2018 Critical Mixed Race Studies
Call for Papers DEADLINE EXTENDING TO AUGUST 18TH!
Resisting, Reclaiming, and Reimagining
March 1 – 3, 2018
University of Maryland
Deadline: AUGUST 18, 2017, 11:59 PM
Notification: Mid September 2017
Presenters at the conference must be members. https://aaichicago.wufoo.com/forms/r1skfsoa0z4uu2q/
Subject Fields: We welcome submissions from scholars from all fields, cultural workers, and activists.
Formats: We welcome individual papers, panels, round tables, workshops or Mixed Roots Stories is looking for live performances and video. For example the live performances can be stand-up comedy, spoken word, dance, short scenes, monologues, vocalists, musicians – or other forms of live performance for our #CMRS2018 LIVE event. Please note the performances and/or video can also submit as a Workshop.
For more info: https://criticalmixedracestudies.wordpress.com/cmrs2018-ca…/
The conference will be hosted at the University of Maryland, March 1-3, 2018 and will include film screenings and a live performance showcase produced by Mixed Roots Stories.
THEME
Resisting, Reclaiming, and Reimagining, the next Critical Mixed Race Studies conference seeks to highlight resistance against white supremacy around the globe, the reclamation of community, kinship, and identity within the mixed-race community, and the reimagining of racial difference. Recent events demonstrate that white supremacy, coupled with sexism, xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, and unchecked capitalism, is still central as an organizing principle and tool of domination. For example, borders and walls (both real and imagined) are being invoked by the current United States administration to marginalize people and combat the inevitable demographic shifts which will see this country become majority minority. By focusing on the resistance, reclamation, and reimagination of multiraciality, this interdisciplinary and transnational conference will be a forum dedicated to fostering relationships between people of color, dismantling racial hierarchies, and affirming an ethics of love to subvert dominant paradigms of social identity.
Documentary: Word of Honour: Reclaiming Mandela’s Promise
Directed by Kiersten Dunbar Chace
Photo Exhibition by Rushay Booysen
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017 1:00 – 2:30pm
In 1997, two years prior to his exit from politics, President Nelson Mandela visited the Coloured (mixed-race) township of Bonteheuwel. While there, he delivers an informal speech to a crowd of men, women and children who feared their future once he left office. In 2014, twenty years post apartheid, a small South African crew led by director Kiersten Dunbar Chace traveled 7000 kilometers across the country to get a pulse on the broader Coloured community in South Africa and to bear witness to the promises he made that day in Bonteheuwel.
This beautifully filmed documentary shares the experience of seven individuals of different age and economic status from five different provinces and is held together by the fiery words of a Capetonian poet, questioning the definition of an apartheid crime.
Mixed Matchby Jeff Chiba Stearns
Mixed Marrow founder Athena Mari Asklipiadis
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017 5:00 – 7:00pm
When being mixed race is more than just an identity, it’s a matter of life of death.
Mixed Match is an important human story told from the perspective of mixed race blood cancer patients who are forced to reflect on their multiracial identities and complex genetics as they struggle with a seemingly impossible search to find bone marrow donors, all while exploring what role race plays in medicine. With the multiracial community becoming one of the fastest growing demographics in North America, being mixed race is no longer just about an identity, it can be a matter of life and death.
The screening will be followed by a bone marrow drive with Mixed Marrow
and CMRS conference and Hapa Japan Festival closing program.
Co-sponsored by Kaya Students for Independent Publishing
Free tickets will be limited. Check back for a link to register.
For additional conference programing and other details visit the CMRS website.
Day of walk-ins will also be welcome pending ticket availability.
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Jenina Gallaway recently joined us for a MXRS Podcast – Telling the Story Behind the Stories. You can follow her on her Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/jeninagallawaysoprano and support her http://www.gofundme.com/z7tuys. Listen to her interview (also found on iTunes). Read her full bio below.
Soprano, Jenina Gallaway, has performed internationally and throughout the United States in a wide range of genres. Operatic repertoire includes: Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito, the title role in Suor Angelica, Serena in Porgy and Bess, Anna Maurrant in Street Scene, Mrs. Augusta Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe, and the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas.
Equally committed to the concert repertory, Gallaway has performed as the soprano soloist in Anton Bruckner’s Te Deum, Beethoven’s Ninth Syphony, Dvořák’s Te Deum, and Brahms’ Neue Liebeslieder, among others.
A recipient of several awards, Gallaway was an Arizona District Winner and Western Region Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions where she received an encouragement award. She has also been a finalist in the Palm Springs Opera Guild Vocal Competition. In Tucson, Gallaway has been a first place winner in several competitions including the Ameilia Reiman Vocal Competition, Marguerite Ough Vocal Competition, and the Opera Guild of Southern Arizona’s Quest for the Best Vocal Competition. She has also received awards from the Opera Buffs, inc., Fe Bland Foundation Music Award, Society of Singers and the Village Voices Chorale.
Born and raised in Californina, Gallaway holds a Masters in Vocal Performance from California State University, Northridge, a Bachelors in Vocal Performance from Azusa Pacific University, and is currently working towards a DMA in Vocal Performance at the University of Arizona.
Do you binge watch shows and movies online? We do! We found these 6 programs on Netflix that feature mixed roots discussions. Check them out, critically discuss them with others, and learn more! We have provided some questions to consider while watching each one, as well as further reading/resources to keep you thinking and critically looking at mixed roots stories!
We are just getting started with our Netflix recommendations, and we’d love your contributions. What films/TV series have you seen that are relevant? What critical questions can we explore when/after watching them? What mixed identity groups aren’t represented here? Send us an email to info@mixedrootsstories.org.
Trevor Noah: African American
From Trevor Noah:
Trevor Noah brings to film his unique brand of observational humor born of his mixed-race experience under the South African apartheid system. In his most recent stand-up special Trevor weaves together compelling stories with wicked smart observations on the inanity of the racial construct in the United States. The theme of Trevor’s presentation is his journey to America, because he believes he can be fully black here. A clip from Gabriel Iglesias StandUp Revolution:
Mixed Roots Stories Questions to consider while watching:
1) Can humor be an effective storytelling tool for change, especially on matters of race, culture and ethnicity?
2) As you watch Trevor Noah: African American, do you think his point-of-view effectively challenges our racial assumptions?
3) How does idea of mixed/blackness transfer between countries?
From abcfamily.go.com/shows/the-fosters:
The Fosters is a one-hour drama about a multi-ethnic family mix of foster and biological kids being raised by two moms. Stef and her partner Lina have built a close-knit , loving family with Stef’s biological son from a previous marriage, Brandon, and their adopted twins Mariana and Jesus. But how will things change when they meet troubled teen Callie and her little brother Jude?
Mixed Roots Stories Questions to consider while watching:
1) What responsibilities do parents raising kids from different cultures than themselves have in teaching their children about those cultures?
2) Lina identifies as biracial – how does this affect her relationship with her partner, Stef, and her children? Do the conversations she has with her African American mother surprise you, or not? Why?
For Further reading/discussion:
Lisa Marie Rollins is a TRA (TransRacial Adoption) Activist. Her blog, poetry and live performance provide lots of insight into the TRA experience. Learn more here: https://birthproject.wordpress.com/
The Loving Story
From lovingfilm.com:
The Loving Story, a documentary film, tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving to examine the drama, the history, and the current state of interracial marriage and tolerance in the United States.
Mixed Roots Stories Questions to consider while watching:
1) What do you think were the most compelling arguments made by the Loving’s legal team to persuade the Court to rule in their favor?
2) What are some of the other Supreme Court decisions that have had a strong impact on the mixed community?
For Further reading/discussion:
For a more in-depth analysis on Loving v. Virginia and the people involved, see Race, Sex and the Freedom to Marry by Peter Wallenstein (mixedracestudies.org).
Parenthood
NBC recently aired the final season (season 6) of Parenthood. You can catch up/re-watch the first 5 seasons on Netflix. “Parenthood bravely and delicately take on the complexities of family life leaving viewers full of emotion after every episode like all good comedy/drama stories should! In addition to other major topics (cancer, post traumatic stress disorder and more), this series follows an interracial marriage and their child, the process of a transracial adoption and has explored an interracial teenage dating situation.” (https://mixedrootsstories.com/parenthood/)
A few key seasons/episodes:
Season 2 – Crosby and Jasmine (an interracial couple) are trying to figure out how to raise their child and if they are going to work on their relationship or continue to be separated. Addie begins dating Alex, and her parents begin to question the relationship, pushing her to move in with her grandparents. But are they questioning it because he is a different race or because he has a history of substance abuse?
Season 3 – Crosby and Jasmine work out their differences. Julia and Joel interracially adopt a son.
Season 4 – Crosby and Jasmine have a discussion with their son about race (Episode 4). Julia and Joel take on the challenge of raising their adopted son.
Season 5 – Crosby and Jasmine expand their family with a new baby girl. Jasmine’s mother has ideas of how religion should play a role in the families life.
Mixed Roots Stories Questions to consider while watching:
1) If your child brings home a partner with a mixed background (different race, culture, religion, gender orientation, country of origin, etc.) than what you expected, would you be concerned? Why? Would you voice your concern? How?
2) In Season 4 Episode 4 Crosby realizes there are situations his mixed race son will have to deal with that he won’t be able to protect his son from. How would you or do you answer these/similar questions?
For Further Reading/Discussion: Raising Biracial Children by Kerry Ann Rockquemore & Tracey Laszloffy, takes on identity development with mixed-race individuals within a historical context and creates a framework to assist parents, educators, social workers, counselors and anyone who works with multiracial individuals.
Donna Jackson Nakazawa wrote Does Anybody Else Look Like Me: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Multiracial Children out of frustration in a bookstore, when she was unable to find a book that provided guidance on how to address the situations she was facing in her mixed roots family.
The appendix of both books have lists of useful resources!
Rabbit Proof Fence
Set in 1930, western Australia, Rabbit Proof Fence tells the true-life story of two “half-caste” girls who were taken from their families, by the government, and placed in a camp where they are trained to be servants for white families. The hope is for these children to end up marrying white Australian men so their aboriginal blood can be bred out. The girls escape and take off on a journey to find their family.
Mixed Roots Stories Questions to consider:
1) The United States is not the only country that has had a history of hiding unspeakable events around race/color differences. What value, if any comes, from being aware of a global mixed roots history?
2) In what ways do institutions continue to support and enforce the separation of different people?
For Further Reading/Discussion:
“My Place” by Sally Morgan
Black in Latin America: with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
In this PBS 4 episode series, “Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. Discusses the massive influence of African ancestry on the history and culture of Latin America and Caribbean.” He goes to: Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
Mixed Roots Stories Questions to consider:
1) As Gates interviews each country, how does his North American views of “Black” influence his questions, interactions, and expectations on what answers he is looking for in South America?
2) Both North and South America have a history of slavery with “Black” or African people. How are these histories similar and/or different? What lessons can be gleaned from both continents mixed roots histories?
Dr Zélie Asava is Joint-Programme Director of the BA in Video and Film at Dundalk Institute of Technology, where she teaches courses on film and media theory. She also lectures in UCD Film Studies. Her monograph is entitled “The Black Irish Onscreen: Representing Black and Mixed-Race Irish Identities on Film and TV” (Peter Lang, 2013). She has published essays in a wide range of journal and essay collections, including: Masculinity and Irish Popular Culture: Tiger’s Tales (Palgrave MacMillan, 2014); Oxford Bibliographies Online: Cinema and Media Studies (Oxford University Press, 2013);Viewpoints:Theoretical Perspectives on Irish Visual Texts (University of Cork Press, 2013);The Universal Vampire (Farleigh Dickinson University Press, 2013); France’s Colonial Legacies: Memory, Identity and Narrative (University of Wales Press, 2013).
You can view her keynote from the conference below:
You can find a follow up guest blog from Dr. Asava with the links to the videos referenced here.
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We were finally able to sit down with the wonderful duo who created our MXRS Podcast jingle: Rachel Garcia and Thu Tran – also known as The Singer & The Songwriter. Be sure to listen to the end, when they share a special treat with us – a live performance in Mark’s living room!
Project Film Supply (#ProjectFilmSupply) wants to help filmmakers bring their vision to life. According to Daniel McCarthy this is how it works:
Step 1: For the month of August, we’ll ask the filmmaking community to submit a short film idea + mood board for the project they’ve always dreamed of creating.
Step 2: Those who submit an idea will ask their friends, family, and followers to vote for their projects.
Step 3: The Community + TMB will decide which three stories rise to the top and which one absolutely has to become a reality (the two runners up will receive loads of incredible prizes)
This is your chance to bring your dream project to life! Click on the Link above to learn more and to apply!
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We are excited to bring you a second interview in partnership with the Asian American Literary Review and its Mixed Race Initiative. Writer and Digital Media Specialist Alicia Upano is our guest. Alicia collaborated with Maya Soetoro-Ng to contribute writings to “Mixed Race: Is A Pandora’s Box” about their Hawaiian mixed experience. Join us as we explore the impact of growing up in the most diverse state in the union and how that informed her writings. We want to thank Maggie Yiin for joining us in interviewing Alicia. Maggie was a Guest Editor for the Mixed Race Initiative.
At Mixed Roots Stories we strive to support any effort to share stories of the Mixed experience. 2 Girls | 1 Asian is a comedic webseries co-created, produced, and starring Kelly Colburn and Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin. They created the series, because, as Kelly and Kaela stated, “we don’t often see ourselves reflected in the entertainment we’re offered.”
Webseries Description “It follows Caela and Kelliye through breakups, career trials, apartment troubles, and even fissions within their friendship, but ultimately it’s the story of two girls who value each other more than they value the mistakes the other makes. Our perspective on race in America gives us a unique filter through which to view the “single girl in the big city” narrative, so our episodes actively work to subvert Asian American stereotypes we’re tired of seeing while passing the Bechdel test. We launched our independent, fully crowd-funded production online on June 5, 2014, and are releasing an episode each Thursday at 9pm through mid-July.”
“How can you evolve without giving up your integrity?” is what Pandit Chitresh Das asks at the end of the trailer for this wonderful new film called Upaj:Improvise. Watch as he and Jason Samuels Smith learn from one another and share their cultural differences openly, critically – and creatively. We can’t wait to see this film!
