Although multiracial identities are becoming more acceptable in the eyes and minds of many people in this country, there are still a big majority of people who tend to discriminate one racial identity over the other. Even in Hawaii, a place where a large amount of population is racially mixed, unfortunately, there are still those who choose to ‘label’ others by their racial identities. It is true that people should celebrate their differences and that one should be proud to present him/herself to the public as one chooses. Often times, it is not always the case. Many times, due to the pressure of the society, it leaves a multiracial person with no options of choosing how he/she wants to be identified, but to only accept and adapt accordingly to the views of the general public. Thus, it lead to my final question, in situations like that, in your opinion what do you think is the best way to respond to those, or to a society where multi-raciality is not appreciated or accepted.
Chuan Jiang
In situations where multiracial people are not accepted, I think the best way to respond is, for those who do accept multiracial people, to take initiative in reaching out to the community, to set an example. Through positive examples, people are naturally impressed and impacted, which I think is the key in changing people's views.
Whether or not people label one another, it's ultimately the individual's decision to passively accept or actively create an identity for themselves. Asian Americans are not all the same just because they're labeled Asian American. Japanese Americans aren't all the same. There are generational differences, upbringing, cultural, language, etc.
Ethnic labels are just as helpful as they are troublesome. When I get into ethnic study discussions, sometimes it feels circular without any inch toward a satisfying conclusion. I wonder what the point of the discussion was. But I realize that without the ethnicity and labeling issues, there would have been no discussion. Discussion is better than none.
Multiraciality is beautiful.
Victoria Kraus