Puffin Books. 127 pp., ISBN: 080851413X (pb), $5.99 (ages 9-12).
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In this novel,
Nuefeld unfolds the harsh realities of a little Black boy, Edgar Allan,
after he is adopted by a White family.
Having to experience the various acts of prejudice through dramatic
scenes of a burning cross, retaliating acts of rejection from neighbors, and
an ultimatum from the older daughter of foster parents, Edgar gets a clear
view of what his black skin entails in society.
The constructive use of character’s attitudes and actions to
portray a heartless world of injustice gives the author his expected
results: to identify a loss of compassion and human morality.
The author, in a very traumatizing way, gives us an illustration of
what is culturally accepted and what is culturally rejected in hierarchical
America. |
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Pellegrini, Nina. (1991). Families Are Different. New York: Holiday. 29 pp., ISBN: 0823408876 (hc), $16.95 (ages 4-8).
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The beautifully illustrated story tells of a little girl’s struggle with being adopted cross-racially. Nico came from the same native land, Korea, as her adopted sister, Angel. While noticing how much she looks like her older sister, she realizes how very different her parents look. After discovering resemblance among family members of her two friends, this young girl suddenly feels out of place. Her mother's explanation of different families helps her see that a glue called love can bond families stronger than any skin color or any other culturally-bound characteristic. |
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Yep, Laurence. (1995). Thief of Hearts. New York: HarperCollins. 197 pp., ISBN: 0064405915 (hc), $12.20 (ages 9-12).
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As
a result of living in a suburban section of San Francisco with her Caucasian
father, Chinese mother, and great-grandmother, Stacy feels more American
than Chinese.
It is not until the arrival of an immigrant from her native land,
China, that she begins to discover the hidden cultural connections of the
other part of herself.
When the
Chinese peer runs away because of a shameful accusation of theft, Stacy is
forced to visit China Town, the land of her roots and seemingly lost
heritage.
A sarcastic remark, “half-breed,”
made by this peer apparently makes her reflect on her mixed Chinese
and American heritage. The author
does a wonderful job in expressing the emotions and attitudes of his
characters and their willingness to find cultural balance and acceptance. |
Azoulay, Katya G. (1995). Black, Jewish, and Interacial: It's Not The Color of Your Skin, but The Race of Your Kin and Other Myths of Identity. Durham, NC: Duke University. 224 pp., ISBN: 0822319713 (pb), $19.95.
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Having
been reared into two cultural worlds, a woman with
a Jamaican father and a Jewish mother attempts to weed out the existing
cultural prejudices that exist in the multicultural world of America.
The author relishes relies on her recognition of “multiracial”
as a vague but underlying foundation for preserving and surpassing
differences; this is in contrast to regarding differences as threatening.
While in search of her personal identity, the author opens an arena
of challenges that gives rise to diverse subjects such as Plessy vs.
Ferguson, the Leo Frank case, “passing,” intermarriage, civil rights,
and anti-Semitism. Using her
personal experience along with eight interviews of Black-Jewish
individuals, the author unfolds the reality of interracial identities and
the struggle to be understood in an exclusive society. This book would be
an excellent resource for teachers exploring the different facets of
cultural differences and interracial relationships. |
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Breger,
Rosemary & Hill, Rosanna. (Ed.). (1998). Cross-Cultural Marriage:
Identity and Choice. Oxford, England: Berg.
241 pp., ISBN: 1859739687 (pb), $19.50.
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This
edited volume presents scholarly articles on cross-cultural marriages from
various international contexts covering all continents, which is a welcome
addition to the dearth of literature in the field. Embracing a broad concept
of differences that the cross-cultural couples chose to negotiate, not only
racial but also religious, ethnic, and/or national differences, the editors
include 12 research-based articles solidly grounded on the existing
anthropological and sociological literature. This book is uniquely
gender-conscious and personal: all but one of the contributing authors are
women who incorporate female perspectives on their "lived, personal
experiences" with cross-cultural marriages into the scholarly endeavor.
The interface of authentic stories and academic discourse is a great
contribution of this book. Rich stories presented in several articles
may be used as valuable case study materials for class discussion. |
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Doss, Helen G. (2001). The
Family Nobody Wanted. Boston, MA: Northeastern University. 288 pp., ISBN:
155553502X (pb), $16.95.
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In this intriguing memoir, the author shows how many different facets can be connected into being one family, using an inspiring true story of a couple who bravely adopted twelve children, with about eighty percent of them being labeled as “unadoptable” or “unlovable.” The labeled children are from diverse ethnic backgrounds: Caucasian, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Mexican, and Native American. Despite the social misconception of the labeled children, the couple created a united family with their intention to provide a comfortable and accepting environment through their expression of unconditional love. The mother gives various accounts on how each child became a part of the multicultural family tree. |
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Lazzare, Jane. (1996). Beyond the Whiteness of Whiteness : Memoir of a White Mother of Black Sons. Durham, NC: Duke University. 140 pp., ISBN: 0822320444 (pb), $15.95.|
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How could a child born of a White mother be a Black? Should not a simple hereditary law warrant the child’s whiteness at least partially? The racial paradigm of the United States declares the race of the child differently if the father is Black. This memoir of a White mother not only recounts her memory of raising two “black” sons of mixed White-Jewish and Black heritage, but also probes in the racial injustice that Blacks, especially Black males, encounter. She has daily witnessed the contrast between the privileges of whiteness endowed upon her and the dangers of subtle and overt racism imposed on her children. Despite her desire to provide a safe environment for her children she sadly acknowledges her inability of transferring her white privilege and assurance of safety to them across the racial division of the society. The author, an English professor of African American literature, invites the readers into a poignant story of her vicarious blackness gained through the company of her “Black” family members and admonishes the ugliness of the racial dichotomy in a compelling literary style. |
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Romano,
Dugan. (Ed.). (2001). Intercultural Marriage: Promises & Pitfalls.
Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. 226 pp., ISBN: 1857882938, $16.95.
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This “guide book for international,
intercultural couples and families” offers a realistic look at promises
that intercultural marriage brings to those involved and pitfalls into
which they may easily drift. From
food to friends and other frustrations pitfalls seem endless.
However, the author, a practitioner of a successful intercultural
marriage and cross-cultural trainer and counselor, confesses, in her
preface to the second edition, her “even more positive feeling” about
intercultural marriage for it is “a sure path toward self-knowledge and
growth” (p. ix). This
easy-reading book weaves many compelling, sometimes humorous, stories of
international and intercultural couples into the author’s practical
advice. Readers may find her
cross-cultural advice helpful and applicable in both an intimate and
casual relationship with someone from a different culture or nation. |
Doubles: Japanese and America's Intercultural Children. (1999). 58
minutes, color. Produced by Regge Life. Distributed by Global
Film Network.
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This
film claims that many “intercultural”—mixed racial—children in Japan
are products of the U. S. occupation after WW II although it does not deny
the existence of interracial descendents from a previous historical era.
These children of Japanese ancestry mixed with other races—White,
Black, Hispanic, Native American—are interviewed as adults for this film.
They share stories of how their Japanese mother met their American father,
how they grew up in Japan and moved to the United States, and how they were
accepted or rejected by their extended families and peers from both sides.
Despite discrimination and identity crisis they have experienced,
many of them are determined to embrace both heritages fully and to refuse
the derogatory notion of “half breed.” The concept of
“doubles” promoted by these people offers a fresh insight into
the understanding of interracial and mixed racial people.
Most interviewees speak in English.
The original film came out with Japanese subtitles, and this version
with English subtitles is definitely a welcome addition to the
English-speaking audience.
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Domino: Interacial People and the Search for Identity. (1995). 58 minutes, color. Produced by Slva Basmajian and Shanti Thakur. Distributed by Films for the Humanities and Sciences.
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Six
stories of interracial people from Quebec, Canada, are interwoven with the
story of the producer who is also interracial--of Indian and Danish
heritages. These people of mixed heritages represent Black/White,
Black/Chinese, White/Japanese, Indian/Danish, Moslem Pakistani/Jewish
American, and Indian/White. All have been searching for an identity
as an interracial in a society that encourages the monolithic discourse of
race. Emotional scars are left on these people from their peers'
rejection and racial taunts and their parents' incomprehension of dual
identity struggles. Some have come to terms with their biracial/
bicultural heritages and others are still struggling. The video touches
upon a common dilemma faced
by interracial people in the social milieu in which races are too
clearly defined and categorized. |
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Jefferson's Blood. (2000). 90 minutes, color. Produced by Thomas Lennon. Distributed by PBS Video.
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This
PBS production traces the Black side of Thomas Jefferson’s lineage.
It is historically documented that Jefferson had a long-term
relationship with his three-quarter-White slave, Sally Hemings, after his
wife’s death and fathered several children with her. Despite their
racial make-up, the children were considered Black and slaves due to their
mother’s status. After
Jefferson’s death all of his slave “children” were granted freedom.
Some of his “Black” descendents chose to pass as Whites and
others remained “Black” regardless of their skin color. The legacy of
slavery and racism has perpetuated the public secret of Jefferson’s
Black descendents who now claim their place in his lineage. The film
unfolds the racial irony deeply rooted in the legacy of slavery behind the
story of this famous White American. This visually convincing story of a
multiracial family, started by this “white” man, illustrates the
inherent multi-raciality embedded in blackness and whiteness in America.
Despite
the pain the truth may engender, this film is highly recommended to
challenge American racial discourse that can often be locked in simple and
exclusive interpretations of black and white. |
Adopting
by Color: Black Social Workers
Oppose Transracial Adoption
http://racerelations.about.com/library/weekly/aa121700a.htm
This descriptive website is full of resources for educators. It also offers
links to debates on adoption among races, digital divide, hate crimes, racism,
and White privilege. With regard to
transracial and transcultural adoption, Black social workers voice their
opposition. They argue that White
parents lack the first-hand experience of being Black and thus should be
exempted from playing any role in parenting Black children.
Teachers may find links related to African-American issues such as
African-American history, civil liberties, immigration and much more.
Adopting
Racism: The Most Pernicious Racial Set-Aside
http://reason.com/9511/ADOPTcol.shtml
This essay, published in the website Reasononline, would be helpful for those
who want to advocate racial justice regarding adoption.
The author tells of a family’s struggle in adopting two Black boys who
were brothers. The assertion that
“Black children belong to Black parents” supports the assumption that White
parents are unable to teach them the skills necessary to survive in a
predominantly White society. In an
attempt to keep such discriminatory policies from prevailing, the Multiethnic
Placement Act was passed to require child welfare agencies to work towards
eliminating various kinds of racial discrimination.
"Adoption
Issues" by Adomavicius
http://www.rainbowkids.com/issue0597.html
This personal essay may be an inspiring source for those who consider
transracial adoption or foster care arrangements. The author, an adoptive
parent, describes interconnectedness of adoptive multicultural families and
their collaborative efforts of celebrating cultural diversity.
This would also be a great source for teachers seeking factual
information on adoptive multicultural families and practical ideas on how to
integrate adopted children’s heritages.
Asian-Nation: The
Landscape of Asian America
http://www.asian-nation.org/issues.html
From this homepage choose the option "Multiracial and Adopted
Asians" from the menu. This will lead you to an excellent
introductory essay on multiracial and adopted Asian issues, which includes two
sets of statistics, one on multiracial Asians on the basis of the 2000 Census
and the other on adoptees from Asian countries since 1989. The essay
(revised and published in this
EMME issue) is complemented with a list of books and related websites as
well as a review of a video entitled Precious Cargo.
Interracial Families
http://www.adopting.org./inter.html
In this essay published as part of Adopting Resources, the author, who adopted
children transracially, shares racial prejudice she has encountered in relation
to her children and discusses some of the struggles that transracial adoptees
may face. However, she argues that
these children tend to resolve their identity issues better because they are
forced to deal with them from early on. This interesting essay provides some
clever ideas as to how both parents and adopted children may handle criticism,
odd remarks, and prejudice from people of all sorts.
This site also discusses specific support groups for interracial families
and psychological studies that stand in favor of transracial adoptions and its
impact on adopted children.
Interracial
Voice
http://www.webcom.com/~intvoice/
This site publishes editorials on mixed race and interracial issues. The
racial discourse of society is critically examined in some of the editorials.
Two examples of excellent editorials may be found in Supporting
Multiracial and Multiethnic Children and Their Families by Francis Wardle
and American
Mixed Race:The U.S. 2000 Census and Related Issues by Naomi Zack.
Multiracial
Families
http://www.counseling.org/conference/advocacy6.htm
Presenting a literature review on multiracialism, this website gives a distinct
account of the increasing number of multiracial families due to interracial
marriages and transracial adoptive families and provides
statistics on these groups. To
produce advocacy and social change on this particular topic, professionals in
counseling, human services, and educational fields are called upon to raise the
level of awareness. Teachers may
also find multicultural web links helpful.
National
American Metis Association
http://www.americanmetis.org/who.html
This official homepage of National American Metis Association provides a forum
for Metis people ("Mixed Blood" people) to "gather and
talk." It would be a good source for teachers wanting to explore
another arena of mixed heritages.
Placing emphasis on establishing a voice of the Metis people who are of a
native stock and yet of a variety of mixed heritages, this site provides
various links to the Metis community, to a list of Metis artists, and to
contributions made by Metis people to enrich the Americas.
New
People: Your Interracial E-Magazine
http://pages.prodigy.net/walhol/info2.html
This well designed website is a good source, especially for diversity
advocates and those who desire to support a new way of categorizing race.
It critically examines the present rationale for the racial categories
and discusses better ways of handing this cultural phenomenon.
Furthermore, this site provides information concerning a movement of
parents, children and other multiracial adults who refuse to accept culturally
biased labels. It also argues how
the Internet has given us a blind view of multiculturalism.
Reality:
Interracial Marriages Are As Successful and Unsuccessful As Other Marriages
http://www.csbc.cncfamily.com/excepts.html
For those who are interested in studying the rate of successful and unsuccessful
interracial marriages, this might be an excellent resource. The article is
written on the basis of a study that was conducted in Mid-Western states, which
compared the success rate of interracial
marriages with that of Black-Black marriages and White-White marriages.
It also presents commonly asserted myths of biracial children and their
dealing with a minority identity.
Tangled Roots
http://www.yale.edu/glc/tangledroots
Focusing on the
shared history and heritage of African and Irish Americans, the website includes
the results from a four-year research project conducted by the Gilder Lehrman
Center for the Study of Abolition, Resistance and Slavery at Yale University.
Interviews with African-Americans, Irish-Americans, and biracial
African-Irish-Americans reveal their profound understanding of commonalities
between these two groups--African-American and Irish--as victims of
discrimination in this country. Yet, a clear gap separates these groups in
their understanding of the social positioning of their group in the contemporary
context. The rich narrations of biracial interviewees have great relevance
to the theme of this EMME issue. Their racial identity as Black, despite
their biracial heritage, poignantly illustrates the social force of confining
people to mutually exclusive racial categories. An
instructional
idea based on this site is included in this issue.
The Tragic Mulatto Myth
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/mulatto/
This excellent literary critique demystifies the "tragic mulatto" myth
prevailing in the 20th century literature and films of African Americans.
Beginning with the literary character of a light-skinned mulatto woman created
in Lydia
Maria Child's two short stories--"The Quadroons" (1842) and
"Slavery's Pleasant Homes" (1843)--the author of this critique
introduces many more literary pieces and films with a similar character who
struggles with her biracial identity, tries to pass as White by abandoning her
Black connection, is rejected by
Whites, and tragically ends an unhappy life. Although this stereotypic
image of biracial people is rampant, the author provides ample counter examples of
individuals who led a fulfilled life by embracing their biraciality.
The essay is published in the website
of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia which provides many
intriguing images of "racist objects" as a way to educate the public
about the horror of the Jim Crow Law.
Who
Is Black? One Nation’s Definition
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jefferson/mixed/onedrop.html
This informative essay, published in conjunction with Frontline's video, Jefferson's
Blood (reviewed in this issue), is written by F. James Davids, a retired
Sociology professor from Illinois State University. It would be especially
helpful for those teaching black history, social studies, multiculturalism, and
political science. Incorporating
the long experience of slavery along with Jim Crow segregation, Davis clearly
explains many rules (i.e., the “hypo-descent" rule) used to determine who
is Black. Students can also benefit
from clear definitions of race, culture, and ethnicity provided in this essay.
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