This thesis/project/dissertation has been reviewed for 508 compliance. To request enhancements, please email [email protected]. WHITE/MINORITY MULTIRACIALITY: AN EXPLORATION OF SOCIOPOLITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT Melody Marie Antillon Hazzard B.A., University of California, Davis, 2006 THESIS Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK at . CALIFORNIA STA TE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO SPRING 2009 ©2009 Melody Marie Antillon Hazzard ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 11 Student: Melody Marie Antillon Hazzard l certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this thesis is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the thesis. L---,----:'.~----=---r-==~ , Graduate Coordinator ~usan Talamantes~-Pl1D., MSW Date Division of Social Work - ·· -·•·······-··----··-·- ···--- ·----- WHITE/MINORITY MULTIRACIALITY: AN EXPLORATION OF SOCIOPOLITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT A Thesis by Melody Marie Antillon Hazzard I .__._,..________~=='-- ----' Committee Chair Maria Dinis PhD. MSW L--.,,.-------':77'- - - ._____, Second Reader usan Talamantes E an, PhD., MSW Ill Abstract of WHITE/MINORITY MULTIRACIALITY: AN EXPLORATION OF SOCIOPOLITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT by Melody Marie Antillon Hazzard There is contention in multiracial studies as to whether multiracial people perpetuate or challenge the current racial hierarchy. This study explores the sociopolitical consciousness of white/minority multiracial people. The themes explored are the connection between the personal and the political, and the positive and negative impacts of passing on dominant culture identification and worldview. Participants had ambivalent attitudes regarding personal attitudes about racial identity and their relationship to the sociopolitical issues. Exploration into the issue of passing suggests that there are new ways to think about the concept. Also included are a discussion about the implications for practice and suggestions for further research. , Committee Chair Maria Dinis, PhD., MSW Date V ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the family, mentors, teachers, and friends in my life that encouraged me to pursue both a master's degree and the journey of self-reflection that inspired the research topic for this thesis. I am especially grateful for the support of my husband Eric, who pushed me to pursue a graduate education and work in a field I love. Special thanks to all my parents and parents in-law, who provided emotional and financial support to Eric and I while we were both in graduate school at the same time. The sincerest of thanks to my wonderful and amazingly fast thesis advisors, Dr. Lynne Cooper and Dr. Maria Dinis, who read many drafts-may your eyesight never fail you! And finally, thanks to the knowledgeable and supportive faculty and staff of the MSW program at Sacramento State for your dedication to teaching, learning, professionalism, social justice, and personal growth. Vl • .. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments................................................................................................................... vi Chapter I. THE PROBLEM . .. .. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... .. Background of the Problem ........................................................................................ 4 Statement of the Research Problem .......................................................................... I 0 Purpose of the Study................................................................................................. I 0 Theoretical Framework............................................................................................. 11 Definition of Terms................................................................................................... 13 Assumptions.............................................................................................................. 15 Justification............................................................................................................... 15 Limitations................................................................................................................ 16 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE.................................................................................. 17 introduction............................................................................................................... 17 The Sociopolitical History of Multiracial Individuals in the United States.............. 18 Multiracial Identity Politics, Critical Race Theory, and Current Events .................. 26 The Current State of Whiteness ................................................................................ 35 Psychosocial Concerns and Realities of Multiracial Individuals .............................. 39 Summary ................................................................................................................... 49 3. METHODOLOGY........................................................................................................... 51 Introduction............................................................................................................... 51 Research Question..................................................................................................... 51 Research Design........................................................................................................ 51 Study Participants .......... .. .. ........... ....... ....... .... .. .. ......... .. ..... .......... .. ..................... ..... 54 Sample Population .................................................................................................... 55 instrumentation ......................................................................................................... 56 Data Gathering Procedures ............................................................................................. 57 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................. 58 vu Protection of Human Subjects........................................................................................ 58 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 59 4. DATA ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................... 61 Introduction.................................................................................................................... 61 Ambivalent Attitudes .. .. .......... ...... .. ..... .. ....... .. .............. .. .. ... .. ..... ....... ..... ....................... 62 Positive Effects of Passing on Dominant Culture Identification and Worldview 69 Negative Effects of Passing on Dominant Culture Identification and Worldview 74 Summary ...................................................................................................................... 80 5. CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................................................. 81 Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 81 Recommendations.......................................................................................................... 84 Limitations .. ....... ..... ....... .. .... .. ...... ....... ....... .. ........... .. .............. .. .. ... ..... ........... ................ 86 Implications for Social Work Practice and Policy ......................................................... 87 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 89 Appendix A. Interview Questions ....................................................................................... 91 Appendix B. Consent to Participate as a Research Subject ................................................. 93 References.............................................................................................................................. 94 Vlll 1 Chapter 1 THE PROBLEM Introduction The tragedy for 'mixed' people is that powerful social lie, the assumption that at the heart of 'race,' that a presumed biological essence is the basis of one's true identity ... The emphasis on and significance given to 'race' precludes any possibility for establishing our premier identities on the basis ofother characteristics ... In this sense it may be argued that the myth of 'race' has been a b~ier to true human identities. (Smedley, 1998, p. 696) I became aware of the racial paradox I embody at a young age. In an experience that has acted ·a~ a guiding metaphor for the way I understand myself in the context ofour (United States) society, the racial, and therefore, the perceived social and class differences between myself and my Mexican father were forced upon me at the U.S./Mexico border in San Diego, California at age six. My father and I were making one of our routine trips across the border into Tijuana to send part of his wages home to his tiny home town of La Junta in Chihuahua, Mexico. In 1989, crossing the border was vastly less complicated than it is now, there was no need for passports, birth certificates, or statements of intent­ only a driver's license or, for suspected immigrants,