When asked to check a box for “What is your race?” multi-racial teens often change categories as they transition to young adulthood, according to a study by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). As they get older, teens tend to diversify their selections or consolidate.

This study’s conclusion: People do not always treat their “race” as a fixed concept. They might change their race association in different circles, so to speak, or depending on how comfortable they feel about their status (e.g. the study suggests that teens who came from a more affluent and less racially diverse background had a lower chance of switching their racial identification over time.).

When I was growing up, I definitely danced in many “race” circles when filling out forms or—more importantly—in claiming a race among my friends. Even though my parents were progressive and openly discussed racism and the need for equality, at the same time they made no big thang about what I might experience as the result of their multi-racial love. When I went out into the world I started to feel the divide inside and out.

Before junior high, I lived in a high-test-score neighborhood where every house seemed to have two stories, two parents, two cars, two TVs (or maybe even the rare computer) and at least two expensive hobbies (skiing, boating, etc.) I lived in my own two-sie world on the edge of that neighborhood—as in a rented two-bedroom duplex with two working people (my mom and teen sister). At this time of life, I identified my dad (not me) as being “Spanish” to some of my upper-crust-ish friends. Spanish sounded exotic. Mexican sounded unwelcome. I think this is when my creative writing career truly began along with my lack of self-acceptance. With my almost Irish looks, who would be the wiser? I also remember around 3rd or 4th grade distinctly looking in the mirror one day, admiring my blonde-streaked hair and feeling like I’d dodged a bullet: I looked white. I’d gotten lucky.
(It's a hard story to tell by so telling about how I was experiencing being multi-racial at the time.)

In 7th grade, we moved when my mom became a proud homeowner. The new neighborhood was more mixed. There were older homes, condos and apartments. My two new bestfriends also had divorced parents. Moms and dads worked and both struggled to make rent. And school looked like some after-school special about the great U.S. melting pot. At this time, I made my first race-claim shift. When I smelled the coast was clear, I proudly claimed that I was Mexican. My last name wasn’t Irish, silly, it was Filipino (and of Spanish origin!). In this neighborhood and throughout high school, being multi-racial gave me street cred. I now actually invited my dad to school events. My mom's background? Well, she was just the French-Irish-Portuguese-1/8 Cherokee chick who was the reason I didn’t have a year-around tan (not fair!). She, I more commonly would say, worked for a computer chip company.

By college, my race ID took one more turn. Now I was seriously bummed that I didn’t speak fluent Spanish. Didn’t my parents know this would have meant more opportunity for me? I could have worked for the New York Times in Guatemala by age 20. Come on, people! College was all about being DIFFERENT. UNIQUE. STANDING OUT. And joining the Viva Latina Club and Portuguese Pride Parade and the Pacific Islanders for Peace. Now I was a fully de-segregated person on the inside, right? I liked it when people actually pronounced my last name correctly (Mah-Cah-Vean-Tah). But then I dug deeper. I started learning about the real struggle for equal rights for all and reading books like My Soul is Rested and Hunger of Memory and taking classes like "Racism, Classism and Misogyny" taught by a self-proclaimed Jewish-Puerto-Rican-Feminist (gotta love San Francisco State!). I felt sad that I'd ever denied myself the pleasure of being myself. It was all coming together. I was coming together.

But don’t get me wrong. Drinking my own ethnic Kool Aid was not about gravitating toward what was fashionable or profitable or what would get me a good grade. It was about what felt safe. It was about looking hard at deeply ingrained hatred that we marinate in whether we know it or not. It was about reading the room and seeing who was getting respect and who was getting the shaft. It was about coming to the realization that all those ancestors who live on in my DNA deserved equal opportunity, care, and respect. And for me, that’s what I’ve been fighting for ever since (and why Fighting for Equality is Respect Basic No. 6).

So it doesn’t surprise me that teens are being shifty when it comes to claiming race. Isn’t that what our world has taught them to do in some cases? From what teens are still going through, it's obvious we aren’t always sending them the message to love the package they came in and that they SO matter like every other person. On the other hand, shouldn’t we perhaps take a cue from multi-racial teens' coming of age journey? Forget watching Survivor to see how a racial divide plays out. Instead, turn your attention to the fight for respect going on all around you. What’s your scorecard say: Is respect winning on the inside and out?

MORE INFO
Want to get the conversation flowing and start spreading respect for all? Check out the Inside the “-isms” on page 9 of RESPECT. Remember, truly respecting yourself means not hiding who you are, and creating change so that no one else has to either (like these teens are doing!). Go here for more social change tools.

Comments (0) | by Courtney on September 19

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ORGS + WEB SITES
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
www.aclu.org
The ACLU defends the civil liberties of all people. Check the Web site for phone numbers of local offices in your state.

Amnesty International
212-807-8400
www.amnestyusa.org/youth
Fights for human rights worldwide and offers guidance and training for young activists.

Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF)
703-522-2214
www.feminist.org
Dedicated to women's and girls' equality, this organization's Web site has tons of news and resources on issues that affect women's rights and how to get involved.

Equal Rights Advocates
800-839-4ERA (English and Spanish)
www.equalrights.org
Since 1974, ERA's mission has been to protect and secure equal rights and economic opportunities for women and girls through litigation and advocacy. If you feel your rights have been violated, you can receive free, discrete legal advice.

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
212-629-3322
www.glaad.org
Works to promote and ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of GLBTQ people and events in all forms of media. The Web site includes articles and resources on GLBTQ rights.

International Network for Girls (INfG)
www.girlsrights.org
The INfG focuses on improving girls' rights around the world by advocating for countries to honor the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 Beijing Women's Conference, which specifically outline girls' rights around the world.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
877-NAACP-98 (877-622-2798)
www.naacp.org
Adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are advocates for civil rights in their communities and monitor political, educational, social, and economic equality.

National Organization for Women (NOW)
202-628-8669
www.now.org
A watchdog organization for women's rights and equality. Go to the Web site to learn about issues that concern girls, and your rights and how to protect them.

National Women's Hall of Fame
315-568-8060
www.greatwomen.org
This organization's Web site is a searchable shrine to some of the greatest women in U.S. history who made contributions to the arts, athletics, business, education, government, the humanities, philanthropy, and science.

National Youth Rights Association
301-738-6769
www.youthrights.org
Dedicated to defending the civil and human rights of young people in the United States. This organization aims to achieve its goals through educating people about youth rights, working with public officials to devise fitting policy solutions to problems affecting young people, and empowering young people to work on their own behalf.

Third Wave Foundation
212-675-0700
www.thirdwavefoundation.org
Fights for the equality of all—regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, economic status, and level of education. Supports the leadership of young women 15 to 30 by providing resources, public education, and networking opportunities.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—See listing under "Sexual Harassment + Bullying."

BOOKS
33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History: From Suffragettes to Skirt Lengths to the E.R.A.
edited by Tonya Bolden
Find out how revolutionary women fought for equal rights so you can, too.

The Feminine Mystique
by Betty Friedan
Reading this feminism classic you'll see how far women have come, and how far we still have to go when it comes to getting the respect and equal rights we deserve.

Listen Up (2nd Edition): Voices from the Next Feminist Generation
by Barbara Findlen
In this new, expanded edition of the acclaimed collection, writers and activists such as Rebecca Walker, Nomy Lamm, and Inga Muscio cover a wide range of topics, from feminist politics to the next wave of feminists.

Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future
by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards
This call to arms describes the "seven deadly sins" the media commits against feminism, calls for urgent activism by young women, and talks about what a world with equality would look like.

The Second Sex
by Simone de Beauvoir
This 1949 classic explores how one "becomes" a woman. The book flap says it all: "The classic manifesto of the liberated woman, this book explores every facet of a woman's life."

To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism
edited by Rebecca Walker
With essays by men and women, this is an exploration of modern-day feminism and its impact on everyday life and the future.

What Are My Rights? 95 Questions and Answers About Teens and the Law
by Thomas A. Jacobs, J.D.
Helps teens answer 95 legal questions that pertain specifically to them. Laws related to family, school, workplace, growing up, and more are discussed.

llustration by Catherine LePage © Free Spirit Publishing Inc. 2005

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