An examination of the racial identities of undergraduate multiracial college students in the United States
Blass, Authrene Since 2010, the number of mixed-race people has grown by 276% and the largest group (19.3 million) were multiracial combinations—white and some other race (United States Census Bureau, 2021). On college campuses specifically, the multiracial student population is expected to be one of the fastest growing throughout the coming years (Hermsmeyer et al., 2021). Multiracial identities have long questioned both racist and monoracist structures in society and often urge practitioners and scholars to understand unique inequitable racial structures within higher education (Johnston-Guerrero & Wijeyesinghe, 2021). This study examined how undergraduate multiracial college students experience and understand their racial identities. The findings resulted in a theory and model that represents the multifaceted identities of multiracial undergraduate college students. The unique characteristics of mixed-race students do not fully align with many existing identity-based theories and models. Often, multiracial students struggle to find a sense of belonging and identity representations at their institutions of higher education (Clayton, 2020; Gjerde, 2021; Johnston-Guerrero & Wijeyesinghe, 2021). This research is critical in continuing to create scholarship, discussions, and identity-based models that represent the experiences and needs of multiracial college students. This qualitative study helps support the needs of multiracial college students and focuses on their unique racial identities. The study focused on multiracial college students attending various higher education institutions across the United States. Both distinct and overlapping racial experiences emerged from one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The findings were analyzed, leading to a multiracial identity model and theory, Multifaceted Identities of Mixed Students (MIMS).
Racially mixed people--Education (Higher), Identity (Psychology), Racism in higher education
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