Shawn Washington, 28, is one of 6.8 million biracial Americans. His father is African-American and his mother is white. Washington, who will graduate from The University of Memphis this spring, was raised by his mother.
Even as a young child, Washington was definitely aware of differences between himself and the rest of his family. "You're the only raisin in the bowl of corn flakes," he said. Although he is biracial, he said, most people assume he is black.
"Because my skin happens to be darker than most mixed people, when I get around other blacks they start talking about white people, saying 'cracker' this and 'cracker' that, and I'll say I'm mixed," Washington said. "They'll say, 'you're black.'"
Washington is among the 2.4 percent of the United States population -- 6.8 million Americans -- that consider themselves biracial or multiracial, according to the 2000 Census. The year 2000 was the first time people could check more than one race to identify themselves in the Census. Respondents could check up to six races, creating 63 racial combinations.
The 2000 Census showed there are twice as many young people under the age of 18 who identify themselves as multiracial than people age 18 and over. Multiracial people are clearly a growing percentage of the population.
These multiracial individuals are currently struggling to communicate how they want to be identified, said David Acey, a U of M communication professor who teaches a class on interracial communication.
"It's going to take the same struggle that African-Americans had to go through to get people to respond to that definition as their own," Acey said.
Although Census 2000 allowed individuals to check more than one race, it still didn't have the proper categories, Acey said.
Washington said he feels people expect him to "pick a side of the fence," and that being raised by his white mother and her family while looking black created some conflict in his relationships.
Wendy Naumann, an assistant professor of psychology who researches diversity issues, said multiracial individuals' experiences depend in part on the specific racial combination.
"It's really hard to talk about multiracial individuals as a group, because if they're a member of the white majority group and a minority group, that's a different experience than if they're a member of two minority groups," Naumann said.
An experience common to all multiracial groups, Naumann said, is trying to find a balance where all of what they are can be acknowledged. She said Washington's experience, hearing his black friends talk negatively about white people, is a familiar one.
"In order to feel some congruency, do they then deny that there is part of them that is white and just identify as African-American?" Naumann said. "Likewise, if they're in the white community, they're going to deal with the same thing."
Race plays an important role in identity development, Naumann said. Multiracial persons may have a more difficult time developing their racial identity, which depends on their experiences and is different for everyone.
"If they're raised in a family where both racial identities are equally valued and talked about and celebrated, and actively given coping strategies to deal with their biracial identity, then I think they're going to have a much easier time with it," Naumann said.
Justin Calhoun, a junior electrical and computer engineering major at The U of M, is another biracial student. His mother is white and his father is African-American, the same as Washington's background.
Calhoun, whose parents are divorced, was raised in a religion (Baha'i) that embraces the ideal of equality between all ethnic groups. Because of the values his family instilled in him, he never had to choose between the two cultures.
"I identified with everything from both sides. It wasn't like I had to be one or the other. I was all of both," Calhoun said. "It was definitely a good thing because I had the perspective of both cultures."
Calhoun, who lived in California until fourth grade, moved back to Memphis and said he experienced "a big culture shock."
"I think the first thing that was apparent to me was the other kids, the black kids, asked me why I spoke 'white,'" Calhoun said.
This questioning of his lack of accent has been a recurring theme throughout his life. Calhoun said the way he speaks is a result of living in California as well as his upbringing, because neither of his parents have accents. He said his speaking style changes depending on whom he is talking to.
"When you are talking to somebody who is from someplace close to your roots that you can relate to and they can relate to you, you're going to start to go into your original colloquial dialect," Calhoun said. "When I am around certain black people who speak a certain way, I may start to do it more, or I may not. It depends on what I'm trying to relate."
Both Washington and Calhoun had similar experiences when it came to dating. Washington, who attended a racially diverse high school, said he had both black and white friends. Yet, he said he felt a degree of separation from his white friends.
"When it came to certain functions or certain things that I wanted to do, it was not necessarily announced, but you could feel that I was trying to cross a line that they didn't want me to cross," Washington said.
If he wanted to date a white girl, Washington found it wasn't something that was easily accepted. It was that line that people didn't want him to cross.
Calhoun, whose high school had a 50/50 ratio of black and white students, found himself in classes that were 90 percent white. Because of this, he ended up primarily dating white girls.
"When it got to be more than just phone calls, and you actually wanted to get into a serious relationship, then all of a sudden the parents would come into play, which generally turned out for the worse," Calhoun said.
Calhoun said parents would either directly state their objection or indirectly prevent the relationship through their influence on their children. Calhoun said he didn't have any lasting relationships during high school.
Washington experienced conflict beyond the dating situation. Like Calhoun, he said people told him he dressed and talked like a "white guy," and his black friends treated him differently.
"Hanging out with black kids, they were cautious or wary," Washington said.
Yet Washington found he was not fully accepted by either his black or his white friends. There were limitations on both relationships. He said the white friends didn't feel comfortable with his dating a white girl, and the black friends didn't trust him because he was so involved in the white social circle.
Washington developed a strong bond with another biracial kid, Adrian, who was white and Japanese.
"It's cool to know there are others like you," Washington said. "It might not be black and white, but being mixed, you're mixed."
Multiracial individuals such as Washington and Calhoun face a number of problems because of society, Naumann said.
"We don't celebrate differences," Naumann said. "The different groups don't do a good job of respecting each other. So if you're an individual who's trying to do both, it's pretty difficult."
