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critical mixed race studies

Online Directory of Race Research

The Center on Race and Social Problems at the University of Pittsburgh has developed a new Race Research Online Directory that provides more than 10 years of research at your fingertips.

http://www.crsp.pitt.edu/

“The center has always served as a leading resource for race-related research, but now it offers unprecedented access for students, educators, foundations, and government agencies whose work depends on good scholarship.

  • More than 100 videos of lectures from the speaker series, summer institutes, and the Race in America conference.
  • Pilot studies and other research projects at the center.
  • Hundreds of publications, including the journal Race and Social Problems.
  • Educational resources, such as a graduate course listings and award-winning student papers.
  • A listing of all center activities.”

The site includes the topic of “Interracial Group Relations.”

This resource is a great place for those who do academic work to gather information and possibly submit their work to expand the discussion on the Mixed experience.

This is also a great resource for those who need some background information and/or research to consider/include/inform the development of their Mixed Roots Stories!

‘Becoming Mexipino’ – A Story Worth Telling

Becoming Mexipino

Rudy P. Guevarra, Jr., discusses the mixed history and identity of two minority groups (Mexicans and Filipinos) in his book Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and Communities in San Diego.

He weaves together the stories of Mexipinos in San Diego by exploring their families immigration to the United States, their fight for civil rights, participation and creation of labor unions, and socialization through cultural functions that brought couples of the two groups together.

“Thus, by examining the intimate, complex relationship between Mexicans and Filipinos in San Diego and exploring how they and their multiethnic children carved a place for themselves in the United States, we can begin to appreciate how identities and communities are formed, nurtured, and sustained over generations. Indeed, the multiple generations of Mexipinos are testimony to this unique history of multiethnic communities in the United States. It is a story worth telling.” (p. 12)

We agree! It is a STORY worth telling.

Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and … – Amazon.com

Laura Kina’s Art Exhibit 11/16/13 in Maryland

Indigo: An Exhibition of Textiles by Laura Kina and Shelly Jyoti

Saturday, November 16, 2013
Gandhi Memorial Center
Opening Reception from 2 to 4pm
Inaugural Remarks at 2:30pm

With Distinguished Guest Mr. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India

RSVP for Opening Reception by 11-14-2013
info@gandhimemorialcenter.org
301-320-6871
Exhibition May Be Viewed Through January 2014
Fridays and Saturdays 10am – 4pm and By Appointment

Gandhi Memorial Center 
4748 Western Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20816
www.gandhimemorialcenter.org

This exhibit is presented by the Gandhi Memorial Center in cooperation with 
the Embassy of India and with support of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

Shelly Jyoti’s “Indigo Narratives” refer to the 19th century history of India’s indigo farmers, their oppression and Mahatma Gandhi’s subsequent non-violent resistance leading to India’s freedom. Shelly lived in Gujarat, India and her “Narratives” use traditional embroidery by rural women in Gujarat with support of Shrujan: Threads of Life and indigo resist dyeing printing on khadi fabric with the 9th generation ajrakh artisans of Gujarat famed for their bold embellished textiles. www.shellyjyoti.com

Laura Kina’s “Devon Avenue Sampler” is a portrait of her South Asian/Jewish Chicago neighborhood, West Roger’s Park, and features a bricolage of pop street signage rendered in patchwork quilt paintings. The “Sampler” includes works hand embroidered by artisans from MarketPlace: Handwork of India, a fair trade women’s organization in Mumbai, India. Laura lives and works in Chicago’s “Little India”, a vibrant multiethnic immigrant community.www.laurakina.com

The common thread between both bodies of work is the color indigo blue from India’s colonial past, to indigo-dyed Japanese kasuri fabrics and boro patchwork quilts, through blue threads of a Jewish prayer tallis, to working class blue jeans in the U.S. Since 2009, “Indigo” has exhibited in galleries and cultural centers in Baroda, New Delhi, Mumbai, Seattle, Miami, and Chicago.

Does your family “match”?

NPR’s Code Switch blog does it again.

This story was hitting the headlines across the country.  Journalists were interviewing families whose children had disappeared, thought to be kidnapped, asking them if they thought this could be their child.  Meanwhile, they were showing pictures of the couple that this little girl was found with…and she looked like them…other than the fact her skin and hair was lighter.  Then we find out…they ARE her parents!!!

Code Switch brings to light that this is not the first time that this has happened to a Roma Child.

This happens in America too…Families do not always MATCH!  Interracial families and families who have transracial adopted children are who first come to mind of families that might not visually always look the same. But families come in a variety of different sizes, shades. and make ups.  We must be cautious with first impressions on our ideas of what is a “family” and what “family” looks like.

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/10/25/240865629/roma-children-removals-make-us-wonder-what-family-looks-like?sc=ipad&f=1001

United States of the United Races – Great Resource for Storytellers

carterWhen discovering the strongest submissions for the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival, one thing always stood out for me: the storyteller (filmmaker, author, performer) had a solid understanding of the historical context behind the story they were telling. Although many of the personal narratives were compelling, it was often clear when the creator of the work hadn’t delved into the historical reasons why they found themselves in a certain time and space. This often made the work feel lacking in some way.

Enter Greg Carter’s United States of the United Races – an antidote to celebrations of the mixed experience that lack the important weight of context. The Introduction examines how President Obama – and many others – have capitalized on his being mixed, “he piggybacked onto positive notions about racially mixed people to improve his symbolic power.” Carter makes his goals for the book clear here: 1) to show that racial mixture has a long history of being touted as a way towards progress and 2) to question the notion that racial mixture automatically equals progress.

In the following 7 chapters the book follows a chronological order, revisiting some of the history you may have heard often, like Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, Plessy v. Ferguson, and also giving extensive details into lesser-discussed political and social leaders who addressed racial mixing like Wendell Phillips (who wrote the original United States of the United Races, from which Carter got his title), Albion Tourgée, José Vasconcelos and Jean Toomer.

Carter’s Conclusion leaves us with hope that mixed relationships – and the children/grandchildren, etc. produced by them – might help in achieving goals of equality. He includes a checklist – to ‘check ourselves’ on blindly seeing mixed people as the only saviors, and encourages a banding together – instead of separating ourselves – to insist on making changes.

I highly recommend this book, particularly to artists of all genres who want to address the mixed experience in their work. Even if your work does not directly refer to the past, understanding it better will certainly add depth to the stories you tell.

Here’s a PODCAST with Greg Carter discussing the book – hosted by Tiffany Ried of Mixed Race Radio.

Asian American Literary Review: Mixed Race Issue

The AALR is dedicated to providing a space for both established and emerging writers to express what it means to identify as Asian American. Their latest issue is focused on Mixed Race identity, and they’ve gathered an impressive amount of storytellers of all genres to explore the Mixed experience. The hard cover journal is only the beginning, though. Throughout the 2013/2014 fall and spring semesters, over 100 universities will be participating in interactive classrooms using the Mixed Race issue as a springboard to discussions and new understandings of the Mixed experience. We strongly encourage you to purchase this journal, which will certainly be considered a historical archive, and to participate in the university initiatives.

Asian American Literary Review home page

Order your copy of the Mixed Race Issue HERE

Learn more about the University classes HERE

 

WTTF…a modern day Guess Who is Coming To Dinner?

 

WTTF…a modern day Guess Who is Coming To Dinner?

I have seen several previews on TV for NBC’s new comedy Welcome To The Family. I wasn’t too interested until I saw a commercial yesterday that talked about interracial families.  The two teenagers in the show were talking about the growing number of multiracial families in America and how they will be one too.  I have NOT been able to find the clip anywhere online…but when I do, I will be sure to post it.  Now as I look into the storyline more… I see that it is more than a teenage pregnancy story.  It is a story of the Yoder and Hernandez families being joined by their teenagers falling in love.  A classic Romeo and Juliet plot with a splash of racial and cultural differences.  Though it is nice to see the presence of multiracial families on TV, I am not surprised that it again will be under an unwelcomed relationship, and child.  We will have to stay tuned to see how the story unfolds…

 

http://www.nbc.com/welcome-to-the-family/

Mixed Character Takes On Comic Books

 

Miles Morales

Have you heard? Miles Morales (African American and Puerto Rican) takes over for Spider Man in the Marvel comic series. He currently has appeared in 90 issues. It will be interesting to track how they portray Miles’ mixed story with an extra layer of super hero.

You can read more about his character, here on Comic Vine: http://www.comicvine.com/miles-morales/4005-79420/

And here in an article written by mixed author Marcia Dawkins: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-alesan-dawkins/marvels-mixed-race-ultima_b_917442.html