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The Aftermath of “You're Only Half”: Multiracial Identities in the Literacy

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The Aftermath of “You're Only Half”: Multiracial Identities in the Literacy LA_Nov2005.qxd 9/21/05 8:15 AM Page 96 The Aftermath of “You’re Only Half”: Multiracial Identities in the Literacy Classroom 96 Multiracial Identities in the Literacy Classroom Identities in the Literacy Multiracial Children grapple with the complexities of race Elizabeth Dutro Elham Kazemi and what it means to claim membership in Ruth Balf racial categories. The children in Ruth’s fourth/fifth- consulted books and the Internet, curricular move in this highly diverse grade classroom had been engaged for wrote reports, gathered artifacts, cre- urban classroom. Ruth wanted to weeks in a literacy project in which ated art projects, and, finally, put demonstrate that knowledge from they researched and shared an aspect together a poster presentation to share home cultures is valued, allow children of their cultural background. The chil- with peers from other classrooms. The time to share that knowledge with one dren interviewed their parents, project seemed to be an important another, and make visible the rich Language Arts, Vol. 83 No. 2, November 2005 LA_Nov2005.qxd 9/21/05 8:15 AM Page 97 array of life experiences represented raised—that transformed the culture groups is a safe stance to take toward by children in this classroom. project from a rather straightforward a fraught topic. Yet, it is crucial to For the public presentations of their attempt to acknowledge and engage in the goal of “making race projects, the students stood beside celebrate diversity into a critical lit- visible” (Greene & Abt-Perkins, 2003) their posters and answered eracy project in which children grap- if we are to confront and understand questions as children visiting from pled with the complexities of race race as both a central way in which other classrooms walked around the and what it means to claim member- we define ourselves and one another room. It seemed to have gone well— ship in racial categories. In this arti- and as a construct that continues to an observer would have seen cle, we share these children’s be a significant factor in how our 97 students speaking knowledgeably experiences and reflect on what it society parses its resources. and comfortably about their work takes to value multiracial identities The racial and ethnic diversity of Classroom Identities in the Literacy Multiracial as guests wound their way through and support children as they tackle this classroom—biracial children, the room, pausing to ask questions important issues of race that those first-generation immigrants from of individual children. It was only identities raise. Ethiopia, Eritrea, Pakistan, Mexico, after the visitors left that Ruth dis- second-generation Vietnamese and covered that the afternoon had not Finnish Americans, Native American, been a positive celebration for some Children grappled with and white children—shaped the students. Zack lingered in the class- the complexities of nature of the children’s discussions room after school, looking upset. He of race. How these issues play out in shared that two girls from another race and what it means classrooms is highly dependent on class had said, “He’s only half. He’s to claim membership the identities represented in the not really from South Africa,” when room. For instance, discussions of they viewed his project. He said, in racial categories. multiraciality would be very different “Why would they say that? That in a context such as Hawaii, where makes me mad. Just because I’m many people claim multiracial iden- not all African.” While they were tities. In this classroom, the biracial ENGAGING ISSUES OF RACE talking, Stephanie walked over and children’s experience contrasted to said that people had said the same IN THE LITERACY CLASSROOM that of the varied, but seemingly sta- thing to her. She said that It is neither common nor easy to ble, racial and cultural identities of sometimes people think she’s begin conversations about race with most of the other children in ways Indian, but she’s black and white. children. However, research shows that opened up a dialogue about the Ruth asked Zack and Stephanie that elementary students can concept of race and how it operates what they would like to do. She effectively engage with substantive in individual lives and in the larger offered to call a class meeting the issues of race and culture, and it calls society. As Williams (1996) notes, next day if they wanted to discuss for increases in opportunities for “No other social reality than that of these issues with their classmates. children to discuss these complex racially mixed people questions the They agreed that they would like to topics in school and for additional one-dimensional racial structure share their experiences. The next research on how these issues play out upon which America has founded morning, Zack, Stephanie, and their in classrooms (Comber & Simpson, and built its national identity” (p. 193). classmate Jeff (who identified as 2001; Enciso, 1997, 2003; Greene & The very presence of biracial experi- Filipino/white) led their peers in a Abt-Perkins, 2003; Sperling, 2003). ence changes the landscape of race, discussion that engaged complex Much of the talk about race that does opening to question the too-often issues of race and identity. occur in K–12 schools is centered on invisible and seemingly static The public presentations of the proj- racial discrimination (often discussed boundaries surrounding racial cate- ect resulted in feelings of hurt and as an issue of the past) and through gories. Attention to multiracial expe- frustration for these three biracial stories of key leaders of the civil rience allows for different kinds of students as other children questioned rights movement or other prominent conversations about race than could their claims to their own racial people of color (Banks, 1997). Fram- otherwise occur (Root, 1996). Given identities. However, it was also the ing racism as an issue of the past and the increasing number of biracial public presentations of the projects— confining talk about race to the and multiracial children in schools, specifically the issues of multiracial accomplishments of a select few it is crucial to consider multiracial identity that the presentations individuals from various “minority” identities in conceptualizations of LA_Nov2005.qxd 9/21/05 8:15 AM Page 98 critical literacy projects that engage norm by which other categories are launched the conversations we issues of race. measured that is at the heart of describe here took place in the sec- Engaging multiraciality in literacy racial inequality and is why “white- ond year of a two-year research necessarily complicates fixed ness is a construct or identity study of children’s experiences notions of racial categories. These almost impossible to separate from across literacy and mathematics three biracial children provided racial dominance” (Frankenberg, (Dutro, Kazemi, & Balf, in press; examples of times, both within the 1997, p. 9). Multiracial identities Kazemi & Dutro, 2002). The project culture project and at other points potentially disrupt the white/“of was a collaboration between 98 in their lives, when others had color” dichotomy and, thus, call university-based researchers in the (mis)placed them into racial into question the assumptions on fields of literacy (Elizabeth) and Multiracial Identities in the Literacy Classroom Identities in the Literacy Multiracial categories. Their experiences which racial inequality is based. mathematics (Elham), Ruth, and the illustrate the conception of race that This may be particularly true when 23 children in this fourth/fifth- informs our perspective—a view of individuals claiming multiracial grade class. Elizabeth and Elham race as a socially constructed cate- identities can “pass” as white, as were often in the classroom, taking gory, rather than representing was the case with one of the observational notes, interviewing inherent traits or fixed meanings children in this classroom. children, and audio- and videotap- (Hall, 1990; Malik, 1996; McCarthey ing class discussions. & Crichlow, 1993; Omi & Winant, As we consider children’s racial 1994). We are socialized early to Engaging multiraciality identities, we think it is crucial to recognize racial categories that are in literacy necessarily also discuss our identities and how central to how individuals are they positioned us in relation to the sorted into particular social complicates fixed events we explore in this article. locations in society (Omi & Winant, notions of racial Supporting children in their under- 1986). As Orellana and Bowman standing of race requires that we as (2003) emphasize, social categories categories. adult educators examine our own such as those used to mark race and assumptions about and experiences ethnicity are too often treated as with race and identity. Ruth is mid- “fixed and often essentialized cate- dle class, lesbian, and white of Eng- SITUATING OUR INQUIRY gories rather than as multifaceted, lish background. Born in Scotland situated, and socially constructed AND OURSELVES and having lived in Canada as a processes” (p. 26). If children are In addition to racial and ethnic small child, she is a first-generation provided opportunities to confront diversity, the students in this class- American, yet is not perceived as and examine fixed racial categories, room spoke a total of nine home such because of appearance, they are more apt to see and ques- languages and included practicing language, and education. When tion the ways that those categories Muslims, Christians, and
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