“Where Are You From?” Hypodescent is the act of anyone of mixed race being classified as their socially inferior parentage. Hypodescent was the basis for the “one-drop rule”, in which any individual with any traceable black ancestry was classified as black. The main difference between hypodescent and the one-drop rule is that hypodescent is an ideology and was not legally enforced unlike the one-drop rule. The basis of hypodescent dates back to the 17th century. During the 17th century, African American slaves began to replace European indentured servants. The African American slave population grew in order to meet labor needs, a divide grew between enslaved African Americans and free European Americans. This distinction between enslaved African Americans and free European American was merely black individuals and white individuals (Daniel 2002, 38). This was the first act instilling a binary classification between white and black. The beginning of biracial and multiracial individuals began with relationships between the white slave owners and the enslaved individuals. In some cases these relationships were consensual but many were violent cases of rape. The inhumane act of slavery was the foundation of racial inferiority among African Americans. In order to justify slavery and racial segregation, scientific racism and eugenics were used to rationalize and reproduce racial inequality. These ideas became popular throughout the 19th century and people began to strongly support and believe the inferiority of African Americans. In 1865, Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation by making it legal. They were enacted to preserve white supremacy and racial inferiority of African Americans. In the early 20th century, this ultimately led to the enforcement by law of the one-drop rule which was officially adopted throughout the United States, particularly in the South. The one-drop law solidified race as binary, black and white, as well as asserted white superiority. It left no room for the expression or sheer existence of biracial and multiracial individuals. Hypodescent and the monoracial imperative cemented the idea of race as binary. This set social classifications and hierarchical formations between blacks and whites. Blacks unanimously fell into an inferior racial position socially, culturally and economically within the United States. The racial formation in the United States has therefore been shaped by this “black-white paradigm” in which race falls into a singular category (Daniel 2002, xi). This further erases the idea of someone being biracial or multiracial. Because of this, multiracial or biracial individuals have been forced into a binary racial category chosen by society. This has led to the abandonment of their multiracial and biracial identities in order to fit into a social category. Hypodescent and the one-drop rule established a clear divide amongst black and white people. Due to the one-drop rule, multiracial people internalized the law and began to identify as black; even if they had not identified as black, they would have been assigned to the black race by society. As the idea of race as binary became more popular, people treated multiracial individuals, who were identified as black in an awful and inhumane way. Discrimination and prejudice began to grow in the United States particularly in the South. In addition, Jim Crow laws which were passed in 1865 legally enforced segregation. Due to the growing restrictions and racism, multiracial people began resisting hypodescent in the forms of passing, blue vein societies and forming triracial isolates. Passing was a form of integration in which a multicultural individual, had an American European phenotype and cultural orientation and could therefore pass as “white” in order to enjoy the privileges that came with being a white person such as power, prestige and wealth. (Daniel 2002, 50) The “Great Age” of passing occurred between 1880-1925, in response to the enforcement of Jim Crow laws. One form of passing is discontinuous passing. Discontinuous passing is a nonpermanent type of passing when a multiracial person temporarily passes as a white person for a short period of time. Discontinuous passing is when a black person holds a white job during the day but comes home to their black community (Daniel 2002, 50). Another form of passing was continuous passing in which a multiracial person permanently crosses over to identifying as white. Individuals who follow this form of passing completely abandon their black ancestry in order to enjoy the privileges of a white person. Due to hypodescent, multiracial people were often caught between being considered part of the black or white race. Phenotypically, they were often not light-skinned enough to fully pass as European American yet they were not dark-skinned enough to be accepted into the black community. This led to a lost sense of identity and a feeling of not belonging that plagued many multiracial individuals. If a multiracial person could pass as white, they often took advantage of this opportunity in order to feel a sense of belonging to a community. Passing as white was a form of integrationism which provided multiracial people a sense of belonging. Furthermore, passing resisted the one-drop rule because it allowed multiracial people to be fluid with their racial identity. They could pass as white even though due to the one-drop rule they were identified as black. Integrating into the white society granted multiracial people the privileges that came with being a white person such as wealth, power and prestige. This is a form of egalitarian integrationist because multiracial individuals were able to integrate into white society and enjoy equal opportunities. Even though multiracial people were forced to abandon their black ancestry in order to pass as white, they were fortunate enough to escape being subjected to racism. Leaving behind a part of your identity is challenging and depressing for many; passing as white highlighted the desperateness and willingness of multiracial individuals to escape their black-identified lives in order to increase their opportunities and enjoy a better life. Along with passing as a form of hypodescent resistance, blue-vein societies arose in the 19th century. Blue vein societies were exclusive social groups of light skinned African American’s who were unable to fully pass as white but were lighter in skin color than other dark skinned African American descents. This is another circumstance in which those of multiracial descent were stuck between two communities without a sense of belonging, therefore they formed their own separate blue-vein societies. In order to be accepted into the community, one had to be light skinned enough to see their veins. They were convinced they suffered from racial stereotypes of black masses who “possessed little knowledge of or appreciation for the ‘laws governing society’” and therefore held them separate from blacks and considered themselves “multiracial elites” (Daniel 2002, 55). The meaning behind a multiracial elite was that they deemed themselves dominant and more deserving than other, particularly darker skinned, multiracial individuals. This is a form of inegalitarian pluralism, characterized by promoting the inequality between people of multiple races. Inegalitarian pluralism is further illustrated here by using the term “interracial colorism”. Colorism is an ideology that people with lighter skin are superior, more beautiful and therefore more deserving within society (Golash-Boza 2019). Blue vein societies consisting of multiracial elites is a clear example of interracial colorism. The members of this society believed they were better than other African American descents simply because of their lighter skin and more “typical” European American looks such as straight hair and sharp features. Because of this, multiracial elites discriminated against darker multiracial individuals. In addition to passing and blue vein societies, triracial isolates exemplified a resistance towards the rule of hypodescent. Triracial isolates are communities throughout the United States “of varying combinations and degrees of Europeans American, Native American and African American descent” (Daniel 2002, 68). These communities are pluralistic, containing individuals with a mix of backgrounds. They are united by their similar living conditions on the outskirts of cities in hilly, swampy or muddy areas (Daniel 2002, 68). Triracial isolate communities are off the grid in their own isolated enclaves. By forming these communities, they are challenging the binary racial project created by hypodescent. They refuse to conform to a white or black race and therefore have created their own communities around the United States for multiracial people. This was appealing for many multiracial people because they had the ability to fit into a community without conforming to a white or black race. It is evident that multiracial individuals faced several forms of oppression due to hypodescent and its monoracial imperative. Passing, blue-vein societies and triracial isolates exemplify these struggles of both racial oppression and a sense of isolation that many multiracial people experienced. Because of unequal and discriminatory experiences, multiracial individuals formed organizations such as blue vein societies and triracial isolates as well as followed a form of passing in order to resist the one-drop rule and find a sense of belonging. These practices were known as collective