How to Raise Mixed Kids
I am biracial and bicultural. Despite residing in rural Minnesota, I grew up exposed to two cultures, two languages, and relatives on two continents. I believe that this exposure to two completely different worlds from a young age kindled in me a deep personal interest and commitment to equality and inclusion. Although there was no one else in our community like me growing up (I did not meet another biracial person outside my immediate family until after college), a growing number of people in the U.S. are part of multiracial and/or multicultural families. As reported by the New York Times after the 2010 Census, “The number of non-Hispanic Americans who identify as multiracial had jumped by 127 percent over the decade. For people who identified as Hispanic, the increase was even higher.” I have hope that the rise in multiethnic and multicultural households will bring fresh perspectives to spaces across society that will help us as a nation heal from the effects of centuries of racism. But, diversity alone won’t improve race relations if the parents of mixed race children don’t support them in uncovering their identities and finding their place in a society that still doesn’t quite know what to do with them.
The following is some advice based on my personal experiences as a mixed race child. Note that throughout this…
