Home > Author > Farzana Nayani
1 " Race has object permanence. It is still there, no matter how hard we try to look away. "
― Farzana Nayani , Raising Multiracial Children: Tools for Nurturing Identity in a Racialized World
2 " of multiplicity and belonging to more than one space, "
3 " The reason is that some people are mixed race even if they don’t claim it. Pew’s own comprehensive study of multiracial individuals demonstrated that many individuals claim a single-race heritage, even though they may have a parent or grandparent who is a different race. "
4 " It also could be due to social factors and an affinity with or preference for one race over another, not to mention what individuals are taught about race by family members or other valued people in their lives. "
5 " Some of those mindsets still exist today and are passed onto our children—as they learn to choose one side of their identity over another "
6 " She had said this with such ease and a spirit of community and camaraderie, of unity in the multiplicity instead of difference. "
7 " Or are judged by how they behave, look, or sound. This is the world in which our children live. "
8 " Saying a person is “half-Brazilian and half-Japanese” or is a “quarter Black” is commonly heard. However, this can be viewed as cutting a child into parts, or identifying one’s affinity to a racial heritage by the racial percentage or blood quantum count. "
9 " what it is like to be in a space where being multiracial is seen, accepted, understood, and not categorized as different, exotic, or other. I "
10 " Saying a person is “half-Brazilian and half-Japanese” or is a “quarter Black” is commonly heard. However, this can be viewed as cutting a child into parts, or identifying one’s affinity to a racial heritage by the racial percentage or blood quantum count. Given the punctuated historical context we live in, this can be problematic. Instead, a way to invite a child to honor all aspects of their racial heritage equally would be to say that they are “Native American and Lebanese. "
11 " Do not make assumptions about a child’s racial or ethnic identity. "
12 " Most important is to recognize that there is no one linear path for multiracial identity development, and to be expansive in our conceptions of identity formation and the experiences we or our children face. "
13 " It is especially important for multiracial individuals to have purposeful guidance about their multifaceted identity. "
14 " One can hear the emotions and pain in both of their voices in realizing that despite positive intentions, this approach was not enough. The brutal awakening that this family experienced comes as a warning and message to all of us. "
15 " How can children learn knowledge of or pride in their own racial heritage if they don’t have contact? "
16 " The most direct source of having contact with culture comes from family members—but this may not be accessible to the child, depending upon the situation of the child and family (due "
17 " This can also come in the form of exposure to art, music, dance, theater, "
18 " How do we ready our children for the possibility of any of these experiences happening? We therefore must absolutely acknowledge race, racial differences, and the context of the society we live in—in order to best prepare our children to face potential circumstances, and also to cultivate positive "
19 " This can also come in the form of exposure to art, music, dance, theater, photography, and other expressions of culture and race. "
20 " Or even if they are of the same racial composition as we are, they may identify differently, due to their physical appearance, experiences with others, or society’s reinforcement of their identity, among other factors. "
