Conference
What Are You?
Authors
- Kyra Smith-Stevenson (Iowa State University)
- Cassandra Glidden (Iowa State University)
- Javier Tello Guillen (Iowa State University)
- Mireya Alvarez (Iowa State University)
Abstract
Have you ever been asked, "What are you?" Were you offended, proud. or hesitant to describe your heritage? Oftentimes those with multiple races or ethnicities have to deal with people questioning their background. It could be the Spanish-speaking man who also has dark brown skin or the pale child with slanted eyes. Despite the seven-million self-identified multiracial individuals in the U.S., people are still perplexed when they meet someone who does not fit into their mono-racial template. This presentation delves into this topic as well as the most recent biracial identity model and it's controversies. The question "What are You?" wi ll be broken down to determine what is really being asked and why.